ã€ŠI Became A Mech Soldier After Waking Up in The Future.ã€‹


 Chapter 1 - Where It Starts

    "Second Lieutenant! Second Lieutenant Keiko Lee, wake up!"

    "Uurgh¡­."

    ''Dammit, who is it?! I haven''t slept for two goddamn days; can I just sleep for a bit longer? Is it too much to ask for?!''

    Her eyebrows knitted together in slight furrows while her eyelids kept refusing to part.

    "For Nine God''s sake! Second Lieutenant Keiko Lee, please wake up! We''ll end up in their stomachs if you don''t start waking up!"

    The voice pierced her ears more and more sharply.

    Sensing that something bad might''ve happened, her drowsiness disappeared in a second. She struggled to open her eyes, and when she did, the beaming light made her bedazzled for a while.

    "Hiss..."

    She couldn''t help but gasp as she felt a throbbing pain coming from her left arm.

    Her vision was blurred. Even after blinking several times, it didn''t get better. She could only see a vague figure swaying in front of her eyes through the transparent visor while some random information flashed around it. The man appeared to be wearing a helmet and was fully armed.

    ''Um, what am I wearing on my head? A new-generation helmet?''

    ''I''ve never seen military gear featured with a smart glass as savvy as this before. Since when has the police force become so high-tech?''

    She became more and more confused.

    "Second Lieutenant!!!"

    She felt a powerful force pulling her and then lifted her up from the ground.

    "Go!"

    As soon as the word was uttered, she felt her body shaking, and her head throbbing in pain. A sudden motion sickness struck her hard, forcing her to throw up.

    Her mask was smeared with vomit, its sour smell caused her to vomit again.

    "Fuck¡­ disgusting¡­"

    She hurriedly took off the helmet on her head, freeing her from the torture.

    "Second Lieutenant! Do you want to die?! Put on your helmet back!"

    The man who was sprinting while carrying her on his shoulder yelled hoarsely.

    ''Why?''

    In a breath, she finally understood what he meant.

    She suddenly felt a suffocating feeling struck like a punch in her face and began to cough violently. It took her a lot of effort to stop.

    She had an urge to put the helmet on immediately, yet the gooey from before was still sticking inside her helmet. Without much choice, she held her breath a little bit longer, shook off the vomit, and wiped it with her tactical gloves before barely putting on the helmet.

    The oxygen supply had reconnected, but the uncomfortable feeling had not worn off yet. Soon, her professional attitude as a soldier was kicking in full force. After overcoming the initial frustration and gaffe, she quickly forced herself to calm down and began to observe the surroundings.

    ''Where is this place?''

    She realized that she was inside a place with a similar trait to a tropical rain forest, with towering trees so high that she couldn''t see their tops, the canopy so dense that even sunlight couldn''t penetrate, and the ground was full of green herbs and thick, humid trees. The rotten leaf layer was so thick that if you accidentally step on it with one foot, it will inevitably sink deep.

    ''Wait... What''s with this man''s outfits? Is this... a powered exoskeleton?''

    ''I was just sleeping for one night, and suddenly Tony Stark went bazinga?!''

    She once saw this kind of suit in a sci-fi movie; they could help soldiers run fast for a long time, increase their physical fitness, and carry heavy objects to reduce their physical burden.

    ''I.... Why am I wearing such a weird outfit?''

    She found that she and the soldier who was carrying her were wearing the same kind of suit¡ªboth were army green camouflage combat uniforms.

    There was a layer of the powered exoskeleton in black on top of the uniform, attached to her body, supporting her spine and limbs. When running, there would be a squeaky hydraulic sound. There was also a layer of "sole" under the combat boots that increased the contact surface and helped run faster.

    There are four holsters on the powered exoskeleton: a pair each on the left and right of the waist, each sheltering a gun. And the remaining two were on the back, housing a rifle gun and a weird-looking camouflage-colored gun that looks a bit like a laser gun. A tactical knife holster was strapped to her right leg, which contained a saber and a mini thorn.

    After subconsciously confirming the weapon, she was taken back, ''what the hell is going on?'' ''Am I sleeping in the car?'' ''Why did I come to such a creepy place as soon as I woke up?'' ''Am I dreaming?''  A jumble of questions flooded her mind.

    ''The pain is real.''

    She immediately denied the possibility of dreaming because the pain was so real that every cell in her body conveyed a sense of reality.

    She turned her head to look at her left arm and found that there was a black branch sticking out of the flesh. The branch was extremely hard and had a sharp tip. It pierced through the combat uniform like an arrow and penetrated the flesh of her left arm, causing her indescribable pain.

    She grabbed the branch with her right hand, and with a loud cry of "Ah~!", she pulled out the branch with all her might and threw it out angrily.

    The strange thing is that the wound on the left arm did not bleed but was bruised and swollen.

    Based on her experience, she might have been poisoned¡­ ''No wonder, no wonder I''ve been dizzy and it''s been hard to keep my mind clear.''

    "Second Lieutenant! There is a tree hole ahead, let''s hide inside first!"

    At that moment, the male warrior suddenly said.

    She wanted to ask what exactly they were fleeing from, but as a professional soldier, she knew that she should respect the soldier''s judgment when she was oblivious to the situation. Though, it seemed that she was the leader.

    Shriek, shriek¡ª

    Behind them, the shaking of the earth became more and more obvious.

    Boom!

    A thunderous sound came from behind, like the huge roar of a giant tree falling.

    ''¡­ w-what was that?''

    Cold sweat dripped from her forehead. Whatever being had been pursuing them was undoubtedly bad news.

    They soon arrived at the entrance of the tree hole, and the male soldier directly lowered his body and quickly snuck her into the tree hole with a quick shovel. The two hid their breath, trying their best to cover up their traces and movements along the way and hide in silence.

    She finally had time to stop and think about it.

    She tried to calm herself down and began to recall her identity to make sure she wasn''t insane.

    Keiko Lee, an orphan, was 32 years old this year.

    She was a retired spec-ops officer in JSDF and an active SAT officer. Before her retirement, she ranked as a first sergeant.

    Lee was her adoptive father''s family name, and Keiko was a name given by her deceased parents, wishing that she would always be a "happy child" even after she had grown up.

    She has been practicing martial arts with her adoptive father since the age of five, a set of nameless boxing and a set of nameless kenjutsu. The sword technique was flexible and could be paired with any kind of sword, from short-edged to long-handled broadswords.

    At the age of sixteen, she succeeded her father as a swordmaster in his dojo.

    She joined the army at the age of 18, and she has been in the army for 13 years. Every day was filled with hard work. Ten years of experience in special forces had taught her a lot of skills, especially real-combat experience.

    Just one year after she entered society, she was lucky that she was immediately recruited into the SAT team as soon as she was discharged from the army and became a female SAT.

    Because she recently participated in the investigation of a huge trafficker/drug case, she didn''t sleep for two days and two nights and even stood by in ambush for eight hours as a sniper. She didn''t expect to appear here as soon as she woke up.

    ''Why did I end up here? Where is this place?''

    These two questions did not linger in her mind for too long, because soon, the terrifying scene in front of her quickly took away her heart and soul.

    ROAR!!!

    With an earth-shaking roar, a huge and ugly creature appeared in her line of sight.

    Through the gap of bundling vines hanging down from the tree hole, she saw a scene that she could and would never forget in her life.

    Although the guy in front of her almost became the target of her wanton slaughter in the future, the shock and fear she got from the first time she came to this world,

    Even if the guy in front of her almost became the target of her wanton slaughter later, the shock and fear that she experienced when she first arrived in this world, like a chisel, incised deeply into her heart.

    There were no words more fitting to describe it other than "abomination".

    It has a monstrous size, with a size of around 10-meters in height and 25-meters in length, without a shred of hair covering its body.

    It has a humanoid appearance with slightly yellowish skin, just like an Asian, but it moves on its four limbs, crawling like a spider.

    Its head shape was uneven, and from the top of its head, there were protruding bones that looked like small horns. Its face was even more hideous: it had three pairs of eyes on the face, without a nose, and a huge mouth that seemed to be able to swallow a human in one gulp.

    "W-w-what the hell?!"

    She was so flustered that she forgot to control her voice. Fortunately, neither the man nor the creature noticed her.

    It was the first time she faced such a surreal and supernatural scene, and even though she was a well-trained special forces soldier, it was difficult for her to accept it for a while.

    Fortunately, the stress management skills that she had learned came in handy, preventing her from screaming or running away in panic.

    She just lowered her body as much as possible, staring at the monster, struggling to adjust her breathing and suppress her emotions.

    "Hu... ah... hu... ah... hu... ah..."

    The uncontrollable gasping sound came into the ear through the walkie-talkie in the helmet, not only her own but also the other party''s.

    The male warrior beside her also looked nervous. His hands, wearing tactical gloves, were firmly clasped to the ground.

    Keiko Lee could only guess his expression since his whole body was covered in equipment.

    The monster didn''t do a thorough search; it quickly skipped the place and left. Nobody knew where it went. The only proof that it had been here was the unbearable stench it left behind.

    The two waited for about five more minutes in the tree hole before quietly going out of it.

    Keiko''s movements were a little stiff, her whole body was numb, and her steps were slow. If she was not supported by a powered exoskeleton, she would definitely collapse soon.

    "Lieutenant! What should we do now?"

    ''If you ask me, who should I ask?'' Keiko was grumbling inwardly and felt really annoyed. And there was also the matter of her brain getting more and more numb.

    "Tell me about the situation..."

    She said that with difficulty, her breathing became more and more labored, and the lack of oxygen made her feel extremely painful.

    "Sergeant Antonio requests permission to report!"

    "Go ahead."

    "Yes!"

    This kid, called Antonio, seemed to be an enthusiastic young man. Hearing what Keiko said, he honestly began to report:

    "This is the 249th foreign mission of the 3rd Squadron of the Einherjar Brigade of the Mecha Infantry Division of the Western Army. The goal of the mission is to transport the military supplies to the city of Valhalla. During the delivery, they were suddenly attacked by a swarm of Zerg, forcing the team to scatter. The second lieutenant''s mecha was heavily damaged, so she had to leave the mech and head to the Sleipnir field station 50 kilometers southeast for rescue. On the way, she encountered a first-class predator and was hunted down to this point. The second lieutenant was stabbed by Dolan''s poisonous branch while running. I was in a coma for a while, and then I carried the second lieutenant..."

    "Enough, enough, let me think about it..." Keiko couldn''t understand in the slightest what Antonio was talking about. Her head was numb, and her thinking was slow.

    The thought in her mind at the moment was that this guy didn''t seem to speak English, nor did she.

    What language was she using to communicate with each other earlier?

    She didn''t even know it. She spoke out of instinct.

    ''What should I do¡­ what should I do¡­?''

    Now is not the time to struggle with language problems. She was his superior, and the other party is her subordinate. She must give orders.

    What''s more, this kid looked like a blockhead, and he didn''t seem like he could come up with ideas at all.

    ''Damn it, I still haven''t figured out why I came to this ghost place, and yet, I need to find a way to give orders to a slow-witted kid, more so the stakes are both of their lives?''

    ''I am just arriving here and I am completely blank about the situation here. How can I issue the correct order?''

    "Hiss¡­"

    It''s getting harder and harder for Keiko to breathe. She checked the oxygen level. It was clearly still stable, but why did she feel out of breath?

    Her limbs began to tremble, and her body was going limp. Even the powered exoskeleton couldn''t support her anymore, so she fell on her knees and knelt on the ground.

    "Second Lieutenant!"

    The male soldier hurriedly crouched down to help her.

    There seems to be a "humming" ground tremor in the distance. Is that monster back again?

    Her mind was too dull to turn, her eyelids were heavy, and the vision in front of her eyes began to blur again.

    ''Excuse me, ma''am.... but what are you doing here?! Are you just going to die?''

    "Second Lieutenant!!!"

    ''A Second lieutenant... hehe... this is probably a realistic dream where I am finally promoted to lieutenant, right? Can I reunite with my team? Can I see my comrades again?''

    ''I wish I''ll quickly wake up from this bloody dream....''

 Chapter 2 - Self Reflection

    Just as the saying goes, life never goes the way you want.

    When she woke up and saw the top of the green army tent above her head, she was stunned for five seconds, and then sighed deeply.

    "You''re finally awake." A female voice rang in her ear, followed by a blonde, white woman in a white doctor''s coat who appeared above her line of sight. "Don''t move, I''ll give you a check first."

    She stretched out her hand to open Keiko''s lower eyelids and took a closer look, then poked her with a stethoscope, and finally said with a smile.

    "Congratulations, you have survived and you will be resistant to the toxicity of Dolan plants in the future, which is a blessing in disguise."

    Keiko stared at her blankly, not knowing how to react.

    "Why are you looking like a fool? You don''t recognize who I am?"

    "Uh... where am I?"

    After a long while, Keiko smartly changed the subject. Of course, she didn''t know who she was, and she didn''t plan to continue the topic.

    "Sleipnir Field Station. You were stabbed by Dolan''s poisonous stick and fainted. That kid Antonio walked more than ten kilometers carrying you on his back before finally meeting with Lieutenant Valentine''s team and then came to here."

    Yes, she did faint in the forest, and it seemed that they were rescued. That kid Antonio had done a good job. It could be said that she owed him a life debt. She would find a way to repay it when she got the opportunity.

    Her brain was still a little blank, and her thinking was still a little slow.

    Looking around silently, she found that she was in a place like a battlefield hospital inside a large military tent, which was divided into compartments by many curtains, and each compartment was a ward. She was now in a hospital room.

    The white woman wearing a camouflage military uniform and a white coat in front of her is obviously a military doctor. She should have known her before, but now... She could only laugh in her heart. She didn''t expect such an old-fashioned and bloody thing to happen.

    ''I was just happily taking a nap inside the car, but when I opened my eyes, I woke up in this strange world.''

    Whom did she provoke? Why did God send her to this place?

    ''Yeah, what the hell is this place?''

    This was the question she wanted to know the most, but it was also the question she couldn''t ask at all.

    If she asked, she most likely would have been regarded as a madman.

    Her hospital bed was in the tent''s interior, and when she turned around, the curtains of many "wards" were open, allowing her to see the patient lying on the bed. They were men and women, white, black, and yellow. All of them were soldiers and wore the same uniform.

    A gathering of soldiers without distinction between gender or race? What kind of army is this? Is this America?

    ''I''m damn sure that not even Americans will be this progressive.''

    She had never heard of a mixed male-female army in the United States. Besides, how can there be a primitive tropical rain forest in the United States and how can there be terrifying large monsters?

    This was not a movie; she clearly realizes that she was in reality.

    Stretching out her uninjured right hand, she looked at her own skin and saw a slightly yellowish jade-colored skin, a typical skin color of Eastern Asians, similar to what she always remembered.

    She was suddenly curious to see what she looked like now, so she blurted it out.

    "Hey, uh...can I borrow a mirror?"

    The female military doctor giggled sweetly when she heard the words:

    "Oh my¡­ Second Lieutenant Lee¡­ You''re lying in a hospital, yet you still care about your image? Don''t worry, you''re not disfigured, you''re still as handsome as before."

    Keiko didn''t know how to answer this, so she could only laugh awkwardly.

    The female military doctor still kindly took out a small mirror from her pocket and handed it to Keiko. Regardless of the teasing smile on the female military doctor''s face, she opened the mirror and looked at her face.

    ''Is this me?''

    Keiko stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror. At first, the figure in the mirror was indeed herself, but at the same time, she felt it was rather unfamiliar.

    Her eyes and eyebrows reminded her of her previous self, but the shape of her face, her facial features seemed to be more refined than before, making her look like a pretty boy.

    Before her soul transmigrated to the current body, Keiko''s appearance could be described as dull and very ordinary. Her facial features were plain; her eyebrows were thin; her eyes were small, and her nose was a little snub. Only her sexy lips were barely satisfied. She had a typical round face with tanned skin from fieldwork every year. Her hair was always short all year.

    But now, her eyebrows had become thicker with a beautiful shape, as if they had been trimmed. She had bright and sharp, slightly slanted, phoenix eyes. The collapsed nose bridge had become higher, but the lips had not changed. Such a combination shows a kind of feminine beauty.

    Her round face turned into a natural oval face, and the skin turned white. Perhaps because she was still ill, it looked palely white. On the whole, she turned into a woman with exquisite beauty. Moreover, her hair has grown longer. Her silky black hair cascaded down, reaching her bosom. Now it is scattered and draped. It may not have been washed for a few days.

    "Why are you so quiet? Are you fascinated by your own beauty?"

    The female military doctor couldn''t help but tease her when she saw Keiko staring at the mirror in a daze.

    "Ah, uh, thank you for the mirror."

    Keiko muttered softly as her cheeks slightly reddened. She returned the mirror hastily to the female military doctor as if she had thrown a hot potato.

    "Get a rest. At the latest, you should be able to walk around in two days. I have other patients to attend to, so I''ll leave first."

    "Oh, okay, thank you."

    "You''re welcome."

    She smiled sweetly, then put her hands in the pockets of her white coat and walked out of the tent in a rush.

    Watching the female military doctor leave, Keiko turned her gaze back again, staring at the top of the tent, lost in thought.

 Chapter 3 - High-Tech Bracelet ID

    Now, taking advantage of this leisure time, she must sort out her thoughts.

    First of all, she confirmed that she had transmigrated and had come to a completely unfamiliar world. At present, her understanding of the world is almost zero. She didn''t know a thing about geography, history, culture, or natural sciences in this world. What she lacked the most, for now, was information.

    What''s more tricky was that now she was in the army, and she was currently on a mission. She didn''t know anything. How could she save her life in the face of so many dangers? She didn''t have time to study, to slowly understand the world. The only thing she could do right now was to absorb all the information she could get in the shortest time possible and plan a survival strategy.

    For now, survival was Keiko''s top priority.

    She couldn''t help but sigh. Why could other transmigrators directly integrate the memory of the owner of the body after crossing while she just came here with an empty hand? She almost died when she first arrived.

    "At the very least, pass the baton before leaving...."

    She couldn''t help but complain and let out a wry smile.

    But this was also fate.

    She raised the metal military card hanging around her neck and looked at the strange-looking letters engraved on it, and the corners of her mouth curved.

    The original owner of this body has the same first and last name as herself. Although the appearance of the body was a touched-up version of herself, it was also her own.

    With such a fate, it was not surprising that she was chosen.

    Another world''s self? It felt amazing.

    By the way, talking about the language, the only thing that made her instantly understand them as soon as she woke up was probably due to the language instinct of her body and brain, which saved her a lot of effort.

    It was just that, after she carefully analyzed the language used here, she always felt that it was somewhat close to English on Earth, with a mix of some features of German and Dutch, which should belong to the Germanic language family of the Indo-European language family.

    In the western branch, those who are familiar with English or German are probably not unfamiliar with this language and can learn it quickly.

    ''Well, if it''s just a casual conversation, I don''t think it''ll be a problem...''

    She had taken language classes in the JSDF and had a simple understanding of the language''s family.

    She could only make educated guesses at the moment.

    The rest of what she could think about was extremely limited.

    She remembered what Antonio said about "The Third Squadron of the Einherjar Brigade of the Western Army''s Mecha Infantry Division," which was probably her own unit. At present, they were on a foreign mission, and they seemed to be attacked by monsters, and the team was scattered. Antonio also seemed to mention something about mecha, which made her eyes sparkle with excitement as she remembered some of the movies and anime she had seen in the past.

    In addition, the name of the city of Valhalla that Antonio mentioned made her feel slightly intrigued.

    She was interested in Western mythology for a while. Valhalla was the name of the sanctuary for the soul of the brave and strong warrior in Norse Mythology. The city also shared the same name as it. She didn''t know if it was a coincidence or a real meaning. If the culture here relates to the earth, then the so-called city of Valhalla was probably a very remarkable war city.

    Just as her thoughts were flying, a dull tin can sounded, pulling her back to reality. She was startled, followed the source of the sound, and found that it was the white male soldier who was diagonally opposite to the bed who had accidentally knocked the marching water bottle to the ground. The soldier seemed to sense her gaze, blushed, and said loudly.

    "I''m so sorry! Second Lieutenant, I''m interrupting your rest!"

    Keiko seldom hears people talk to her like this. She couldn''t help feeling a little awkward and she shook her head and raised her uninjured right hand to indicate that she was fine.

    Then, her eyes were fixed on her right wrist.

    When the female military doctor gave her a mirror, she noticed that she was wearing a bracelet on her right wrist. It looked simple and clean; it was slightly translucent while occasionally glowing with blue light. The whole bracelet was made of crystal, with a string of dark blue data circulating inside. If you watched closely, you could find a variety of natural basic indexes such as date, time, temperature, oxygen content, and geographical coordinates.

    Keiko examined it and discovered the following information: 149/8/16, 10:27, 26¡ãC, O2-21%, N29¡ã47¡ä55.55¡ä¡ä, E103¡ã46¡ä30.99¡ä¡ä.

    These were the units of measurement on the earth that she was very familiar with, especially the coordinates of latitude and longitude, which made her even more excited.

    It should come as no surprise that the science and technology of this world are essentially the same as those of Earth. The only thing that puzzled her was, what did the 149 in the original date mean, 149 AD? At that time, the earth was ancient. How could it be such a sci-fi world? It seems that the way of dating in this other world is different from that on earth.

    But based on this string of data, she also has a lot of information. What year, month, and the day is it now? And where she is now, knowing this, her heart is a little more stable. However, these geographic coordinates are 29¡ã north latitude and 103¡ã east longitude. She doesn''t know where the exact location is, but she knows that the location was in China on the earth. Since it was in China, what the hell was the so-called city of Valhalla? In this different world, the geographical distribution of the country also looked different.

    She watched for another moment, and soon found the only touchable button. As soon as she touched it, a boxy holographic floating screen appeared above her wrist, which startled her.

    The holographic floating screen displayed her basic personal information, such as name, age, birthday, place of origin, height, weight, measurements, heartbeat index, blood pressure index, as well as her personal three-dimensional image. In addition, her troop affiliation, soldier number, military rank, military rank, and military merit were all recorded.

    ---

    Name: Keiko Lee

    Age: 27

    Birthday: 122/3/29

    Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    Birthplace: The Federal City of Gaia, Midgar Region

    Height: 176cm

    Weight: 54kg

    Measurements: 88cm /63cm /86cm

    Heartbeat: 50 beats/min

    Blood pressure: 110mmhg/80mmhg

    Troop affiliation: Third Squadron of Einherjar Brigade of Federal Army''s Western Army''s Mecha Infantry Division

    Personal number: L93030029

    Military rank: [Second-level Squadron Leader] Deputy

    Rank: Lieutenant

    Military Merit: 143 Andaman Merit Award Second Class, 145 Ernesto Merit Award First Class Merit

    ---

    Another series of messages worthy of her attention was displayed on the bracelet.

    First, her height.

    Her original height was 163, which was not too high but enough for her to join the army.

    But now her height was actually 176 cm, which surprised her. In addition, the age of this body is also five years younger than her original. The heartbeat was very slow, the blood pressure was at its most perfect value, and the data was constantly fluctuating. Obviously, this bracelet had the function of measuring the pulse and blood pressure in real time.

    The strange thing is the column "Alignment." Keiko doesn''t understand what this faction means, but she has heard about a lawful neutral personality. Isn''t this a setting for a certain game in the past? People with different personalities and values ??are divided into lawful and chaotic according to whether they abide by the rules and order, good or bad according to general cognition, plus the neutral attribute representing the grey area.

    Just how this thing appeared in her profile, does this world actually bring the settings in the game into reality?

    Although she was puzzled, she didn''t care about it for the time being and continued to browse the following information.

    After reading it, she had a general understanding of the organization of the army. The rank of the second lieutenant is the deputy captain of the unit, and her status is probably equivalent to that of the company commander in the JSDF unit.

    On the side of the personal information interface, there are also a series of selection boxes, which display unit information, task information, mailbox, address book, real-time call, and search. There were three unread emails in the mailbox. She ignored it and clicked on the search. When the search box popped up, her hands trembled.

    ''Hail the internet!''

    It seems that she would no longer be confused about the world.

 Chapter 4 - Learning About The World (1)

    Keiko spent nearly two hours lying in bed looking for information about this world. The expression on her face changed several times, from doubt to shock to disbelief, and finally accepted the truth gloomily.

    She was sure of one thing: she might have really traveled to the future, the future of the earth.

    She wasn''t sure if this was a parallel universe, but she knew that the history of the world she was in had been the same as the history of the Earth until 2016 AD when she had lived.

    What the world was like in the past is what the world is like now. Until, In 2038 AD, a horrific worldwide nuclear war broke out.

    In the historical encyclopedia on the Internet, the nuclear war is called "the Third World War,", also known as "the War of Destruction."

    That war accidentally touched the tectonic plates, causing a large number of active volcanic eruptions around the world, including the dreaded Yellowstone, Marum, Uyeyako, Chiriqui, and more.

    The violent movement of the earth''s crust caused large earthquakes, which in turn triggered a large number of terrible tsunamis, submerged many continents, and destroyed many developed coastal cities in an instant.

    Earth was experiencing an unprecedented change, the biggest since the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea.

    Humans initially thought that war had destroyed the world, but after experiencing the catastrophe that destroyed the sky and the earth, the surviving humans suddenly discovered that the violent movement of the earth''s crust turned out to be premeditated, and humans had just advanced the process themselves.

    In the cracked Grand Canyon, in the erupting volcano, and in the new mountain that was born by extrusion, a large number of terrifying monsters began to appear.

    They looked extremely ugly, and most of them had an appearance similar to insects, but they were like insects no one had ever seen before. They were known as the "Zerg".

    Antonio briefly mentioned the Zerg in that report before. Keiko didn''t understand what it was at the time, but now she understood that it was a terrifying alien race that threatened the survival of human beings.

    They could fly into the sky, dig underground, and dive into the depths of the ocean. They are almost everywhere, coming in a swarm.

    Also, they hunted humans for food and used human bodies as a breeding ground to incubate the next generation.

    Terrible disasters had changed the Earth''s environment. Oxygen was getting thicker every year, a lot of particulate matter was floating in the air, sulfides are rising exponentially, and there is ubiquitous radiation that cannot be dissipated for many years.

    Even if humans were not preyed on by the Zerg, they died in large numbers because of these harsh conditions.

    Finally, under the combined threats of radiation and Zerg, another terrifying monster was born. They were a devilish mixture of humans and Zerg.

    They inherited both human and Zerg traits that made them endlessly curious and terrifying.

    Humans named them "predators" and rated them as dangerous. The ugly big guy who looked like a hybrid of human and spider, whom she had met previously with Antonio, was the first-level predator, the most advanced predator.

    In this terrifying world full of threats, the small number of humans who survived the brutal survival of the fittest started changing.

    Their physical quality had undergone a qualitative leap, and their survival ability had greatly improved. This was the so-called neo-human.

    Although there was no exaggerated special ability in those fantasy novels, the neo-humans have indeed undergone a lot of changes.

    In addition to various changes in physical and mental ability, the most notable evolutionary feature is the substantial weakening of reproductive ability.

    This may not be called evolution; it can only be called natural transformation. What is gained, what will be lost, this world will always be balanced.

    In order to preserve the only remaining fire of mankind, great leaders stepped forward and embarked on the road of uniting all mankind.

    The decade from AD 2038 to 2048 was called the Dark Decade. In this decade, human history was divided.

    After 2049, records of human activities finally began.

    Until 2099, in the past 50 years, the major forces of mankind had been in a state of separatism and governed themselves. In the past fifty years, the birth of a great man had prompted all mankind to embark on the road of unity.

    His name is Baldwin von Heisenberg, a Deutsche. He was the only general marshal in the history of the Federation, the greatest leader, the leader of the "Hundred Years of Resistance". He united all the surviving human beings and established the homeland that human beings rely on for their survival¡ªthe seven major city-states.

    Among them, the City of Valhalla was the first city-state to be completed. It was marked by the completion of the city walls of the City of Valhalla and the beginning of the new human calendar. That year was 2099 AD in the old calendar and the first year in the new calendar.

    In the 18th year of the new calendar, marked by the completion of all the city walls of the seven major city-states, the Federal Republic of the World was officially established.

    In the 22nd year of the new calendar, the "Constitution of the Federal Republic of the World" and the other five basic laws were promulgated, declaring that the rule of the federal government was officially established.

    In the same year, Baldwin von Heisenberg was awarded the titles of "Father of the Commonwealth" and "Honorary Grand Marshal".

    From 2038 in the old calendar to 22 in the new calendar, people habitually call it the "hundred-year struggle".

    Until August 149 of the new calendar, the Federal Republic of the World had been established for 131 years. In the past 131 years, a lot of things have happened, and Keiko Lee couldn''t understand all of them for a while.. But two things intrigued her, and she read it really carefully.

 Chapter 5 - Learning About The World (2)

    First, the rise of women.

    As mentioned earlier, modern human evolution had paid the price of a significant decline in fertility.

    This is manifested in male sperm/sperm inactivation, female ovarian degeneration, and uterine menopause. This situation intensified until the 69th year of the new calendar when the last human baby born naturally was born, and the children born after that were all artificially bred new human beings.

    And women had a great advantage in evolution. Because of the disappearance of fertility, women will no longer be troubled by menstruation, and will no longer have the burden of pregnancy, the pain of childbirth, and substantial physical ability.

    Their increase in strength and capability had been on par with men''s, throwing off the notion of male supremacy into the trash bin.

    So, the status of women has also undergone earth-shaking changes. Women began to be recruited in large numbers in the army and mixed with men, which made the army more and more powerful.

    That''s why Keiko could see the strange sight of men, women, and various races of troops mixed together.

    This is a world in which men and women are truly equal from the ground up. This made Keiko Lee extremely surprised and extremely happy.

    What made her happy was for a more personal reason.

    Due to the degradation of human fertility and reproduction, the unbreakable pattern of male-female union and reproduction has been broken from the root.

    This is a world where marriage is extremely free.

    There was no distinction between heterosexuality and homosexuality, and there was no so-called discrimination. Both men and women, or men and men, or women and women, were free to marry. Of course, there are still basic ethics, and marriage is not allowed between close relatives within three generations.

    "Finally¡­. We are finally welcomed into society without public scrutiny¡­ I''m glad¡­ I''m truly glad¡­"

    When Keiko Lee saw this, she almost jumped up and screamed. Thank God, the huge haze that has suppressed her for more than ten years has vanished since she came into this world. As a Lesbian, she simply bowed to the sky with gratitude.

    But after a brief period of excitement, the second point made her a little uneasy.

    Before, when she saw the column "alignment" in her personal information, she was puzzled and put it on hold for the time being.

    After checking the information, I realized that there was an existence in this world called the "Nine Gods System," which was especially used to divide all citizens of the Federation into nine camps.

    This system was huge, complex, and extremely precise.

    It was initiated by Marshal Baldwin and led by Feynman, the chief scientist of the Federal Academy of Sciences, and a group of computer masters, programmers, psychologists, and neuroscientists. It took more than ten years to create the Personality Monitoring System. This system has been in use since the 30th year of the new calendar, more than 100 years ago.

    When it was first put into use, it mainly adopted the method of implantation.

    The port carrying the biochip was implanted into the back of the human body, about below the cerebellum, so that the brain waves could be detected and monitored by the chip.

    Through a series of complex calculations, each person was assigned a Faction.

    With the continuous improvement of technology and the emergence of artificially propagated neo-humans, the method of implantation had changed to the method of innate gene synthesis.

    At the beginning of the existence of all neo-human, the "Nine Gods System" controlled how the brain would develop.

    Under their control, the port on the back of the neck disappears, and the faction can be determined by scanning the pupil with a special instrument.

    In other words, the current Keiko Lee is also constantly being monitored by the "Nine Gods System."

    The bracelet on her wrist was actually the ID terminal of each citizen, which was equivalent to the aggregation of a series of trivial things such as smartphones, IC cards, ID cards, driver''s licenses, social security, medical insurance cards, etc. in the past.

    Without this ID terminal, it was impossible to survive in the Federation. Since she was a soldier, her ID had been changed to a military ID since joining the army, which was not the same as a civilian ID. However, the basic functions are similar. The most critical one was to automatically scan the physical and mental status every 5 seconds and simultaneously monitor the physical health and faction in real-time.

    The bracelet ID was nearly indestructible. Once you put it on, it can''t be easily removed. If you want to remove it, it must''ve been approved and removed under the supervision of public officials. If not, the citizen would not be detected within five seconds and be expelled from the Nine Gods system and erased from the social level. In such an apocalypse, it was equivalent to death.

    Not only that, but citizens also need to regularly go to the "Faction Division Evaluation Center" set up by the Federation in major urban areas for accurate pupil scanning evaluation, which was equivalent to a mandatory regular physical examination to ensure that each citizen''s faction division is accurate.

    Keiko was really puzzled as to why the division of the camp was done to such a degree.

    She only vaguely understood that this was probably to strengthen the rule over all the people of the Federation. It''s just that her top priority now was to survive.

    She was new here and didn''t understand anything. It was still too far away from her, so she decided to not think too much about it.

    After understanding the basic information about the world, she checked the troop information and mission information. The troop information contained a detailed organization system, which allowed her to understand the composition of the troop. Although it was different from the JSDF military system, it is not much different.

    At present, the military strength of the entire federation is about 3.8 million.

    These more than 3.8 million soldiers are mainly divided into three major groups, namely the Central Army, the Southeast Army, and the Western Army.

    These three groups of armies were composed of various arms and were the strongest combat groups.

    The Western Army Mecha Infantry Division, which Keiko Lee belongs to, was stationed in the city of Valhalla all year round and was the ace division of the elite army.

    Half of the entire Western Army was under the command of "Seven-pointed Star General" Liam Armstrong, and the Army Mecha Infantry Division was one of them.

    Liam Armstrong, famously known as General Armstrong, was the garrison general of the main city of "Yggdrasil" amongst the seven city-states, such a big shot was too far away from Keiko. Keiko didn''t have much interest in him either. After a perfunctory glance at his profile, she turned off the troop information.

    There were still three unread emails in her mailbox.

    After clicking it, Keiko Lee saw the first one was from her immediate boss, Lieutenant Lu Diyun, the squadron leader of the Left Wing Squadron. The content of the email was very simple: asking about her situation.

    The second letter came from the second lieutenant of the squadron, Seol Hyun-Ae, of the left-wing sub-squadron. Seol Hyun-Ae had the same military rank as her.

    The two were Lu Diyun''s left and right hands.

    The content of the email also asked how her situation was. Judging from the tone of her email, it seemed that she had a very good relationship with herself.

    The content of the third email made her stunned. This email was sent to her by Lieutenant Valentine. After feeling better, she went to the South Bunker of Sleipnir Base Station to find her.

    Before she could think about it carefully, the nurse in the army appeared beside her bed and put the tray full of lunch in front of her, put on a big smile, so big that her willow eyes turned into a line, and said in an amiably and half-threatening tone.

    "Second lieutenant, it''s almost time for you to have lunch."

 Chapter 6 - Sieg-Type Mecha

    In Keiko''s imagination, she would''ve had bread and soup for breakfast¡ªlike what she saw in her favorite American TV series that she used to binge-watch to kill time on her mission''s break.

    Unexpectedly, the nurse came with a standard Japanese breakfast that she used to have back in her world: a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso soup, an omelet, a slice of fried salmon, and some fresh pickles and vegetables for side dishes.

    She looked around at another ward and realized that she was the only one getting such special treatment when other patients could only be satisfied with the bread and soup in front of them.

    ''Maybe, I get lucky?''

    She didn''t dwell too much on the matter and then took the chopsticks, clasped her hand while uttering "Itadakimasu," and quickly dug in, emptying the bowl and plate in front of her as if she hadn''t eaten for a week.

    ''Woah... That''s good food you got there¡­''

    "Gochisousama¡­"

    She put the empty bowl and plate back on the tray neatly and put them on top of the table beside her bed.

    When the nurse quickly collected the dishes and left, she got out of bed, put on her camouflage uniform and military boots, ready to go to the South Bunker to find Lieutenant Valentine.

    As she walked out of the military tent, the other patients gave her a military salute, which she thought was a bit similar to the JSDF''s military salute. She remembered it in her heart and returned the salute to everyone with a smile.

    It was just that she felt a little pain when her injured left hand, which was wrapped in gypsum and bandage, was accidentally nudged off from her action, causing her to slightly frown.

    Keiko opened the curtain, and as she just exited the tent, her attention was instantly attracted to the scene in front of her.

    She was quickly drawn in by the hustle and bustle of military activity outside the tent, which was one of many green military tents that were erected on the large gravel-paved open space. There were more than a dozen tents, arranged neat and tidy in two rows, leaving a wide passage in the center.

    Around her, many soldiers were wandering about. Most of them were uninjured soldiers, in groups of two or three people, and some were in large groups of ten people. They formed a solid formation and strutted in an orderly manner. She also saw some officers on the side shouting some commands.

    But none of those sights had shocked her as much as what she saw at the end of the passage between the series of military tents. There, Keiko saw a batch of mecha stationed neatly in rows in the spacious field.

    Snowy walked along the gravel passage with a long stride. Along the way, the soldiers didn''t fail to notice her and hurriedly raised their hands to give a salute. Although she wanted nothing but to quickly arrive at her destination, she still returned their salutes politely one by one.

    Finally, after ten minutes of incessant greeting, she finally reached where the mecha were lining up.

    She lifted her head up to take a good look at the massive and wonderful war machine. Her eyes crawled around the magnificent steel body, exploring its nooks and crannies. Keiko couldn''t help but be fascinated by its beauty.

    It had a humanoid shape and was painted in a green camouflaged color that matched with the army''s uniform. This beast had a lean build without many excessive parts, making it look robust but not bulky, which reminded her of a particular mecha from one of the anime she had watched in the past that had the same name as the station she was currently in.

    The mecha was equipped with machine guns on both arms, a howitzer on its back, and a huge scabbard on its legs, with an electromagnetic mecha knife stored in the scabbard.

    "Amazing..." Keiko couldn''t help but mutter.

    She was surrounded by many soldiers who shared her feelings and animatedly discussed them with their comrades. Their voices weren''t a bit quiet, so Keiko couldn''t help but eavesdrop on their conversation.

    "This is the Sieg Mk. 1, right? When I''m promoted to the Mech Squadron, I''ll drive one of these babies."

    "Yeah, all of the new recruits had already started their training with their new mecha, I''m so envious¡­"

    "Tsk, try to imagine battling those disgusting Zerg with these war machines. Although they are the most common and ordinary mecha used by the Federation, they still pack some punch! What a badass! "

    "So, this mecha is called Sieg MK. 1." From their conversation, Keiko had deepened her understanding of common sense in this world.

    She noticed a large number of soldiers, fully equipped with the same exoskeleton she wore yesterday, boarding the cabin in the direction of the cockpit within the mecha''s chest.

    Those mech soldiers confidently stepped inside the machine and connected their powered exoskeleton on their bodies to several sockets in the mecha cockpit, which was then followed by a series of "click" and "beep" sounds.

    After their position was tightened and secured, the hatch closed down and a buzzing sound echoed. Soon after, a beam shone from the mecha''s eyes, and within five seconds, the four-meter tall humanoid war stood up, exuding a powerful presence.

    Keiko was itching to put her hand on one of those babies and immediately wanted to experience the feeling of driving it.

    Alas, she was still injured and her mecha was also gone. Furthermore, she didn''t seem to inherit any knowledge about how to control a mecha from her predecessor. So, she could only watch those mech soldiers depart for their mission begrudgingly and let out a disappointed sigh.

    The squadron advanced in an orderly formation with a uniform step, which obviously was a result of a solid and strict regime of training and drilling, heading towards the surrounding primitive jungle.

    The one in the forefront stood out from the rest of the formation. Compared to the common Sieg MK.1, its appearance looked more refined and the weapons it was equipped with were more advanced.

    She deliberately searched for the mecha''s information using the bracelet ID on her wrist. This mecha was the Sieg MK.2, a mech that only lieutenant-level personnel were authorized to use. Her lost mecha was of this type.

    When the leading mecha crossed the base''s gate, her ears caught a strange hissing sound that reminded her of the sound produced when releasing the air from her car''s tire. From the sound it produced, it seemed that the mechanism of the gate was quite similar.

    Talking about air, Keiko suddenly recalled the fact that the atmosphere in the surrounding nature was heavily polluted and full of radiation.

    Although in the past they had been facing the same problem, it still couldn''t be compared with the air quality of this era. Even India, the country dubbed as the country with the worst air quality, would throw a white towel in defeat.

    To be able to survive in such precarious living conditions, humankind had no other choice but to produce clean air by themselves.

    Whether it was the main federal cities that she hadn''t yet seen or the Sleipnir base where she was now, it was covered by a dome-shaped air filter that was not only able to filter and purify air but also shield the city from radiation and maintain its relatively better living environment.

    But unlike a dome made of solid material that she was familiar with, this "Air Dome" didn''t seem to repel other natural phenomena like rain, snow, or drifting sand. Even birds could come and go freely.

    Keiko couldn''t help but wonder about the specific principle of this "Air Dome".

    Sleipnir Base was located on a hill with relatively sparse vegetation, so when she looked up at the sky, there were no towering trees blocking her view. She could clearly see the gloomy sky, shrouded by brown-colored smog and sulphuric dust.

    Although the volcanic ash that covered the sky had almost dissipated due to extreme climate change, there were always more dark clouds and rainy days than sunny days, and the average temperature of the entire world has been lowered by nearly ten degrees.

    Therefore, although it was summer, the long-awaited warmth never came, only the chill did.

    Keiko saw from a distance a large bunker on the slope to the south, connected to the base fortification.

    That place should be her destination, and Lieutenant Valentine is waiting for her up there.

 Chapter 7 - Meeting Two Bigshot

    Sauntering leisurely, the military boots stepped on the gravel road, making a rustling sound.

    Keiko had to admit that the quality of these combat boots was nothing but satisfactory as soon as she put them on. She didn''t recognize the material, but from how it felt, she was sure that it was way better than premium grade cowhide mostly used by famous brands in her time. The material used for manufacturing the assault-jacket-style camouflage combat uniform which she usually wore on her body was superb too. It could be said that this world''s military attire was very luxurious.

    As she approached the gate of South Bunker, she quickly got noticed by the two guards, and then they immediately greet her with a military salute.

    "Good morning, ma''am!"

    "Good morning."

    Keiko made a small nod, returned the salute, and entered the bunker.

    As soon as she came inside, she immediately sensed the temperatures dropping by a few degrees.

    Feeling a little bit cold, she quickly wrapped her body in her jacket, which ended up in an awkward position due to her injured hand that still hung with a bandage around her neck. She increased her pace and soon arrived at the second floor. What welcomed her there was a spacious hall where many soldiers on patrol duty were ready with their weapon keeping their eyes on the surrounding vicinity through holes in the wall. At the corner of the room, there was a lonely table with a strange device on top of it.

    ''Is that a radio?''

    She shook her head, quickly denying her own thoughts. In this world, you could find a smart A.I. as a home caretaker, a wonderful mecha, and a powered exoskeleton. Would they still use such a retro gadget?

    Then her attention shifted toward the female soldier behind the device. The bespectacled girl gives an impression of an introverted bookworm, the kind of girl who would glare at you when you dropped your pen in the library.

    The girls seemed to notice Keiko''s gaze and thus made eye contact with her which made Keiko a little bit embarrassed like a teenage boy caught on peeping by his parent.

    As soon as the female soldier saw her, she swiftly got up from her seat, took a step forward, and saluted.

    ''Aah how many times do I need to salute in a day¡­ it gets really annoying¡­"

    Regardless of how she felt, she still returned the salute, so she didn''t look rude. Who knew what kind of people the previous owner of her body was? She would like to stay low-key before she got the hang of this world''s custom and understood a little bit more about the previous "Keiko Lee".

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, First Lieutenant Valentine is waiting for you inside, please come with me."

    Keiko nodded and walked, following the female cadet''s lead through the corridor, passing by several patrolling officers, climbing up the stairs to another floor, tracing a curved corridor, and finally stopping in front of the office door. A wooden nameplate hung on the door; a name engraved deeply on its surface: Lt. Stacy Valentine. The female soldier knocked on the door three times and said loudly:

    "Reporting Ma''am! Second Lieutenant Keiko has arrived."

    "Come in."

    A deep feminine voice came from inside. Keiko could vaguely feel a faint Irish accent from her voice.

    Having gotten her permission, the female soldier opened the door for Keiko and asked her to go in. Keiko stepped in and saw four people in the room.

    There was an elderly man sitting behind the desk. He looked like a man who had passed his sixties, and he wore a military uniform instead of the combat uniforms worn by Keiko and the others.

    On the leather sofa in front of the desk sat a female officer clad in a camouflage combat uniform. Behind her, stood a man and a woman, who seemed to be her adjutants.

    Keiko was instantly attracted by the woman''s ocean blue eyes. Her short red-brown hair and fair complexion made her even more enchanting.

    One of her adjutants was a Caucasian with few freckles on her face, cute was the word used by Keiko to describe her appearance. The man, on the other hand, had slightly tanned skin and curly black hair, most likely he was a Latino.

    "Greeting Sir, Ma''am, Second Lieutenant Keiko Lee is here to report."

    This time, Keiko was the one who saluted first as she had a lower rank compared to other people in the room, especially the woman who was with her two adjutants and the elderly officer.

    "Please, be at ease."

    As soon as Keiko entered the room, the elderly officer sitting behind the desk stood up and walked around the desk to Keiko with a smile.

    This was the first time Keiko had seen the official uniforms of the federal army, and she couldn''t help but admire them secretly. ''That looks so dope!'' she mused.

    The uniform was a double-breasted suit with a lapel collar in dark green as the main color. He wore a large-brimmed barrette on his head, a crest¡ªmost likely to be the Federal crest, embedded on that barrette, and there were two golden-colored olive branches on the black brim. An authorization sign was hanging on his left chest while army badges and a name sign were stitched on his right chest. The military rank on his shoulder indicated that he was at least a Captain.

    From his appearance, Keiko could tell that Slav''s blood was running through his veins. Maybe he was a Russian descendant. Although he was old, his walking posture was still straight and he dressed meticulously and with dignity, giving her the impression of a proud tiger.

    "It was such a disaster, Lieutenant Keiko, I hope your injury is not serious."

    "Thank you for your concern, Captain Alexandrov. Thankfully, it wasn''t that bad."

    "I''ve wanted to get acquaintance with you in person for so long, you''re just like the rumor said, brave and valiant. It''s rather fortunate to have a chance to meet you here."

    "Likewise, Captain. I''ve heard your honorable name too."

    Although he did not introduce himself, Keiko could easily guess the identity of the elderly officer in front of him. Gennadi Alexandrov, the military chief of the Sleipnir Field Station. He was assigned here in the last three years. Keiko had a hunch that she might encounter him sooner or later, so she did her homework in advance.

    Regarding the Sleipnir Base, at the present, it housed around 500 million population where the dense group lives in the vast area of ??6 million square kilometers.

    Keiko had memorized the whole map of the federation. The base''s area spanned to the north reaching Russian Siberia, in the south it spread until the area where Sichuan used to be, the east to the old Heilongjiang Province, and in the west was the old Kazakhstan Karaganda.

    The seven city-states were closely adjacent to each other, separated by city walls, and overlooked like a huge, inverted triangle.

    This was the homeland where humanity had spent hundreds of years and finally established a foothold.

    To ensure their survival, humanity was striving to expand their territory, in order to do so, the army would execute a large number of foreign exploration operations every year.

    So far, more than 300 outfield bases have been established around the seven city-states. The larger one was called the "Base Area," while the smaller one was known as the "Base Station."

    For example, the "Secret Zone 1" where Keiko and her troops were deployed was a very large outfield base area. The Sleipnir Base Station can only be regarded as an outpost in the Secret Zone 1.

    To be an officer in a field base far away from the main city of the Federation was quite miserable. As a small base at the base station level, Sleipnir''s monthly supply was negligent.

    Therefore, in Keiko''s eyes, such a patriotic man as Captain Alexandrov in front of her was worthy of her respect. The old captain didn''t have an inkling of what Keiko was thinking, he just smiled and said to the female officer sitting on the sofa.

    "Then, Lieutenant Valentine, I still have some business to deal with. You can talk have your talk slowly with Second Lt. Keiko."

    Lieutenant Valentine stood up at this moment and said politely, "Okay, Captain, please be careful on your way."

    Watching the old captain leave the office, Lieutenant Valentine looked back at Keiko with a smile.

    Keiko stood straight in front of her and decided not to speak first, afraid that she would slip up, and accidentally reveal his secrets.

    From Lieutenant Valentine''s attitude in front of Captain Alexandrov, Keiko could guess one or two things.

    Valentine was still young and had a bright future as a middle-level commander in the ace division while Alexandrov was an old officer who had been demoted to a small place like the outfield base station, and had to bow his head to Valentine, whose rank was lower than his.

    Judging from her current contact with Valentine, she concluded that this female lieutenant was a very powerful person, smart and decisive.

    It warranted her to be more cautious around this young lieutenant to prevent her from finding out that something was wrong.

    "Second Lieutenant Keiko, please sit down. Your injury hasn''t healed yet. You don''t need to force yourself."

    "Thank you, Lieutenant Valentine."

    Keiko was very obedient and without hesitation, sat on the single sofa with his back straight, very much well-behaved.

    Valentine seized Keiko up and said after a long while, "You were transferred to our third squadron recently and already had to encounter such a big accident. To be honest, as your superior I sympathize with your plight."

    Keiko was startled, calmed down, and replied, "You don''t need to, First Lieutenant. As a soldier on the front line of the battlefield, I had already prepared myself for the worst."

    What Keiko said was her honest feeling. After all, she used to be a soldier too, so she always had that train of thought.

    Valentine smiled and said: "You have a good record in the Central Army and you also reached your current position started from the bottom of the rank. Although you were not under my command, I appreciate you very much" her smile deepen as she continued, "I don''t like beating around the bush, so let me say this, I want to be your friend."

    A small frown appeared on Keiko''s forehead soon after she dropped the bombshell.

 Chapter 8 - Stacy Valentine

    Keiko didn''t immediately answer the question.

    There was naturally a deep fellowship in the army since, as a soldier, there were many life and death situations that she had and would have to face together in the future.

    However, she is currently in a unique situation.

    She had just been transferred to the third squadron and was assigned as the deputy captain of the left-wing squadron while Valentine was the captain of the right-wing squadron. Therefore, their relationship was far more subtle.

    She was neither her immediate superior, nor her comrade, and obviously not her subordinate either. These circumstances made it awkward for Keiko to suddenly say that Valentine was her friend.

    "Thank you, Lieutenant," Keiko replied vaguely.

    In fact, she was sweating profusely at this moment. Valentine was a person with an extremely powerful aura, and her blue eyes¡­ those eyes were so sharp as if no secret could be hidden from them, including her secret. This made her secretly feel very anxious inside.

    Keiko just realized that she knew nothing about the previous owner of her body.

    If Lieutenant Valentine didn''t mention that she was just transferred recently to the third squadron, she was definitely still ignorant.

    She remembered collecting the personal resumes and detailed information about Lt. Valentine and Captain Alexandrov, but she neglected to learn about herself.

    Keiko promised herself that she would immediately read her personal archive when she returned to her room later.

    Directing her attention back to the matter at hand, Keiko did her best to guess what motive Valentine had when she said that she wanted to be her friend. A sudden epiphany came to her.

    She couldn''t fully ignore the possibility that she had done it out of appreciation and good intention, but it was most likely that Valentine had set her eyes on Keiko and wanted to recruit her as a subordinate in the future.

    It has to do with the promotion system in the Federal Army.

    Every federal citizen over the age of 16 has an obligation to serve in the military for two years, and at the end of those serving years, there will be a big exam for selecting the new batch of Federal Army recruits. It was equivalent to the National Center Test for University Admission held in Japan.

    Outstanding recruits who were selected through the examination could officially enlist as professional soldiers, and those with outstanding performance in individual special subjects could be assigned to work in munitions factories or armament companies.

    The top educational institution was the military academy, where the most sophisticated talents and knowledge are concentrated. However, the military academy didn''t recruit conscripts or ordinary citizens, only professional soldiers.

    Therefore, those who fail to pass are equivalent to missing the top universities in this life.

    After the conscripts officially enlisted to become professional soldiers, they began to accumulate seniority and military merit and upgrade their ranks.

    Every year, the military academy holds regular admissions tests, and the upper age limit for registration is 20 years old. In other words, every professional soldier had two chances to be admitted into the military academy.

    If you can be admitted to the military academy, you will be at least a lieutenant when you leave the military academy five years later, and your future will be guaranteed.

    If you failed to enter the military academy, your only option was to slowly retain your qualifications, accumulate military merit, and upgrade your rank very slowly, just like Alexandrov, who had been a soldier for a lifetime but was still only a captain.

    In contrast, Lieutenant Valentine was a product of a military academy. This Irish American commander possessed a wealth of knowledge and a strong commanding ability; her future development was bound to be better than herself.

    Although Keiko still didn''t understand why she was highly favored by Valentine, as a newcomer, the more acquaintances she had, the better. She must be a pig if she refuses a free meal like this.

    It was just that she still had a concern about getting involved in a partisan battle. This kind of thing was all too common in the army. In the army, young, promising, and ambitious officers attracted like-minded people in order to establish their own forces in the future. And they were bound to clash with each other, trying to make the other party their steppingstone.

    She currently didn''t have enough information about the relationship between the right-wing and the left-wing, so even though she would not reject Valentine''s offer, she didn''t plan to get overly close to her, otherwise, she would be in an awkward position in her own unit considering her position.

    Therefore, she could only answer in such an ambiguous manner.

    Valentine seemed to understand what she was thinking, and with a smile, changed the subject.

    "I''ve made contact with Captain Hill. She broke out of the encirclement with the left-wing escort ''Mistletoe'', and has now thrown off the swarm, slowly moving northwest, waiting to meet us. We can''t stay in Sleipnir too long. We will set off at noon tomorrow. You lost your mecha in the last mission, so you can only be wronged to ride in an armored vehicle for now."

    Keiko''s answer was only one word, "Affirmative!"

    Although Valentine was not speaking fast, Keiko still needed time to absorb and digest the information in her words.

    She was still very unfamiliar with this world, and she had only memorized the names of the people involved with her.

    It took a long time for Valentine to explain that the Captain Hill she was referring to was Amanda Hill, the squadron captain of their third squadron.

    She browsed through the list of officers and soldiers of the Third Squadron, picked up the most important key figures, and looked at them in detail.

    As the leader of the Third Squadron, Amanda Hill naturally would not miss the list.

    This American female captain has a very high reputation in the third squadron. Her mecha driving skills were splendid, her marksmanship was superb, and she was dubbed the Goddess of Armament. Among all military officers, her combat power was considered the cream of the crop.

    Captain Hill also had her own style of leading troops. She has amazing insights, whether it is training strategy or combat tactics. Therefore, she was promoted to the rank of captain at a young age and became the commander of the main force. There was a rumor flying in the camp that she would be promoted again soon.

    However, this mission made the "Armament Goddess" eat a big loss.

    Actually, escorting the target item, code-named "MIstletoe," back to the city of Valhalla was not a difficult task. The road laying and removing obstacles between the "Secret Zone 1" and the main city was completed many years ago, so as long as you follow the safe route, there should be no problem.

    Once again, as the saying goes, "life was never the way you wanted it to be."

    They actually ran into a rare swarm of insects, the entire right-wing was separated from the main force, and Keiko, as one of the commanders of the left-wing, was also washed away, lost in the primitive jungle, and was almost killed by a first-tier Predator.

    It''s just that these things were not her personal experience, nor did she remember them at all, they were all inferred from intelligence records.

    By the way, she almost forgot, where is the soldier Antonio who saved her now?

    "I have asked the logistics to fix your power exoskeleton and armor for you, and I have also prepared a new combat suit to replace your torn combat suit. It isn''t suitable for you to use it anymore, right?" Valentine took a gander at Keiko''s combat suit and said with a warm smile. There was a hole in the sleeve of the upper arm, which had been pierced by Dolan''s poison stick. "Later, you will follow Lilian to the equipment tent."

    "Thank you, Lieutenant." Keiko expressed her sincere gratitude.

    As expected of a female officer, she was meticulous about the needs of her same gender.

    In the past, when she used to be a soldier, although she was a special female soldier, most of the officers were men¡ªto be precise, they were a rowdy bunch.

    She felt a kind of intimacy when she met a female superior.

    Sizing up the female adjutant standing behind Valentine, if Keiko wasn''t wrong, her name is Lilian. Lilian Croft, an American, was in the same rank as Keiko. This freckled and charming female officer serves as the backbone commander in the right-wing and is Valentine''s, right-hand man. It''s just that she glanced at Keiko from time to time, and every time she looked at her, there was an intrigued smile on the corner of her mouth, which made Keiko a little uncomfortable.

    "One last thing, there will be a bonfire held tonight. Don''t you forget to come; all the soldiers are eager to see you. Remember to bring Sergeant Antonio with you. He lives with Leoz now, so you can go together." Valentine looked back at Leoz and said.

    "Yes." Keiko and Leon replied at the same time.

    Keiko didn''t know that she was so popular among the soldiers, and her identity was getting more and more confusing.

    It seems that she couldn''t postpone finding out who the original owner of her body was.

    Leoz and Lilian had already taken the lead in opening the door. Keiko also stood up, saluted Lieutenant Valentine, and then exited the room.

    Walking over the door and returning to the curved corridor, the Latino male adjutant was leading the way with big strides, while Lilian slowed down and walked side by side with Keiko, blinking and smiling.

    "You are not what I imagined the legendary "Death Reaper" to be."

    "Death Reaper?" Keiko tilted her head sideways, with a puzzling expression on her face.

 Chapter 9 - Death Reaper

    P.S. I change some terms with more pleasing sounded words. Powered Exoskeleton -> Exosuit; Equipment Tent -> Armory Tent.

    "Yes, The Death Reaper," Lilian said excitedly, her eyes sparkling childishly, "Who doesn''t know the legend about a young female sergeant from the Central Army''s Logistic Brigade who, even without a mecha, dared to storm deep into the first level Predator Arachnoid Motherbrood''s nest in Myrkvier? With a pair of black sabers in her hands, she singlehandedly slaughtered the entire nest, even killing two Motherbroods, and rescued a group of scientists who were trapped in the expedition, including the well-known genius and also General Armstrong''s daughter, Jeanne Armstrong. They say with every swing of her saber, one monster would be sliced apart! And her movements were so fast and nimble that her enemy couldn''t even catch her shadow! From then on, the young female sergeant has been worshipped as the Death Reaper. What do you think of my story?"

    "Uum¡­ it''s so wicked?"

    "Don''t you think so?" Lilian gave Keiko a wink and teasing smile, "Isn''t that the reason why you got the Ernesto First-Class Merit, your excellency Second Lieutenant the Death Reaper~?"

    Keiko didn''t reply, only let out wry laughter. Though she seemed calm on the surface, her palm broke out in cold sweat, and she screamed inwardly, ''That''s not me, okay?! That''s not me¡­! Well, technically that was me, but¡­. Aaaah!''

    Lilian didn''t notice her mental struggle and asked curiously, "Honestly, Lieutenant Keiko, why did you move to the Western Army from the Central Army? You''re Miss Jeane''s savior after all. How could General Armstrong willingly send you to the military base in such a remote area?"

    "I don''t know either. This is an order from the people above." Keiko replied. This official answer would not have any flaws, so she answered without much hesitation.

    Lillian nodded in approval and said, "I really don''t understand what the people above are thinking."

    "But Lieutenant Keiko, can you tell me if Miss Jeanne is as beautiful and intelligent as the rumors say?" She asked again.

    ''Duh, why does this girl ask so many questions? I don''t remember this Jeanne either,'' Keiko really has a hard time dealing with a chatterbox like Lilian.

    Thinking quickly in her mind, she replied after a while.

    "Why are you asking me again? You should have seen Miss Lannie''s picture."

    "Indeed, but I don''t have the honor to witness the real person with my own eyes," Lilian said regretfully.

    "Well, it''s actually not much different from the photo." Keiko spurted a lie without batting an eye.

    "For real? I really want to see her with my own eyes." Lilian''s eyes lit up.

    What kind of person was this Miss Jeanne who captivated Lillian? Although Keiko was curious at the moment, she still prayed that Lillian, who was a blabbermouth, would stop talking to her.

    Fortunately, Second Lieutenant Leoz, who had never uttered a word all along the trip, had already led them out of the southern bunker and arrived at the large armory tent.

    This big tent was as spacious as a basketball court with more than one roof on top of it. Keiko entered her account, took his new combat uniform under the guidance of the logistics soldiers, and then tried the new exosuit.

    All soldiers'' exosuit wear was arranged in a neat and orderly manner and stored in the armory tent according to the soldier''s number.

    During non-combat periods, these equipments'' power sources need to be charged and adjusted by the logistics soldiers. When the soldiers gathered for an emergency mission, they would go to the tent to wear the exosuit first. Skilled soldiers only needed less than ten seconds to wear it.

    In Keiko''s era, the exosuits were only a concept product and were not widely used and It ran on a hybrid fuel.

    Today, they were as common as guns, and their energy sources had also been replaced by a new and more efficient energy source that Keiko heard about for the first time¡ªsource crystal.

    Source crystal was a new type of ore produced after the outbreak of nuclear war and the great change in the earth''s crust.

    The source crystal could generate as much energy as a small nuclear power plant, yet it was safer and more durable than the latter, so it became widely used.

    Mechas and exosuits, including vehicles and other vehicles, were now using this new energy source as their main fuel.

    ''It''s not as difficult as I thought it would be¡­''

    Although this was the first time she wore the exosuit by herself, her movement wasn''t awkward at all. The movements and steps seemed to be engraved in her instinct, and she finished wearing it naturally.

    "What a pity, Lieutenant Keiko. I can only accompany you here since I still have other tasks to do next."

    "Yeah, what a pity."

    Despite what she said, Keiko was secretly overjoyed that the girl was finally leaving.

    "Then we''ll see you again tonight."

    Lilian smiled and saluted Keiko, then glanced at Leoz, and turned to leave.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, please come with me. I will take you to meet Antonio."

    "Sorry for the trouble."

    The taciturn Leoz finally spoke, which was replied to by Keiko with a nod.

    ---

    Keiko met Antonio in the lieutenant''s tent in the southwest of the camp.

    Her saviour was not much different from the image she imagined.

    The Italian sergeant of the mecha brigade was tall and strong, with short blond hair. His face is angular, his green eyes are sunken, deep, and charming. He was a very charming man.

    It just seems to be a bit rigid and obedient, like a typical soldier who takes military orders first.

    "Second Lieutenant! It''s such a pleasure to see you again!" Antonio said excitedly after saluting Keiko and Leoz.

    "Thank you very much for saving me, sergeant, I admire your courage and perseverance." Keiko smiled. If it wasn''t for this silly soldier who carried her to Sleipnir, she would have ended her short life now and gone to meet God. Therefore, this gratitude comes from the heart.

    "Second lieutenant, I''m not worthy of your praise. Compared to when you were still a sergeant like me, your deed was something more admirable than me."

    Antonio said quickly, the tall man, who was nearly 1.9 meters tall, was ashamed. He blushed in a hurry.

    Keiko was taken back for a moment, realizing that he was talking about the "Death Reaper". A feeling of powerlessness appeared in her heart. She just smiled and nodded.

    "Are you injured?" Keiko asked again.

    "I''m fine. Thank you, Second Lieutenant, for your concern."

    "Do you get along well with Lieutenant Leoz?"

    "It''s quite good, Lieutenant. Lieutenant Leoz is a rigorous and pragmatic soldier. I''ve learned many things from him."

    "Well, we are in the right-wing army now. We should be more careful when we talk and do things, lest we offend powerful people and provoke disaster. There will be a bonfire party tonight. You can prepare it and report to my tent at 6 o''clock in the evening. In addition, tomorrow at noon, we are going to leave Sleipnir and let you know in advance."

    Keiko noticed that she used the way her superiors dealt with subordinates. She used to be a commander in the army anyway, and she understood how to talk to the soldiers under her.

    "Ma''am, Yes Ma''am!"

    Antonio answered loudly, with his feet together, with a "snap", standing at attention.

    Keiko was silent for a while, thinking about what else she had to say to Antonio in her mind, and finally remembered that there was still something she needed to confirm.

    "By the way, did Lieutenant Lu Diyun and Lieutenant Seol-Hyun Ae contact you?"

    "I have spoken to the lieutenant in person and reported our current situation. Second Lieutenant Seol-Hyun Ae did not contact me. After all, I am your direct subordinate."

    "Seriously? I''m troubling you."

    Keiko frowned, pinched his chin, and thought about what he should prioritize next, then replied absentmindedly.

    "Second lieutenant is so serious, you have been in a coma before, I just do what I should do."

    Keiko was taken aback by his response. Seeing that the sergeant was so excited just because she casually said "trouble", she felt that she had underestimated the charm of the original owner of her body. More reason for her to quickly get a better understanding of this "Keiko Lee".

    "I''m still not fully recovered yet, so I''m going back to the medical tent first to get a rest."

    She added just before stepping out of the tent.

    "And, remember to report at six o''clock."

    "Ma''am, yes ma''am!"

 Chapter 10 - Keiko Lee

    Keiko hurriedly walked away from the lieutenant''s tent and went to her medical tent. Since this was the temporary station of the right-wing troops, there were no tents belonging to Keiko and Antonio. She was supposed to leave at noon tomorrow, so it didn''t really matter.

    Keiko had a good sense of direction, so she chose the shortest route and returned to the medical tent.

    The female military doctor, the first person she saw when she woke up in Sleipnir, was nowhere to be seen, but honestly, she really didn''t care too much.

    She went straight to her bed, sat down, and opened the military ID bracelet on her wrist. She accessed her resume and started studying it carefully.

    The original owner of this body, Keiko Lee, was a half-Korean and half-Japanese mixblood, born on March 29, 122 New Year in the Life Genesis Centre in the city of Arrenheim in the Midgard Region, and was artificially conceived just like every other Neo-Human.

    Her parents were married couples. Her father, also a soldier, died on the battlefield very early and never saw his daughter. Her mother, a mechanic in a munitions factory, passed away when she was 8 years old because of a production accident in the factory.

    After that, she was adopted by the church welfare organization under the jurisdiction of the Life Genesis department.

    Her first evaluation, at the age of 12, showed that she was inclined to lawful neutral alignment and, later, became more stable. At the age of 18, she was determined to belong in the lawful neutral category in the adult evaluation. People in this camp were known as "born soldiers," so she followed the advice of the church priests and decided to join the army.

    At the age of 16, she served in the military, and at the age of 18, she passed the examination and officially enlisted.

    At the ages of 19 and 20, she failed the military academy examinations twice in a row, and she could only earn her qualifications in the military.

    Fortunately, when she was 19 years old, she had outstanding performances in military competitions.

    She turned the tables against the enemy just by herself and won the second-class merit of Sherman, which enabled her to quickly rise to the rank of sergeant.

    In 143, when she was 21 years old, the Lorelei Brigade of the Central Army Mecha Division received the task of escorting the scientific expedition team to the Myrkvier virgin forest for research, and she accompanied the army on the task.

    She successfully rescued the expedition team, which granted her the most precious Fernando first-class merits of the year. After accumulating military merits, she broke through the sergeant''s class and was promoted to officer and second lieutenant.

    For the next six years, she was transferred from the Central Army to serve as a non-commissioned officer of the General''s Guards at General Armstrong''s residence.

    On July 31, 149, at the end of last month, she received a transfer order.

    On August 7, she was transferred to the 3rd Squadron of the Einherjar Brigade of the Western Army Mecha Infantry Division and served as the squadron deputy of the left-wing sub-squadron.

    On August 13, the No. 3 Squadron received a military order to go to the "Secret Zone 1" to escort the military supplies code-named "Mistletoe" back to the city of Valhalla, and she went on another expedition with the army.

    On the evening of August 15, she was attacked by a large-scale insect swarm while being escorted and was separated from the team.

    In the early morning of August 16, she arrived at the Sleipnir Field Base Station.

    And now, on the afternoon of August 16th, she was sitting on her hospital bed, checking her resume on the bracelet ID.

    "Keiko, you seem to be in good spirits."

    A call brought her back to reality.

    She lifted her head and saw that the blond female military doctor had returned and was walking straight to her hospital bed. While walking, the female military doctor said with a smile.

    "How''s your body? Is there any part that is still hurting?"

    "I''m okay."

    "As a doctor, I should''ve advised you to get a good rest. In fact, it is not suitable for you to get out of bed and walk around. But since you have already done it, it seems that I should not do it."

    "I''m fine. I know my body well; a little stroll won''t cause me trouble. Anyway, thank you for your concern."

    Keiko said in a friendly manner, but her words were a bit perfunctory. She didn''t realize it because she was thinking about the identity of this female military doctor at the moment.

    She also checked the identity of the female military doctor.

    Her name is Leah Michell, a British-American mixblood with the rank of lieutenant and a technical military rank. She is the military doctor of the Third Squadron.

    In fact, on this mission, the third squadron only brought two military doctors, who were responsible for the treatment of the left-wing squadron and the right-wing squadron.

    The two military doctors and ten military nurses were all sitting in the medical armored car. After the team was separated, the medical armored car fled together with the right wing squadron and came to Sleipnir by coincidence.

    Leah was the one who was in charge of the Left-Wing Squadron, and now it seemed that "Keiko Lee" had a good relationship with her and had known each other for a long time, so if anyone had noticed the change in her behavior, Leah must''ve been one of them. Keiko felt that interacting with this lady would be a real pain.

    Fortunately, Leah didn''t ask any embarrassing questions this time, but simply reminded her about the precautions after being injured, and then the topic came to tonight''s bonfire party.

    "Although this is an extraordinary period, the soldiers also need to take a breath. Sleipnir is currently still safe. Before deploying for tomorrow''s mission, it was understandable to enjoy entertainment and relaxation, "Leah said.

    Then, she continued in a teasing tone, "You are an idol in the minds of many soldiers, and there will definitely be many people who will ask you about the battle that year. You have to be prepared."

    Keiko felt a headache. So far, she didn''t know more about the battle than those curious soldiers.

    "I hope they don''t cause too much trouble. I''m still a little dizzy." Keiko planned to use her injury as an excuse.

    "Yes, you do need to rest. I will accompany you when the time comes. With me, they won''t be unreasonable." Leah seemed to know exactly what Keiko was thinking, and she said it with an understanding gaze.

    Keiko was stunned for a while, secretly surprised in her heart. With a calm expression on her face, she said, "Thank you."

    ''Ah bad... This doctor is really sharp¡­''

    Keiko dodged her gaze a little, always feeling that she would be seen through.

    But she thought about it again. Even if she was seen through, could there really be people who would believe in such things as soul transmigration?

    However, in any case, it is best not to show too much inconsistency with the previous "Keiko Lee".

    The sudden change of personality would definitely attract attention and cause unnecessary trouble.

    She had no idea what kind of freak technology this world could have. If there was any scientific way to probe the soul and do research, and someone knew her secret and ratted her out, she¡­. didn''t want to think about it.

    The female military doctor didn''t stay long. After having a chat with Keiko for a while, she got up and left again. There are still a lot of wounded inside the base, and the medical staff is understaffed. She was actually really busy.

    After Leah left, Keiko sighed, raised the bracelet ID again, and continued to check the information. This time, she typed the name Jeanne Armstrong into the search box.

    As soon as she pressed the button, a large amount of information and news immediately popped up on the page.

    The first photo I saw immediately surprised Keiko.

    A beautiful woman clad in a military uniform was standing straight in front of the camera. The background behind her looks like a research laboratory with various unknown instruments.

    She stood sideways, with her hands folded over her chest, and turned her head to look at the camera.

    Due to her curvaceous figure and elegant bringing, the original heroic and handsome military uniform, when she wore it, exuded a unique feminine charm.

    Her long chestnut hair was meticulously tied behind her head, and she wore a large-brimmed hat, which looked smaller and more beautiful than that of a male officer.

    The military uniform on her body was also a green double-breasted style, which was not much different from that of Captain Alexandrov, but the cut was more in line with the female body curve.

    Her beautiful foxy eyes staring at the camera were very alluring, and her delicate facial features didn''t show the slightest flaw.

    Her captivating aura can be felt strongly through the lens.

    This was Major Jeanne Armstrong, the woman she once saved.

    She was the daughter of General Armstrong, a senior technical officer, a military research expert, and a female instructor in the Mecha Department of the Feynman Military Academy, the highest military academy in the Federation.

    Keiko took a deep breath and secretly said, "My God, what kind of person did I save?"

 Chapter 11 - Leaving Sleipnir Base (1)

    Keiko struggled through the second night since she came to this world.

    "Aah¡­ stop staring at me like looking at an animal in the zoo¡­" Keiko grumbled in a barely audible voice.

    "Well¡­ maybe you''re that charming?" said the woman in white blouse, suddenly standing beside her and giggling softly.

    "Ah¡­ Dr. Leah?"

    "Having a good time?"

    "I can''t say I don''t, but their enthusiasm is scaring me... I don''t think I''m worth that kind of attention, though." Keiko let out a small sigh.

    "I don''t know if you''re just humble or trying to humblebrag," Leah rolled her eyes and continued, "With you achievement, you''re basically a celebrity in their eyes,"

    "Do you think I''m that kind of person?."

    "Second Lieutenant, you shouldn''t look down on yourself like that. If you ask me, you''re worth every bit of attention," a gruff voice with a faint Italian accent joined in the conversation.

    "Not you too, Sergeant Antonio¡­"

    "I''m just telling the truth."

    "What a good subordinate you got there, Keiko¡­"

    "Stop you two¡­"

    Keiko said helplessly and sighed.

    Who knew, as soon as she arrived at the bonfire party, many young soldiers, regardless of their gender or skin color, ogled her with curious gazes so intense as if trying to bore a hole in her body?

    If it wasn''t for Doctor Leah and Sergeant Antonio being around her, she would have been surrounded by them already.

    As the leader of the right-wing squadron, Lieutenant Valentine watched the fun with great interest but showed no sign of helping Keiko out of her predicament. She just stood in the corner with an amused smile plastered on her face.

    ''She said she wanted to be my friend. What kind of friend is having fun while watching their friend suffering?! '', complained Keiko inwardly.

    Although it was called a party, the soldiers were mainly singing military songs together, allowing everyone to talk to each other, communicate, and release pressure. Many people mentioned their families and fallen comrades in arms, and many cried.

    There were many soldiers who were very curious about the legendary "Death Reaper" and tried to strike up a conversation with her.

    They were mostly asking about the details of her heroic action, which Keiko answered with a brief explanation of the battle six years ago, and sometimes used an excuse like "It''s already six years ago, there are many things I don''t remember clearly" to brush off any question she couldn''t answer.

    Even so, everyone still showered her with questions, making her feel so overwhelmed that her back started sweating profusely.

    When she returned to her tent and lay on the bed after showering, she still had lingering fears.

    "It''s terrible¡­ I can''t fathom how those protagonists in the novel could stay calm after transmigrating¡­"

    Occupying the body of someone famous was really bad for her heart.

    Keiko has been honest since she was a child, and throughout her adulthood, she was very straightforward and sincere. Instead of finding a way around a problem, she prefers to face it head-on.

    Yet, after transmigrating, not only did she keep being cautious, but she also spurted way more lies than in her previous life combined.

    She didn''t like the feeling of deceiving others, more so because these people were still her comrades in arms; people who depended on each other for life and death.

    The upright Keiko felt slightly guilty in her heart. But, the guilt only lasted for a moment before she bounced back to being positive again.

    "Well, it can''t be helped, I''ll do anything to make sure I''m surviving this strange situation," Keiko said firmly to herself.

    She was a doer and wouldn''t waste her time dwelling on something she couldn''t control.

    She lay in her bed under the quill, closed her eyes, and forced herself to sleep.

    Keiko didn''t sleep well that night. Although she fell asleep, she dreamt a long and bizarre dream. But when she woke up in the morning, she couldn''t remember anything about it.

    She woke up at eight o''clock in the morning.

    She was still a bit in a daze; her eyes were only half-opened, her hair messy, and her shirt was unbuttoned and disheveled, revealing her white and smooth collar bone.

    If she wasn''t waking up in the hospital bed, people who saw her might have thought that she was having a steamy night last night.

    She heard the hustle and bustle coming from outside the tent.

    At this time, the base was already lively.

    The soldiers had already started to pack their bags and prepare for a new round of marching.

    Strangely, no one woke her up.

    In the medical tent, Keiko was the only one left; the rest of the wounded soldiers had already been transferred out. All the camp beds had been refolded, and two nurses were gently removing the curtains.

    Seeing Keiko''s gaze on her, one of the nurses said with a faint blush on her cheek.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, good morning. Did you have a good sleep last night?"

    "Oh... good morning. Thank you for your concern. I slept well." Keiko didn''t bother to tell her the truth, and then continued, "Why didn''t you wake me up earlier?"

    "Seeing that you are still sleeping soundly, Dr. Leah didn''t let us disturb you and asked us to wake you up later at 8:30. I didn''t expect you to wake up earlier." The nurse replied.

    ''Hmm, I really got special treatment.''

    Keiko smiled and started to pack up the things around her swiftly. She had it done in a jiffy since she didn''t have much carry-on luggage. Her marching bag was lost because it was stored in the mecha cabin. All that was left was this military uniform, and the exosuit and several weapons were stored in the armory tent.

    Then, she went to the dining tent to have breakfast and receive the rations for today''s lunch. Two pieces of bread as hard as stones, a boiled egg, and a sealed package of ready-to-eat braised pork.

    Keiko also received a water bottle filled with water, a carrier bag that contained some emergency supplies, and a sleeping bed. Lieutenant Valentine specially came to say hello and deliver it in person.

    She exited the dining tent and trod the road towards the gravel square while enjoying the sight of the camp.

    She noticed soldiers methodically dismantling their tents, and she noticed a lot of people coming and going into the armory tent. The small Sleipnir base was bustling with activity.

    When Keiko rushed over, most of the soldiers had finished assembling their the exosuits and were heading to the main square to form a line.

    To be honest, when Keiko watched the fully armed male and female soldiers lined up together according to their heights and counted, she felt a very strong sense of incongruency.

    She still did not get rid of the habit of serving in the army all year round and was used to seeing the troops separated by gender.. It seems she needs more time to get used to such a sight.

 Chapter 12 - Leaving Sleipnir Base (2)

    When she came to the main square, the mech soldiers were already boarding one by one, and so did the infantry and logistics, who were also boarding the vehicles.

    Antonio waited patiently for Keiko in a conspicuous position. Then, after a brief greeting, he took Keiko into an armored vehicle.

    The armored vehicles of the federal army were not much different from the times before Keiko transmigrated.

    The third squadron''s armored vehicles look very similar to the American Stryker of that year, while the inside is getting a massive upgrade. It was an 8-wheel source crystal-powered vehicle with a 450 horsepower engine, 2.8 meters wide, 2.7 meters high, and full-body camouflage.

    The vehicle Keiko and Antonio were in was an infantry transport vehicle that could carry 11 infantrymen, including the driver.

    Ten people, half-seated in two rows of carriages. Keiko sat in the position closest to the driver''s seat, and Antonio sat beside her.

    In her opposite position was a petite female soldier wearing a helmet that revealed only the upper half of her face, while the lower half was hidden beneath the breathing apparatus.

    Although she couldn''t see the whole face, Keiko could tell that she was still very young, even a little bit childish. Her pair of blue eyes kept staring at Keiko curiously. In fact, it wasn''t just her, but also several other soldiers who were also paying attention to Keiko.

    It''s just that everyone was very restrained and didn''t chat casually because they were on a mission lest they get reprimanded.

    After waiting for about half an hour, the car finally moved. Keiko heard Lieutenant Lilian''s voice coming from the headphones of her helmet.

    "The armored vehicle convoys are about to exit the gate. All armored soldiers, pay attention, close your helmets, and turn on the breathing device. Repeat, the armored convoy is about to exit the gate. All the armored soldiers, pay attention, close your helmets, and turn on the breathing device."

    The soldiers around Keiko quickly covered the masks that were lifted above their heads and pressed them lightly on the lower right side of their necks. Keiko followed suit and did it like everyone else.

    After pressing the button, an interface appeared on the mask, and the ventilator began to supply oxygen, making a slight "humming" sound, like the sound of an old air conditioner she had in her family''s summer house back on Earth.

    The start-up interface on the mask is the federal emblem, fleeting after rotating 360 degrees, and then a series of regular data begins to appear on the mask, including oxygen index, geographic coordinates, azimuth pointing, message dialog window, and so on.

    In addition, there are many functions, such as thermal monitor, shooting aiming assistance, and mecha driving assistance, which require the use of the bracelet ID to operate.

    The ride started getting bumpy, the car seemed to have left the Sleipnir and was driving in the mountain jungle.

    A small map appeared on her helmet visor, with a long string of green dots representing the right flank squadron on the march.

    There was a blue triangle in a patch of green, representing herself. Now this long string of green was slowly moving forward on the map and might look like they were taking it slow and steady, but in fact, the travel speed is marked on the lower left of the mask.

    Now their marching speed is about 90 kilometers per hour, and it is still accelerating. It is already in the category of rapid marching.

    Keiko had received today''s marching target last night via her bracelet ID.

    They had to try to meet up with the third squadron, which was slowing ahead, at 3 o''clock in the afternoon, so the time they had was very short and the speed needed to be fast.

    The marching process was very boring, and she couldn''t talk or move at will. Keiko sat in a bumpy position the whole time, making her feel drowsy. In a daze, she heard the command coming from the earphones again, this time it was the voice of Lieutenant Leoz:

    "It''s 12:10 pm now. We get half an hour to break and have lunch. Watch out for rotation, the first fifteen minutes, Lillian''s squad, and the last fifteen minutes, Lyon''s squad."

    The time was really tight. Keiko was surprised to see the soldiers in the armored vehicle awaken from their drowsiness, jump out of the vehicle, and run outside.

    ''What happened?''

    Before she asked, she heard Antonio, who was sitting beside her, take the initiative to explain.

    "They are all Leoz''s squad. They will be on duty in fifteen minutes, so they must eat quickly. Second lieutenant, come with me, and I will take you to the temporary dining tent."

    "Oh, good." Keiko thought to herself that Sergeant Antonio was a really considerate person.

    The so-called temporary dining tent was an inflatable tent with a radius of 50 square meters. There are three tents in total, which can be set up in one minute. There is an air valve at the door, which can isolate radiation and harmful gases. There is a constant supply inside, which enables soldiers to temporarily take off their helmets to eat.

    When Keiko entered the temporary dining tent, she saw soldiers gathering to have their lunch, some sitting on the ground, some standing.

    They stuffed all the food in front of them into their mouths, wishing they could eat everything in the next second.

    This is the life of soldiers on the march. Keiko, who is used to suffering, was not too surprised. She found a corner on her own, took out the food, and started to eat.

    Not far from Keiko, the small white female soldier sitting opposite her was also eating.

    Keiko finally saw her full face and guessed that she should have just joined the army not long ago. She ate so much that her veins burst out, and she slammed it hard, but unexpectedly, she choked and coughed.

    Keiko kindly stepped forward and patted her on the back, causing her to be even more excited. She couldn''t stop coughing and tears were coming out of her eyes. Keiko didn''t know whether to laugh or cry as she watched this clumsy girl. She didn''t say anything and waited quietly for her to calm down.

    When she finally calmed down, she quickly saluted and thanked Keiko.

    Keiko asked her in an amicable tone, "What''s your name?"

    "Answering to Second Lieutenant, this cadet''s name is Connie, and I''m a corporal." The female soldier replied with a blushing face.

    The next second, the signal to gather came, and Connie hurriedly stuffed the unfinished food back into the marching bag, put on the helmet, and ran out.

    As soon as the soldiers rushed out, the soldiers who changed the shift rushed in, and it was another scene of gobbling up.

    At this moment, Keiko had only eaten half of her meal, which was already at her fastest speed.

    ''It seems that I''m used to living a comfortable life, and I''m getting lazy. This is not good...''

    She scolded herself in her mind, and then glanced at Antonio, seeing that he had put the last egg in his mouth.

    Looking at another silly guy, Keiko shook her head speechlessly.

 Chapter 13 - Reunite With Third Squadron

    After lunchtime was over, the convoy continued at an even faster speed.

    Keiko noticed something unusual: the way the mechas moved differed from her expectations. In driving mode, wheels appeared on their legs as they bent, similar to how humans kneel. Their movement after switching to driving mode was even swifter and faster than a bulky armored vehicle.

    At 3:50 pm, Keiko, who was sitting in the armored vehicle, received a message from the entire army. The third squadron had already appeared on the radar, and the rendezvous would happen in five minutes.

    After that, she could see a lot of green punctuation on the small map, forming two green ribbons on the map, like the herringbone formation of geese, slowly moving closer.

    At 3:55 pm, Keiko sensed the car stopping. They finally reunited with the main force.

    The car stopped for five minutes and still did not start. Although the soldiers did not cause a commotion, they all had doubts in their hearts. After about another minute, an unfamiliar female voice came from Keiko''s earphones.

    "Second Lieutenant Keiko and Sergeant Antonio, please come out of the car and go to the front of the team."

    Antonio got up immediately after hearing this, opened the door of the armored car, and jumped down. Keiko followed closely and heard Antonio''s excited voice ringing in her earphones:

    "Second lieutenant, the captain is calling us. We can finally return to our troops."

    It turned out that the unfamiliar female voice just now was Amanda Hill''s voice, which sounded rather cold.

    Keiko rushed forward, following after Antonio, and went to the front of the line.

    First, Antonio ran past the armored vehicles, and then he left the mecha team in a neat line behind him. Running all the way, winding and long, with all the army in green camouflage, like a giant steel dragon lying quietly in the virgin forest, the scene is quite spectacular.

    After running for about two or three minutes, the road turned, indicating that they had run into the road where the large army was.

    It didn''t take long for them to see the first giant armored vehicle, equipped with advanced weapons and a flag with the logo of the Mecha Brigade on it.

    Keiko knew that this was probably the vehicle of the third squadron''s leading commander.

    At the rear of the vehicle, there was an empty mecha whose appearance was different from that of Sieg Mk.1 and Sieg Mk.2. It looks exquisite clad in platinum silver. Those who can own such high-end mecha must not be ordinary soldiers.

    ''This one must''ve been Captain Amanda''s mecha," Keiko guessed.

    They met the top commander of the three squadrons, Captain Cathie Moss, in the commander''s vehicle. There she saw a gorgeous woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was very tall, even half a head taller than Keiko. Despite looking very young, the presence she exuded was really powerful, worthy of being the commander of the ace division.

    "Second Lieutenant Keiko Lee is reporting!"

    "Sergeant Antonio is reporting!"

    The two saluted Captain Cathie at the same time.

    "Welcome back, cadet."

    Captain Cathie returned to the military salute; her voice sounded much softer than on the radio. Lieutenant Valentine and a male officer with a medium build, an Asian face, a short flat head, a firm line, and a hard jaw covered in a beard stood beside her in the car.

    Keiko couldn''t help but glance at him because he was her immediate boss, the squadron leader of the left-wing squadron, Lieutenant Lu Diyun.

    Lu Diyun, a Chinese guy, was 35 years old this year. He had been in the army for 17 years and had never attended a military academy.

    He was a soldier who had climbed from the bottom step by step, pretty much like herself.

    The Third Squadron did have factions, headed by Lieutenant Valentine, and most of the officers and soldiers under her command were academy-graduated cadets called "Academy Faction". On the other hand, most of Lu Diyun''s subordinates are officers and soldiers who failed to enter the academy.

    Captain Hill, the boss of the third squadron, was an American and also graduated from the military academy. It is rumored that she had a very close relationship with Lieutenant Valentine.

    Therefore, the academy faction was regarded as the superior force in the third squadron and was more valued. But Lu Diyun''s left-wing was also nothing to scoff at.

    Amanda was a smart person. She knew what checks and balances meant and handled the two factions together skillfully.

    This was all the information that Keiko acquired from chatting with many soldiers during the bonfire party last night.

    "Old Lu, your beloved subordinates have returned. Hurry up and take her to the team. We''ll be leaving soon." Cathy turned her head to Lu Diyun.

    Lu Diyun nodded and stood at attention. Immediately, he walked over to Keiko and Antonio, reached out and patted their shoulders, put on his helmet first, and opened the air pressure hatch of the commanding car.

    Keiko and Antonio followed closely and got out of the lead car. When the door was closed, Keiko took a last look at the scene in the car and vaguely saw Lieutenant Valentine leaning into the ear of Captain Amanda, evoking an ambiguous feeling.

    ''Are these two really an item?''

    While Keiko was gossiping in her heart, she followed behind Lu Diyun, who took a big stride.

    Lu Diyun said without looking back, "Keiko, Antonio, you are really lucky to survive this danger. Originally, encountering massive swarms was considered bad luck, and escaping from the dead was a blessing in disguise. I feel anxious for you two."

    "I''ve caused trouble for the lieutenant," Keiko said politely.

    "No, it was my lack of command ability. The situation was chaotic at the time. It was my responsibility that you and Antonio were separated from the team." Lu Diyun said, "Your mecha was lost, so you get on the leading armor vehicle on the left-wing. It just so happens that Seol-Hyun Ae is waiting there. You should hurry up and go meet her; she hasn''t eaten much in the last few days because she has been worried about you.

    Surprisingly, Lieutenant Lu, who looked resolute and serious, was quite warm when he spoke. He brought the two to the vanguard of the left-wing and pointed to a female officer standing near the armored car.

    Keiko looked in the direction he pointed and saw a female officer who was about the same height as her standing upright at the door of the car. The badge on the camouflage uniform indicated the rank of second lieutenant. Before getting close, the woman''s excited voice came from the earphones.

    "Keiko-chan! You''re back! Why don''t you contact me? You don''t even reply when I send you a message!"

    Following that, the woman rushed forward and hugged Keiko fiercely.

 Chapter 14 - Seol-Hyun Ae

    "Keiko-chan! You''re back! Why don''t you contact me? You don''t even reply when I send you a message!"

    Keiko was frightened by Seol-Hyun Ae''s enthusiasm and was a little helpless, and she replied:

    "Sorry... uh... these last two days have been very chaotic, so¡­"

    "How is it? Is your injury better? I heard that you were poisoned." She asked again.

    "It''s okay, it''s all right now." Keiko comforted.

    The bubbly young lady was Seol-Hyun Ae, another vice-captain of the left-wing, Keiko''s partner, and Lu Diyun''s right hand.

    Because she was wearing a helmet, Keiko couldn''t see her face, but Keiko had seen the photos in her profile before and knew that she was a Korean female officer with short black hair and dark brown eyes.

    She had a small round face with big round eyes, like a puppy. She got a dimple when she smiled, and the beauty mark below her lips accentuated her beauty.

    She had an outgoing and cheerful personality, and she was pretty much an extrovert, which was quite different from Keiko''s personality.

    When Seol-Hyun Ae exchanged a few words with Antonio, Lu Diyun''s voice sounded in their headphones.

    "Okay, get in the car for those who should get in the car, and get in the mecha for those who should get in the mecha. We''re going to depart soon. If you have anything to say, we''ll talk about it when we get back to the city."

    Everyone stopped chattering, Lu Diyun and Seol-Hyun Ae entered the mecha cabin again, Keiko and Antonio also got into the left-wing front armored car. This time there were only two of them in the car, and there were only three people near the driver in front.

    Before long, the large convoy started moving again. After experiencing the previous accident, the entire Third Squadron finally reunited after all the hardships and continued to march to the city to complete this mission.

    On the way there, Keiko didn''t see where the target items they were escorting were, and she didn''t know what the secret military supplies were.

    Whatever it was, it was worth the trouble to assign the ace division to escort it.

    Many military scientific research projects were extremely dangerous. If the testing area was in the city-state, in the event of an accident, there would definitely be a large number of casualties.

    If it was located outside the city, it could avoid danger, reduce losses, and at the same time strengthen the confidentiality of military scientific research.

    During the march, Keiko again fell into a state of drowsiness. Her body was not yet completely recovered, and as the long-distance march was bumpy and tiring, it put more burden on Keiko''s body and so her mental state was not good.

    But before she fell asleep, she heard a voice coming from the earphones.

    "Keiko-chan, how do you feel spending two days with Valentine''s team?"

    If there was someone who addressed her in such an affectionate manner, it must''ve been Seol-Hyun.

    Keiko woke up, reacted for a moment, and then replied:

    "They were very kind..."

    "Of course they are; you are a hero and idol, after all. That woman must be trying to coax you to join her team."

    Seol-Hyun sounded slightly annoyed. "That woman" she was referring to was Lieutenant Valentine.

    Keiko didn''t answer and instead said, "Is it really okay for the two of us to use the communication channel for private chats like this?"

    "Oh, the private chat channel I opened is just the two of us. No one else knows."

    "Lieutenant Lu knows, he has higher authority than us," Keiko replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

    "The lieutenant doesn''t care." Seol-Hyun Ae scoffed and then complained, "You lawful neutral people are too serious. Just relax a bit, won''t you?"

    Keiko''s heart skipped a beat when she heard the words, and after thinking for a moment, she remembered that in Seol-Hyun Ae''s information, it was mentioned that she was not from the lawful neutral camp. She was a neutral good person. This alignment was not as lawful as neutral in respect of discipline, despite that, it was still one of the recruiting-oriented alignments of the army.

    In the army, there were several camps that did not exist.

    The first was the chaotic camp. Whether it was chaotic good, chaotic neutral, or chaotic evil, those who did not obey orders were taboo in the military.

    Secondly, neutral evil couldn''t enter the army.

    Such people were considered to be mischievous in the disciplined forces, and they belonged to the category of troublemakers.

    Lawful evil needs to go through strict vetting before entering the army and undergo regular psychological assessments, which were equivalent to monitoring the brain. People in this camp only exist in a small part of the army.

    Therefore, in the army, the four camps of lawful good, lawful neutral, neutral good, and absolute neutral account for the vast majority.

    Among them, lawful neutral and neutral good alignment accounted for the vast majority.

    There were very few people who were in lawful good''s camp. They belong to the kind of people with lofty moral values ??and personal heroism.

    In the army, such people are either very popular, welcomed, or very annoying.

    And people who were absolutely neutral were like air with a lack of presence. But it was also possible to have both sides and have better interpersonal relationships.

    Speaking of the absolutely neutral camp, she had to mention Jeanne Armstrong.

    Keiko checked her information before and found that the female major was actually a person from the absolutely neutral camp, which made her feel a little incredible.

    She looked so strong, she should have had a very distinct character and self-assertion, but on the contrary, absolute neutral people had no claims of their own, or their claims were neutral. When they experience something, they often choose the safer option.

    Could it be that this female major was so timid? Or, in fact, she had an absolutely calm attitude towards world affairs, was impartial, had no emotional tendencies of her own, and was so cold to the point of indifference?

    While Keiko''s thoughts were flying, suddenly, a piercing alarm sounded in the intercom headset, which made her tremble, and the armored vehicle braked suddenly.

    Due to inertia, Keiko was directly thrown to the back of the driver''s seat.

    Immediately afterward, Captain Cathie''s stern yet calm voice sounded in the earphones:

    "Enemy attack! The entire army immediately enters a first-level combat state!"

 Chapter 15 - First Battle

    "Enemy attack! All personnel immediately enter a first-level combat state!"

    What? Enemy attack!

    Keiko was stunned by the sudden event.

    She quickly took a look at her interface and saw that on the small map, the green light spots began to spread out quickly, and a red light spot rushed into the team abruptly, and it was near Keiko''s own blue arrow!

    The earth trembled, and Keiko clearly felt that the armored vehicle she was riding in was shaking violently.

    The terrified and angry yell of the driver came from the headset.

    "Damn it, damn it! It''s a Ferocious Earth Dragon!"

    "Second Lieutenant, get out of the car!"

    At the same time, Antonio''s anxious voice sounded in Keiko''s ears.

    Before Keiko could react, Antonio had already rushed to the car door, ready to open the door and go out.

    However, it was too late.

    With a loud noise, a huge black spike pierced the car''s roof straight into Antonio''s back. Fortunately, Antonio dodged in time, and the thorns just missed him by an inch, leaving a small wound on his body.

    It eventually hit the deepest part of the car, which happened to be the position of the oxygen cylinder, and the precious oxygen leaked out immediately.

    Keiko''s nose was less than three centimeters away from the huge spike, which nearly split Keiko''s head in half.

    Thump! Thump!

    Keiko broke into a cold sweat, her body trembled involuntarily, and she froze in place for a while due to the strong impact.

    "Hu¡­hu¡­hu¡­"

    Her heart pounded so hard and her breathing became more labored.

    The creature slowly retrieved its huge black spike, leaving a terrifying giant hole in the car''s roof.

    The intense sound of firing artillery exploded in her eardrums like firecrackers being lit nearby and the shrill scream made the hairs on Keiko''s back rise.

    "Second Lieutenant! Run!!!"

    Keiko bit the tip of her tongue fiercely, bleeding directly from the bite. The severe pain caused her to finally get rid of the stiffness and trembling. Without waiting for a second, she struggled to get up from the seat and threw her body towards the door.

    The moment she fell out of the armored car, a black spike suddenly emerged from the ground and penetrated the entire vehicle from bottom to top, straight up ten meters high into the sky.

    Keiko fell to the ground fiercely, and after rolling three laps, she finally released her momentum. The wound on her left arm that had just recently recovered was opened again. She also could hear a cracking sound in her ankle and be slightly numbed.

    She knelt on the ground, panting heavily.

    She looked up at the scene in front of her and took a deep breath.

    A huge and terrifyingly ugly black centipede was standing straight against their armored vehicle.

    The part that was exposed to the ground was more than ten meters long and most of its body was buried under the ground.

    The densely packed sharp claws on both sides of the body were clad in red and black stripes, and its hard shell was cold and frightening. Seeing this beast, Keiko felt goosebumps rise on her skin.

    "Fuck!"

    After a brief fright, Keiko quickly forced herself to calm down, and her brain quickly started to think of a plan.

    At the same time, she made her first judgment.

    She swiftly snatched her submachine gun from the holster in the back, advancing forward with the gun in hand, and quickly circled to the right side of the monster.

    ROAARRR!!!

    The piercing screams from the monster continued to sound.

    When the monster destroyed the armored vehicle where Keiko was, the explosion of the armored vehicle also caused damage to it.

    The Centipede blasted the armored car angrily, and the huge armored car fell from the air with sparks, smashing towards another armored car behind.

    Fortunately, most of the soldiers had responded in a timely manner, so no one became a victim of its ruthless attack.

    When the armored vehicles collided with each other, they suddenly exploded, igniting a sea of ??fire.

    At that moment, Keiko was blitzing around in the blazing fire, while looking up at the monster barraged under intense artillery fire from several armored vehicles around her.

    Two of the three nearby mechas were obstructed on their way due to various reasons and could not get close to the monster, so they could only shoot from a distance.

    TRATATATA!

    Keiko raised the submachine gun in her hand while running and greeted the monster with a flurry of bullets.

    But none of them had inflicted injury to the monster.

    She cursed inwardly and stopped shooting, as she didn''t want to continue wasting bullets, and put the gun back in the holster.

    The data flow mask in front of Keiko was scanning the monster in all directions. Soon the monster''s information was automatically displayed on the screen.

    This monster is called the "Ferocious Earth Dragon" and it belongs to a species of earth tribe in the Zerg race.

    It was good at burrowing in the soil and could often complete surprise attacks on humans.

    Moreover, it was extremely aggressive.

    As long as it encounters a human being, it will automatically launch an attack unconditionally.

    Even if it is injured and maimed, it will never escape.

    Although it looks very similar to a centipede, this monster was actually a giant earthworm covered with armor spikes. Due to its size, people eventually called it "Earth Dragon" instead. The Ferocious Earth Dragon often acted in groups, usually three or four in a pack at the most.

    Keiko was concerned that this beast was not the only one, and that the other was still lurking nearby in the ground.

    Dealing with an earth dragon was just like dealing with a real earthworm. Since it belonged to the Annelida phylum, the most efficient way to kill it was to slice it apart vertically, splitting it into left and right parts. If you cut its body horizontally, it will only make it divided into two beings and wouldn''t die.

    And the fact that the Ferocious Earth Dragon had an armor-like exoskeleton covering its body made it harder for ordinary artillery and bullet weapons to damage or even kill one.

    Even if the attacks blew up its body, its body would split up instantaneously.

    Only when the mecha could get close enough to slash it at point-blank range with a sharp electromagnetic mecha knife would it be killed with a guarantee.

    Keiko skimmed the monster information and etched it into her memory.

    While she was running, she also paid attention to the surrounding terrain. The roads nearby were narrow and the forest was densely packed, making it hard for mechas and armored vehicles to maneuver within.

    Furthermore, the surrounding area is densely forested, which is easily ignited by the spark of a firing weapon and spreads throughout the area like a sea of fire.

    Keiko''s expression turned grim. This battle was the hardest battle she ever had throughout her life.

    Trees had collapsed in succession, and some were falling towards the side of the road where the soldiers were gathering. The soldiers dodge from left to right, causing the entire team to be split into sections. The road for reinforcements was blocked, and the situation was extremely unfavorable.

    Near Keiko''s armored vehicle, there were three mechas: two Sieg Mk.2 mechas, one of which belonged to Lieutenant Lu Diyun, and another one belonged to Lieutenant Seol-Hyun Ae, and the last mecha was a Sieg Mk.1 mecha piloted by a sergeant.

    Unfortunately, Lieutenant Lu Diyun''s mecha was hampered by the collapsed towering trees and couldn''t make it to her location in a short time; another mecha was stopped by the exploding armored vehicle, and only Seol-Hyun Ae''s mecha was nearby.

    The calm command voice of Lieutenant Lu Diyun is coming from the earphones:

    "All the combat forces close to Lieutenant Seol-Hyun Ae''s position gathered to support her. Lieutenant Seol-Hyun Ae, do your best to hold it back! I''ll be there in 20 seconds!"

    As he gave his command, Lu Diyun was already driving the mecha towards their position and forcefully tore down the tree trunks that were getting in his way.

    "Yes!" Seol-Hyun Ae''s voice was grave.

    At the same time, she pulled out the mecha knife and tried to get close to the frenzied dragon.

    She opened the chat channel with Keiko and asked anxiously, "Keiko-chan! How are you? Are you all right?"

    Keiko was running fast in the direction of Seol-Hyun Ae''s mecha when she heard Seol-Hyun Ae''s voice on her intercom, and then she immediately replied.

    "I''m fine. Focus on dealing with the beast. I''ll find a way to help you!"

    "Second lieutenant!" At the same time, Antonio''s voice appeared. The voice sounded a little bit rough, like someone who was out of breath.

    Keiko glanced at the small map and found that Antonio was chasing after her from behind.

    She looked back and found that his steps were very staggered, so she said sternly, "Antonio! Go and find the logistics vehicle to replace the oxygen cylinder!"

    "Second lieutenant, what are you doing?" Antonio asked solemnly.

    "Go! This is an order!"

    Keiko did not answer him and just gave him an order. No matter how stubborn this sergeant was, with his obedient personality and neutral lawful alignment, he definitely wouldn''t defy his superior''s order.

    Then, she turned her head and continued to run forward without looking back.

 Chapter 16 - First Blood

    Keiko ran faster and faster, only to feel that, with the assistance of the exosuit, her speed had reached an unprecedented height.

    She had never felt this way before. The feeling of being in 100% control over her body was truly exhilarating, whether it was the explosive power of muscles, or endurance, stamina, or balance, agility, all the feelings she had never imagined she would ever have a chance to experience.

    ''Is this the body of a neo-human after evolution?''

    It was mentioned in the general knowledge of the Earth Federation that the physical fitness of even an untrained ordinary person is comparable to that of a former Olympic all-around champion in the era before the apocalypse, let alone a soldier who had undergone severe and rigorous training.

    The adrenaline in her blood surged rapidly; she only felt that she was as light as a swallow and even the pain from her injured ankle and arm suddenly seemed not to be there anymore.

    She had never run so fast in her life, so fast that she almost left behind an afterimage. The sense of dread she felt previously disappeared inexplicably, and her whole body was full of blood and energy. Only thoughts on how to kill this monster were occupying her mind right now.

    Seol-Hyun Ae was already driving her mecha, holding the high-vibration electromagnetic mech blade in her hand and dealing with the monster.

    The edge of the blade beamed a blue light, with a crackling sound due to the violent electric charge. It was a novel weapon that Keiko had never seen before. The blade gave the impression that it would be able to even cut a diamond with ease.

    Hydraulic pressure on the mecha''s legs was propelling her forward with unprecedented power, galloping toward the monster like a raging bull.

    However, seemingly due to her inexperience in battle, Seon-Hyun Ae was always at a disadvantage in front of the monster. Her movements were a little stiff and slow, her slashing was ineffective, and the damage to the monster was extremely limited.

    ''Slow, slow, slow¡­. How come she is so slow!''

    It may be that Keiko''s own fighting sense was overwhelmingly strong, but when she saw how the mecha dealt with monsters so clumsily, she became very anxious.

    Without hesitation, she dashed, running directly below the Ferocious Earth Dragon and Seol-Hyun Ae''s Sieg Mk.2. The spikes on the side of the violent earth dragon and Seol-Hyun Ae''s blade clashed above her head, making a huge metallic noise.

    Suddenly, she hopped on the trunk of the collapsed tree in front of her, ran a few steps to a higher place along the tree trunk, and then, while running, she made a big leap towards Seol-Hyun Ae''s mecha.

    Her actions were minutely calculated. With this jump, she directly slammed into Sieg Mk.2''s arm, and then landed with both of her legs crouching down. The impact startled Seol-Hyun Ae, who was still engaging the enemy.

    "Keiko, what the hell are you doing?"

    "You build a bridge for me and send me to the violent dragon."

    Seol-Hyun Ae blurted out in a moment, "You crazy! Do you want to die?!"

    "Don''t talk nonsense! Just do as I say!"

    Keiko''s tone was unprecedentedly tyrannical, she was completely different from the somewhat awkward and taciturn person she was before. Even Keiko herself did not notice this obvious change. If anyone could peek at the expression on her face through the helmet mask, they would be surprised to find her excited expression.

    Her pupils narrowed into a slit and turned bloody red, gleaming with the cunning of a hungry cheetah, ready to prey on the unsuspecting antelope, and her gaze was full of killing intent.

    Seol-Hyun Ae was taken back by her strong tone. Her habit after joining the army for many years made her subconsciously obey Keiko''s judgment and move accordingly.

    Keiko took advantage of this opportunity to rush forward and jump directly onto the Ferocious Earth Dragon along the right arm of Seol-Hyun Ae''s mecha.

    While on the move, she had already taken out the army dagger inside the leggings slot, and after getting really close to her target, she raised the dagger high, with a roar aimed at its joint, stabbing it fiercely.

    The sharp army dagger pierced precisely at the Furious Earth Dragon''s wound, which was inflicted by the armored vehicle''s assault.

    The hard shell cracked, crumbling apart, and the thick green blood flowed out along the blood groove of the dagger.

    ROAARRR!!!

    The earth dragon, who was in pain, struggled fiercely. The lower half of its body that was buried underground emerged. The beast curled its body and smashed it towards Seol-Hyun Ae.

    Seol-Hyun Ae gripped the furious earth dragon by its head tightly and nimbly dodged its attack.

    During this process, the monster''s body swayed wildly, nearly thrashing Keiko''s body in the air.

    Keiko held onto the army dagger tightly, relying only on the powerful arm and grip of her right hand to clutch onto the titanic earthworm Zerg''s body stubbornly.

    When she finally landed on the ground, her right arm was completely numb.

    But she didn''t care at all. On the contrary, she was even more excited and shouted at Seol-Hyun Ae.

    "Pin it on the ground with your blade!"

    Seol-Hyun Ae complied. The electromagnetic blade plunged down fiercely, pinning the head of the monster to the ground.

    At the same time, Keiko communicated with Lieutenant Lu Diyun, who was rushing quickly from a distance and said it loudly.

    "Lieutenant Lu! The other end!"

    Lu Diyun''s movements were much quicker and neater than Seol-Hyun Ae''s. Hearing this, he immediately understood what Keiko meant. Holding the other end of the violent earth dragon that finally lifted out of the ground, he tried to straighten its body, pulled out the mecha''s blade, stabbed it fiercely, and stuck the other end into the ground as well.

    Realizing that its entire body was restrained, the Ferocious Earth Dragon struggled frantically, but no matter how hard it struggled, its body didn''t budge an inch.

    The electromagnetic mecha knife has a strong high-voltage current, and the dragon''s body consisted mainly of a liquid substance, which made it an excellent medium for conducting electricity. It was a foregone conclusion that the monster would be paralyzed for a moment and its body would stiffen.

    At this time, Keiko had already made a huge hole vertically in the beast''s trembling body, and the disgusting green liquid had already dyed her body.

    Fortunately, her military combat suit was made of many insulating layers, which prevented the blood from seeping into her skin.

    She wanted to finish it right away, but this guy''s body was too massive and it was still too difficult to cut it open with a military dagger, depending on Keiko''s current strength.

    She simply pulled out the army thorn, jumped off the monster''s body, and gave Lu Diyun and Seol-Hyun Ae a message.

    "Cut it lengthwise!"

    Lu Diyun and Seol-Hyun Ae pulled out the second mecha knife at the same time, plunged into the body of the Ferocious Earth Dragon, and then rushed towards each other.

    Their blades met, and the monster''s body split into two symmetrical parts.

    The green blood spilled all over the ground, and the corpse of the terrifying Ferocious Earth Dragon squirmed on the ground for more than five minutes before it finally perished.

    Keiko, who was covered in blood, stood quietly beside the corpse, carrying her army thorns. Her rapid breathing gradually stabilized, and for a moment, she only felt that her body was empty. Her mind was blank and empty.

    After a full ten seconds, she realized that she had just killed an extremely dangerous giant insect with the assistance of two mechas.

    At this moment, Seol-Hyun Ae, who was still in shock, had already come out of the mecha and came over to Keiko.

    Looking at Keiko, whose whole body was covered in the blood of the earth dragon, she felt her heart trembling.

    At this moment, the person in front of her was like a goddess of war born for fire and blood.

    "Keiko, are you okay?" She ran to Keiko and asked cautiously, and immediately, she heard Keiko''s chuckle coming from the intercom, which still contained a thick bloodlust in it.

    "Hahaha¡­ It''s okay, I''m good, I''m fine!"

    Instantly, Seol-Hyun Ae''s body shuddered involuntarily.

 Chapter 17 - Aftermath

    Other than the one that was killed by the joint effort of Keiko, Seol-Hyun Ae, and Lieutenant Lu, there were two other Ferocious Earth Dragons that attacked the third squadron.

    One appeared in the middle of the troops but was quickly disposed of by the joint action of three officers of the left-wing squadron. Another one was even more unlucky to appear right in the center of the encirclement of the Right Wing Squadron and was directly blown to smithereens by the officers and soldiers of the right-wing squadron.

    Their battles ended just around the time the fight on Keiko''s side was finished. The alarm rang, signaling that the danger had passed and the situation was once again back under control.

    That was why Seol-Hyun Are could get out of the mecha and come to Keiko''s side with a more relaxed attitude.

    From the start to the end, the battle lasted no more than three minutes. However, in such a short time, the entire Einherjar Squadron had suffered a lot of casualties.

    They lost nearly ten armored vehicles, the lives of a dozen officers and soldiers were sacrificed, and more than 30 officers and soldiers were injured to varying degrees. Furthermore, the road leading to the main city-state from Secret Zone 1 was also broken beyond repair due to the intense battle.

    The soldier''s complexion wasn''t so good, but they didn''t utter any complaints or whine and just went back to their duty.

    After the battle, the soldiers had to clean the battlefield field before resting to avoid attracting another encounter with monsters, so they had to leave quickly with tired bodies and minds.

    Meanwhile, Keiko was still treating her injury. The wound on her left arm was opened again, but she didn''t think much about it since she could just reapply the bandage again, and so she did, with the help of the nearby nurse.

    Her right arm was in worse condition, it got dislocated when she was tossed around by the Ferocious Earth Dragon''s attack.

    She relaxed the tension in her right arm and a popping sound came out when she grabbed her wrist and straightened it to reconnect the arm back to the shoulder socket. Keiko did it swiftly and silently, without even flinching.

    Her sprained right ankle was also treated as soon as possible. Because of the protection of the exosuit, these injuries didn''t cause much trouble for her.

    After finishing dealing with her condition, she immediately joined the soldiers and helped clean the battlefield.

    Everyone was as busy as worker ants and didn''t even have the spare time to talk about the battle just now.

    Keiko helped saw off the collapsed giant tree, transported it to the side of the road, and cleared the road.

    At the same time, the engineers were quickly filling up the pit caused by the Furious Earth Dragon with shovels, and the soldiers who were in charge of disposing of the monster corpses chopped the body into several pieces and buried it inside the pit before covering it with the ground.

    To be honest, the best way to deal with the zerg corpse was to burn it cleanly due to the properties of zerg''s blood being poisonous to humans and the possibility of inquiring about the mutation on animals or plants when contacted.

    However, such a method couldn''t be applied in a dense forest. After all, what if the fire spread throughout the whole forest?

    Aside from wasting resources and polluting the already polluted air, if the fire accidentally spread to the nearby zergs and predator nests, not only would it cause insignificant damage to them but also incite their terrifying wrath, or worse, trigger a bug wave.

    There was once an occurrence of a bug wave mentioned in history whose ground zero was the now lifeless Outer Region of Valhalla City, where thousands of people died, including many powerful mech soldiers.

    This was the reason why cold weapons were usually used as the mechas'' main weapons, which were more efficient and less risky than artillery fire for destroying the enemy, avoiding starting the battle, or expanding the combat area.

    Therefore, every mecha driver must have an extremely high combat fighting sense. If not, it would be very hard for the mech soldiers to kill the monstrous zergs with only a blade.

    This rang true for someone like Seol-Hyun Ae, for whom mecha combat had always been her weakness.

    If it weren''t for her great achievements in leading troops, she would not have been promoted to the rank of second lieutenant. The battle with the Furious Earth Dragon inevitably exposed her weaknesses.

    On the other end of the spectrum, there was Lieutenant Lu, whose battle skills and mecha driving skills were the creams of the top.

    Nevertheless, her experience from the accident this time had broadened her horizons.

    The first battle she came to the world, she passed through inexplicably like this.

    Fighting is something she has been accustomed to and the only thing she had been good at since she was a child.

    Whether it was her adoptive father or the instructors in the army later, they only taught her one thing: how to see through the enemy''s weaknesses and overcome the enemy to win.

    After completing the first battle, her heart was a little more relaxed. Through this battle, she learned that she still had sufficient ability to keep her life safe in this ruthless world.

    At this moment, her fighting spirit as a former soldier was rekindled. This kind of exciting battlefield is the most suitable for her.

    ***

    After working together with the soldiers to push the fallen trees into the scorched bushes by the roadside, Keiko took a breath and rubbed his arms.

    Her physical status was displayed on the mask and didn''t show any abnormal signs. The only warning she got from the 3D scan of her body from the health monitoring device was to not overuse her left arm to prevent the wound from expanding.

    The team has begun to gather, ready to start. Maybe it was just after a big battle; everybody was still a bit tense and vigilant.

    Keiko looked around and found that the soldiers were all gathering in the direction of the road, and no one was going into the jungle, so she trotted into the jungle to scout ahead.

    She deliberately ran deep into the jungle and inadvertently noticed that there was a relatively open area under a big tree not far away, and there was a small pile of extinguished bonfires, slowly smoking blue smoke.

    She was curious and stepped forward to check, and found that it was indeed a man-made bonfire, and there were traces of tents camping nearby.

    Who will camp here?

    ###

    Author''s note:

    Hello reader, sorry for yet another unfulfilled promise. Originally I wanted to publish the new chapter(s) on 3rd February and already had the draft of a chapter around 3-4 chapters, it was the same for Red Packet and System Journey. Alas, at that time, I found it hard to focus on writing, even editing chapters suddenly become so cumbersome and headache-inducing task. Who knew that the drop in the mood was actually the result of undetected health problems.

    Long story short, my health is a little bit problematic, and now am still in recuperation, so I can only write and edit for 2-3 hours the most a day so there will be new updates soon but it will most probably slow, really slow. But considering I once hadn''t been updating for a month, the next update will be a lot faster.

    Anyway, enjoy the read!

 Chapter 18 - Returned (End Of ACT 1)

    Keiko looked around the place to find more clues.

    ''Was it another platoon that was on the mission?''

    Keiko shook her head immediately. This was the road that solely connected the Secret Zone 1 and Valhalla City. Aside from the Mecha Brigade, no other platoon should have been assigned at this particular time.

    Looking at the remains of the bonfire, Keiko could guess that the group that had been camping here before didn''t have a large number of members. Furthermore, Keiko could see that the fire was extinguished in a hurry. It seemed that upon sensing the battle nearby, the group decisively decided to leave so that they wouldn''t get entangled in it.

    If the people who were camping here were soldiers, when encountering friendly troops fighting, even if they didn''t help, at least they must have approached to check the situation.

    This is not in line with the style of soldiers. Moreover, Keiko''s radar did not indicate any friendly troops nearby.

    If it weren''t for other soldiers, then who left the bonfire?

    ''Could it be that in this world, there are people other than soldiers who have the ability to explore outside the city?''

    With doubts lingering in her mind, Keiko returned to the team and continued their journey. Keiko secretly prayed that there would be no more accidents in the future, at least not until they could get to the city safely.

    Sitting in the backseat, Keiko recalled what she had found just now and took the opportunity to check the information via the network.

    It turned out, apart from the federal armies, there were indeed groups of people who had the ability to leave the seven major city-states and roam the dangerous outer domain. They were commonly known by the names of adventurers, mercenaries, hunters, or so alike.

    Keiko''s eyebrows raised slightly as she scanned through the information. She had heard the term was mentioned many times in the anime or novels in her time. Was it also influenced by popular work?

    Most of the so-called adventurers or hunters were soldiers who had been discharged due to injury or because of a change of faction.

    They joined together, forming mercenary groups, and became hired arms to go out collecting various resources in the jungle, escorting goods and their employers, or acting independently to be bounty hunters or hunting zergs and predators on a small scale.

    Their traces could be seen all around the seven main city-states, but among the seven city-states was the city of Ydalir, located in the southeast of the seven city-states of the inverted triangle, with a vast area comparable to the city of Valhalla. This was their home base. The prosperous city was also known as the "Adventurer''s City".

    It seems that the bonfire just now was probably left by a small group of adventurers. It was understandable that adventurers were generally reluctant to deal with the army.

    The team moved forward in the virgin jungle, and when they looked up, they could only see faint sunlight dispersed by the dense crown of the jungle trees.

    While moving at a slow pace, Keiko was observing the foliages around them silently. These mutated plants, even with scarce sunlight, a turbid atmosphere, and ubiquitous radiation, still found their own way of survival.

    Plants are always the most tenacious creatures, and humans, perhaps in a sense, are not as good as them, Keiko quietly mused.

    The soldiers were silent, and their morale was low; they were just suffocating and rushing on their way. Looking back on this mission, the series of setbacks and accidents made everyone''s heart feel heavy.

    In the team, there are experienced soldiers and also new recruits who are on the mission for the first time. The veteran was used to seeing life and death; with a numb expression on their face but a deep sadness in their eyes. The recruits wept bitterly. The comrades who had just been alive beside him would turn into corpses in the next second, but they had no time to grieve, no right to howl because they were all soldiers.

    This was war.

    Perhaps, in Keiko''s time, some wars could be avoided and resolved through diplomatic means. It was all human beings'' own civil war, and the targets of soldiers'' battles were also human beings.

    In today''s era, the target of the battle has become a monster. How could you have reasonable communication with a monster? You''ll only get slapped to death. Your flesh will become their food, and your blood will be used to satisfy their thirst.

    This is a life-and-death racial battle. The target of the soldier''s battle has undergone a 180-degree change. But no matter who was fighting, the cruelty of war would never change.

    She has killed many humans in the past, and in the future, she would kill again, despite the fact that this time her blade would be pointed at monsters and creatures.

    However, she felt that no matter which one she had to kill, she would not feel relieved. Killing humans or killing monsters was nothing to her, but the pain caused by the departure of familiar people is irreversible.

    Keiko is fortunate. During her many years as a soldier, she had never encountered a sacrifice by a comrade-in-arms. She remembered once a time when there was a comrade-in-arms that was seriously injured and admitted to the ICU, but their injury didn''t pose a threat to their life.

    But now, death is always around. For now, because she was still not familiar with these warriors, she couldn''t feel the real pain of losing them. But she knew that sooner or later she would face it.

    Keiko, who was deep in thought, didn''t even have time to change her clothes, and unknowingly fell asleep in the car. She didn''t dream of anything in her sleep, and when she woke up again by Antonio''s call, she found that she had slept for more than five hours and was still soaked with the blood of the earth dragon. Her combat uniform was so rigid that she wore it like a cardboard box, making her uncomfortable.

    Suddenly, Antonio''s voice in the earphones appeared, revealing unconcealed joy, "Second Lieutenant! We can see the city wall. We are finally home!"

    Keiko opened his eyes in a daze and looked into the distance. The face under the mask slowly showed a shocking expression.. She involuntarily stood up from the convertible jeep, holding on to the guardrail on the car body, her mouth almost wide open.

 Chapter 19 - Entering Valhalla City (1)

    "Lieutenant! We can see the city wall. We are finally home!"

    Keiko opened her eyes, looking into the distance in a daze; the face under the mask slowly showed a shocking expression. She involuntarily stood up from the convertible jeep, holding on to the guardrail on the car body, her mouth almost wide open.

    The surreal scene in front of her eyes stunned her.

    Keiko could see a few cars that had been abandoned for years, covered in moss, and the ruin of a collapsed building, which was now covered in vine and shrubs on both sides of the path, covered in waist-high weeds. As the vehicle was running toward the city, she got a glimpse of a rusting metal signboard with "Sichuan-Shaanxi Highway" written on its surface.

    Contrasting with the view around her, the sight in the distance, the direction where her destination would be, was a massive city wall so long she couldn''t see where its end was.

    The setting sun squeezed out a meager light from the dense and dirty clouds. The sky and the earth were dim, and the city wall was stained with a layer of halo, standing majestically in the distance.

    For a second, the spectacular spectacle made her forget to breathe.

    Keiko estimated how much farther they were until they reached the city and found that they were still two or three kilometers away from the city wall. However, even from such a distance, they could see the appearance of the city wall so clearly. Such a wall might even be comparable to the Great Wall of China in her memory.

    However, it wasn''t the gigantic city wall that made Keiko rub her eyes several times in awe and disbelief, but the sky-piercing tower behind that wall.

    It was not only as sacred and elegant as a masterpiece carved by an art master, but also sturdy and majestic, like a spiral sword that penetrates into the sky.

    Keiko was dumbfounded and speechless, no words sufficient to describe how she felt right now, while a soldier beside her murmured in a voice full of reverence.

    "That''s... Tower of Babel..."

    The Tower of Babel stood at the intersection of three main city-states: Valhalla, the city of war; Ydalir, the city of adventurers; and Gladsheim, the city of nobles.

    According to the data, this giant tower is 1027 meters tall, ten times higher than the 100-meter-high city wall. The giant tower was built in the second year of the new calendar and completed in the 29th year of the new calendar, 11 years after the completion of the entire city wall. Its construction required an enormous amount of human and material resources, and it was immediately praised as "the New Wonder of Humankind" upon completion, symbolizing the power of humanity''s unity.

    The fact was that the real function of the Tower of Babel was actually a signal transmission tower, which covered the entire federal territory and could even reach many outfield bases around it.

    It was the cornerstone of the popularization of the Nine Gods System. Without it, the Nine Gods System network would not be able to cover the entire Federation, and the communication between the armies would not be as smooth as it is now.

    Before, when Keiko was in the Sleipnir South Bunker, she had seen a female soldier playing with a strange device that looked like a radio. It was actually a receiver of the signal coming from the Tower of Babel.

    The majestic Babel Tower has been deified by religion, representing the power to reach heaven, and it is regarded as a bridge between humans and the gods. So now, it had one more function, which was as the main church of the federal state religion, the Babel religion.

    Speaking of Babel Religion, we had to briefly mention the spiritual beliefs of the federal people today.

    Since the federal people are strictly divided into nine camps, each camp has its own gods. There were nine gods in total, and they were the only nine supreme gods in the Babel religion, representing the nine alignments: Osthia, The Goddess of Lawful Goodness; Akasha, The Goddess of Lawful Neutral; Arnos, The God of Lawful Evil; Otarr, The God of Neutral Good; Ione, The God of Absolute Neutrality; Ituna, The Goddess of Neutral Evil; Yhorr, The God of Chaotic Good; Enos, The God of Chaotic Neutrality; and Motrix, The Goddess of Chaotic Evil.

    Each faction had its own allegiance to their respective gods, so the change of the faction was regarded as the biggest betrayal in the world, and couldn''t be tolerated.

    Therefore, once the 18-year-old adult assessment and confirmation of the camp were given, the vast majority of people would not change the camp in their lifetime.

    If there was a change, the personal resume would be permanently stained, and people from the new camp would not accept such a person, even if it meant that the person''s life would be ruined for a lifetime.

    When Keiko read this in the documents, she felt very uncomfortable. She was an agnostic previously and wasn''t a fan of religion''s dogma, which was, more often than not, messing with people''s minds, turning them into an aggressive and narrow-minded person, at least in Keiko''s opinion.

    She had lived in a society where freedom of thought was guaranteed, so when she thought about how the Babel Religion worked, she couldn''t help but feel a bit suffocated. Why did they need to control the people to such an unreasonable degree?

    While Keiko was lost in thought, the city wall was getting closer and closer.

    The 100-meter high city wall, with hundreds of thousands of kilometers in length, took 48 years to build. When there were still a hundred or so meters from the entrance to the city wall, Keiko saw several soldiers guarding the wall looking so tiny compared to the massive wall behind them, as though they were as insignificant as ants.

    This was the power of human beings! The fire of civilization will never die, and it will inevitably rise again!

    This was what Keiko thought as they passed the massive wall.

 Chapter 20 - Entering Valhalla City-State (2)

    Keiko, who had been in this world for two days, finally saw the tip of the iceberg of the seven major city-states and temporarily got out of the dangerous situation.

    From the moment she entered the city, she finally began to try to integrate into this brand-new society. There were still many things she didn''t understand or was not familiar with, and she needed to learn and master them carefully.

    The third squadron entered Valhalla city from Crimea, the southernmost connecting city of the seven city-states.

    The Crimean Region belongs to the affiliated cities of the seven major city-states. According to the classification, the seven major city-states are first-level cities, and the Crimean region belongs to the second-level cities.

    It is located at the southernmost end of the seven major city-states. It also served as the regional function of connecting Valhalla, the city of war, and Ydalir, the city of adventurers, as well as an extremely important strategic hub. It was heavily guarded and had numerous military installations.

    It is the exit shared by the army and adventurers and also one of the most important gates of the seven city-states. This is the base camp of the century-old struggle, the strategic base established when mankind first united. Named after the Crimean Peninsula of Greece in the old era, meaning "the place of origin of the south".

    Keiko and the others did not stay in the Crimea region. They entered the city from the outer urn city of Crimea (commonly known as the Crimean outer region), so they went straight to the northwest, passed through the Crimea region, and prepared to start from Valhalla.

    Keiko sat in the car, silently and curiously observing the city scenery of this era along the way. She found that almost all the buildings in the Crimea region were made of stone, and the color looked like blueish-grey, exactly the same color as the city walls. The style of architecture reminded her of Art Deco architecture.

    She looked at the information in the network and found that the buildings in the town, the city wall, and even the conspicuous Tower of Babel were made with the same material called "Miracle Stone."

    This was a brand-new material, produced after the great change in the earth''s crust. It has a compact structure and was extremely hard, making it hard to cut. Despite its rigidity, the material was relatively light in weight and easier to transport. The most magical thing about this material was its ability to self-repair without the need for external assistance. For example, if we cut a whole piece of miracle stone into two pieces cleanly and stuck them together again, it wouldn''t take a few minutes before they were reconnecting, as if they had never been cut at all.

    Due to this feature, the construction work volume was greatly reduced, and a lot of materials, money, and manpower were saved so that such a magnificent city wall and the giant tower could be successfully built in half a century.

    The great Federal Marshal Heisenberg once said, "Miracle Stone is evidence that the gods have not given up on human beings. It is because of this gift that we have been able to obtain a precious breathing space for survival."

    Today''s seven major city-states all rely on the tall city walls built with miracle stone to protect the lives of more than 500 million federal citizens. From the 100-meter city wall to the 50-meter-underground defensive bunkers; from the towering towers to ordinary dwellings; even the material used to make the ID bracelet was miracle stone. So far, neither the Zerg nor the Predators have been able to break through such man-made natural fortifications.

    At the same time, Keiko also found that there were many tall buildings in the city. In the Crimean Region, the high-rise buildings are mainly the army''s command center or the munitions company''s office building. But none of those buildings stood taller than the city wall. In the entire Federation, the Babel Tower was the only man-made building that exceeded the height of the city walls.

    After they passed through the second area outside Valhalla and officially entered the southern end of the city of Valhalla, they were met with another scene.

    This area contains a row of apartment buildings, all of which are in residential areas. The road had become an asphalt road. The streets are spacious and straight, and the buildings are also neat and symmetrical. The area of ??each residential area was very large, which couldn''t compare to the housing community in Keiko''s era. This was the military residence area where the family members of the military lived.

    The Valhalla City, also known as the "City of War", was the city-state with the largest number of soldiers and the home base of the lawful neutral camp. Several elite divisions of the Federation were stationed in this city, and most of the military strength of the Western Army and a small part of the Central Army was concentrated here.

    The Third Squadron marched all the way to the northwest in a convoy, passing through the military settlement. Gradually, the high-rise buildings disappeared, and more low-rise buildings appeared on the scene. You could see many factories or gymnasium-like buildings with a very large area.

    At 10:30 in the morning, the third squadron, which had been on the road overnight, finally arrived at the destination of the trip ¨C the Ein City of the Valhalla City State. This was the headquarters of a large group of the Western Army Mecha Division, or in other words, the base camp of their squadrons.

    Keiko, whose body was sticky and sour-smelling, returned to the camp as soon as they dismissed. The first thing she did was go straight to her dormitory to take a shower and change her clothes and then fell back to sleep.

    When she reached the rank of second lieutenant in the army, the dormitory was upgraded to a single room, with a complete bathroom and kitchenette, and the living facilities were furnished with the furniture provided. The furnishings in the house are very simple, in line with the feeling of a soldier. The original owner of this body once lived here for more than ten days. Looking at the layout of the house, the original Keiko was a girl who liked to be clean and tidy. Casual and simple, it was very similar to the current Keiko.

    Captain Cathy gave all the officers and soldiers a day off to let everyone rest since the next morning there was a collective meeting of the entire squadron, which was scheduled to summarize the mission and announce the next plan.

 Chapter 21 - Conflict In Ein City (1)

    That day, Keiko lay on the bed and slept soundly until five o''clock in the evening, when she woke up because she was too hungry.

    After a brief shower, she opened her closet and looked for clothes to wear. Of course, there were only military uniforms in the closet. Keiko grabbed her military uniform, put it on her body, and stood in front of the mirror while tying up her hair in a ponytail. After a few minutes, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror once again and smiled with satisfaction.

    As a female officer of the Mecha Division, Keiko''s uniform was also a classic army green, and everything was not much different from the uniforms of Captain Alexandrov and Major Jeanne.

    After putting the military cap on her head, Keiko went out. The door of the dormitory was fully automatically locked, and it could only be opened by scanning the logged-in bracelet ID.

    After going out, Keiko checked where the cafeteria was, and then went straight there. As she entered the cafeteria, she saw many soldiers coming to dine there.

    The food in the cafeteria was very good with a lot of variety; there was Chinese food, Western food, etc. There were also foods of various ethnic flavors.

    Keiko chose Chinese food, ordered two dishes and a large bowl of rice, brought it to the table in the corner, sat down, and without many words quickly devoured them. Just as she was having a good time, a woman suddenly sat in front of her with a plate and greeted her with a smile.

    "Keiko-chan~ you don''t call me when you come for dinner."

    "Oh, Seol-Hyun," Keiko just replied perfunctorily without stopping munching her food.

    "That''s it, just oh?! How mean!" Seol-Hyun gritted her teeth, grabbed the burger on her plate, and furiously bit it while glaring at Keiko.

    "Sorry, sorry, I''m really hungry, so I forgot to contact you," said Keiko in an apologetic tone.

    "Fine¡­ I forgive you this time," said Seol-Hyun, "but you must accompany me to go shopping tomorrow!"

    "Ah? Can we go out tomorrow?" Keiko wondered.

    "The meeting tomorrow morning won''t take that much time, and Captain Amanda won''t be so strict. After all, we finally came back from the outside, so she won''t mind giving us another day or two to have a good time and relax."

    "Okay, I''ll go with you."

    "Great! Keiko-chan, you''re the best!"

    Keiko has no objection. If it is feasible, she is, of course, willing to go out for a stroll, relax, and take a look at Ein''s lifestyle and trends.

    Just as expected, as Seol-Hyun Ae said, when the meeting was held in the morning, Captain Amanda announced that the Third Squadron would be given a two-day vacation.

    After that, the third squadron will attend a new round of mecha training. Captain Cathy reflected on the weakness of the three squadrons'' coordinated operations from the failure of this mission and emphasized that from the highest military academy in the Capital City, there would be a very powerful instructor to assist and guide everyone''s mecha training. This round of training will last from the end of August to mid-October.

    About this new instructor, Captain Chris didn''t reveal who it was, and everyone didn''t seem to care much. Every year, there were many instructors sent by the military academies to guide the training, and everyone was already used to it by now.

    After having lunch at noon and resting for a while, Keiko set off with Seol-Hyun Ae. They were wearing military uniforms and were equipped with weapons. Keiko tied her long hair into a neat ponytail and put on a military cap, looking valiant.

    The Ein City was located in the westernmost part of the middle section of Valhalla City-State, directly bordering the outer area of ??Thrudheim. This City was designed in the Arabian style of the Middle East because when it was first built, a large number of Muslims from West Asia and the Middle East lived here. Although the residents here have now converted and Islam has been completely abolished, the Islamic-style buildings and streets have remained.

    They strolled the streets at will, and because they were wearing military uniforms, the citizens on the streets would give them a glance with kindness or awe in their eyes when they saw them.

    Soldiers, especially military officers, had a very high social status in the Federation and were highly respected because everyone was fully aware that their comfortable lives depended on the protection of these soldiers.

    After walking around the streets for about two hours, Keiko''s throat felt a little dry. It happened that they were in the most prosperous commercial area in the district. Seol-Hyun Ae pointed to a very high-end cafe in the distance and said, "Let''s go in and have a coffee."

    Keiko hesitated and asked, "Is it expensive?"

    Seol-Hyun Ae laughed and said, "You are really funny, Keiko-chan. We are officers. We buy everything at half price. It''s an officer''s privilege, you know? Who knows, maybe people see you as good-looking and then give us for free."

    Keiko was so embarrassed that she immediately shut her mouth and followed Seol-Hyun Ae into the cafe obediently.

    As soon as the two came in, they attracted everyone''s attention.

    The sleek military uniform was too eye-catching. In addition, Keiko''s appearance was very dashing.

    Seol-Hyun Ae smiled and took Keiko, who was a little uncomfortable, to the corner seat. The two ordered coffee from the waiter and chatted casually.

    At that moment, they didn''t notice that, in the blind corner of their sight, there were two beautiful women in beautiful dresses sitting beside another table for two in the coffee shop, and they had their eyes on them.

    One of the women was a cold beauty with a strong aura.

    She had chestnut-colored long curly hair, alluring foxy eyes, and a faint smile on her face, which was charming, but at the same time, inexplicably dangerous.

    Her eyes happened to fall on Keiko''s figure. Her blue eyes were flickering for a moment, and the next moment, her smile became more apparent.

    The woman sitting across from her had a Eurasian face. Her black hair was curled up, her face was gentle and beautiful, her eyes were moist, and she looked very gentle. Seeing her best girlfriend showing such an expression, she couldn''t help but look back along her line of sight, and then asked suspiciously:

    "Jeanne, Are you interested in those two officers?"

    "It''s nothing... Hehe..." Lan Ni chuckled; her cold voice like a melting ice spring.. She looked away and picked up the coffee in front of her, "I seem to have seen an acquaintance." (A/N: Finally, Keiko is going to meet Jeanne for the first time! I can feel my heart thumping a little bit harder!)

 Chapter 22 - Conflict In Ein City (2)

    "Jeanne, are you interested in those two officers?"

    "It''s nothing... hehe..." Jeanne chuckled. Her cold voice was like a melting ice spring. She looked away and picked up the coffee in front of her. "I seem to have seen an acquaintance."

    "Acquaintance? with those two officers?" the woman opposite asked again.

    Jeanne took a sip of her coffee and said, "The one with the long hair saved my life six years ago." Her tone was indifferent as if she wasn''t talking about her savior at all.

    "Goodness!" The woman opposite was startled, looked back, and said, "I know her. Is she the legendary Death Reaper? The name is... Keiko Lee, isn''t it?"

    Jeanne nodded.

    "Aren''t you going to go there and say hello?" The woman across from her asked Jeanne so calmly.

    "Take it easy, Bea. My time is for you today. If I meet them, it will definitely take up your time. But don''t worry, I''ll see her again soon," Jeanne replied.

    Beatrix suddenly realized when she heard the words and said, while nodding in understanding, "I asked why you came to Valhalla suddenly before. It turns out that the target of your training this time is the army where your savior is."

    The smile on Jeanne''s face brightened, and she said playfully.

    "This is not something I can choose by myself. I visited Valhalla this time and was completely tricked by the old man."

    Beatrix burst out laughing, and said: "How can General Armstrong, one of the seven-star generals, be so troublesome in your mouth?"

    Jeanne shrugged and said, "Who made him my father."

    "My father probably knows about this, and the two old men must have colluded." Beatrix covered her mouth and smiled.

    Jeanne teased, "How did General Heisenberg, a seven-star general in his prime, become an old man in your mouth?"

    "Here you go again, I really suffer from your clever mouth..." Beatrix rolled her eyes at her and said, "It''s rare that I take two days to come to Ein to accompany you, so why can''t you be nice to me?"

    "Am I not good to you, Miss Heisenberg? Today''s dinner is on me," Jeanne laughed.

    "And also the drink in the bar later tonight, it will be on your bill too," Beatrix pouted.

    The two daughters were having a good conversation, and Keiko and Seol-Hyun Ae, on the other side, were also having a good time.

    "Keiko, you''ve seen life in Ein; how do you feel?"

    "Yes, it has a soothing and leisurely style. I quite like it," Keiko replied with a smile.

    "Yes, I also like Ein very much. It feels like home to me," Seol-Hyun Ae said with a smile, looking at the street outside the cafe''s window and the crowds on the street.

    Keiko recalled it in her mind and said, "You are from Sariel, right?"

    Sariel is the city at the northwestmost end of the seven major city-states. It is a secondary city area connecting Valhalla and Utgard City.

    "Yes, the climate in Sariel is dry and cold, pretty much different from here, but the street style is very similar. I haven''t been home for six years, and every time I feel homesick, I will come to the streets to stroll. I feel that I can understand it, the feeling of homesickness," Seol-Hyun Ae said emotionally.

    Keiko nodded in understanding.

    "However, the people of Sariel are very tough, but the people of Ein are very friendly and gentle. This difference is very big," Seol-Hyun Ae changed the subject.

    "Really?" Keiko became interested.

    "Sariel is on the border, the weather there is harsh, and it is also the poorest place in the entire Federation. You see, they said what doesn''t kill you makes you stronger, and Sarielian is very strong. Sarielians are basically engaged in heavy work, such as the military industry, heavy industry, and transportation industry. They like to drink spirits very much. People there have loud voices and rough hands and feet. But Ein is different. The people here are very delicate and gentle. When I first came here, I was not very used to it," Seol-Hyun Ae said.

    Keiko replied, "I can''t see much Sarielian in you."

    Seol-Hyun Ae smiled, with a sullen expression on her face: "I am a cultural person. How can I be compared with a trickster and boorish."

    Keiko wanted to reply to her: since you are a cultural person, why didn''t you go to Vanaheim and become an entertainer, but instead served as a soldier in the city of Valhalla, but decided to swallow her words back. She didn''t know much about Seol-Hyun Ae personally or her circumstances, so she didn''t want to accidentally offend her.

    Speaking of Vanaheim City, it is also one of the seven major city-states, also known as the "city of technology and culture." It is the most prosperous city-state in the federal academic culture. There were numerous military academies and scientific research institutes, as well as the federal library and the federal opera house, as well as the World Grand Theater, the National Gallery, the History Museum, and other culturally related national facilities. Most of the few companies and enterprises in the cultural industry in the federation also set up their bases there.

    While chatting happily, Keiko suddenly heard a commotion outside the window. She looked up and saw that in the northwest corner of the garden square outside the cafe, under a big tree, two men in rough clothes were beating two women.

    The two men had big muscly arms and their expressions were fierce and menacing.

    The two women looked extremely thin and frail, wearing tattered clothes full of patches. One of the women looked like in her thirties, and the other one looked like she was in her early teens. Keiko guessed that they were probably mother and daughter.

    Although their clothes were tattered, they were not disheveled, and they were fairly clean. It was just that they were beaten to the ground by someone, and it was inevitable that it would become messy.

    The woman in her thirties had been beaten to the ground, unable to move, and the teenage girl was still struggling desperately, trying to protect the woman in her thirties with her thin body.

    Surprisingly, the people were just nonchalantly passing by as if nothing had happened. No one helped to pull the two strong men away. All of them were onlookers not far away, whispering and pointing at the pair of mother and daughter.

    Keiko frowned tightly, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

    No matter whether this world is completely equal between men and women, at least in Keiko''s heart, she still retains the values ??of her era.

    Violence is not advocated, and men who beat women are the most unforgivable scum in Keiko''s eyes.

    Although the physical advantages that men have over women have disappeared in this era, looking at the current situation, the physical fitness of the two sides is obviously not on the same level. No matter what, such unilateral violence should not be allowed.

    After enduring for more than ten seconds, seeing that no one came forward, Keiko''s hand pushed the table and stood up, ready to go personally to stop them. But just when she stood up, she was grabbed by Seol-Hyun Ae and heard her ask with a solemn voice.

    "Keiko-chan, what are you going to do?! Are you going to help those two women?"

 Chapter 23 - Deviant (1)

    After enduring for more than ten seconds, seeing that no one came forward, Keiko''s hand pushed the table and stood up, ready to go personally to stop them. But just when she stood up, she was grabbed by Seol-Hyun Ae and heard her ask, with a solemn voice, "Keiko-chan, what are you going to do?! Are you going to help those two women?"

    Keiko stared at Seol-Hyun Ae with disbelief in her eyes and said, "Isn''t it obvious?"

    "Of course not!" Seol-Hyun Ae tightened Keiko''s arm, and the force made Keiko''s brows furrow. "Didn''t you see the collar on their necks? They are Deviants! If you help them, it will only cause you trouble. Do you want to jeopardize your future for them?"

    Keiko was stunned. Then, she carefully observed the mother and daughter outside the window again. This time, she found that they were indeed wearing what looked like a collar around their necks.

    Collar marker? Deviant? She had never heard of the words before, but she had a guess in her heart. The so-called deviants were probably people who had changed their faction.

    Because of the huge changes in their mindset, they had changed from one camp to another.

    The collar was probably a marker used to identify such people so that everyone could see their identities at a glance. Maybe there are other functions, but without checking the information, Keiko couldn''t find out more.

    "Keiko, don''t tell me you don''t know how troublesome it is to have a relationship with a deviant?! We are soldiers, and we need to be firm, otherwise, the punishment in the army will be even more terrible. It''s not easy for you to reach the rank of second lieutenant. Just because of a stranger, do you want to be expelled from the army and become a vagabond?" Seol-Hyun Ae saw Keiko''s sudden sense of justice and felt a bad premonition, and hurriedly continued to persuade.

    But... Could it be that people who have changed their faction were allowed to be treated like this? What did they do to deserve to be bullied like this? Keiko couldn''t understand it.

    She squeezed the edge of the table with both hands, and she fell into an extreme struggle in her heart.

    Although she had done her best to be cautious and low-profile after waking up in this new era, her nature made her subconsciously act when she saw injustice in front of her. Although she didn''t seem to realize it herself, she was actually quite righteous and really cared for others. If not, she wouldn''t have joined a dangerous occupation like SAT after she retired from the Army.

    "I know you are actually kind, but this is not the time to exercise your sense of self-righteousness. You calm down and sit down first," Seol-Hyun Ae''s words continued. Seol-Hyun Ae pressed her seat back again.

    Seeing that she sat down without resistance, Seol-Hyun Ae breathed a sigh of relief and said in a joking tone.

    "You really scared me to death. When did you have such a sense of justice? It stands to reason that you should be more disciplined than I am. Why are you so reckless? I didn''t even make a move. Could it be that you are actually more of a Neutral Good person than me?"

    Hearing this, Keiko suddenly got goosebumps. Thinking about it carefully, her words and actions just now were indeed beyond the common sense of what a lawful neutral would do.

    Lawful neutral, in any case, lawful first. They will strictly abide by the laws, regulations, disciplines, and general morals of society. The second is their own values, good or evil, but the boundaries are not obvious.

    The simplest and most extreme example is when a lawful neutral soldier, due to a mission, needs to shoot an innocent child. If the superior''s order contradicted their own view of good and evil, the soldier would eventually choose to execute the order. Such a person didn''t care about good and evil, and always placed the law above all judgment. This was a lawful neutral alignment.

    There are strict disciplinary rules in the army, one of which states that no soldier should be involved with deviants; otherwise, there would be severe punishment for the violators.

    This is an iron law, but Keiko ignored this iron law and acted according to her own values, which made Seol-Hyun Ae very surprised.

    In fact, what Seol-Hyun Ae didn''t know was that Keiko didn''t know anything about this rule, so whether it was an action that deviated from her alignment or not, so far the conclusion couldn''t be drawn yet.

    Seol-Hyun Ae herself was a person from the Neutral Good faction. Generally speaking, their own values ??were above the disciplinary rules. However, it didn''t mean that Seol-Hyun Ae would wantonly ignore the rules and regulations. When the degree of benefit and harm was very clear to see, they would inevitably seek to avoid harm, otherwise, it would only show that they were just immature people.

    Although it was divided into nine factions, it was not as simple as cutting a cake. People in each camp had individual differences and various biases. In fact, there was a more detailed indicator for alignment division, which was called the alignment deviation value.

    For example, if you drew a straight line between lawful and chaotic, in the center of the line was a neutral alignment where the value was set to 0, and the law and chaos at both ends were set to 30, where the lawful was set as a positive value on the right side of the neutral point, and chaos was set as a negative value on the left side of the neutral point.

    The more neutral, the closer the value is to 0. Between ¡À10, it was judged as a neutral camp, +10 to +30 was a lawful camp, and -10 to -30 was a chaotic faction. It applied to Good and Evil as well.

    The data of this deviation value is an important reference standard for describing a person''s personality.

    For example, Seol-Hyun Ae, on the scale of Law-Chaos, she was a Neutral with a +9 value, and on the scale of Good-Evil, she leaned toward Good at a +13 value. So, it could be said that she barely fitted into Neutral Good Camp, which was preferable to a military career.

    Keiko had only just found out that there was such a refined standard for deciding alignment, and she still didn''t know about her detailed values.

    Keiko sat at the table, biting her lower lips and watching the scene of violence outside anxiously.

    If she was in the past, she would have already gone there to kick the two violent men in the ass.

    But now, she was hesitating, struggling fiercely inside. For the first time in her life, her sense of justice was at odds with practical stakes.

    Sensing Keiko''s inner struggle, Seol-Hyun Ae tried to talk to her to ease her emotions, saying, "Actually, this kind of thing doesn''t happen every day, but there are quite a few. These deviants usually live in their own living space and operate in a limited area.. I don''t know why these two deviants appeared in the downtown area today. How unlucky¡­ Actually¡ª" Seol-Hyun Ae stopped abruptly and panicked, "Hey, Keiko! Keiko, come back here!"

 Chapter 24 - Deviant (2)

    Sensing Keiko''s inner struggle, Seol-Hyun Ae tried to talk to her to ease her emotions, "Actually, this kind of thing doesn''t happen every day, but there are quite a few. These deviants usually live in their own living space and operate in a limited area. I don''t know why these two deviants appeared in the downtown area today. How unlucky¡­ Actually¡­ Hey, Keiko! Keiko, come back here!"

    Just when Seol-Hyun Ae spoke, one of the two men was grabbing the girl by the collar and dragging her into the less crowded alley, while the other man was tearing the mother''s clothes in broad daylight.

    The clothes on the mother''s body were tattered, and when they were pulled, she was completely naked. However, the onlookers were still indifferent, and many even shook their heads and left, ignoring it. It seemed that not watching them was already their greatest act of kindness.

    Seeing this, Keiko couldn''t bear it any longer.

    She slammed the table hard, and regardless of Seol-Hyun Ae''s shout, she got up quickly and rushed out of the cafe.

    ''No, this is bad!'' Seol-Hyun Ae shouted inwardly and hurriedly chased after her.

    In fact, the movement outside had already alarmed the guests in the cafe. At this moment, Keiko suddenly rushed out of the caf¨¦ towards the place where the incident happened.

    Everyone in the cafe was shocked. They didn''t expect that any officer would be willing to take care of this kind of thing. The guests, who originally planned to ignore this matter, became very interested because of Keiko''s unusual behavior, and they all exited the caf¨¦, intending to go watch the show.

    Jeanne and Beatrix, who were sitting in the corner, naturally saw the whole thing. Beatrix shook her head and smirked.

    "I didn''t expect that the "death reaper", known for her calmness and skill in combat, would be so impulsive. This is unexpected."

    Although her tone was polite, she was actually belittling Keiko, thinking that she did not fit her prestige.

    Jeanne didn''t immediately express her opinion. Looking at Keiko, who was rushing towards the incident site, she suddenly curved her lips.

    "Isn''t it amusing? Do you want to go and have a look?"

    "Jeanne?"

    Beatrix wondered what Jeanne meant. Jeanne was never a person who liked to watch the fun.

    Jeanne ignored Beatrix, who was still confused, swiped the ID on her wrist on the sensor beside the table, paid for the drinks for the two of them, and then stood up calmly.

    As soon as she stood up, her slender figure was immediately revealed. She put on sunglasses and walked out of the store in her high heels. The graceful figure firmly captures everyone''s attention.

    "I''m going to leave you alone."

    Going to the door, Jeanne looked back at Beatrix and smiled, then pushed open the door of the cafe and walked out.

    "Hey, Jeanne! Wait!" Beatrix picked up the bag and hurriedly followed.

    ***

    "Keiko! Stop for me!"

    Seol-Hyun Ae shouted loudly from behind, but Keiko was like a gust of wind, disappearing all at once, and she couldn''t catch up no matter what. This guy''s speed is too terrifying. She deserves the title of "Death Reaper", Seol-Hyun Ae''s thought. That kind of speed makes Seol-Hyun Ae really powerless.

    In the blink of an eye, Keiko arrived at the place where the scene happened. She ran very fast, but only with little movement. In addition, she was approaching from behind. The man didn''t even notice that someone was approaching as he never thought anyone will be meddling with his business.

    So Keiko lifted her foot, and the military boots kicked the man''s back, sending him rolling on the ground two or three meters, with a strong force.

    The man was stunned for a moment, and then he heard a cold and stern female voice, full of anger, yell at him, "What the fuck are you trying to do?!"

    He took a closer look and found that it was a heroic female soldier who was staring at him angrily as if the flames in her eyes could burn him in a second.

    When the man saw the soldier, he was subconsciously fearful and tremblingly replied, "Ms. Officer... I''m sorry... I''m sorry..."

    Keiko didn''t care what he was talking about. She took off the coat of the army uniform and put it over the woman in her thirties. The woman was trembling all over, holding Keiko tightly with tears on her face, and said tearfully.

    "Save my daughter, please save her..."

    "Don''t worry, you wait for me."

    Keiko patted her shoulder comfortingly. After speaking, she stood up again and then strode forward, dragging the man by his hair, and walked towards the alley where another man abducted the little girl.

    The man screamed like a pig, trying to get out of Keiko''s grip, but this female soldier was born with monstrous power. Her strength was terrifying.

    He felt his scalp was about to be torn off, and, as his eyes rolled in pain, he involuntarily shouted, "They are deviants. Do you really want to get involved?! I''m collecting debts legally! Don''t meddle in other people''s business!"

    With a "clang," Keiko pulled out the saber from the scabbard hanging on the armed belt and placed it on the man''s neck.

    "Shut up! Follow me obediently or you will know what the consequence is!"

    Keiko''s tone was extremely fierce and murderous. The man was so frightened that his face turned blue and purple, and he didn''t dare speak anymore.

    As Keiko dragged the man all the way into the alley, the surrounding passers-by were stunned, and the entire downtown square turned lively.

    Seol-Hyun Ae, who came from behind, was in a hurry and shouted while evacuating the crowd.

    "The military is doing business! The unrelated people should evacuate immediately!"

    ''Damn Keiko, you really messed me up big time,'' Seol-Hyun Ae was cursing Keiko in her heart while guiding the suspicious onlookers away.

    As soon as she entered the alley, Keiko heard the girl''s screams.

 Chapter 25 - Deviant (3)

    Keiko gritted her teeth, grabbed the head of the man she had already controlled, and slammed into the wall beside him, causing the man to faint. Then Keiko left the man behind and rushed towards the source of the sound.

    After running a few steps into the alley and turning right, Keiko saw that, in an extremely narrow gap, the man who had just kidnapped the little girl was pressing on the little girl, and the little girl''s pants had been completely torn off. And the beast was about to succeed. The girl cried and roared in despair, but no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn''t resist the man on top of her body.

    Keiko felt the blood all over her body rush to her head.

    She stepped forward with a saber, stretched out her left hand, pulled the man''s clothes on the back, and yank him out directly.

    The man let out an unexpected shrill, and before he had time to react, he saw a flash of sword light, a chill in his crotch, followed by a pair of fierce black eyes appearing in front of him.

    "The next blow will be on your neck."

    The cold and murderous voice, as though the devil in hell personally paid him a visit, made him tremble violently. He was punched on the bridge of his nose by Keiko and instantly fainted.

    Keiko didn''t really use the saber. Although she was extremely angry, she still held onto her reasons. It''s enough to teach these two hooligans a lesson and save the mother and daughter, and she doesn''t want to escalate the situation.

    The girl in the crack slumped to the ground, unable to stand up at all. Keiko took her out and helped organize the girl''s clothes so that she could barely cover her shame. The girl was so frightened that she couldn''t say a word. Her whole body was shaking, her body was twitching, and her breathing was ragged.

    Keiko discovered that the girl should be in her thirteenth or fourteenth year, but her body is abnormally thin, and she appears to be in her early tens.

    Her small face is very delicate, but the neck that should be fair and tender is now covered with ferocious scratches, and the black collar worn on her neck looks extremely eye-catching.

    She had dust mixed with tears stuck to her face, and it was a little dirty. She was as light as a feather in her arms, and she could feel her bones.

    It was too pitiful.

    Because of Seol-Hyun Ae''s guidance, when Keiko took the girl out of the alley, there were not many onlookers in the square outside. Seeing her come out, Seol-Hyun Ae immediately went over to her.

    "Hey! Is the matter resolved? What about the two men?"

    "They fainted in the alley, I didn''t kill them. Don''t worry about them."

    Keiko replied coldly, then ignored Seol-Hyun Ae, hugged the girl, and headed in the direction of the mother.

    The mother was wearing Keiko''s military uniform and was sitting paralyzed on the ground in the corner of the square.

    Seeing Keiko carrying her daughter over, her originally ashen face came back to life in an instant. She stretched out her hands tremblingly and took her daughter from Keiko''s arms.

    "She''s fine, she just suffered a light brush. Don''t worry," Keiko comforted.

    "Thank you, thank you, Miss Officer."

    The woman was obviously relieved. She knelt on the ground with her daughter and kowtowed to Keiko. Keiko hurriedly stepped aside and leaned to her side to help them up.

    "No, no, you don''t need to do this. I''m just doing my best." Keiko felt choking in her throat and was very uncomfortable.

    The woman wiped her hands on her tattered clothes, then took off Keiko''s military uniform draped over her body, carefully folded it, patted off the dust, and hunched over as if offering some tribute to Keiko.

    Keiko looked at her actions. Her heart was sour for a while, and she took back her military uniform in silence, but she didn''t know what to say.

    "The officer has a kind heart. My daughter and I can''t implicate you. We''ll immediately leave."

    The daughter, who had regained her composure, bowed deeply to Keiko, and then the mother and daughter supported each other and left the square.

    When Keiko and the little girl passed by, she could clearly see that the expression on the little girl''s face was full of resentment.

    She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and tried her best to hold back her tears, but she didn''t even look at Keiko.

    She was very obedient to her mother, bowing and kneeling to Keiko as her mother said, but Keiko knew that she was not grateful to Keiko from the bottom of her heart.

    At this moment, in her heart, anger and hatred completely overshadowed the so-called gratitude. The rescue could not give her the slightest comfort at all.

    It was almost dusk, and the mother and daughter, whose names were not even known, dragged their injured bodies and staggered under the setting sun, their shadows stretching for a long time.

    Keiko stood stiffly in the same place, looking at their backs, feeling a little bit bitter.

    Seol-Hyun Ae silently stood by her side.

    After a long while, she patted Keiko on the shoulder and said, "Come on, I''ll treat you to a drink."

    At the other end of the square, on a bench, for people to rest on, Jeanne and Beatrix were sitting side by side. Seeing that Keiko and Seol-Hyun Ae were about to leave, Beatrix couldn''t help but say, "Okay, the show is over. I wonder if Miss Armstrong and I can enjoy a glass of wine together?"

    Jeanne stood up, straightened the corners of her skirt, and said with a smile.

    "How do you feel?"

    "About what?"

    "That scene just now."

    "I don''t feel anything. Isn''t it normal? Even if the second lieutenant''s righteousness was rampant this time, the final result was as expected," Beatrix shrugged.

    "Well...that''s right..." Jeanne was noncommittal, and then changed the subject very abruptly, "Would you like to have some mint julep? I heard the one at the Military Club is delicious."

    Beatrix stood up with a smile and said, "Don''t forget, it''s your treat."

 Chapter 26 - Meeting Jeanne (1)

    Perhaps it was a coincidence, or maybe it was fate.

    After the incident in the square this afternoon, they went to the same bar in the evening.

    When Jeanne and Beatrix entered the bar and saw Keiko and Seol-Hyun Ae sitting by the bar in the distance, Beatrix couldn''t help but sigh.

    "Jeanne, I''m starting to admire your fate with the Second Lieutenant Death Reaper. I think you really need to say hello."

    Jeanne smiled, didn''t disagree with Beatrix, "Okay, we''ll do as you said."

    Jeanne and Beatrix signaled to the waiter who came to receive them to go to the bar near Keiko and Seol-Hyun Ae, and the waiter took them there.

    At that time, Keiko was drinking her margarita in a low mood. Seol-Hyun Ae sat next to her with a glass of whiskey on ice in front of her.

    "This bar was opened by veterans. Many Ein soldiers love to come here. We soldiers enjoy a 30% discount..." She paused, seeing that Keiko had no response, and sighed, "If you''re not happy, let''s go back."

    Hearing this, Keiko hurriedly said, "I''m fine. Let''s sit for a while."

    "You... What the hell happened today? Have you been smitten with evil? Fortunately, I''m so smart, otherwise, things will get worse. How do you think it will end if I don''t control the situation?" Seol-Hyun Ae complained.

    Keiko smiled wryly and shook her head, but said nothing.

    "Look at your alignment test to see if there is anything unusual," Seol-Hyun Ae whispered to her ear.

    Keiko was stunned. She quietly opened the bracelet ID, went directly to the faction interface, and found that she was still in the lawful neutral faction.

    "It should be fine." She breathed a sigh of relief.

    "That''s good. Don''t do this kind of thing again in the future, I don''t think my heart is ready for anything like this in the near future," Seol-Hyun Ae said and sipped her drink.

    Keiko was silent for a while, took another sip of her drink, and asked hesitantly.

    "Seol-Hyun, what exactly does that black collar do? It''s just to mark the deviants?"

    Hearing Keiko''s question, Seol-Hyun Ae''s eyes widened; she opened her mouth, but she didn''t answer.

    Suddenly, a cold but captivating female voice came from behind, followed by a cold fragrance like a plum blossom. A delicate and beautiful woman sat beside Keiko as if it was natural.

    "That is a torture tool for execution. If the deviant is detected betraying again or does anything that is judged as a potential threat by the Nine Gods System, the black collar will be activated. It will inject a neurotoxin into their bodies, and the deviant will die in less than 0.7 seconds."

    The woman said something frightening in a casual tone. Keiko only felt that her whole body shivered involuntarily, and when she turned to look, she saw a face that left a deep impression on her. She was a little stunned for a while and blurted out.

    "Jeanne Armstrong?"

    "Hello Keiko, it''s been a long time."

    Jeanne gave her a smile that could make flowers bloom suddenly, which made Keiko''s heart thump loudly.

    On the other hand, Seol-Hyun Ae jumped down from the bar excitedly, and quickly stood up and saluted.

    "It''s an honor to meet you, Major Armstrong!"

    "Don''t forget about me," Another voice resounded in dissatisfaction. Beatrix also showed up and sat beside Jeanne.

    Seol-Hyun Ae was even more surprised, "Miss Heisenberg!"

    ''Who is this woman?'' Keiko was confused.

    Judging from Seol-Hyun Ae''s reaction, it seems that Miss Heisenberg was also a celebrity, and Keiko should not be ignorant.

    So, although she was stunned for a while, Keiko pretended to have known this lady for a long time and got up to greet her politely.

    Fortunately, Seol-Hyun Ae has a cheerful personality and was very good at chatting, so she naturally chatted with this lady who Keiko had no idea who she was, and Keiko also luckily learned the identity of this young lady from the content of the chat between the two.

    The full name of the lady coming together with Jeanne was Beatrix Heisenberg, and her last name was actually an important reminder.

    She was the granddaughter of the deceased father of the Federation and the only Grand Marshal of the Federation, Baldwin Heisenberg, and the youngest daughter of Conrad Heisenberg, one of the seven-star generals. Conrad Heisenberg was the governor of the city of Valhalla.

    As the only son of Marshal Baldwin, Conrad was the most prestigious general among the seven-star generals and was loved by countless soldiers.

    He was always stationed in Valhalla, the city of war and the capital of the military, and his personal family also settled here.

    Therefore, Beatrix Heisenberg, who grew up in Valhalla, was considered a localhost.

    It''s just that the residence of General Heisenberg was not in Ein City, but in Folkvangr City, which is farther inland and very close to the noble city of Gladheim. Folkvangr City was also one of the metropolises of the City-States of Valhalla, a megacity, and its status was comparable to that of Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka in Japan at that time.

    This time, Beatrix caught the news that her best friend, Jeanne, was coming to Valhalla, and came to Ein from Folksvangr City. She took two days to go shopping with her best friend to see Valhalla''s style.

    Beatrix was actually a lot more famous than Jeanne, not only because of her background but also because she was "The Army Songstress." She had a very beautiful voice and was an important member of the Federal Army Art Troupe. You could say she was similar to an idol.

    This 25-year-old, distinguished eldest lady was already a civilian lieutenant colonel, and her rank is higher than Jeanne''s. However, as a soldier of the military art troupe, no matter how high her rank was, she was still a bit lower than a real soldier.. Soldiers used to call her Miss Heisenberg or simply "Miss" instead of her rank.

 Chapter 27 - Meeting Jeanne (2)

    "I didn''t expect Major Armstrong and Miss Heisenberg to be good friends. I feel like I have a lot more to talk about." Seol-Hyun Ae said with a smile.

    Not long after, the four of them completely chatted with ease. There were some people nearby who recognized Jeanne and Beatrix, but everyone seemed to have some restraint to get any closer, and they ceased the thought of coming over and greeted them. In the end, they could only cast an envious gaze towards Keiko and the others.

    Actually, it was only Seol-Hyun Ae, Jeanne, and Beatrix who were really chatting. Keiko would only say a few words and tried her best to reduce her sense of existence from beginning to end, fearing that the topic would be thrown at her. She was very afraid of meeting the "old acquaintances" she used to know since it was too easy to be exposed with the slightest error.

    But, what should come will come sooner or later.

    Keiko felt that she couldn''t avoid it any longer because Major Jeanne Armstrong seemed to be very interested in her. During the chat, she would always inadvertently bring up the conversation to her, ask her for her approval, or ask her opinion. Keiko can only respond dryly with "um", "ah", "yes", and every time the olive branch of the conversation is thrown to her, she can act as a "chat terminator" to make everyone fall into silence, and in the end, Seol-Hyun Ae had to come to the rescue.

    After talking for about half an hour, Keiko even felt that her back was soaked in a cold sweat, and her palms were sweating, showing how anxious she was now. Her psychological quality was excellent, but when she was stared at by Major Jeanne''s blue eyes, she felt like she was seen through.

    Moreover, this beautiful female major always had a meaningful smile on her face. She left a lot of blank space when she spoke, which was very easy to cause people to wonder. Keiko really couldn''t see through her.

    It may be a shared tacit understanding, although Jeanne''s opening remarks were related to the encounter in the afternoon, they did not mention it even once in their conversation after that.

    Although Keiko still has many doubts, she was not so stupid to ask now. She only hoped that this sudden social interaction would end soon. She really couldn''t stand the cold beauty beside her who she couldn''t figure out.

    Keiko always felt that every word this lady said was aimed at herself. In order to hide her embarrassment and anxiety, she would subconsciously pick up the glass to drink, and unknowingly, she had refilled the glass several times, and she became drunk, and her mind became a little dull.

    The topic shifted unknowingly to the purpose of Jeanne''s visit to Valhalla. She usually lives and works in the capital main city, and rarely appears in other city-states.

    "I came to Valhalla for a business trip," Jeanne''s answer was very brief, and she didn''t seem to want to talk about it further. Being tactful, Seol-Hyun Ae and Keiko didn''t ask any further questions. There are many things in the army that need to be kept confidential, and they still didn''t know each other that well.

    "Of course, I expect to run into Second Lieutenant Lee when I visit Ein," Jeanne smiled, returning the subject to Keiko.

    Keiko smiled awkwardly and said, "It''s my honor to see Major Armstrong again."

    "Why are the two of you speaking so politely in private? I remember that Second Lieutenant Keiko once served as a non-commissioned officer in General Armstrong''s Mansion for several years. You should''ve been going in and out of the General''s Mansion every day. Haven''t you met with each other?" Beatrix, who had endured Keiko''s stiff and polite tone all night, in the end, couldn''t stand it, and finally said.

    "We met a few times, but during the four years that Keiko was in the General''s Mansion, I happened to deal with important research at that time. So I could easily access the laboratory, I lived alone in the school''s instructor''s apartment for a long period of time. I rarely went back home," Jeanne explained, and then looked at Keiko again.

    Keiko nodded like a chick pecking at rice, "Yes, yes, I rarely get together with Major Armstrong."

    "I really don''t understand you. It stands to reason that you should have a good relationship with each other. Or are you both too reserved? Second Lieutenant Lee, I''m talking about you, you are really stupid, I finally understand what kind of person is the most authentic lawful neutral."

    Beatrix seemed to be heavily drunk. She supported her head with one hand and spoke a little bluntly, anything but polite to Keiko.

    "Bea...you drink too much..." Jeanne whispered to her, then removed the wine glass in front of her. Immediately afterward, she turned her head and apologized to Keiko, "I''m really sorry, Bea is an outspoken person. She just says whatever she thinks, honestly. Please forgive her."

    Keiko hurriedly waved her hand, suggesting that she was fine, but she could feel cold sweat on her forehead when she thought, ''Major Jeanne, you didn''t forget to stab me while talking to your best friend. Isn''t it a bit terrible...?''

    She doesn''t think that Major Lanney was someone with low EQ as to say such a thing without realizing it, she must have done it on purpose!

    The first impression this woman gave her was that she was very intelligent and very dangerous. Every word she said to herself seemed to have a trap in it. If Keiko hadn''t raised her guard, maybe she would have said something that shouldn''t have been said at this moment.

    What the hell is going on with this woman? Why did she test me like this when they just first met? What did I do to offend her? Or was she already smart enough to see that something was wrong with me at a glance?

    Keiko couldn''t help but shudder at her own thought.

 Chapter 28 - Meeting Jeanne (3)

    "Hmph, alright, now that you speak for her, I know that you are still very loyal to your savior, even if she is a piece of wood that is lawful neutral."

    Seeing her best friend talking to outsiders, Beatrix became displeased, and her tone became even stronger. However, no matter how this lady talks, you can''t feel unpleasant. The tone of this young lady''s speech was always a little coquettish, with a particular charm that made people unconsciously forgive her rudeness.

    "Beatrix, you are so biased. Who said that all lawful neutral people are dull? When Second Lieutenant Keiko rescued me back then, she actually acted in complete violation of military orders. But without her acting without the authorization, it would be impossible for me to sit here and talk to you. Lawful neutrals also have a clear self-judgment. Don''t you think so, Second Lieutenant Keiko?" Jeanne refuted solemnly and then looked at Keiko with a smile.

    Keiko''s forehead was dense with sweat. She cleared her slightly dry throat, reached out and lifted the brim of her military cap, then smiled and said, "You''re too exaggerating, Major Armstrong."

    "Really? This is the first time I heard that Keiko had acted without authorization back then?" Seol-Hyun Ae was also interested.

    "Yeah, the team was all separated at that time. The order from above was to make a rendezvous in the north. She was the only one who turned back and came to rescue us," Jeanne smiled, "But even though she violated the military order, her alignment deviation value was surprisingly still very stable. It''s incredible¡­"

    Keiko was silent, not knowing how to answer.

    Jeanne''s words continued, and this time another bombshell was thrown out by her in a relaxed and casual tone.

    "I heard that there was an incident in my father''s general''s house before. It was a major event, but her faction was still as firm as ever. My father didn''t tell me what was going on. I''m naturally really curious about it." Jeanne licked her lips in an ambiguous manner and stared at Keiko with her foxy eyes, "Second Lieutenant Lee, can you tell me about it a little bit?"

    "Ah...this..." Keiko looked embarrassed.

    "Oh, sorry, it''s probably something that can''t be said. I''m talking too much. I don''t know if it''s because of this that my father dispatched Second Lieutenant Keiko to the West Army''s mecha division," Jeanne''s smile grew brighter.

    "..."

    This time, Seol-Hyun Ae, who didn''t feel anything at first, also noticed something was wrong. With a cautious look on her face, she looked at Keiko, who had a tormented face, and at Jeanne, who was smiling beautifully and suddenly shivered involuntarily.

    She thought to herself, ''My God, it''s so scary... Did Keiko and this Major Jeanne have something going on between them?''

    "Give another one to Lieutenant Lee," Seeing that Keiko''s glass was empty again, Jeanne ordered the bartender.

    When the bartender was pouring the liquor, Keiko hurriedly used the excuse of the toilet to escape from Major Jeanne''s claws and planned to wash her face and take a long breath. In less than 40 minutes of chat with Jeanne, the amount of information she heard was too much. She was a little confused now and needed time to sort it out.

    Standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, Keiko washed her face, regained her composure under the stimulation of the cold water, and gradually figured out some clues.

    In the past, Keiko''s faction was so stable that even though she did something beyond the scope of the faction, her alignment deviation value wasn''t shaken in the slightest. It was probably because of this peculiarity that she was suddenly transferred to the Northwest Army Mecha Division. Perhaps General Armstrong wanted to use this uniqueness to achieve some purpose.

    As the daughter of General Armstrong, and the person Keiko had rescued, Jeanne also knew about Keiko''s particularity and had a strong interest in it. She didn''t know whether she genuinely didn''t know about Keiko or not, but what she definitely knew was that this woman was very dangerous. What was the purpose of her research? Did it have anything to do with her coming to Ein?

    "Damn, why did things turn out like this?!" Keiko gritted her teeth and cursed in a low voice.

    ''Could it be that... I really possessed a special body? Could it be that... I am involved in some unknown conspiracy?''

    If she understood Jeanne''s words correctly, then this was by no means just an assumption or her delusions, but a very probable fact.

    "I need to be more careful, this matter isn''t as simple as I thought before."

    After adjusting her mood, Keiko finally returned to her seat calmly. Jeanne and Beatrix were already packing their things.

    "I''m sorry, Beatrix is not good at drinking, I''d better send her to rest earlier, so I''m sorry," Jeanne said in an apologetic tone.

    "Major Armstrong is too polite. Let us give you and Miss Heisenberg a ride," Seol-Hyun Ae said quickly.

    "Thank you very much, but I have just called the driver. The driver should be nearby and will be here soon. You guys continue to play," Jeanne rejected Seol-Hyun Ae''s kindness without hesitation.

    She helped the drunk Beatrix down from the bar, and Seol-Hyun Ae and Keiko accompanied them all the way to the door of the bar.

    As soon as they went out, they saw a black luxury sedan parked at the door.

    Seol-Hyun Ae and Keiko helped Jeanne to bring Beatrix into the car, closed the door, and Jeanne went around to the other side to get into the car.

    When passing by Keiko, she quietly whispered to Keiko in a very soft voice, "You have to be careful, don''t be reckless."

    The expression on her face was elegant and natural. It didn''t look like she had just spoken, so she sat in the car and walked away.

    Keiko raised her head, subconsciously clenched her fists, stared at the car that was passing away, and sighed deeply.

 Chapter 29 - Mecha Training Begin (1)

    "Di Di Di..." The alarm clock rang, and Keiko, who was still half-asleep, stretched out her hand to touch the phone, but after a long time, she couldn''t touch anything, only to suddenly realize that there was no phone, it was the bracelet ID on her wrist that was ringing.

    Turning on the device, the holographic screen turned on, and the digital clock showing 06:00 appeared in front of her. Keiko turned off the alarm clock, then got up from the bed with a grunt, and began to wash and change clothes quickly.

    The time was in the early morning of August 24th. After the entire army rested for two days, the autumn training camp for the Western Army''s mecha divisions finally kicked off today.

    The whole team was expected to gather at 6:30. After that, they will have breakfast and then officially gather at the training ground at 7:00.

    It was her duty to lead the troops, so she needed to gather the soldiers, issue orders, and follow them. As an adjutant of the squadron, she had 500 soldiers under her command, and together with the 500 soldiers under Seol-Hyun Ae, a total of a thousand soldiers of the left-wing squadron led by Lieutenant Lu Diyun.

    After tying up the armed belt, pulling the corner of the training uniform, and adjusting the beret on her head, Keiko smiled contentedly at her reflection in the mirror, then opened the door of the dormitory and walked out.

    The training uniform on her body was a bit different from the formal field combat uniforms. The hood disappeared, replaced by a windshield collar, and the helmet was replaced by a beret, which was one of the more commonly worn items by soldiers.

    Gathering the soldiers, having breakfast, and heading to the playground, everything went smoothly without a hitch.

    Soldiers who could enter the ace division have basically been in the army for more than five years. They were strictly obeying the orders and following the time precisely. Their discipline was top-notch, making them easy to lead.

    When she entered the training ground, Keiko was a little surprised by what she saw.

    Originally, she thought that the training ground would look like a football field. She was all too familiar with a standard football field with a 400-meter runway and a green lawn.

    However, the so-called training ground was actually a huge ellipsoidal building similar to a bird''s nest. It covered an extremely wide area and had a dome-shaped roof that could be opened and closed. The soldiers didn''t have to endure the torment of the scorching sun and rain. There was also a central air conditioner inside to adjust the temperature. Talk about luxury.

    This training ground was used for mecha training ground, and not all training takes place here.

    There were many virtual mecha training rooms surrounding the training ground, which could be used to practice mecha operations and could accommodate up to 1,000 people training here.

    There was also an open and huge martial arts field in the center, assisted with a virtual system that could simulate more than 50 different natural environments. Using your personal soldier number, you could directly login to the virtual mecha battle platform and the soldiers could spar with each other in PVP mode or fight against virtual monsters.

    These can only be classified as indoor training. Besides indoor training, the soldiers still have a lot of outdoor training, so they have to use real mecha to train.

    In addition, every once in a while, there will be arduous field training. The soldiers will leave the safe station regularly to really go deep into the dangerous environment of the field for training. Even if the training was to a high degree of safety, there would always be casualties. Compared to the past, the hardships of being a soldier have actually increased in this new era.

    When Keiko led the team to enter the huge martial arts field, hundreds of people had already gathered in the center of the field.

    The army green camouflage, neat and uniform team; there were so many people, but it was surprisingly quiet.

    Everything was a familiar scene to her, but what Keiko felt unaccustomed to was the lack of loud orders from the officers.

    Because every soldier wore an intercom headset on their ear, the connection with the commander was controlled by the bracelet ID. The officers didn''t have to shout at the top of their lungs; they just needed to use a normal volume to get the order conveyed to the whole army.

    At seven o''clock, the opening meeting of the training camp started on time. The captain of the third squadron, Amanda Hill, who was also wearing a training uniform, appeared and led a total of six lieutenants from the left and right to the rostrum on the side of the martial arts field.

    The six lieutenants lined up behind Captain Hill according to their positions, with their hands behind their backs, their legs shoulder-width apart, and their faces serious and meticulous.

    Keiko was standing behind Lieutenant Lu Diyun''s right side, in the middle of the podium. Seol-Hyun Ae was on her left.

    In front of her stood a huge crowd of soldiers. The entire Mecha Third Squadron had a total of 2,000 military officers and soldiers, all neatly assembled. The previously lost troops were also selected from the reserve in the past two days to make up for it.

    Captain Amanda Hill went straight to the point in a very military style, "I won''t say much nonsense. Looking at the damage on our side in the previous mission, we all know that there was a big problem with our current coordination," She paused for a second and then continued. "Although Mecha are powerful, due to their size, it is easy to break out of formation and scatter in a narrow and dense place like in the jungle operations, and once the formation is broken, it''ll be difficult to regroup. It is also making it difficult for us to rescue each other."

    "This has always been the case. a long-standing problem that has not been solved for decades. But recently, the Baldwin Military Academy, the highest military academy, has finally come up with an effective solution!" Captain Hill spoke with a clenched fist. "We are fortunate that, as the first unit to try out this method of coordinated combat, we have invited the creator of the program, Major Jeanne Armstrong, to come to Ein Base to guide the training in person. Everyone, give warm applause and welcome!"

    Instantly, there was overwhelming applause from the audience.

    Although the soldiers did not whisper, the excited expressions on their faces were real. It was a great surprise to hear the name Jeanne Armstrong, a well-known and beautiful military officer and an icon among the military, become the trainer of their training session.

    Her beautiful appearance, illustrious background, and intelligent mind are awe-inspiring. At the same time, it was said that her mecha control skills were also superb and could be regarded as one of the best in the federation.

    Accompanied by continuous applause, behind the rostrum, Jeanne, who was also wearing a training uniform, walked out with her military boots on, giving a valiant impression. She walked to the front of the stage, gave a simple salute to Captain Amanda, and then stood astride.

    Captain Amanda immediately ordered

    "Stand at attention!"

    Thump¡ª

    The sound of neatly banging military boots echoed in the empty martial arts arena.

    "Salute!"

    Whoosh¡ª

    The simultaneous movements of the two thousand people are as precise as computer calculations.

    Jeanne saluted the audience with a smile on her face, then turned around neatly, and formally saluted Captain Amanda and the six lieutenants behind her.

    She glanced at Keiko, who was straight as a pine not far away, and saw that Keiko had a stern face with a calm expression, and the smile at the corner of Jeanne''s lips grew bigger.

 Chapter 30 - Mecha Training Begin (2)

    Keiko''s heart was in a mess right now.

    She really didn''t expect that the legendary trainer who came from the capital city was actually Major Jeanne Armstrong. Their first meeting the night before made her think that Jeanne came to Ein for a more confidential military mission. Who knew she was actually here in an open and honest manner as the mech trainers?

    Keiko''s intuition told her she probably wouldn''t have a good life during the training camp for the next two months. She couldn''t help sighing internally.

    After the salute, Captain Amanda asked Jeanne to make a pre-training speech.

    On the large curved screen of an unknown size above the podium, an explanation and demonstration made by Jeanne herself appeared immediately.

    In Keiko''s time, this thing should''ve been a PowerPoint presentation, but Jeanne''s presentation was a smooth 3D animation, which could be paused or played remotely through the bracelet ID. Several officers standing on the podium can also see the picture through the screen in front of the stage.

    Jeanne at work was serious and very professional, completely different from the unpredictable Jeanne in private. She quickly finished her opening remarks, and then began to explain the new collaborative operation plan through the animation, and introduced in detail the training plan for the next two months and the goals to be achieved after training.

    "My colleagues are also implementing this plan in several other squadrons of the mecha division. When the training is over in mid-to-late October, there will be an internal competition among all the mech divisions to assess the training''s result." Jeanne''s melodious voice could be heard from the intercom, "Everyone, the results of this training will be directly related to the feasibility of this set of plans, and also related to the combat power and ranking of the third squadron in the mecha division, which is linked to personal meritorious military achievements. I hope everyone can work hard to cooperate with my work and use this set of plans to make it work. That''s all from me, and thank you for your attention."

    Another round of warm applause emerged from the audience again, and several officers on the stage even gave her a standing ovation.

    This was not just a perfunctory gesture but came from the heart. Jeanne''s new plan for coordinated operations was really fascinating. Although it hadn''t yet been implemented, after listening to the explanation, even people with a little military knowledge felt this plan was an outstanding idea.

    Just like what Captain Amanda said before, the ineffectiveness of mecha formation in particular terrain was an issue that persisted for decades and couldn''t be effectively solved, costing many innocent soldiers'' lives because they couldn''t get timely rescue from friendly reinforcement.

    It was not that no one had ever tried to propose the solution. In fact, shortly after such a problem appeared, someone put forward the concept of "cooperative operation of scattered multi-type formation."

    The simple explanation of this tactic was that there was no need to force the mecha to band together but simply spread them apart at a calculated distance, forming an illusionary hive, so that when they needed to reinforce each other, they wouldn''t be impeded by the terrain.

    However, this idea had always ended up on the planning board and could not be realized because the hardware couldn''t keep up.

    With hundreds of mecha scattered into the jungle with complex terrain, it is almost impossible for the team leader to issue a precise command.

    Although the mecha system features GPS positioning, its scope is limited. Once scattered, the area of operation would be very wide, and it was difficult for the officers to take all of them into account.

    In addition, there are mountains, caves, swamps, and dense forests in the jungle, and the weather was rainy and humid. The situation was complex and always changing. It is difficult to ensure the efficiency of command and rescue by relying only on simple GPS positioning and radio communication.

    In nearly five years, Jeanne created a nearly complete mecha cooperative combat system as well as compilations of tens of thousands of mecha formations. When the team was scattered, it could flexibly deal with almost all the terrain and climate conditions, assisting the commander in command so that every soldier could get an extremely effective arrangement in short time under this system.

    As the saying goes, inspiration only takes a moment, but it takes countless sweats to realize it.

    Jeanne was the genius who turned the momentary inspiration of her predecessors into reality. Of course, such a huge project couldn''t be completed by her alone. Jeanne''s team came to Ein together this time, and they joined the various squadrons of the mecha division to implement the training plan.

    In this way, some of the essentials in the previous mecha training need to be overturned.

    As large as the platooning of the entire team, as small as the tactical movements of individual mechas, all need to be adjusted.

    And once this plan was implemented, it would test the personal ability of the mecha pilots even more, and the amount of training would be greatly increased.

    Jeanne herself chose to handle the third squadron. If said it was a coincidence, Keiko wouldn''t believe it at all.

    "Now each team has already gathered in the training room, the task until noon is to experience this new system."

    Amanda gave the order, and the leaders of each team immediately started to form their teams in an orderly manner.

    Keiko was on stage and saw Antonio and his entire team. As a sergeant, he was the captain of the 50-man team.

    And the lieutenants will also go to the training room dedicated to lieutenants under the leadership of Jeanne to experience the new system.

    ''What should I do?! Is there a good excuse to refuse?''

    Keiko was a little flustered. This was her first experience driving a mecha. Although it''s virtual, she''s never been in contact with it before, and it''s hard to tell where she was wrong.

    Looking at Jeanne, who was walking side by side with Amanda, chatting and laughing, Keiko wiped away her cold sweat silently.

    On the second floor of the playground, there was a virtual mecha practice room for lieutenants. A total of eight officers, including Jeanne and Captain Amanda, have completed the arrangement of the exosuit, and all have entered the eggshell-like virtual mecha cabin. This process is no different from boarding a real mech. There were many card slots on the driver''s seat in the virtual mecha cabin, which were connected to the exosuit on the driver''s body.. The training officially began.

 Chapter 31 - Mecha Training Begin (3)

    A/N: change driver/driving to pilot/piloting, change the height of the Sieg type Mecha from 4 meters to 8 meters (i think this is more reasonable, still compact but a lot more realistic)

    ***

    Keiko knew that sooner or later she would have to pilot a mecha, so she did her homework a long time ago. She carefully studied the information books on mecha piloting, and theoretically, she knew all the procedures to handle this big guy.

    But there was a distance of tens of millions of light-years between theory and practice. It was like a person who had never touched a car before going to a driving school to learn to drive, while the night before, cramping all the knowledge about cars and driving in their mind. In the end, they wouldn''t miraculously be able to drive the car on their first try, even if they had all the knowledge.

    In the nutshell, the most basic principle of mecha piloting was understanding "synchronized micro-motions."

    It meant that the actions taken by the pilot in the mecha cabin would be synchronous with the mecha. The pilot only needed to make a small action, and the mecha would emphasize this action.

    For example, if the pilot just raised their right arm slightly, this action would be magnified by the mecha to raise the entire right arm.

    Another example: if the pilot just slightly moves their left foot forward a few centimeters, this action will be amplified by the mech into a big stride with their left leg.

    The incongruity between the pilot''s actions and the mecha increased the difficulty of piloting a mecha by many folds. When the pilot controlled the mecha, they needed to rely on their own body sense to judge the accuracy of the mecha''s action.

    This, of course, required many years of training, which would test your talent in this area.

    The top mecha pilot could control the mecha to perform a variety of difficult actions, such as driving the mecha to do a rollover, backflip, roundhouse kick, and so on.

    This was unimaginable for ordinary pilots as they have already exerted full effort just to complete simple tactical actions.

    Keiko finally booted into the training system; a stream of notifications popped up in front of her eyes.

    [Welcome to the Federal Virtual Mecha Training System. Check the identity information...]

    [Successful identity verification, pilot: Keiko Lee, Rank: Second Lieutenant, Affiliation: Federal Western Army...]

    [The download of the new system is complete¡­ verifying the content...]

    [Generating System Environment in 10 seconds...]

    [3...2...1¡­]

    ''Take a deep breath... You can do it, Keiko!'' Keiko, who was so nervous that her palms were sweating, was constantly encouraging herself.

    [System initialized¡­]

    When the countdown ended, the data stream screen disappeared from her sight, and then a magnificent jungle scene spread out in front of Keiko.

    Even if she knew it was fake, Keiko was still shocked by how realistic it was. Those 3D and 4D movies in the old days were simply cheap compared to this. It was really difficult to distinguish it from reality.

    She tried to get used to the height of her line of sight. The pilot''s view of the outside world was captured by several full-angle high-precision cameras covering six parts of the mecha''s body. The scene in front of her eyes was taken from the mecha head, so the height is nearly eight meters. This kind of detail was also perfectly replicated in the virtual system.

    Keiko swallowed a big gulp and tried to move her fingers slightly, but she didn''t feel any difference, so she tried to bend her arms and stretch her palms in front of her face.

    Although she was very careful, she didn''t expect that with such a simple action she would still accidentally grant the mecha''s face a facepalm. Fortunately, the steel palm didn''t hit her face directly, so she was only startled by it.

    "Well, the sensitivity is much higher than I thought..." She muttered to herself and licked her lips in embarrassment. After the failed experiment, she had a vague concept of how to pilot a mecha.

    Fortunately, her little action didn''t seem to attract other people''s attention. Maybe she unknowingly logged in earlier than the others. When she entered the virtual platform, no one beside her had appeared yet. After she facepalmed herself, the other officers showed up around her one after another.

    "Keiko!" Suddenly, Seol-Hyun Ae''s voice sounded in the communication channel.

    Keiko looked around and saw several mecha around her, but she didn''t recognize which one was Seol-Hyun''s, so she asked, "Where are you?"

    "Look at the Sieg Mk.2 directly behind you."

    Hearing this, Keiko was naturally ready to turn around and look back at Seol-Hyun Ae''s position. She then twisted her waist in the cockpit to turn around, but unexpectedly, her action was more impactful than she thought.

    Her movement just now was so great that the axis was deviating, making the center of gravity was unstable. A short yelp was coming from her mouth, the screen in front of her was spinning, and she fell directly on the ground.

    "Pfft! Keiko, what are you doing? Are you trying an acrobatic move?" Seol-Hyun Ae wasn''t polite at all and laughed.

    Not only was she laughing, so did the other officers around her, and the laughter came to Keiko''s ears through the communication platform. At their level, basically, no one would fall while driving a mecha. This was even worse than a novice, so everyone thought that Keiko definitely did it intentionally.

    Keiko blushed. She was so embarrassed that she wanted to find a hole and spend her whole life inside it.

    How could she be so stupid?

    If she wanted to look back, she only needed to turn around and switch the screen. The mecha was not a real person, and not all actions needed to be synchronized with the pilot''s real body.

    The first problem for new pilots was the simple act of turning the mecha. The axis of the mech coincides with the axis of the human body. When turning around, the human body only needs to exert force on the legs and waist to turn around; however, the mecha is different.

    When the pilot made the mecha turn around, they needed to swing the joystick with their left hand to stabilize the center of gravity. If they turned their bodies directly, the result would be similar to what happened to Keiko before.

    "Hahaha, Second Lieutenant Lee, please get up quickly. Is it a long time since you entered the virtual platform again and are still not used to it?" Jeanne''s voice entered the intercom, she smiled reservedly, but there was a strong sense of sarcasm in her tone.

    Keiko tried to control the mecha to stand up, struggled for a long time, and finally stood up shakily.

    She hurriedly said, "Sorry, I just got a little dizzy and made a mistake."

    "Oh, Second Lieutenant Lee might have a backlash from our new system. It stimulates the human cerebellum quite a bit," Jeanne said. "If Second Lieutenant Lee feels uncomfortable, you can log out first."

    Keiko randomly made up an excuse. How could she know that it will be so beautifully twisted by Jeanne?

    But she didn''t intend to miss this rare opportunity to get familiar with the mecha, so she said, "It''s okay, I''m feeling better now. Let''s continue."

    Everyone didn''t seem to care too much about it. Since Keiko said she was fine, no one forced her to log out.

    A prompt appeared in the upper left corner of the screen in front of her, and Jeanne''s avatar appeared. She opened the public channel and took the top priority.. In order to clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the new system, she began to explain in real-time.

 Chapter 32 - Mecha Training Begin (4)

    A prompt appeared in the upper left corner of the screen in front of her, followed by Jeanne''s avatar. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new system clearly, she began to explain it directly.

    "There are tens of thousands of scenario settings in the new system. It''s impossible to introduce them one by one so I''ll focus on the demonstration of the current scenario. Now we have a total of eight people, with me as the rear command center, Captain Amanda as the vanguard, Lieutenant Lu Diyun, Lieutenant Keiko Lee, and Lieutenant Seol-Hyun Ae on the left wing, Lieutenant Tracy Valentine, Lieutenant Lilian, and Lieutenant Leoz on the right wing. It lined up like a geese formation, but I named it the Boomerang formation, you''ll know the reason soon.

    "We will set up an emergency situation: the right wing is suddenly attacked by two first-level predators. The one who is going to rescue them is Captain Amanda, the vanguard, while the left wing takes me as the axis, and circles to the right." A diagram appeared beside Jeanne''s avatars, and she continued while making a circular movement with her finger, "If the enemy has been destroyed in the middle, the right wing can again be focused on Captain Amanda, and the left wing will circle back to their original position. To put it simply, we constantly shifted in a circular pattern, like a boomerang flying in the air. In this way, the efficiency of rescue can be maximized, and the mobility will be more nimble."

    The diagram disappeared as she finished her explanation, "Of course, I''m just explaining the basic principle. Next, everyone will try it once to see how effective this set of methods set by the system is."

    Jeanne explained the operation smoothly. Meanwhile, she had already entered the set scene data into the system with two things in mind. After the explanation, the system just happened to completely generate the environment.

    Everyone marched in line according to Jeanne''s arrangement, and Keiko, who was extremely unfamiliar with operating mecha, was even more cautious this time and almost didn''t dare to step out, fearing that she would accidentally fall again.

    Fortunately, it only took a short time for her to become familiar with the mecha. After about a hundred or so meters away, she tried to walk, which was still quite easy, and with her renewed confidence, she started to run.

    Because all the eight mecha had been scattered in the dense forest, Keiko was moving forward completely depending on the light spot instructions on the radar. Because there were no other mecha around, she didn''t need to worry that some of her clumsy operations would be seen again. So, she tried a lot of actions and operations that were very bold and gradually became more confident.

    Yes, she felt that she was quite talented at operating mecha. She had heard that it usually took three weeks of training for the average mecha soldier to skillfully control the mecha movements. Although it was only in virtual reality, she was a little bit proud that it only took her more than three minutes to master it.

    Unbeknownst to her, the virtual system was in fact more difficult to operate than the real mecha. This was to increase the difficulty on purpose, otherwise, the effect of virtual training would be greatly reduced. And as a result, her three-minute score was actually even more terrifying. Since the invention of the mecha, no one has ever achieved such a score. The current record was fifteen minutes, and she was five times faster than the record.

    Suddenly, a red alert appeared on the screen, warning that the right wing of the array was under attack. In less than a second, Keiko heard Jeanne''s commanding voice.

    "Left-wing, move in a circle to help them!"

    As soon as she finished speaking, an arc appeared on the screen in front of Keiko''s eyes. Keiko immediately drove the mecha to speed up and ran along the arc to the northeast.

    However, before she could reach the scene of the incident, the alarm had already been lifted, the intruder had been eliminated, and the initial positions of the left and right wings were just replaced at that moment, and the team continued to move forward.

    After trying this formation several times and experiencing several other formations, they started to become more familiar with the operation of this new system. To be honest, it was indeed much more convenient, everyone knew what to do, and the efficiency of rescue and marching had been greatly improved.

    "It''s almost noon now. We will take a lunch break for a while, and we will explain the new stage in the afternoon. Thank you for your cooperation..." Jeanne dismissed the training.

    "It''s so simple," After logging out of the system, Seol-Hyun Ae took off her helmet and grinned cheekily.

    "Seol-Hyun Ae, you stay with Keiko to practice with me later," Lieutenant Lu Diyun''s voice sounded, causing Seol-Hyun to freeze.

    "Lieutenant, why?"

    "Overconfident and arrogant, do you still think I need a reason to punish you?" Lieutenant Lu Diyun snorted coldly.

    "Then... Then¡­ why does Keiko have to be punished too?" Seol-Hyun Ae didn''t defend herself but stood for Keiko.

    "I think Keiko''s control of the mecha is still subpar and I plan to ask her to work on it," Lu Diyun said seriously.

    "Okay, I understand," Keiko accepted Lu Diyun''s arrangement obediently.

    Just as the three officers on the left wing were talking, Jeanne had disarmed the exosuit, walked towards them, and smiled.

    "I''m sorry, Lieutenant Lu, I want to borrow Second Lieutenant Keiko this afternoon. What do you think?"

    Lu Diyun was a little surprised, and then seemed to remember something, nodded, and said, "Understood."

    Jeanne''s blue eyes immediately turned to Keiko, and a beautiful and bright smile crept up to the corner of her lips.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, you don''t have any objections, right?"

    Keiko pursed her lips dejectedly and finally could only nod her head in agreement.

    ''Miss Jeanne, what are you trying to do?'' Keiko felt a sudden headache.

    Jeanne is leading the way in the front; she walks unhurriedly and has an elegant posture. Even in camouflage training clothes, she looked like a model doing a catwalk.

    Keiko followed behind her silently, giving her a glance from time to time. Looking at the faint smile on her face, she always felt that this intelligent and black-bellied female major was plotting something against her.

    They walked along the long, curved corridor of the martial arts field, and after reaching the door, Jeanne took Keiko directly to a small parking lot on the side of the martial arts field and then drive the small electric car in the direction of the officers'' cafeteria.

 Chapter 33 - Taking A Closer Look

    Keiko wondered if, even if she was a guest from afar, Jeanne was strangely more familiar with the internal facilities of the Ein base than she was.

    Of course, this was not a strange thing. As a newcomer who had been in this world for less than a week, Keiko was naturally not as familiar with this place as the natives, even if the natives were outsiders.

    This electric car was originally used to transport goods. As the base covered a large area, the electric car was indispensable as a means of transportation inside the base.

    However, it was usually the person in charge of the logistics force who used and took care of these electric cars. People from other departments couldn''t use them without applying for permission beforehand.

    Of course, except for some people like Jeanne, who was a buggy existence. Her identity and authority were unbelievably high, and she could use a lot of high-authority stuff without permission. It was as if she was in her own backyard.

    "Major, forgive my remarks. What''s the matter with you asking me to come out alone?"

    After walking in silence for a while, Keiko went straight to the point. She really didn''t want to get entangled with this brainy woman.

    "Don''t worry, I''m just asking you to have a meal together and catch up on old times," Jeanne replied slyly with a smile, which was effectively equivalent to saying nothing.

    Keiko was helpless and decided to keep silent while observing Jeanne secretly.

    After a close look, she found that her appearance was slightly Oriental. Although she had the typical characteristics of white people, her eyebrows had the charm of an Asian woman. Her pair of slanted foxy eyes emphasized the impression of East Asian beauty. The blue eyes are clear and captivating, especially when coupled with the smile that often hangs on her lips, revealing a cunning and clever feeling.

    Keiko remembered that she had seen in Jeanne''s profile that she was actually of mixed Chinese and American blood, her father, General Armstrong, was American and her mother was Chinese. She also has a brother, who was eight years older than her, named Neil Armstrong, who was currently a senior in the military scientific research institution.

    Jeanne''s mother''s family was also a very powerful force. Although the Federation was a highly centralized military state, it also encouraged business. And Jeanne''s mother''s family was one of the big conglomerates in the Federation.

    Her mother was part of the Mo family, a large enterprise specializing in the research and development of new materials. Both building materials and military materials are their lines of business.

    Of course, the military also had a share in their group. Because of their deep ties with the military, they also took over a large number of real estate projects in the Federation. Many buildings in large military settlements were built by Mo''s.

    In the racial makeup of the federal population, Chinese Americans actually occupied the largest proportion. People living on the land of China have an innate advantage due to the geographical pattern caused by the catastrophe a hundred years ago. The Western Europeans, Eastern Europeans, and Western Asians of the federation were all ancestors of the same year who crossed the Himalayas that separated the east and west continents and traveled long distances to the land of China to establish a federation because only this piece of land on the entire continent was suitable for survival, for it was relatively rich and fertile land.

    Because America, Australia, Southeast Asia, and Africa have been severely affected by the disaster, there are few ethnic populations left.

    They then formed a clich¨¦ and a close circle, for example, the American soldier under Lieutenant Valentine''s wing.

    This phenomenon not only happened in ethnic minorities but also in majority groups like Chinese people, and it could be said it was more severe. Because they were native to the land, some of them frequently assumed the role of "landlord," believing that the other races were "tenants" to their homeland, while the other races felt indignant about it.

    Because of this, although the status of the Chinese in the entire federal race will be slightly higher, they would still be excluded by the other races.

    It was said that humankind was united, but a little racial tension was still prevalent amongst the citizens. After all, the integration time is less than a hundred years old, and racial xenophobia still persists.

    The whole federation knew that people of American descent often married people of Chinese descent, which had simply become a social phenomenon. The seven-star General Armstrong is no exception. His wife was Mo Pei Yuan, the leader of the largest Chinese-American Mo group. Jeanne also has a Chinese name, Mo Jian Ni.

    "Is there something on my face?"

    Keiko, who was still lost in her thoughts, when she suddenly heard Jeanne''s voice, only to realize that she was staring at other people''s faces in a daze.

    She blushed in a hurry, quickly retracted her gaze, and apologized, "I''m sorry, I''m... distracted."

    Jeanne chuckled lightly and said, "You, why are you always so dumb? When we met before, you always stared at me in a daze, which made me think that something strange was growing on my face," Jeanne coquettishly said. Although it is to make fun of Keiko, Keiko could clearly hear the faint feeling of affection in it.

    She suddenly became stupefied, thinking that there was something between Keiko and Jeanne.

    When she thought about it carefully, as long as Keiko was there, Jeanne would restrain her cold and domineering, queen-like temperament and become more amiable, flirtier, and especially like to tease Keiko.

    Her hands, which were resting on her knees, clenched her trousers slowly, and her whole body tensed up. For some reason, she couldn''t look directly at Jeanne anymore.

    The soul in this body wasn''t the same soul as the original owner, which means that "Keiko Lee" has turned into a completely different person. If the two people really had an ambiguous relationship in the past, didn''t it mean that Keiko was now deceiving Jeanne''s feelings under the guise of her body?

    Keiko was basically a newbie in the matter of feelings and was already a little overwhelmed right now.

    "Let''s get away slowly, at least not to do things that will be a regret for both of us...." she secretly made up her mind.

 Chapter 34 - Do You Think You Know Me So Well?

    They finally reached the officers'' cafeteria.

    Jeanne specially reserved a small room for the high-ranking officers'' meeting and ordered several Japanese dishes that she knew Keiko would like.

    The two sat at the table and chatted lightly about random things while eating. Keiko had been very anxious, thinking that Jeanne would ask her some difficult questions, but so far, their topic was so light that Keiko could easily answer it.

    But just when Keiko started to relax, Jeanne asked suddenly.

    "Did Dad contact you recently?"

    "...No," Keiko hesitated for a moment and replied.

    "I know you''re a straightforward person, and I don''t want to beat around the bush either, so I''ll speak straight to the point, "Jeanne suddenly put down her chopsticks and asked softly, "What are you and Dad secretly planning?"

    Keiko''s heart skipped a beat, and she secretly complained, how could she know what General Armstrong was conspiring with the former "Keiko Lee"? And even if she knew, could she tell her when her father didn''t?

    So, she kept her mouth shut and said nothing.

    Jeanne''s face sank, and she frowned and said in dissatisfaction, "Why are you all like this? Why are you hiding it from me? Dad, my brother, and now you have all refused to tell me what was going on. Am I that untrustworthy?!"

    ''Come on young lady, I also want to know the answer¡­'' Keiko complained bitterly in her heart.

    Keiko didn''t dare speak, but she had doubts in her heart. She still remembered that Jeanne had given her an eight-word warning before, "You have to be careful, don''t be reckless." This sentence clearly represented what Jeanne knew, but why did Jeanne ask her as if she didn''t know anything? This was illogical.

    She quickly sorted through her thoughts and, according to her own speculation, tried to continue, "Major Jeanne is so smart, you might have already had some guesses."

    As expected, Jeanne smiled again and snorted softly, "Hmph! Keiko Lee, do you think you really know me so well?"

    Keiko''s back was soaked in a cold sweat. She knew that she had guessed correctly, and she also knew that she seemed to have stepped on a landmine unintentionally because although Jeanne''s smile became brighter, her tone became much colder.

    She forcibly calmed down, considered her words, and said:

    "Forgive me, Major Jeanne, you know I can''t help it either."

    "You know that I''m setting you up, so you''re determined to keep avoiding it, right?" Jeanne asked again.

    Keiko was silent.

    "You are just like my father and brother, stubborn like a mule. Whenever I ask a question, you never give me an answer. I really can''t communicate with you," her usual sly smile was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a self-ridiculing smile. "They always said it was for my own good and they would not let me know anything. They even sent you to the Western Army without telling me..." When she said this, she suddenly paused, those blue eyes carefully observing Keiko, and then suddenly sneered, "I think you are also very happy to be sent here so you can escape from my clutches..."

    Keiko was so innocent that she didn''t know how to answer and could only give a wry smile.

    "Forget it, I''m not going to force you to answer it if you don''t want to," Her smile turned back to the usual sly smile, and she said, "For the sake of me coming to see you from afar and treating you to a meal, can you please answer this one question?"

    "Major, I¡ª"

    "Okay, that''s it!" Jeanne quickly interrupted Keiko''s words, so she "happily" helped her decide, and then hurriedly asked, "I said eight words to you before, tell me, did I guess it right?"

    My little ancestor, your question is so blunt to the point that I want to cry. How can I answer it? Also, you said "not going to force me", are you sincere? Is this the best of your sincerity?

    Keiko wanted to cry, but there was no tear.

    Keiko furrowed her brows, feeling a little bit distressed. First, she herself was an unknowing party, and second, Jeanne''s eyes were so aggressive that she couldn''t bear it.

    Seeing that she was silent for a long time without answering, Jeanne seemed really angry. She suddenly raised her wrist, opened her bracelet ID, clicked a few buttons, selected an audio file, and played it.

    "You have to be careful. Don''t be reckless," This was the voice of a middle-aged man, deep and charming. Just listening to the voice is extraordinary.

    "Yes, General, I will pay attention to my surroundings," This was clearly Keiko''s own voice.

    The audio was very short, so it quickly ended. And then, Jeanne said slowly.

    "This is a short recording that I successfully obtained after hacking my dad''s confidential file repository with a lot of effort. Without a doubt, this was a conversation between you and my father in the secret room of the study. Although it is not complete, based on this short audio clip, I can almost infer something," Jeanne stared squarely at Keiko''s eyes, her eyes so deep, tempting people to swim inside them.

    "Keiko," Jeanne said, "I hate people who hide the truth from me the most. I must get to the bottom of the things I am interested in before giving up. It doesn''t matter if you don''t want to answer me. I have a lot of ways to pry open the secret from your mouth."

    At this moment, Keiko finally fully realized the wilfulness of the general''s daughter. She even dared to hack her father''s confidential file repository. You can imagine how difficult it was to break through the general''s secret repository. This unstoppable character made Keiko''s back shiver with chills. She could imagine that in the future she would be targeted by Jeanne in various ways.

    It might be because Keiko was in a dazed state the whole time and she didn''t give any response she should have given, and in order not to reveal flaws, her expression was always serious and calm, and there was no change in the slightest. This made Jeanne even more furious, and she smiled coldly again and said

    "Second Lieutenant Lee really can keep her calm. Okay, the meal is finished. Second Lieutenant Lee should go back early to prepare for the afternoon training," she emphasized the word "training" very clearly, and her blue eyes sparkled, like a naughty child planning a prank.

    Keiko shuddered; even without her intuition telling her, she would have a long day ahead.

 Chapter 35 - Keikos Bad Days

    The training goal for the first two days of the training camp was to get the mecha adapted to the operation of the new system.

    On the third day, they would start training the squad-based mecha formation. They had to get used to 65 basic formations and 175 variation formations based on the combination of the basic formations within 60 days. Only by doing so could they be said to have mastered the arrangement and combat methods under the new system.

    There were also many detached formations and transformation combinations at the next level, depending on the weather and environmental conditions. This might require years of training to be familiar with. After all, not all of them could be mastered overnight in the training camp.

    For now, the main priority was training in the forest environment. The terrain around the Federation was dominated by forests, with snow-capped woodlands, subtropical jungles, and tropical forests forming a continuum of dense vegetation.

    Keiko was driving her mecha, following the route directed by the new system, when suddenly a communication came from the private channel; it was from Seol-Hyun Ae again. The reason for saying "again" was naturally because Seol-Hyun Ae often chatted with Keiko on a private channel during training.

    Seol-Hyun said that she shouldn''t worry about it, but Keiko still didn''t feel comfortable using the private channel for a casual chat because people with higher authority than them knew that they were chatting privately, and if they wanted to, they could hear what they talked about.

    Keiko sighed and reluctantly answered.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "Hey, Keiko-chan, how are you? Are you alright?"

    "...What could I do?" After hearing her question, Keiko was even more depressed.

    "Is that girl under your care all right? Why did you also get punished?"

    "I am her leader. She made a mistake because of my improper command. It''s normal to be punished for it," Keiko said.

    "Hey Keiko-chan," Seol-Hyun Ae''s voice became cautious, "are you having a little quarrel with Major Jeanne?" But under such circumstances, her caution was of no use at all.

    Keiko was speechless for a moment, and then said, "I''m hanging up."

    "Hey!" Before Seol-Hyun Ae could react, Keiko quickly cut off the call between the two.

    Things started in the afternoon two days ago. After the unpleasant lunch between Keiko and Jeanne that day, Keiko immediately got the taste of the consequences of offending the Black Queen during the afternoon training.

    First, Jeanne kept setting small traps for Keiko to jump into, such as deliberately rewriting Keiko''s navigation program in real-time to make her deviate from the supposed direction.

    Because it was a virtual system, she didn''t worry about Keiko''s life was in danger, so she had no scruple about messing up with Keiko.

    Fortunately, Keiko was adaptable and highly focused and didn''t rely too much on the system, so in the end, she managed to get away safely.

    However, because of the misguided by the tampered system, she hesitated at the critical moment and her reaction was always one step late. Those accidents aroused the dissatisfaction of Lieutenant Lu Diyun. At the end of the training in the afternoon, when the summary meeting was held in the evening, Lu Diyun criticized her.

    "Keiko, it seems that your mecha piloting level has regressed a lot recently. You know, for an adjutant or other personnel like you, this level of skill isn''t acceptable. You couldn''t relax. You need to make time to practice more."

    Keiko could only swallow her grievance silently.

    By the next morning, the officers and their soldiers logged on to the platform and began to familiarize themselves with the new system in a formal formation.

    As a new officer, Keiko was getting to know the soldiers under her wing for the first time. There were five hundred people in total, and getting familiar with all of them surely wouldn''t happen in just one or two days. Keiko could only do her best.

    When she was browsing through the information for her squadron, she saw a familiar figure.

    When she rushed back to the main city-state from the Sleipnir Field Base, a little girl was sitting opposite her, in the backseat of an armored vehicle. If she didn''t remember it wrong, she was Connie, a mecha brigade corporal who originally belonged to the right-wing squadron.

    Due to the failure of the "Mistletoe" escort mission, a lot of Third Squadron''s troops were lost, and major personnel adjustments were also carried out internally.

    The left and right wings exchanged a lot of soldiers, and Connie, as a mecha brigade reserve corporal, performed well in the sudden and violent encounter with the Furious Earth Dragon and thus made great achievements.

    Now that she had been promoted to the official mecha pilot, she was transferred to the left-wing as the leader of the ten-man battle group to supplement the lack of non-commissioned officers on the left-wing squadron, with Keiko as her immediate superior.

    Keiko had a very good impression of this little girl. During training, she deliberately opened a separate chat channel and chatted with her briefly. With the favor of the Goddess of War in her mind, Connie was so excited that she couldn''t even speak coherently.

    Keiko thought she was very cute, just like her little sister who lived in a large courtyard with her, who always followed her closely like a duckling following a hen. Seeing this, Keiko felt a little bit melancholic.

    Connie was newly transferred to the left-wing without any acquaintances, so Keiko was a little bit worried that she would be lonely. When she had lunch in the soldier''s cafeteria at noon, Keiko also joined Connie''s ten-person group, and of course, it wasn''t just Connie but also her other colleagues from the right-wing. Leading troops was an art, and Keiko still had some experience in this regard.

    However, for some unknown reason, the things she did became extremely unpleasant in the eyes of a certain eldest lady.

    Keiko''s every move was under the surveillance of Jeanne. In order to make Keiko spit out the information she wanted to get, the eldest lady also worked hard, paying attention to Keiko''s news almost all the time. She practically became a stalker at this point.

    Seeing that Keiko and the soldiers under her command were happily chatting with each other while having lunch, Jeanne, who was in the monitoring room, sneered, "Okay just wait Keiko, I''ve been lenient to you this morning and you actually have the time to flirt with that white rabbit? You really want to suffer badly."

    ###

    Author''s Note: This book will go premium, perhaps next week, This chapter will be the first locked chapter, so please read it quickly if you want to read for free!

 Chapter 36 - The Black Belly Miss Jeanne Strikes!

    Sure enough, in the afternoon, Jeanne repeated the old tricks and tinkled with Connie''s system, so Connie unknowingly led her team to deviate from the route, causing Keiko''s team to fail to return in time.

    No one would have imagined that the prodigious Miss Jeanne would actually target a small soldier like Connie. And Connie, without any precautions in advance, plus some over-reliance on the system, would be easily misled by the tampered system.

    Lieutenant Lu Diyun was very angry and severely criticized Connie for making such a low-level mistake. Keiko and Antonio weren''t spared either, as the leader of the team, Keiko, did not notice that the soldiers under her command were deviating from the route and did not correct the mistakes in time, so they got more severely reprimanded.

    In fact, Keiko''s GPS system was blocked by Jeanne, and she had no way of determining where the soldiers under her command were, nor did she know that Connie''s team had gone astray.

    Connie''s team was under Antonio''s command. Antonio''s GPS was also blocked, and he didn''t feel anything wrong either.

    As a result, that night, Keiko, Antonio, and Connie''s ten-member team all stayed behind to train for three hours.

    Connie shed tears of guilt and apologized loudly to Keiko and Antonio with a sullen face and a weeping voice.

    "Second lieutenant, sergeant, I have implicated you because of my low-level mistake. I''m so sorry!"

    Antonio, being a gentleman, comforted the little girl for a long time.

    Keiko stood silently by the side with mixed feelings in her heart. She knew that, because of herself, this kind little girl was wrongly punished.

    Keiko felt irritated and angry. It was still okay if Jeanne targeted her alone, but just now she had already involved an innocent party. She felt Jeanne had gone too far this time.

    However, she was still cool-headed and didn''t recklessly confront Jeanne head-on and fell into the pit that Jeanne had dug for her.

    She had to think of a good way to prevent Jeanne from causing more trouble carefully.

    Jeanne was very clean and secretive in her actions, so the rest of the people basically didn''t realize that she was doing something to Keiko''s team. Only the sensitive Seol-Hyun Ae noticed something was wrong.

    Having personally seen the black-belly of Miss Jeanne in action, Seol-Hyun Ae was convinced that the trouble experienced by Keiko''s team had something to do with her. In the past two days, Keiko and her team often made low-level mistakes, and the mistakes were always related to each other. It was really abnormal.

    The only way this could happen was if there was something wrong with the new system, so Seol-Hyun Ae has some guesses and thinks that it might be Jeanne, the creator of the new system, who was doing things in secret.

    With this reasoning, she was convinced that Keiko and Jeanne might have a beef with each other.

    In order to ask Keiko for confirmation, she opened a private chat channel to contact Keiko.

    She did it on purpose as a small test. First, she did it to see Keiko''s reaction, and second, she did it to probe if Jeanne was indeed monitoring their conversation.

    But to her surprise, although Keiko had vaguely confirmed her guess, Jeanne actually didn''t do anything to her, and this morning''s training passed smoothly.

    In the afternoon of the last day of the virtual mecha training, the entire squadron would also receive physical combat training. The future training schedule would be virtual or real mecha training in the morning and physical combat training in the afternoon.

    After three consecutive days of indoor training, Keiko finally returned to the familiar outdoor training ground.

    Looking at the artificially created trenches, climbing walls, ropes, ground nets, single-plank bridges, and other familiar training tools, she almost shed a tear.

    It had been a long time since she joined the army, and the memories of her training day resurfaced in her mind, and now she was back on the field again.

    Jeanne, as the instructor of the new system, didn''t need to participate in the physical combat training, and the training itself was not guided by her, because she was not good at it.

    Jeanne was a civilian officer. Although she also has superb mecha piloting skills, she was not good at fighting, especially for the difficult combat requirements of controlling mecha for close combat.

    Everyone had their own talent, and obviously, Jeanne''s talent was not in this aspect.

    Although she had a strong ability to react and control, she didn''t have the talent to coordinate these abilities, and it was difficult for her to make a precise prediction in a battle.

    Moreover, because she was given a very high IQ, as a price, God deprived her of her physical ability.

    Her physical ability was weaker than that of ordinary people. Whether it was strength or endurance, it did not meet the requirements of ordinary soldiers.

    Fortunately, she was able to make up for it in shooting. Her marksmanship is still very accurate. Not many people know this, but she had a personal mecha that focused on long-range battles, so she didn''t need to make much movement.

    However, to everybody''s surprise, during the physical combat training this afternoon, Jeanne actually appeared in the field, but she just stood by in the sideline and watched, and beside her, there was a young man wearing glasses.

    It was the first time Keiko had seen this person. This man''s aquiline nose is very conspicuous, and the grey eyes hidden behind the glasses are very dark, and there is rarely a smile on his face.

    Keiko recognized this person from the officer''s list of the Third Squadron. His name was Charlie Field, a British descendant, 32 years old, ranked lieutenant, on the military squadron commander''s staff. He was Captain Amanda''s staff adjutant.

    Despite not having any soldiers directly under him, he held the power to make major decisions. He was practically one of the most powerful figures in the Third Squadron after Captain Amanda. As a training supervisor, he was equivalent to an instructor in the JSDF, and he often appeared on the training ground.

    He did not participate in the Mistletoe mission back then because of a temporary business trip and did not return to the base until yesterday. It was the first time that Keiko had seen him with her own eyes.

    ###

    Author''s Note:

    Hello, my dear reader!

    I want to give a boost to this book so I''ll do a targeted vote with a reward next week (21st Feb - 27th Feb).

    Next week voting target:

    500 PS = Mass release 3 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    750 PS = Mass release 4 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    1000 PS = Mass release 5 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    Don''t worry, I have a sufficient amount of chapters in the stockpile this time, so it definitely not an empty promise!

    So, do me a favor and give me those power stones! Thank you all and happy reading!

 Chapter 37 - Federals Political Situation, Fighting Competition

    If Captain Amanda''s responsibility was mainly to oversee the military operation and battlefield strategy, Lieutenant Charlie Field''s responsibility was in the political framework and interdivisional relations.

    Speaking of which, the federal political system was rather special. The military held the most power, and the Council of the Seven Stars Generals was the highest political echelon. The seven generals governed the city-states under their jurisdiction.

    The federation had a symbolic president, who was selected from among the Seven Stars Generals in turn. The Seven Stars Generals mainly belong to three major parties: the Socialist Party, the Republican Party, and the Democratic Party, thus making these three parties become the three major ruling parties in every election where they would take a turn as the winner.

    Besides those three, there were three major opposition parties: the Liberal Party, the Communist Party, and the Independence Party. Together, they created something like an opposing political council which served as a check and balance for the ruling parties.

    Unlike in the past, party status was now subordinate to the military. Therefore, people in the former military who were responsible for political work, such as political commissars and instructors, had their status fall below that of real military officials. Although these people still had the power to contain the military chief, because of the annual party rotation, they were also mobilized very frequently and could not effectively organize their own forces.

    This Lieutenant Charlie Field is such a character.

    It''s not surprising that Jeanne would appear alongside him since, generally, all the work of receiving foreign dignitaries or superiors and all the political and diplomatic affairs in the Third Squadron fell under his jurisdiction.

    However, Keiko had a little interest in him. People like this who played politics were usually slick and cunning. Keiko and people like him didn''t usually get along, so she avoided getting involved with them.

    Thinking of this, she couldn''t help but take another look at Jeanne, who was standing next to Charlie. This woman actually gave the impression similar to Lieutenant Charlie. If she had a choice, she really didn''t want to have any relationship with such a troublesome person, but alas, she couldn''t do anything about it and she couldn''t help sighing heavily.

    Jeanne seemed to have noticed that Keiko was peeking at her, and she cast her gaze over to confront Keiko, with an inexplicable smile on the corner of her mouth.

    Keiko licked her dry lips and looked away, averting her gaze from Jeanne. Her vigilance was raised again. This woman came to the outdoor training ground for no reason today, and she must have a purpose. If something goes wrong this time, it must be the work of this demoness.

    Be careful, be careful, Keiko secretly reminded herself in her heart.

    As the commander of a team consisting of 500 people, Keiko didn''t have to attend the physical combat training. Her duty was to guide the training instructor, supervise the soldiers'' training, and correct the mistakes made by the soldiers.

    She was no stranger to this kind of job. After all, it was one of the jobs she had been engaged in for many years. However, each instructor''s training style is different. Like Keiko, she was the type who liked to go into battle in person and sweat together with the soldiers. Only by taking the lead and using herself as an example could people be convinced. This was her experience of leading soldiers for many years.

    She first watched from the sidelines for a while to see how the soldiers completed their training, and only after she was familiar with the process did she try it out in person.

    The obstacle courses on the training ground are actually quite difficult, several times more difficult than what she used to be in the special forces. It was understandable because the physical strength of the neo-humans had been improved and far exceeded the old standard.

    For example, in the ditch obstacle course, the ditch was almost 8 meters wide. If it were in the past, this obstacle might be deemed as ridiculous as it was impossible for a person to jump over such a distance if they were not an Olympic record-holding athlete. But now, every soldier could do it with relative ease.

    The single-plank bridge was an extreme test of balance ability. It was narrow and long, so extreme that it made people tremble. Moreover, a mud pit is deliberately dug under the single-plank bridge. If you slipped off the bridge, you would fall all over the mud.

    The paintball obstacle was the best course to test the ability to respond to stress. When running at high speed to avoid the powder balls that are shot randomly from all directions, the fewer white marks on the body, the stronger the ability to respond to stress.

    In addition, Keiko felt that the most difficult part of the course was the last obstacle¡ªrock climbing. The 18-meter-high concave-convex stone wall has no reminder points, and there was no climbing rope protection.

    Soldiers were required to free climb to the top and touch the bell before they could come down and finish the obstacle. The large rock protruding from the top was especially a nightmare.

    She had tried all the training programs two or three times by herself. With her current physical fitness, coupled with the strong reaction ability created by her years of martial arts experience, these training programs are indeed not a problem.

    After physical training, there is also fighting training.

    The federal army practiced its own military boxing technique. Keiko, as an expert in the field, could see at a glance that the federal military martial arts were a combination of a large number of traditional Oriental martial arts and Western martial arts, which only accounted for a small part of it.

    Practicing boxing was only a warm-up. The most important part of combat training was, naturally, the sparring. Naturally, there was a competition between soldiers, and it was even formalized as a ranking battle. Every training session would have a ring match and the person who won would have their ranking upgraded. Every month, those who ranked at the bottom would be punished while those who had made significant progress would be rewarded. If they could reach the top, there were ample benefits that even made higher-ranking officers drool.

    The ranking wasn''t divided by military ranks; instead, it was ranked by the entire troops. Of course, it was a little bit exaggerated to compile a ranking of the entire three million soldiers, so at most, it will be based on the results of each 10.000-man division.

    Speaking of which, since Keiko was transferred from the Central Army, her previous rankings have been cleared. Because she had not participated in the Western Army Mecha Brigade''s ranking competition, her ranking in the entire division was still undecided.

    ###

    Author''s note:

    Hello, my dear reader!

    I want to give a boost to this book so I''ll do a targeted vote with a reward this week (21st Feb - 27th Feb).

    This week voting target:

    500 PS = Mass release 3 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    750 PS = Mass release 4 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    1000 PS = Mass release 5 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    Don''t worry, I have a sufficient amount of chapters in the stockpile this time, so it definitely not an empty promise!

    So, do me a favor and give me those power stones! Thank you all and happy reading!

 Chapter 38 - Keiko, I Challenge You! (Edit)

    Author''s Note: Thanks for ROUGE_CREED for noticing the problem in this chapter. There is indeed a missing part that i forgot to copy before i published the chapter. Here the complete chapter.

    ###

    The training was conducted on several ten-square fighting fields, and every field will be given a number. The soldiers will be grouped into 10-man groups according to their ranking. A group that consists of low-ranking soldiers will fight on the fields with a bigger number assigned to them and vice versa.

    For example, ten soldiers with the lowest ranking will be grouped together in the field with the biggest number, and the highest-ranking group will be grouped in the smallest numbered field. Those ten people will fight against each other in a round stage. The one with the highest number of wins would be able to move to the field with a smaller number, and the one with the most losses would be demoted to the field with a bigger number.

    Keiko wasn''t ranked yet, so her task for this combat training was to measure her own ranking.

    Originally, she wanted to suggest that she would go one by one from the field with the biggest number, but everyone agreed that she could directly compete with the first place in the left wing combat ranking.

    After all, no one wanted to watch the famous "Death Reaper" bully a small character like them. They would rather watch her challenge the higher-ranking soldiers directly, it would be more exciting. It''s a pity that the big competition for the entire division was only held once a month, and the soldiers couldn''t wait to watch a good show.

    The first place on the left-wing squadron combat ranking happened to be Keiko''s immediate superior, Lieutenant Lu Diyun.

    Lieutenant Lu Diyun could be regarded as an all-round military officer. He was very proficient at using either cold or hot weapons, piloting mecha, and also unarmed combat.

    In addition, as the first rank of the left-wing squadron, he also won against Lieutenant Valentine, who was the first rank of the right-wing squadron, but he was defeated by Captain Amanda in last month''s competition and temporarily ranked second in the Third Squadron''s combat list.

    If Keiko could win against him, then her ranking would be directly promoted to second place in the third squadron and she could directly challenge Captain Amanda to compete for first place.

    Keiko didn''t know how good Lu Diyun was, so she was very cautious from the beginning and didn''t dare be careless. Their match in the first fighting field attracted the attention of all the left-wing soldiers, giving Keiko a lot of pressure.

    "Lieutenant Lu, please go easy on me."

    "You''re joking, Lieutenant Keiko. How could I not go all out against the famous Death Reaper? If I''m losing easily, where should I put my face?" Lu Diyun replied jokingly.

    Keiko replied with a smile and gave him a salute, "Please."

    "Please," Lu Diyun saluted back.

    Lieutenant Lu Diyun was of medium stature, with a solid and steady stance like a mountain. While Keiko had outstanding physical ability and was especially agile, she was the type of speedy fighter.

    Keiko was very cautious and wasn''t in a hurry to make a move. When Lu Diyun saw that she didn''t make a move, he attacked first.

    Lu Diyun charged forward and sent a straight jab with his left hand. Keiko dodged instantly by tilting her head and raising her right hand to block. Lu Diyun''s fist met with Keiko''s hand, and to her surprise, the strength of his punch was a lot stronger than she previously thought.

    She staggered slightly sideways, and then quickly retreated. Her forehead started sweating a little bit.

    People who had a stable stance and solid defense were generally a power-type fighters who weren''t good at offense and often relied on counterattacks. Their agility was very low, and their attack accuracy wasn''t high, but once their attacks connected, the opponent would be guaranteed to suffer badly.

    Keiko herself was a full-offensive style fighter who was both powerful and agile, thus having a destructive power, but the downside of this type was their lack of defensive capability. Most of them rely on their speed to dodge the opponent and avoid meeting the opponent head-on.

    When a power-type fighter meets a full-offensive fighter, the latter usually suffer the most. In other words, Keiko''s fighting ability will be strictly restrained by Lu Diyun.

    For a long time, it was always debatable which one was the best. Some said power was the king, some said speed was the king. But in the end, the results will depend on each individual''s ability.

    Through his punch, Keiko analyzed Lu Diyun''s fighting characteristics and then quickly launched a series of lightning-fast counterattacks. She dashed to Lu Diyun''s side and launched several punches at his shoulder, chest, and abdomen, respectively. This series of movements fully demonstrated her battle prowess.

    Keiko''s movements were very fast, and Lu Diyun couldn''t even react before Keiko''s punches scored a clean hit. He was knocked back several steps before standing up. If he hadn''t quickly stabilized his stance, he would have fallen to the ground just now.

    But before he could fully recover, Keiko made another attack. Her left foot stomped the ground, propelling her forward at a breakneck speed.

    Then, after arriving in front of Lu Diyun, she stretched both of her hands to grab his shoulder and push his body downward while lifting her knees upward toward his abdomen.

    This time, Li Diyun reacted quickly and moved his hand to block Keiko''s knee kick, leaving his upper body defenseless.

    When Keiko saw that his arms went down to protect his abdomen, she realized that her knee kick wouldn''t be able to connect. She quickly changed her posture, as if making a feint, lifted her hand and sent a powerful blow at Lu Diyun''s back with her elbow.

    Bam¡ª

    "Aaargh!"

    A groan came from Lu Diyun''s mouth, followed by a series of coughs. He could feel the searing pain in her chest, making him suffocate. Lu Diyun''s veins burst with pain, and his whole face turned red.

    At that moment, regardless of the pain, he hugged Keiko''s waist, raised her up with a loud roar, and was about to throw her. Keiko''s feet lifted off the ground, and she immediately fell into a very passive situation.

    But she didn''t rush; she swooped back, grabbed Lu Diyun''s waist belt, and wriggled in the mid-air until finally her body was directly twisted out of Lu Diyun''s arms.

    He rolled over to the ground, grabbed Lu Diyun''s belt and held onto it, and with one move, directly spined Lu Diyun''s body upside down.

    Lu Diyun, who originally wanted to throw Keiko, was instead thrown back by Keiko to submission, unable to get up for a long time.

    Ten seconds after the start of the battle, Lu Diyun conceded defeat, and Keiko became the first in the left-wing combat ranking. There was still a big gap between Lu Diyun''s fighting ability and Keiko''s, and it is reasonable for him to lose to a martial art master like Keiko in three moves.

    The soldiers were stunned for a moment before breaking into cheers. As expected of the goddess of war with the title of "Death Reaper", her control over her body had reached a terrifying level. If she were to use a saber, killing two first-level predators at once does not seem to be a strange thing.

    Keiko herself was a little surprised at the degree of control she had over her body.

    When she was fighting the ferocious earth dragon before, she discovered that she had only mediocre control over her body. But now, she could literally control every muscle in her body with very high precision, making it easy for her to strike and dodge. Even moves like a somersault kick or spinning roundhouse kick didn''t seem that difficult for the current her.

    This is what her adoptive father said, many muscles were beyond the control of the brain''s subjective consciousness and could only be gradually controlled through training.

    If Lu Diyun could hear her thoughts, he would''ve fought her again in anger.

    Even the top martial artists couldn''t fully control their bodies as Keiko did. She was the exception among the exceptions.

    She looked at her hands with excitement. It was really a blessing in disguise for her. Her joy, however, was short-lived, as another problem soon knocked on her door, causing her yet another headache.

    After watching the training of the left-wing squadron for an afternoon, Miss Jeanne finally made a move.

    Keiko got a glimpse of her when she leaned over to Charlie beside her and said a few words to him secretly. After that, Lieutenant Charlie left, and she walked straight towards Keiko.

    At that time, Keiko had taken off the beret tucked under the soft epaulet, stretched it out again, put it on his head, and saluted Lieutenant Lu Diyun to show her respect.

    Jeanne walked out from behind her with a smile that didn''t reach her eyes, snatched Keiko''s beret, took off her own beret, and placed the two side by side on the edge of the first field.

    The soldiers were stunned when they saw her action. Keiko was also completely at a loss as to the inexplicable behavior of the eldest young lady.

    What Keiko didn''t know was the shock on other soldiers'' faces because they knew the meaning of her action, which represented a challenge to the opponent.

    Sure enough, Jeanne put on her hat, stood in front of Keiko, smiled slightly, and solemnly said,

    "Second Lieutenant Keiko, I, Jeanne Armstrong, officially issue a challenge to you! Do you accept it? "

 Chapter 39 - Keiko Vs. Jeanne (1)

    "Second Lieutenant Keiko, I, Jeanne Armstrong, officially issue a challenge to you! Do you accept it?"

    Keiko was dumbfounded. Then, she asked her in disbelief, "Are you sure you want to challenge me?"

    "Yes! Not only am I going to challenge you in combat competition, but also in the obstacle race," replied Jeanne confidently.

    Keiko, at this very moment, really wanted to shout, "Miss, you are crazy!" but the words choked in her throat.

    There was another way to quickly improve the ranking which was to directly issue a challenge order to the opponent. It was just that the soldiers generally didn''t do such provocative things because the challenge couldn''t be treated lightly. Unless the two parties really had an irreconcilable feud, it was very rare to see someone issue a challenge order.

    The first reason could be directly eliminated after all Jeanne and she didn''t belong to the same division, and Jeanne, as a civilian officer, had no combat ranking, so logically, this kind of challenge was meaningless.

    And for the second reason, Keiko thought it shouldn''t be possible because after some observation she felt that the relationship between the former "Keiko Lee" and this eldest lady was more than good, borderline ambiguous. There was no reason for her to issue a challenge because they had no irreconcilable feud with each other either.

    ''So, what the hell is this woman up to this time?''

    Keiko stood frozen, looking at Jeanne blankly.

    Although she accepted Jeanne''s challenge, she didn''t know what to do.

    Did Jeanne really want to fight her? How could this be possible? Jeanne could hardly fight, and her physical ability was not good at all. Wasn''t Jeanne bullying herself by picking a fight with her?

    "You don''t need to feel any pressure, Lieutenant Lee, let''s just compete fairly," Jeanne stood with her feet apart and ready her stance.

    Fair your sister!

    Keiko wanted to cry badly. She didn''t even know who this ridiculous competition was unfair to.

    The soldiers watching on the side were simply watching the fun, especially a guy like Seol-Hyun Ae, who couldn''t wait to watch a good show and kept pestering Keiko to hurry up and accept.

    Today''s training just got more and more interesting.

    "Hey, why don''t you attack?" Keiko hesitated for a moment, then said to Jeanne, "I really don''t want to attack first."

    "Why are you acting like a coward?" Jeanne laughed and mocked, "Are you that afraid of me?"

    ''Yes, I am!'' Keiko screamed inwardly.

    She then sighed helplessly, placed her right hand behind her back to prepare her stance, raised her left hand in a starting gesture, looked at Jeanne, and said, "You can attack first and I will also give you the handicap of one hand. Furthermore, I''ll only defend and not attack back."

    "Hey, Lieutenant Lee, don''t look down on me!" Jeanne snorted coldly and stopped talking nonsense with Keiko. She rushed towards Keiko to attack.

    As soon as she came in close distance, Jeanne kicked a series of small high kicks very rudely toward Keiko''s head, but Keiko blocked it with ease as she raised her left hand, patted her instep one by one, and slowly stepped back to ensure a safe distance.

    After completing five consecutive kicks, Jeanne swept over with another round high kick, and Keiko ducked and dodged it gracefully.

    ''You missed it for the second time, Miss¡­'' Keiko commented in her heart while a smile appeared on her face at the same time.

    Jeanne looked at her and saw her smirking. This annoyed her very much and made her really angry.

    She swung her right leg up and kicked again. Keiko raised her left arm to defend, and a question popped up in her heart, ''Miss, you only do Taekwondo?''

    "Yaah! Yaah!" Jeanne let out a squeak, and as soon as her right leg was touching the ground, she released another mid-section kick toward Keiko''s chest and abdomen.

    Keiko didn''t block this time.

    She just turned sideways and swiftly circled to Jeanne''s left side.

    Seeing this, Jeanne immediately changed her legs. This time it was a left stab kick. She thought she could reach Keiko this time, but she didn''t expect Keiko to suddenly laugh and lunge forward with her left shoulder.

    She supported Jeanne''s leg that was flying toward her, then quickly approached Jeanne, circled her left arm, bound her hands, and locked her arms and legs in her arms.

    At that moment, Jeanne was standing in the same position with her legs stretched upwards. If her ligaments were not good, she would probably scream out of pain, but Jeanne''s ligaments were quite flexible, so even if her left leg was forced by Keiko to raise above her shoulder, her expression didn''t change.

    The two of them were locked in an ambiguous position at the moment, which made people inadvertently think something ba¡ªcough¡­ inadvertently think that it was a little bit improper to treat the famous Miss Jeanne like this, don''t you think?

    Still, there was a lot of deliberate coughing, muffled laughter, and small whistles all around them. Although Jeanne''s expression was calm, her complexion was slowly turning red. Keiko didn''t care about them and just whispered in Jeanne''s ear.

    "Major, I''ll give you a piece of advice. If you fight again in the future, try to use your legs as little as possible. Martial arts pay the most attention to the lower body. If you can''t get stabilize your legs, it will cause many flaws, and the opponent will easily exploit such a mistake, just like now..."

    "Let me go!" Jeanne said angrily.

    She didn''t know why but she felt Jeanne was a little bit cute when she was angry.

    "Pardon my offense," Keiko said, letting go of her hand in a very gentlemanly manner and moving away.

    "Do you want to fight again, Major?" Keiko asked again.

    "No!" Jeanne said angrily, but her anger came and went quickly. After fixing her clothes, she calmed down. Then, she looked at Keiko and said, "Let''s go, let''s go, to the obstacle course!"

    "Are you sure?" Keiko raised her eyebrows and confirmed it again.

    "Of course, why are you talking so much nonsense?" Jeanne said in displeasure.

    Keiko was helpless and had no choice but to go with her.

    The training is actually over by now, and it''s time for dinner. However, the soldiers of the left-wing squadron did not want to miss this good show, and they all stayed in place to watch the competition.

    ###

    Author''s note:

    Hello, my dear reader!

    I want to give a boost to this book so I''ll do a targeted vote with a reward this week (21st Feb - 27th Feb).

    This week voting target:

    500 PS = Mass release 3 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    750 PS = Mass release 4 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    1000 PS = Mass release 5 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    Don''t worry, I have a sufficient amount of chapters in the stockpile this time, so it definitely not an empty promise!

    So, do me a favor and give me those power stones! Thank you all and happy reading!

 Chapter 40 - Keiko Vs. Jeanne (2)

    Jeanne and Keiko were about to move the venue to compare and the large troops also moved along. The scene was truly spectacular.

    "Remember, the dining hall is only open until 07.00 PM. Don''t be late if you don''t want to miss dinner!"

    Lieutenant Lu Diyun didn''t stop them. After all, army training was quite boring, and a little fun like this wouldn''t affect them very much. It''s just that he still deliberately reminded everyone to pay attention to the time. After all, he had checked his bracelet ID and it showed that it was 06.30 PM right now.

    After Lieutenant Lu Diyun fulfilled his obligation to remind them, he left first. He still wanted to have dinner. In his opinion, the result of the competition between Keiko and Jeanne had already been set in stone. There was no way the fragile Major Jeanne could cause an upset, so he didn''t want to waste his time watching them compete.

    Many soldiers also noticed the tight schedule, so most of the soldiers who were going to watch the fun with them eventually gave up. After training for the whole day, they were really hungry!

    Most of the people who came to watch the game were guys who had a close relationship with Keiko and liked to tease her, like Seol-Hyun Ae. Some were Keiko''s "fanatical fans" who admired Keiko, such as Antonio and Connie.

    Soon, Keiko and Jeanne were standing on the starting line.

    "Are you ready?" Seol-Hyun Ae held a flare gun in her hand, facing the sky, and asked.

    Seeing the two nod at the same time, she shouted.

    "Ready~"

    Bang!

    The signal gun was shot.

    Keiko and Jeanne reacted at the same time, but their strength was too far apart, Keiko rushed out like a cheetah, and Jeanne was left behind almost instantly.

    Going forward along the runway, the first stage was an army crawl where she needed to crawl through the ground net covered with barbed wire. Without the correct movement, not only would the clothes get hooked, but they might even hook into her skin, and wounded her.

    But this was so easy for Keiko. When she ran quickly to three meters in front of the ground net, she jumped straight forward, lying on the ground as if she was not afraid of pain, and then passed through the ground net area at an astonishing speed.

    After a short run, Keiko reached the second stage, the eight-meter ditch. Keiko increased her pace and then leaped above the 8-meter ditch gracefully as if a pair of wings sprouted from her back. While she was crossing over the ditch, Jeanne had just arrived at the ground net.

    The eldest lady was also fighting hard. She didn''t care about her image at all, nor was she afraid of getting dirty. She laid down on her front and crawled beneath the barbed wire hurriedly.

    Just now, Keiko had already passed the second obstacle and was running towards the hill run obstacle ahead. The obstacle was around 10 meters tall, with the slope''s angle at a terrifying 60 degrees. Climbing this obstacle was quite taxing, even for a Neo-human with enhanced strength.

    Of course, for Keiko, the obstacle in front of her didn''t pose any challenge.

    She ran directly upward, and her military boots stepped on the smooth slope in rapid succession, as if she was as light as a feather and had quickly reached the peak. And then, after crossing the peak, she quickly slides down. When she was about to touch the ground, she landed with a forward roll to release the downward force and convert that force into a boost, propelling her forward.

    Meanwhile, Jeanne managed to crawl to the middle of the ground net. The training uniform on her back had been hooked and the barb scratched her delicate skin.

    She gritted her teeth and, regardless of how painful it was, she continued to move forward.

    When she finally crawled out of the ground net, Keiko was long gone, but the eldest lady was not discouraged and continued to run towards the ditch.

    Unfortunately, for someone with low physical strength like her, the eight-meter ditch was akin to a natural moat for her, and she didn''t have the ability to jump over it no matter how hard she tried.

    The eldest lady didn''t hesitate and jumped inside the ditch, which was filled with mud. With her feet submerged under the mud, reaching her knees, she struggled to walk forward without whining.

    Her action shocked the soldiers watching on the outside of the training ground greatly, and they couldn''t help but admire the Major''s perseverance and unyielding spirit.

    Jeanne was struggling in the back and Keiko, who was running in front, wasn''t aware of it. From her point of view, since they were competing, she should focus and go all out as a sign of respect for her opponent.

    She soon reached the 20-meter long balance beam. With her extraordinary body''s balance, she ran through it at full speed as if running on the wide road. After getting off the balance beam, she entered the paintball obstacle almost immediately.

    The paintball launchers hidden all around the course quickly detected that someone was coming and fired several paintballs at her at high speed in succession.

    While running, Keiko focused her vision and hearing sense on the surroundings and blasted her way through the course, while executing some strange footwork. Those paintballs were shot randomly without any discernible pattern, so they could only be avoided by relying on reflex and intuition.

    The soldiers watched Keiko dodge the oncoming paintballs flawlessly as if she was performing some kind of exotic dance, with wide-open eyes and a dropped jaw.

    Keiko successfully went through the obstacle without even a single ball touching her body, getting the zero-mark record and breaking the record! As expected of the Goddess of War!

    On the other hand, Jeanne finally waded across the ditch and climbed ashore. She tried her best to dash through the board slope, but she slid back down halfway through the dash.

    One was that her momentum was not enough. The other reason was that her shoes became too slippery due to the mud that stained them, greatly reducing the friction force. But Jeanne rushed upward again and again without showing a sign of giving up.

    Meanwhile, Keiko was approaching the last obstacle, the 15-meter-high terrifying rock-climbing walls, which was the most troublesome for Keiko.

    She decided to take her time and, while she was observing the climbing path on the wall, she was also trying to plan the most efficient route she could take.

    While Keiko was still observing the rock-climbing obstacle, after many efforts, Jeanne finally crossed the board slope and carefully came down from the ladder. She could vaguely see the hesitant Keiko at the front.

    The hope in her heart lit up and she gritted her teeth and began to accelerate, but after getting on the balance beam, she no longer dared to sprint and could only tread the bridge carefully. As she moved forward, she did not forget to glimpse Keiko''s progress.. At that moment, Keiko had finished her calculations and started climbing.

 Chapter 41 - Precarious Situation

    While Keiko was still observing the rock-climbing obstacle, Jeanne finally crossed the board slope and carefully came down from the ladder after spending a lot of effort. She could vaguely see the hesitant Keiko at the front.

    The hope in her heart lit up and she gritted her teeth and began to accelerate, but after getting on the balance beam, she no longer dared to sprint and could only tread the bridge carefully.

    As she moved forward, she did not forget to glimpse Keiko''s progress.

    At that moment, Keiko had finished her calculations and started climbing.

    Slowly but surely, Jeanne finally crossed the balance beam safely, and then she hurriedly entered the paintball obstacle.

    The following scene made the soldiers watching on the side struggle to hold down their laughter.

    After several failed trials, Jeanne decided to give up dodging the paintball and rushed forward with her hands protecting her head. The paintballs were ruthlessly smashed into her body, and the unexpected pain caused Jeanne to let out a small yelp, while her body was very colorful right now, smeared with colorful paint. The sight was hilarious and pitiful at the same time.

    ''By the way, why are you working so hard, Major?'' All the soldiers had the same question on their minds.

    At the same time, Keiko had already climbed up the rock wall midway.

    Her hands and feet were very agile; both her arm strength and her finger grip were extremely strong. As long as she chose the right path, climbing the rock was naturally easy for her.

    Shortly, she had climbed the vertical part of the rock wall and set her sights on the protruding part of the climbing wall.

    Keiko hesitated for a moment and decided to take a risk.

    She suddenly released her hands, stomped her feet, and her body swung out in mid-air. With precise timing, she stretched her arm upward, clasping the edge of a rock and hanging herself in mid-air with only the strength of her ten fingers.

    She was up, hanging at 10 meters above the ground. The thrilling scene made the gallery exclaim in horror. If she failed to catch it, she would fall down in a free fall.

    "Horaaa!" She shouted fiercely.

    Keiko only relied on the strength of ten fingers to actually perform the difficult pull-ups. The terrifying waist strength enabled her to lift her legs in mid-air and hook them on the edge of a rock.

    "Damn it, it defies gravity!" Seol-Hyun Ae, who was watching the game from a pergola in the distance, couldn''t help but curse in excitement.

    Jeanne finally reached the last obstacle. Right now, she looked like a walking abstract painting; her upper body was covered with colorful paint, while her lower body was covered with mud. Unlike Keiko, she started climbing without planning her climbing path first.

    Just as she began climbing, the sound of "ding dong" rang in the air, signifying that Keiko had reached the top and touched the bell. Keiko had already won this game.

    Keiko was already standing on the safe platform above the rock wall. She leaned on the railing, looked below at Jeanne, and shouted, "Major, don''t climb up, it''s too dangerous!"

    However, Jeanne ignored her and, as if she didn''t care whether Keiko won or not, she kept climbing on her own. She was clumsily, and with painstaking effort, crawling up little by little.

    Keiko''s expression turned gloomy when she saw it and couldn''t help but shout again at her.

    "Major! Stop climbing!"

    Jeanne didn''t budge even a little and still stubbornly climbed up, reaching the midway.

    She seems to be good at climbing. Although her arm strength was not that strong, the path she chose was extremely easy to climb. She was thinking about how to climb while she was climbing, which was several times more difficult than Keiko''s method.

    Keiko leaned on the railing while gripping it so tightly that the railing was nearly bent. She felt very anxious seeing Jeanne like this for some reason that she herself didn''t understand.

    Although she won the game, she was not happy at all.

    She shouted several times, advising Jeanne to give up climbing, but Jeanne was really stubborn. Getting impatient, Keiko''s words became a little bit harsh.

    "What''s wrong with you? Do you want to die? Get down now!"

    "STOP! TELLING! ME! WHAT! TO! DO!"

    Jeanne snapped back at her, gritted her teeth, and continued her way to the top.

    Keiko was so angry that she unknowingly gripped the railing so hard it broke into two.

    Finally, Jeanne climbed to the section where the rock protruded and finally hesitated.

    She was thinking about how to overcome this terrifying difficulty. Her expression was very calm.

    Keiko couldn''t stand it anymore. She went down from the safe point and climbed down, intending to catch up with Jeanne.

    Originally, the person who climbed to the top could just go down by the stairs on the side, but she didn''t seem to notice it as her attention was fully occupied by Jeanne''s safety.

    Jeanne finally started moving. She decided to slowly cross the bulge by hanging upside down. She had already found a nice spot to climb. As long as she could hold it firmly, she was confident that she could reach the top.

    But something that she couldn''t foresee happened this time.

    Jeanne had been successful in reaching the other edge, but the mud on the bottom of her feet caused her to slip again. And this time, it was fatal.

    Jeanne''s feet slipped from the hold and her upside-down body swayed backward, causing her left hand to be thrown off the rock, leaving only her right hand clawed on the edge of the rock. She was hanging with only one hand at a height of more than ten meters, and she was about to fall.

    "Jeanne!!!" Keiko, who was watching this scene, subconsciously exclaimed, and hurriedly accelerated to climb down, "Hold on! I''ll save you!"

    ###

    Author''s note:

    Hello, my dear reader!

    I want to give a boost to this book so I''ll do a targeted vote with a reward this week (21st Feb - 27th Feb).

    This week voting target:

    500 PS = Mass release 3 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    750 PS = Mass release 4 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    1000 PS = Mass release 5 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    Don''t worry, I have a sufficient amount of chapters in the stockpile this time, so it definitely not an empty promise!

    So, do me a favor and give me those power stones! Thank you all and happy reading!

 Chapter 42 - Precarious Situation (2)

    "Jeanne!!!" Keiko, who was watching this scene, subconsciously exclaimed, and hurriedly accelerated to climb down, "Hold on! I''ll save you!"

    The sudden accident surprised the soldiers who were watching from the outside of the training ground, making their hearts race crazily with anxiety.

    A frail civilian officer who could fight so hard in a competition with a military officer has long been admired by the soldiers.

    In addition, combined with her beauty and talent, she practically became a goddess in the eyes of many soldiers.

    They didn''t want to see anything bad happen to their goddess.

    What was more concerning was that if Miss Jeanne had any accident, the entire Third Squadron could not bear the anger of General Armstrong.

    "Fetch the safety mattress right now!" Seol-Hyun Ae quickly issued the order to the soldiers.

    Antonio and Connie reacted really fast and rushed to the nearby warehouse to grab the safety mattress.

    Seol-Hyun Ae rushed into the training ground with a large group of soldiers, and while running, she ordered some people to climb up the rock wall from the stairs on the side, and some people followed her to build a rescue shelter with their arms below.

    This rock wall was actually not too dangerous for ordinary soldiers to climb. As long as you are not in a hurry, you could climb up one step at a time. In order to better fit the real environment in the wild, they deliberately designed it without protective measures to exercise the soldiers'' ability to overcome difficulties.

    The rock-climbing wall was around 15 meters high, equivalent to a five-story building. Even if the soldier fell from this height, it wouldn''t cause them much damage due to their strong physique.

    Although there was no soft pad for protection below, it was covered with dry sand, acting as a buffer when they fell. And for most soldiers, they had somehow gotten used to falling from such heights due to their self-protection training in the event of a high-altitude emergency fall. When falling, most soldiers could adjust their posture in the air to alleviate the injury caused by the landing.

    But for Jeanne, the result would be fatal.

    Jeanne''s physical ability was weak, maybe only comparable to an ordinary man in the old era. If she fell from such heights, at the very least, she would break one or two bones, and the worst was death.

    Originally, the soldiers thought that the match between Jeanne and Keiko was only a fun competition. She must''ve known her own ability and her limitations.

    Even if they saw her struggling so hard in the first half of the competition, the soldiers would only feel that she was saving her pride and wouldn''t think that the eldest lady would really challenge the last obstacle.

    Jeanne''s fear of heights was well-known throughout the entire army, and she never took the initiative to go to high places.

    In their minds, when Keiko rang the bell on the top of the climbing wall and won the match, the eldest lady would finally give up. Even if she conceded defeat, after such a heartfelt performance, no one would scorn or mock her for losing.

    But who knew Jeanne took the wrong medicine today? Despite her fear of heights, she kept climbing up. But then again, she didn''t even look down once, probably knowing that she would be unbearable if she looked down.

    Keiko had already climbed down to Jeanne''s side. Seeing Jeanne''s beautiful face was now full of perseverance to survive, mixed with fear and powerlessness, made Keiko''s heart twitch.

    Jeanne was hanging on one hand and was sliding down inch by inch. Even at such a critical moment, she did not cry or shout to vent her emotions; she tried her best to encourage herself and never gave up at all.

    Keiko tried to clasp the rock wall with one hand and support her body with one hand, but found that it was too difficult.

    "Just hold on for a while, and I''ll hold you from below."

    Without waiting for Jeanne''s reply, she had already descended the wall and soon reached the bottom of the rock where Jeanne was hanging.

    She found a rock with a hollow inside that was easier to grip, grabbed it firmly with one hand, and stretched out the other hand to reach Jeanne''s leg hanging in the air.

    "Don''t! Don''t move, I...I can''t hold it anymore, I will fall down..." Jeanne felt that Keiko was reaching her and hurriedly shouted.

    The soldiers who had already reached the top took off the armed belts around everyone''s waists, tied them into a rope, and hung them down.

    "Major! Grab the rope!" one of the soldiers urged.

    Jeanne tried to lift her left hand to reach it. It looked easy, but it was actually really difficult to do. With only one hand to support her body, it takes a lot of strength to lift the other hand above her head, and she needed to swing her body to reach out to the rope.

    Jeanne was utterly hopeless at this point. Her right hand''s fingers were barely clinging to the rock wall. If she risked doing such an action, in the event she failed to grasp the rope, the consequences would be disastrous.

    "This won''t work!" Keiko said urgently from below, and then said to Jeanne, "I will try to come over there in a minute. You hold on to the rock wall for a little bit longer. If you can''t hold out any longer, call me immediately!"

    After that, she climbed up a little more, her whole body clinging to the underside of the big bulge, and then she stretched out her hand, reaching out to Jeanne''s waist.

    She looked at Jeanne and tried to estimate the distance between them, and soon she frowned. Her distance was far enough to make her barely reach out to Jeanne.

    Keiko gritted her teeth and finally reached Jeanne''s waist and wrapped her in her embrace.

    "Ah! Keiko! I''m going to fall!"

    Due to Keiko''s pulling action, Jeanne''s fingers that were barely hung on the outer edge of the raised rock suddenly slipped off.

 Chapter 43 - Aftermath

    "Ah! Keiko! I''m going to fall!"

    Due to Keiko''s pulling action, Jeanne''s fingers that were barely hung on the outer edge of the raised rock suddenly slipped off.

    Just when she thought she would fall down, a tremendous force pulled her around her waist, saving her from the horrible fate that was awaiting her on the ground if she was really to fall.

    It was Keiko. She hugged Jeanne at a critical moment!

    The other soldiers were patting their chests and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    But at this moment, Keiko''s expression was getting worse; her veins nearly burst out; her handsome face was flushed red, and her body was trembling.

    She was now supporting the weight of two people with only three fingers of her left hand. And due to Jeanne''s sudden fall, a huge pressure instantly increased on the fingers of her left hand, making her fingers numb and cracked.

    "I... caught... you... I caught you..." Keiko was comforted with difficulty. It was unknown whether she was comforting Jeanne or herself.

    Jeanne looked like she was about to cry. She was panting rapidly, and hurriedly raised her left arm around Keiko''s neck to reduce the pressure on Keiko, and her right arm could no longer be lifted at the moment.

    Keiko roared furiously. She did anything she could do to make stable support for Jeanne, and eventually, she used her body to support Jeanne, who was lying on top of her at the moment, hanging in the air more than ten meters high.

    The two''s rapid breathing sounded in each other''s ears, and the undulating chests reached the same frequency. Jeanne closed her eyes and didn''t dare to look down at all. Her left hand was tightly hugging Keiko''s neck, and she turned her face and buried it in Keiko''s chest.

    "Lieutenant! How is it?!"

    Keiko gasped for a while and roared:

    "I can''t climb up with her! Get the safety mattress ready now!"

    Then Keiko heard the pitter-patter of footsteps from above; probably the people above her were going down to help. And there were even more raucous sounds from below as if there was the sound of an air pump. But she couldn''t hear it clearly, as if these voices were moving away from her, and with Jeanne''s slight whimper beside her ears, it looked like the invincible eldest lady was really scared.

    Keiko didn''t know how to comfort her. Although her current predicament was caused by this wilful girl, she didn''t feel angry, only heartbroken seeing her like this. For whatever the purpose, she was trying so hard this time, Keiko couldn''t help but admire this woman''s grit and perseverance.

    In the short dozen seconds when the air cushion was prepared below, Keiko and Jeanne were so close to each other, hanging in the air without saying a word.

    Keiko could still hold on, but the increasing pain in the tip of her left finger still made her frown. At this moment, Jeanne suddenly said something in a stammer.

    "You...didn''t say any words...just like that time..."

    Just like that time?

    "You don''t... go anymore... come back quickly..."

    Don''t go anymore? Go to where? Come back? Come back, where?

    "Who are you..."

    Jeanne mumbled some inexplicable words when she was suddenly interrupted by Seol-Hyun Ae''s voice below.

    "Keiko! Major Jeanne! The safety mattress is ready! You can come down now!"

    In the end, Jeanne seemed to murmur the words "Who are you..." over and over.

    Keiko could only hear it vaguely, but she didn''t concern herself with it. The eldest lady was probably frightened, and her mind might still be in a mess.

    "Major, we''re going down. Don''t be afraid. You close your eyes. It''s just a moment."

    "Yeah," Jeanne bit her lip.

    "Down we go!"

    Then, Keiko let go of her hand immediately and fell along with Jeanne. Jeanne felt uncomfortable falling from a high altitude and hugged Keiko tightly, not daring to let go at all.

    As a result, when the two were about to drop into the mattress, Keiko, who wanted to let go but failed because she was hugged tightly by Jeanne, forcibly put her body underneath Jeanne''s body to protect her. When they crashed down, Keiko felt her body crushed due to the impact. Her face turned blue from pain and her breath was ragged.

    Jeanne hurriedly stepped aside, then leaned down to check whether Keiko was injured, and she was secretly relieved when she saw that she was still intact.

    The two were quickly carried to the military hospital for examination. The military doctor on duty that night happened to be Keiko''s old acquaintance, Dr. Leah.

    Seeing the two of them being brought over together, Leah was slightly surprised. She asked about the current situation, and then she immediately started treatment for the two of them.

    Jeanne''s right arm, including part of her right shoulder and back, was strained and slightly dislocated, and her hands and back had different degrees of scratches and abrasions.

    The nails of the three fingers in the middle of Keiko''s left hand were cracked, and because of the excessive force, her muscles had been in a stiff state and could not be retracted, and her muscles were also strained.

    The medical technology in the army was very advanced these days. These kinds of injuries could be healed in an instant.

    They took off their clothes, put on the ointment, and went inside the recovery capsules. When they come out again, the pain had been greatly reduced. Then, Leah bandaged her arms again, and the treatment was over.

    However, Keiko''s cracked fingernails were a little troublesome, and Leah wrapped her fingers little by herself, telling her that it was best not to use her left hand soon, and to come to her every day to change the bandage.

    "There you are, once again, being a hero saving the damsel in distress. I say Miss Jeanne must have been falling head over heels for you by now," Leah joked while helping her bandage her fingers.

    "What nonsense are you talking about?" Keiko''s face blushed fiercely.

    "Hooo~ the "Death Reaper" can also make a face like this? so cute~" teased Leah.

    "You misunderstood. It''s not like what you are thinking at all," Keiko said helplessly. She seems to have vaguely understood the reason why Jeanne acted like this today.

    By the time Keiko finished all the treatments, it was already past eight o''clock in the evening, and the soldiers who accompanied them had already left.

    When she left the treatment room, there was no one else in the corridor, only Jeanne, who was crossing her arms and standing gracefully not far away, waiting for her in the middle of the night.

 Chapter 44 - The Scheming Miss Jeanne

    By the time Keiko finished all the treatment, it was already past eight o''clock in the evening, and the soldiers who accompanied them had already left.

    When she left the treatment room, there was no one else in the corridor, only Jeanne was hanging her arms and standing gracefully not far away, waiting for her in the middle of the night.

    She had recovered from the fear and helplessness back then and has regained the appearance of the unfathomable queen, except for her eyes who was still a little bit red and swollen and the paint that still sticking on her hair, which was the leftover from her embarrassing state before.

    Keiko stepped forward and said, "Major, you should go back to rest."

    Jeanne looked at her and said nothing.

    Keiko was a little uncomfortable when she looked at her like this. She turned her head, avoiding Jeanne''s gaze, and rubbed her elbow unconsciously.

    Jeanne noticed her small movements and broke into a faint smile.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, if you don''t want to be found out, you should pay attention to small gestures like this in the future. You like to rub your elbow when you are embarrassed. Your habit is too obvious."

    Keiko paused her moment right away, blushing in embarrassment.

    But then she suddenly realized something wrong, ''Rubbing my elbow is my habit, when did it become the former Keiko''s habit? Why are we have similar habit?''

    While she was wondering, Jeanne''s words continued, "Thank you for saving me today. I''m sorry for causing trouble for you these past days."

    She was so polite it really didn''t fit her usual image as the Lady Queen, and Keiko didn''t know how to reply to her.

    Suddenly, Jeanne changed the conversation, "I was wrong to bully you in the field I''m best at so I let you bully me in something you good at, so we are even now. I''m not going to ask you the secret between my dad and you anymore. You can train with peace of mind these days and I won''t make trouble for you again. For the harsh words I said to you before, you should treat me as being angry, don''t take it too seriously."

    "¡­" Keiko was a little suspicious, did the eldest miss was really going to let the matter rest this easily?

    "Okay, we are all injured today, let''s go to rest early." Without waiting for Keiko''s reply, she took the lead exited the hospital.

    Jeanne''s uncertain and unpredictable behavior was really puzzling Keiko.

    She might show the temper of the eldest young lady¡ªreckless and wilful¡ªon the surface but Keiko suspected that she did these actions with a purpose in her mind. It was just that what that specific purpose was, Keiko didn''t know and she felt Jeanne''s intention was still covered in a layer of fog.

    She originally thought that Jeanne was trying to make things difficult for her, to make her feel like she was being targeted, and thus strengthened her vigilance. Then she deliberately showed her tough, brave, and cute image in front of her to win her favor, so that she would feel at ease and subconsciously dropped her guard around her. In this way, Jeanne only needed to sit down and have a good talk with her and she could get the information she wanted directly from her mouth.

    But, after every step was done, leaving only this last crucial step to set into motion, Jeanne actually gave up to continue to investigate that matter, causing Keiko to become more confused. In the end, Keiko couldn''t figure out why she had done what she have done.

    Also, every word she said didn''t seem like much at the time, but when you analyzed it carefully, it made people feel a subtle meaning coming from it.

    For example, when Jeanne said, "Second Lieutenant Lee, if you don''t want to be found out, you should pay attention to small gestures like this in the future," no matter how Keiko tried to discern the meaning of this sentence afterward, she felt that it was very wrong.

    But was there such a coincidence in the world? How could she and the previous Keiko have the same habits, even for a small gesture? If the small probability of it happening by chance was ruled out, then when Jeanne said this, she clearly wanted to see Keiko''s reaction, and Keiko''s reaction at the time... Looking back, Keiko''s reaction had been not too good.

    There is also the sentence "I was wrong to bully you in the field I''m best at so I let you bully me in something you good at, so we are even now," which sounds very childish. When the eldest lady said this sentence, it was soon followed by the sentence "I caused you trouble, please forgive me."

    According to the arrogant character of the eldest lady, what she said seemed to be natural, but Keiko had a strange feeling that Jeanne''s expression was very subtle at that time as if it wasn''t her who said this but she was just repeating a sentence someone had said to her before.

    After saying this sentence, Keiko clearly remembered that there was a strange pause between the next sentence. Jeanne glanced at her before looking away and continuing to speak.

    The eldest lady was clearly trying to figure out something, but she didn''t realize it at the time. When she came to this conclusion, Keiko broke into a cold sweat almost instantly. Could it be that Jeanne was already aware that she was not the original Keiko? If her guesses were correct then perhaps her identity had been exposed.

    This kind of scheming... As expected of a resourceful senior officer in the army, with such a deep mind, it was impossible to guard against it!

    ###

    Author''s note:

    Hello, my dear reader!

    I want to give a boost to this book so I''ll do a targeted vote with a reward this week (21st Feb - 27th Feb).

    This week voting target:

    500 PS = Mass release 3 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    750 PS = Mass release 4 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    1000 PS = Mass release 5 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    Don''t worry, I have a sufficient amount of chapters in the stockpile this time, so it definitely not an empty promise!

    So, do me a favor and give me those power stones! Thank you all and happy reading!

 Chapter 45 - Opportunity

    During the next training period, Jeanne really did what she said and didn''t make trouble for Keiko again.

    Despite their injuries being quickly healed thanks to Dr. Leah''s treatment, Jeanne appeared less and less on the training ground.

    Keiko didn''t know what she was doing, and even though she appeared occasionally, she stopped paying attention to Keiko, as if they had become strangers.

    This made the surrounding officers and soldiers suspicious that something wrong was going on.

    Everybody knew that Keiko rescued Jeanne twice, so Jeanne shouldn''t have given Keiko a cold shoulder. Could it be that the two have an argument?

    They didn''t dare ask Jeanne, so they all came to ask Keiko.

    "Lieutenant, did you have a misunderstanding with Major Jeanne? Why is she ignoring you?"

    Keiko wanted to cry without tears. Misunderstanding? It would be nice if it was something as simple as a misunderstanding.

    The training was progressing very smoothly. Everyone had a better grasp of the formation under the new system. It was time for the Third Squadron to test their understanding using a real mecha.

    On the seventh day of training, Keiko finally piloted a real mecha for the first time. Unlike the virtual system, the real mecha seemed to be much easier to control and not as sensitive.

    Therefore, she was even more skillful in piloting her mecha; her movements became more agile, fast, and precise. If the officers and soldiers around her knew about the progress of her skills, they would''ve been scared to death by her.

    One day during training, Keiko was suddenly summoned to Jeanne''s office. Although she had no idea why Jeanne suddenly requested her presence after ignoring her for many days, Keiko still followed the order and came into Jeanne''s office.

    But before that, she returned to her dorm to have a quick shower. For some unknown reason, the thought of her getting sweaty and looking messy when meeting Jeanne made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

    After finishing showering, she changed into her usual officer''s combat attire and tied her long, cascading hair into a ponytail. She checked her appearance a few times in front of the mirror, and after she was satisfied, she exited her dorm and went to Jeanne''s office.

    Soon, she arrived in front of Jeanne''s door. She was a little bit anxious and hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door.

    "Pardon me, Ma''am. Cadet Keiko Lee requests permission to enter."

    "Come in."

    A voice as clear as the chirping of an Oriole came from inside the room. Keiko didn''t dawdle and entered inside.

    Jeanne sat gracefully on her chair while skimming through the stacks of documents in front of her. She was wearing the same green double-breasted style military uniform as the one she wore in the picture that Keiko saw the day she woke up in Sleipnir Base.

    Her eyelashes were fluttering while her eyes stuck to the document in front of her, not looking at Keiko at all.

    Keiko didn''t mind her attitude and gave her a salute before asking.

    "Is there anything you need from me, Major?"

    Listening to Keiko''s straightforward question, Jeanne slightly frowned, threw the document in her hand onto the table, and looked squarely at Keiko, "I know it. You still resent me after what happened at the training season several days ago."

    Keiko nearly coughed in shock when she heard Jeanne''s words.

    ''Don''t you just keep avoiding me these days?! Why did it seem that I was the one who wronged you when it came from your mouth?''

    ''Nevermind, nevermind¡­ I can''t use ordinary people to predict this eldest lady''s behavior. Just let her be¡­'' Keiko silently gave herself a pat on the back while still keeping a poker face.

    "No, no, no, I don''t dare," Keiko shook her head hurriedly.

    "You don''t need to refute it," Jeanne retorted, "I know I''ve caused trouble for you a lot these days, and you even saved my life, so I''ll give you an opportunity as compensation."

    Keiko was taken back by Jeanne''s proposal. She never expected that the proud and arrogant eldest miss would acknowledge her mistake. She didn''t know how to reply because she was honestly not that bothered by the accident, more so after seeing the helpless and frightened expression on Jeanne''s face at that time. She only hoped that this belligerent young lady wouldn''t be so reckless anymore.

    Keiko''s expression turned serious and she solemnly said, "You really don''t need to, Major. Honestly, I''m not bothered about what happened before. After all, there is always a chance to be injured¡ª"

    "Okay, enough!" Jeanne waved her hand and interrupted Keiko''s speech. She lifted her chin, giving Keiko a sidelong glance, and then spoke in an overbearing manner, "Do I need your permission to reward you for saving my life? I''m only informing you, not seeking your opinion."

    Keiko forcefully swallowed back her words just now. In the end, she nodded in agreement.

    "Alright, I understand."

    This was the daughter of Seven Star General Armstrong that she knew¡ªdomineering with the aura of a queen, wilful like a spoiled princess, but also authoritative like a seasoned general.

    It was just that she had seen the other side of herself that people had never seen before. The angry expression she made when she''d thrown a tantrum after losing against her in the fighting match was especially cute.

    So, Keiko just thought of her attitude as a grumpy cat that wanted to exert its dominance.

    Her lips unknowingly curved upwardly into a smile.

    "Why are you smiling? Are you thinking of something rude right now?" Jeanne squinted her beautiful eyes, glaring daggers at Keiko.

    "No, no, how could I? It must be just your imagination, Major," Keiko lied without batting an eye.

    "Hmph. Whatever!" Jeanne gave Keiko an angry glare before snorting coldly.

    "Cough¡­ Anyway, what kind of opportunity are you talking about, Major? Can you elaborate more?" Keiko quickly changed the topic to escape the awkward situation.

    "What do you think us women gained when we forsook our ability to bear a child?"

    "Hmm, isn''t it physical strength?"

    "Many people think so, but I don''t think it''s the case. If you looked at the statistics, although women''s physical strength had been improving, it was still a little bit short compared to men," Jeanne grabbed a stack of papers from the table and put them in front of Keiko, which Keiko quickly skimmed one by one. While Keiko was still reading the document, Jeanne continued, "The real advantage of women''s evolution is the improvement of their mental strength, which is one of the factors that affect the ability to control mecha. That''s why if you look closer at the data of the whole Mecha Brigade, you''ll find that the female to male ratio is close to 2:1. This is the reason why the higher positions in the Mecha Brigade are usually occupied by women."

    After Keiko had finished reading through the document and placed it back on the table, she looked at Jeanne with a puzzled expression and said, "But.... What does this have to do with me?"

 Chapter 46 - Project Valkyries Profile

    After Keiko had finished reading through the document and placed it back on the table, she looked at Jeanne with a puzzled expression and said, "But... What does this have to do with me?"

    "Do you know what position I''m in in the military aside from my rank as a Major?" Jeanne asked.

    Keiko hesitated for a moment and then answered, "You''re the chief instructor at Baldwin Academy of Military and also the chief researcher at Feynman Institute of Science."

    "That''s right," Jeanne nodded, "One of my projects right now is to design a new prototype mecha that can exploit the advantage of a person''s high mental strength to sustain a longer period of complete synchronization between the pilot and their mecha." She sent another document to Keiko''s table, "We call this project "Valkyrie''s Profile", and one of the requirements to be the test pilot for this new mecha is that the person should have above-average mental strength. Until now, I''m the only person capable of being its test pilot among the researchers if we only take mental strength into account. But I''m a non-combatant officer, so we need another test pilot for this project. And here you come into the picture. You also lost your mecha in your last mission, right? So, it''s a happy coincidence."

    "Am I really suitable for this project?" Keiko asked bluntly. She didn''t know what Jeanne was planning by inviting her to join this project, so she felt a little bit wary. She spat out some excuses, "After all, I''ve never known about my mental strength before. And it''s not like no one is more capable than me, like Captain Amanda, for example."

    Jeanne saw the wariness in Keiko''s eyes and sneered, "Huh, do you always have such low self-esteem? Where is the "Death Reaper" that beat me down several days ago?"

    "No, I just¡­"

    "And you obviously didn''t listen to what I said before," Jeanne rolled her eyes at Keiko, not allowing her to finish her sentence, "If we only considered mental strength as the requirement for the test pilot, this opportunity might not have come to you." She added, "You are also aware of it, using hot weapons in an environment full of greeneries isn''t exactly the best thing. Because of this reason, the prototype was designed to be a close combat mecha using cold weaponry. Other than mental strength, we need a person with top physical strength and extraordinary combat ability."

    While speaking, Jeanne got up from her chair and walked closer to Keiko, stood in front of her, and patted her shoulder, "When it comes to martial arts, even the seasoned soldiers couldn''t hold a candle to you, this I guarantee." Jeanne spoke with so much confidence that it flattered Keiko, making her heart a little bit warmer. That''s why you''re the top priority as the pilot candidate right now. What do you think? Do you want to take this opportunity?"

    Keiko hesitated for a bit before muttering, "I¡­ I think I want to give it a try¡­"

    She still didn''t trust this cunning lady wholeheartedly, but she also didn''t want to disappoint someone who had high expectations of her.

    "Good, I''ve already installed the prototype mecha data to your personal ID. So, you can start familiarizing yourself with this mecha," Jeanne clapped her hand happily, and her eyes shone brilliantly. She continued, "Several days later, before the field training, the prototype will be sent here from the Feynman Institute. You''ll be able to try it in real-time very soon."

    "¡­." Keiko was speechless. She felt that she had unknowingly fallen into one of Jeanne''s traps.

    Jeanne didn''t know what Keiko thought, but even if she did, she would only show a cunning smile at her.

    She reminded Keiko, "And you must remember that this is an opportunity. It means that you''re not guaranteed to be selected as the project''s test pilot. You need to prove yourself first."

    Keiko nodded in understanding and asked, "What should I do?"

    "Do you know the monster arena in the virtual mecha battle platform?"

    "Yes."

    "Then it''s easy," Jeanne had come back to her chair. She slumped comfortably on her chair, smiled at Keiko while crossing her hands, and said, "If you can reach the top 3 ranks within a week, the new mecha will be yours."

    Top 3.

    It would be difficult, but it wasn''t impossible.

    After all, she had gotten used to piloting a mecha and her training had shown it worth it. Even when she compared her skills with Lieutenant Lu Diyun who had the best mecha piloting skill in Left-Wing Squadron, she didn''t get left behind that far.

    The thing that she got concerned with was the commotion that would occur afterward. She didn''t want to draw unwanted attention lest she risked accidentally exposing herself, the situation would be gotten out of hand by then.

    "Can I not submit the results into the system ranking?"

    Keiko was aware that the system had an option to conceal the battle records when requested by the record holder. This feature was usually used by researchers or soldiers involved in confidential projects so that the results and data of their battle wouldn''t be leaked to the public.

    "Heh, you''re really acting low-profile huh?" Jeanne sneered mockingly but didn''t disagree with her, "Suit yourself. You just need to send me the screenshot next week. You still have my contact on your list, don''t you?"

    "Yes, yes." Keiko nodded like a chick pecking at rice. And then she asked, "Is there anything else, Major?"

    "Are you that eager to stay away from me?" Jeanne frowned; her face revealed a slightly hurt expression.

    Keiko''s heart twitched as she saw Jeanne''s hurtful expression. She quickly coaxed her, "No, no. I just don''t want to disturb Major resting time any longer."

    To her surprise, Jeanne''s expression quickly changed like a cunning fox, she waved her hand and an evil smile appeared on her lips, "Heh, I''m done with you. You can go now."

    Keiko just realized that Jeanne was easily playing her like a fiddle. She shook her head inwardly and sighed deeply.

    "Thank you, Major!"

    She saluted and then exit the room hurriedly.

    Jeanne looked at her disappearing back and her smile deepened.

    ###

    Author''s note:

    Hello, my dear reader!

    I want to give a boost to this book so I''ll do a targeted vote with a reward this week (21st Feb - 27th Feb).

    This week voting target:

    500 PS = Mass release 3 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    750 PS = Mass release 4 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    1000 PS = Mass release 5 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    Don''t worry, I have a sufficient amount of chapters in the stockpile this time, so it definitely not an empty promise!

    So, do me a favor and give me those power stones! Thank you all and happy reading!

 Chapter 47 - Keikos Determination

    The horizons lit up, the swirls of red and orange fading into blue and purple.

    Keiko watched the fading sunset in surprise.

    The meeting between Jeanne and her went on for so long that, unknowingly, the day was just about to turn into the night when she came out of Jeanne''s office.

    "Growl~" A faint blush marred her cheek when Keiko heard her stomach making a rumbling sound. At first, she wanted to go directly to the virtual mecha training room to check out the new mecha, but she quickly changed her mind and hurriedly went to the dining room to grab her dinner.

    She was just entering the officer''s dining room when a sweet voice came from behind her.

    "Keiko-chan~"

    "Yes, Seol-Hyun. Done with your dinner?"

    When Keiko turned around, she saw Seol-Hyun Ae, who clad in a white T-shirt and military trousers, which accentuated her stunning figure, waving her hand and smiling at her. Keiko returned her greeting, smiling back at Seol-Hyun Ae.

    "Nope. Just coming here. Want to grab some foods together?"

    "Yeah. Sounds good."

    Keiko and Seol-Hyun Ae went to order their food. Keiko ordered a bowl of ramen with a beef topping, and Seol-Hyun Ae was craving light and tasty Aglio olio. After their food arrived, they walked to an empty table, put their food on the table, and quickly took a seat.

    Keiko grabbed the chopstick and clasped it in her hand, uttering "Itadakimasu" before slurping her ramen with gusto.

    "Hey, Keiko-chan, how is it? Have you made up with Major Jeanne?"

    Keiko nearly choked out her food when she heard Seol-Hyun''s question. Her hand quickly snatched a glass of water on the table, and she gulped it down in one shot.

    "Cough¡­ you''re overthinking it. It''s not like I have a quarrel with Major Jeanne."

    "Hmph. Who are you trying to fool? Even a blind man can see something is going on between you two."

    "Don''t talk about this matter again," Keiko said, clearly avoiding the topic.

    Seol-Hyun Ae frowned, clearly dissatisfied with Keiko''s answer. But, sensing that Keiko didn''t want to talk about it again, she soon gave up.

    "Anyway, why did the Major call you up this afternoon? She doesn''t make things difficult again for you, right?"

    Seol-Hyun asked worriedly. She still remembered how the eldest lady made trouble for Keiko and her teams in the early days of training.

    She didn''t understand why Miss Jeanne treated her savior that badly since she didn''t look like a person who couldn''t differentiate between grudge and gratitude. So there must be a deeper meaning to her actions.

    "No," Keiko shook her head, "We just discussed some projects."

    "What project?" asked Seol-Hyun Ae curiously.

    "Sorry, it''s confidential. I can''t talk about it right now," replied Keiko apologetically.

    "So, it''s like a secret only between you two? how sweet~"

    "What nonsense are you talking about?!"

    Keiko blushed furiously under Seol-Hyun''s teasing which made Seol-Hyun tease her even more.

    Around 15 minutes later, both of them had finished their dinner.

    "You are not going back to the dorm?"

    "No, I still have something I want to review from the training this morning, so I''ll head to the virtual mecha training room first."

    "Okay, don''t work too late. We still have a session tomorrow morning."

    "Okay. Good night, Seol-Hyun."

    "Good night, Keiko-chan~"

    Keiko and Seol-Hyun Ae separated their ways, and then Keiko headed toward the training ground with a stride. Soon she reached her destination and then walked into the virtual mecha training room in a hurried step.

    The light in the room was still lit up, indicating that someone was still inside. Keiko''s eyes wandered about the room, and soon she found one of the simulation chambers still active.

    "Who is still practicing this late?"

    Keiko had her curiosity piqued and slowly approached the chambers to see the person inside.

    Before she could peep through the chamber''s window, the hissing sound of hydraulic pressure entered Keiko''s ear, and she saw the chamber''s door suddenly open, revealing the figure inside.

    A petite girl came from inside on her wobbling feet. Her face was pale; most likely she had overexerted herself. After speaking with Jeanne today, Keiko was aware that operating mecha, or in this case, a simulation chamber, drained a person''s mental strength very quickly. So, when someone piloted a mecha for a long time, though they were alright physically, they were mentally exhausted.

    Keiko rushed to her support and said, "Connie, are you okay?!"

    "Ah¡­ Lieutenant Keiko, I''m sorry for troubling you. It seemed that I overestimated myself¡­" Connie smiled wryly.

    "How could you become so tired? How long have you been here?"

    "I don''t know. Maybe one or two hours?"

    "Have you had your dinner?"

    "Ah¡­ I forgot¡­"

    "So that''s the case."

    Keiko looked at the limping Connie with a narrowed gaze, stretched her hands over her head, and gave her forehead a rather strong flick.

    "Ouch!" Connie was reflexively rubbing her forehead with her palm and staring begrudgingly at Keiko with her watery eyes.

    "That''s your punishment," Keiko said, ignoring her angry look, "No one forbids you to have an independent training session, but you can''t do it excessively. I''ll forgive you this one time because it''s your first offense. Next time, there''ll be official punishment, so don''t repeat the same mistake again."

    Before Connie gave her reply, Keiko added, "Thank you for your hard work. Now, go and rest so you can be in shape for tomorrow''s training."

    "Thank you, Lieutenant Keiko." Connie thanked Keiko sincerely, the anger she felt before disappearing without a trace, replaced with the utmost gratitude and respect. "I''ll excuse myself."

    "Okay, good night."

    "Good night to you too, Lieutenant," Connie was slightly taken back by how casual and friendly her idol was, and her face beamed with a smile before she left the room.

    A faint smile adorned Keiko''s face as she shook her head after Connie disappeared from her sight. She turned around, swung her steps toward the exosuit shelves, picked one exosuit and donned it in a skillful manner, and then she trudged to one of the simulation chambers, pressed the button beside the chambers to open it, and after the door had been pushed open, she entered inside with a determined gaze.

    ''I must get stronger so I can protect myself and my cute subordinates,'' Keiko vowed in her heart.

    Inside, she connected the plugs from her exosuit to the simulation chamber''s bridge port and immediately logged on inside the simulation system.

 Chapter 48 - Hela-Type Mecha

    After logging on, Keiko immediately accessed her account and checked the list of available mecha under her account.

    Just like what Jeanne said to her before, other than the Sieg MK-1 and Sieg MK-2 that had been there from the beginning, there was another mecha whose name appeared on the list: Hela MK-1.

    She clicked the name right away, and a page containing the mecha''s detailed profile and information popped up on her visor''s screen.

    Once she saw the mecha''s 3D model, she couldn''t help but click her tongue in admiration and check out the big beauties from head to toe. She had to admit that the name Hela had really done the new mecha justice.

    If her memory hadn''t failed her, Hela¡ªthe codename of this mecha, could have been inspired by one of the Norse Mythology goddesses, Hela¡ªthe goddess who rules over the underworld realm of the same name, also known as the Bringer of Death and the Children of Destruction.

    Speaking of which, she, or to be precise, the former Keiko, also had the moniker "Death Reaper," which was also a great match with the origin of the mecha''s name, as if it was built solely for her. She didn''t know if it was a coincidence or if the eldest miss had her hand on this too. Either way, it didn''t prevent her from falling in love at first sight with this exquisite mecha.

    Hela MK-1 was clad mainly in black, with purple accents on several parts all across her body like in her head, booster, joint, and in many delicate places. Unlike the Sieg-type mecha, which was quite bulky and clunky, the Hela MK-1 was more on the leaner side and slightly curvaceous. If she was a real person, her figure would surely attract many covetous gazes as well as envious gazes from men and women alike. From the way she looked, it was clear to the eyes than the mecha, Hela MK-1, was specially designed for female mech pilots.

    However, it didn''t mean that this mecha was lacking defensive capabilities. In fact, she was made from the latest invention by Feynman, an alloy composite combination of miracle stones, graphene, steel, and many rare metals which made it even sturdier than a pure miracle stone but also lighter. After all, this mecha was designed to be a close-combat-oriented mecha, so it couldn''t be so frail that it would be broken easily.

    Hela MK-1 was equipped with a mechanism that allowed her limbs to be instantly replaced by a retractable high-frequency blade. If Keiko wanted to, the mecha could have two pairs of blades as a limb instead of a pair of arms and legs. In Keiko''s case, it was actually very beneficial for her because, as a swordmaster, she was really familiar with the concept of "man and sword as one" or "sword as an extension of the body."

    On her head, there were a pair of horn-like antennas which had the function of sending and receiving the signal from the Tower of Babel. It also provided better control of the mecha.

    Speaking of which, Hela MK-1, unlike her predecessor, used a "Complete Synchronization System" instead of a "Micro-motion Synchronization System". It meant that they literally controlled the mecha as if they were controlling their own body.

    Just like the vast difference in energy consumption between lifting a 100 kg stone using a lever or without a lever, fully controlling a mecha took a heavy toll on someone''s body, it was too much even for Keiko, who was considered to have superhuman strength. Here was where mental strength played its part.

    In the old era, many people believed that the power of the mind contained an extraordinary power within it. Telekinetic or psychokinetic power was one of the most famous applications of this power, which was usually demonstrated by bending a spoon or moving an object without touching it.

    Sure, most of the people who claimed that they had telekinetic or psychokinetic power were either frauds or street magicians playing their little tricks, but by no means was the whole concept just a madman''s gibberish. In fact, the first mecha system was built using the concept as its foundation.

    This magical power was able to lessen the burden on the pilot''s body by directly sharing its burden, expending a lot of their mental strength. That was why, just like Connie previously, when someone tapped into the mecha system for a long time, they would become both physically and mentally exhausted. Project "Valkyrie''s Profile" specifically tried to optimize the usage of a person''s mental strength.

    Keiko felt a bit nervous but was also very eager to try this new mecha.

    After scanning through the mecha''s information a little bit more, Keiko closed the mecha''s profile page and entered the main menu. She quickly found the mecha battle platform option, selected it, and then a new interface came into her sight.

    The mecha battle platform included several modes, including group battle simulation, battle arena, and monster arena.

    Group Battle Simulation was the main topic of their summer training camp. Keiko was very familiar with this mode.

    Battle Arena was where the soldiers could battle other soldiers using mecha, just like the combat competition, individual mecha battle also had its own ranking. Furthermore, unlike the battle competition that was divided by division, the mecha battle ranking included the entire Federal army.

    Keiko was actually quite interested in this mode but quickly dismissed the thought. First, she still had many things on her plate and, in addition to the ever-approaching field training, it was more beneficial for her to fight monsters and familiarize herself with their strength and weaknesses rather than compete with other soldiers, which was only to satiate her curiosity and battle lust.

    So, she ignored the other options and decisively selected the Monster Arena. She could do a 1v1 battle, a 1v5 battle, and a 5v5 battle that involved other soldiers, so she wouldn''t choose it for the time being. It meant that her only options were a 1v1 battle or a 1v5 battle.

    She was excited to test the new mecha''s prowess, but before that, she didn''t forget to check the Monster Arena''s Ranking Board.

    Keiko''s eyes opened widely, and she almost couldn''t control her expression when she saw the name at the top of the ranking list.

 Chapter 49 - Monster Arena

    "I don''t expect this¡­ she is the first ranking¡­"

    Keiko muttered in disbelief when she found out that Jeanne was ranked first, despite not being a combatant officer. She knew that Jeanne''s mecha control skills were good, but she didn''t expect them to be this good. It was a shame that she wasn''t blessed with a better physique, or she might''ve already been promoted to Colonel or higher rank.

    Her result even outclassed the second seat by almost twice the points. The second seat was currently occupied by Major General Lynx Ardora. If Keiko didn''t remember wrongly, she was the leader of the Southwestern Division Mecha Brigade.

    And the third seat was actually occupied by Captain Amanda Hill from the Third Squadron, who was also her superior. This fact also surprised Keiko. It turned out that she had been unknowingly assigned to the team with one of the most skilled mecha pilots at its helm.

    She continued checking out the rankings and found the name of her colleague: Lieutenant Lu Diyun ranked 15th and Lieutenant Valentine ranked 21st. Other than the two of them, no one from the third squadron ranked in the top 50.

    She and Seol-Hyun Ae were still not ranked since they had only been transferred to Mecha Brigade recently.

    Keiko remembered the score needed to be ranked in the top 3 and closed the Monster Arena''s Ranking Board, immediately picking the 1v1 mode for warming up and getting used to the new mecha.

    The opponent she chose this time was the Furious Earth Dragon that she had fought with several weeks ago. She had already faced this monster and knew what its weak point was. So, this monster was the most suitable for her first solo battle using a mecha.

    She chose Hela MK-1 as her mecha and the Furious Earth Dragon as her opponent without hesitation. Then, after pondering for a while, she decided on a plain training arena as the venue of their battle.

    In fact, she could also choose a variety of combinations of venues and settings, such as rainforest on a rainy day, a meadow at the night, or even underwater battle in the ocean in summer or scorching-hot-battle inside the volcano during the winter. But, before she could control her Hela to the utmost extent, she would keep it as simple as possible.

    In less than a minute, the system had finished the setup for the environment and monster simulation. Keiko was currently looking through the mecha''s view. Fortunately, Hela MK-1 had the same height as Sieg-Type Mecha, so Keiko didn''t feel disoriented. She could only see an empty field in front of her.

    "It means that ugly monster is still hiding," Keiko said while looking at one red dot and one blue dot on the radar screen. She immediately wanted to retreat a bit to put some distance between herself and the Furious Earth Dragon so she could start experimenting with her new mecha.

    Just as she swung her right leg a step backward, she felt her foot become so sluggish, like there was a shackle on it.

    "The hell, it''s heavy!"

    One that should''ve been a smooth movement turned into a stumble and then the mecha fell down on one knee and looked like someone who had done a forward lunge. Keiko ended up in an awkward position.

    This was the first time Keiko felt the resistance from the mecha. Usually, when someone piloted a mecha that used the "micro-motion synchronization system" they would only feel a negligence amount of feedback because the mecha system would automatically amplify their movement. But, with the new "Complete Synchronize System", this advantage would naturally disappear, and instead, the pilot would be able to control the mecha as naturally as they control their own body.

    Keiko felt like she was an ordinary person wearing a pair of 50-pound weights around her ankles and wrists. She momentarily forgot about the existence of the Furious Earth Dragon, which was still lurking underground as she tried to randomly move parts of her body to get used to the feeling as soon as possible. The more she shook, swayed, and flexed, the more comfortable she felt. Not long after, she had completely adapted to the sensation, and now she could move freely, albeit a tiny bit slower.

    Her attention was suddenly attracted by the approaching red dot on the screen, which was getting closer dangerously fast. If it was before, she would definitely opt to retreat, but now, after regaining her confidence, she decided to face the monster head-on.

    Keiko began counting down as the Furious Earth Dragon got closer and closer. The ground started shaking; Hela MK-1''s pair of high-vibration blades were silently hissing. She was already in her stance¡ªthe stance of the Nameless kenjutsu she inherited from her father; this was the first time she could perfectly execute it while driving a mecha.

    Boom!

    The earth cracked open and a black, huge thing was seemingly about to emerge; at this exact moment, Keiko''s blade shone blue light as she swung her right arms upside down.

    Slice¡ª

    The oblivious Furious Earth Dragon burst forth like an erupting volcano just to find a swinging blade that had already waited for it on the surface. Due to its momentum, the monster couldn''t cancel its advance nor change its trajectory.

    ROAARR!!! RROAARR!!!

    The Furious Earth Dragon could only watch as Keiko split its body into two as easily as cutting butter, roaring helplessly.

    In the previous fight, she felt that the monster was huge and terrifying, but now she didn''t find it scary at all. With her blade, she bisected the furious earth dragon with minute precision, splitting it apart with one slash.

    As half of the Furious Earth Dragon''s body had been split apart, the other half started squirming furiously, trying to separate itself from the main body before it shared the same fate as its counterpart.

    Keiko obviously wasn''t going to let it go. She thrust her left arm forward, penetrating the monster''s body deeply, roared furiously, and yanked its remaining body out of the ground.

    The sight was spectacular.

    Keiko pulled the monster, whose whole body was twice bigger than her mecha, using only one arm, and bashed it on the ground, causing it to flail about violently. But Keiko didn''t stop there. With the blade still inside the monster''s abdomen, she dashed toward the other end at lightning speed, dragging the blade along with her, cutting the rest of its body.

    From the start to the end, the Furious Earth Dragon couldn''t even muster a meager resistance in front of Keiko, falling victim to the hand of the Death Reaper with an unreconciled expression.

    Keiko stood beside the Furious Earth Dragon silently.

    She felt her heart thumping crazily and her breath ragged, not because she was tired, but due to the adrenaline rush from the action, causing her to feel exhilarated as she saw how easily she killed the monster that had killed so many of her comrades and almost fell Keiko back then.

    "This baby is freaking awesome!!!"

    Keiko yelled out of her lung, expending her body''s excess energy and gradually cooling down. She looked at the display on her visor and found that the battle had only lasted for less than 5 minutes. She nodded and smiled in satisfaction. The performance of this mecha greatly exceeded her expectations.

    "Oh Hela, together with you, we will surely become the goddess of death for those disgusting Zerg!"

    Keiko laughed to her heart''s content, and, after that, she chose her next prey gleefully.

    ###

    Author''s note:

    Hello, my dear reader!

    I want to give a boost to this book so I''ll do a targeted vote with a reward this week (21st Feb - 27th Feb).

    This week''s voting target:

    500 PS = Mass release 3 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    750 PS = Mass release 4 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    1000 PS = Mass release 5 chapters at the end of the month (28th Feb) + 3 chapters System Journey to Godhood.

    We''ve reached the 300 marks and still have one day to get the goal, so if you desire bonus chapters pump up your PS to this book!

    Don''t worry, I have a sufficient amount of chapters in the stockpile this time, so it definitely not an empty promise!

    So, do me a favor and give me those power stones! Thank you all and happy reading!

 Chapter 50 - Fulfilling The Agreement

    A week passed uneventfully.

    Other than the training sessions in the morning and afternoon, Keiko invested her spare time in the virtual mecha training simulator, slaughtering zergs and predators one after another.

    On the first two days, she only challenged the 1v1 mode and was invincible. It gave her a boost in her confidence, and from the third day onward, she decided to engage in the 1v5 mode.

    In the first battle, she was barely winning against five furious earth dragons, but after many trials and errors, she finally found her rhythm and easily defeated all of them. Then, she tried combinations of varied species of Zergs and Predators and many different scenarios and settings.

    Long story short, Keiko became so engrossed in the simulation that she forgot to keep track of her scores. Finally, in the last days of the promised week, Keiko fell into a panic.

    "I messed up..." Keiko heaved a deep forlorn sigh and smiled wryly, "She won''t be so petty that she will stir up another trouble for me because of this, will she?"

    Originally, Keiko only wanted to gain enough scores to barely put her in the top three of the Monster Arena''s Ranking Board. But who knew she was so absorbed in bashing and pummeling those zergs and predators that she accidentally surpassed Jeanne by a hair''s breadth?

    Knowing how competitive and unyielding the eldest miss was, Keiko was certain that by the time Jeanne found out her result, she''d have thrown a temper tantrum. This caused Keiko to be a bit nervous when she wanted to send the screenshot of her score to Jeanne. It was even more nervewracking than fighting several zergs and predators at the same time.

    She took a deep breath and convinced herself, "It''s okay, Keiko, it''s okay. What is the worst she can do to you? Eat you up?"

    Keiko subconsciously imagined the scene where Jeanne, with her alluring fox eyes and sharp gazes, looked at her while licking her slightly wet lips deliciously with the eyes of someone who couldn''t wait to devour her, ravage her body, and taste her soul.

    Keiko''s body shuddered inexplicably, and she felt her body heating up; her face reddened, looking like a ripe tomato, and her heart pounding so hard that the bracelet ID alerted her that she might have an acute heart attack.

    "The hell I''m thinking about! Snap out of it, Keiko!"

    Keiko scolded herself to get her mind out of the gutter already and then decisively opened Jeanne''s contact¡ªnamed "Miss Jeanne" in her contact, which was rather intimate for Keiko, who rarely addresses her superiors by their names even in an informal setting, suggesting that the former Keiko was indeed having a "close" relationship with the eldest lady if they¡ªKeiko and the former Keiko¡ªshared a similar personality, and sent a greeting message.

    "Good evening, Miss Jeanne..."

    She mouthed the words while typing on her bracelet ID but suddenly hesitated and deleted the letters one by one as she suddenly realized.

    ''Aah, isn''t it too casual to call her like that?''

    Then she resumed the message by changing it to "Good Evening, Major Armstrong," but then she frowned and once again stopped typing.

    ''It''s too stiff. I haven''t addressed her by this name lately... what happens to me? Why am I so nervous?''

    She didn''t know whether it was because she was anxious as she was going to report her scores because it was the first time she privately messaged the eldest miss, or for any other reason that she couldn''t think of.

    After taking a deep breath for god-knows how many times to regain her composure, Keiko finally sent her message.

    [Good Evening, Major Jeanne. This is cadet Keiko Lee]

    [I''m sorry for interrupting your resting time. But according to the agreement we had before, I''m supposed to deliver the proof of the scores eligible for the top three on Monster Arena''s Ranking Board]

    [Here, I attach the following picture]

    Keiko didn''t immediately get an answer and guessed that Jeanne might be busy with her work. As she was just about to turn off her bracelet ID, it suddenly vibrated, and at the same time, a ringing sound could be heard. A notification appeared on the screen; it was the reply from Jeanne.

    [You''re so early, Lieutenant Lee, I can feel your enthusiasm]

    Keiko could only let out a wry smile when she read Jeanne''s reply, which reeked of sarcasm. She could imagine Jeanne sneered while angrily typing on her bracelet ID. Didn''t want to make Jeanne wait and then accidentally make her mood turn sour, so she typed in.

    [I''m sorry, Major. I''ve just finished my training session and just barely got sufficient scores as per our agreement]

    ''Now, how will she answer, I wonder?'' Keiko waited patiently for her reply.

    [I see. Based on the scores you sent, you''re without a doubt ranked in the top three on the ranking board. Congratulation, you''re now a part of Valkyrie''s Profile project]

    As she expected a snarky response, Keiko was at a loss when she saw Jeanne''s dry reply. Unlike the previous message, in which her emotions could be seen by Keiko easily, this message''s tone was so flat and indifferent.

    Was she fuming in anger but pretending to be nonchalant? Or did she really don''t care if Keiko beat her?

    But, according to her understanding of the personality of this black-bellied eldest miss who couldn''t bear to suffer any loss, it shouldn''t be like this.

    Then the next message gave her the answer and also shocked her.

    [You''re not too bad for a second place]

    [What? Second place?!]

    Keiko immediately regretted sending the previous message.

    [What? Do you actually think you can replace as the first rank?]

    This time, Keiko could easily see Jeanne''s smug smile.

    [Look at this! Monster Arena''s Ranking Board.JPG]

    Keiko quickly clicked the picture and was instantly dumbfounded. The scores of the second and third rank were the same as the last time she checked the ranking board, but for the first rank.... the score was actually doubled.

    She finally understood why Jeanne seemed to be calm when she received her score. It turned out that she wasn''t the only one increasing her score, but Jeanne also secretly did the same.

    ''When she had time to challenge the Monster Arena? Don''t tell me that''s why she has never appeared once in these past days...''

    "This eldest lady really doesn''t like losing... she''s surprisingly cute," Keiko giggled softly, and the edge of her lips unknowingly curled into a faint smile.

    And then she replied absentmindedly.

    [Yes, yes. Major Jeanne is the best]

    And then she froze.

    ''What the hell I''m doing! This... this... isn''t it inappropriate to send a message like this to your superior?!''

    She frantically typed on her bracelet ID, but her finger slipped several times due to her sweaty palm.

    [Please don''t take it wrongly, Major Jeanne. What I mean to say is that I''m in awe of Major Jeanne''s mecha piloting skills and still have to learn more things from Major Jeanne]

    One minute... two minutes... five minutes....

    There was still no answer from Jeanne, and Keiko couldn''t take her eyes off the bracelet ID screen, waiting in nervous jitter.

    Suddenly, the screen flashed; Jeanne had sent a voice message.

    Keiko unhesitatingly opened the message and listened to it.

    "Lieutenant Lee," said Jeanne, with a sweet and slightly sultry voice, as if drowning in a pool of honey, "Are you flirting with me? How bold~"

    Keiko''s heart thumped like a stallion galloping across the vast meadows of Manchuria. And below, in her stomach, the butterfly was fluttering. Her cheeks grew hot, and the tip of her ear blushed red.

    Keiko was speechless; her lips opened and closed repeatedly like a koi as she struggled to collect her thoughts.

    ''Is she just testing me?'' ''Is it one of her schemes?'' ''She can''t really mean it, right?'' ''Even if she''s serious, is it because of me or because of the former Keiko?'' A jumbled mess of thoughts flooded Keiko''s mind, making her a bit dizzy.

    Even if there was a little attraction between them, Keiko thought it was unfair to Jeanne because she wasn''t the Keiko Lee she knew before.

    [Major, you should rest.]

    Keiko could only sigh deeply and decided not to think about it anymore, and sent the last message to Jeanne before turning off her bracelet ID and forcing herself to sleep.

    As she closed her eyes, an image of Jeanne''s mischievous grin, as if she had successfully pulled off a big prank, flashed in her mind.

    ###

    Author Note:

    This is the last chapter for this month. In the next month, there will be 2 chapters published every day.

    The privilege tier will also be updated there will be as many as 5 chapters stockpile, but of course, you''ll spend some pennies to unlock it.

    The weekly PS vote''s goal is still the same (minus mass release System Journey to Godhood), such as:

    500 PS = 3 chapters released at once on Monday the next week

    750 PS = 4 chapters released at once on Monday the next week

    1000 PS = 5 chapters released at once on Monday the next week

    So, please do vote for my book and have a happy reading!

 Chapter 51 - Jeannes Invitation

    In the first month of the training camp, the whole army was informed that three days later they would have their first field training. This would be the first time the Third Squadron used the new system outside the city.

    The soldiers were naturally feeling slightly nervous. The risk when undertaking field training was no less of a real mission. Thus, many soldiers had begun to take the initiative to practice.

    The day before the field exercise, the entire platoon was given another day off, allowing the soldiers to take a breather and brace up for tomorrow''s arduous challenges.

    Early in the morning, Keiko got up and was about to go out for her morning exercise, but suddenly she heard the doorbell ring.

    ''It''s still 5 o''clock in the morning, who is visiting me this early?'' Keiko was slightly surprised.

    She opened her bracelet ID to check who it was and saw Jeanne standing at her door with a smile on her face.

    Seeing the smiling Jeanne, Keiko got a goosebump with a bad premonition as a bonus. ''This black-bellied woman coming this early in the morning? She must be up to no good!''

    "Major, wait a moment, I''ll come right away," Keiko replied through her bracelet ID.

    Although Keiko felt slightly reluctant, In any case, the other party was still her superior, so she couldn''t leave her superior hanging outside the door. This was not the proper way to entertain a guest. Furthermore, Jeanne wasn''t a demon or a ghost. What was she afraid of?

    While encouraging himself, Keiko quickly opened the door.

    Keiko first saluted and welcomed Jeanne into her dormitory before asking perfunctorily, "Do you have any instructions for me, Major Jeanne?"

    Jeanne, who was originally smiling, frowned slightly, but she turned her back to Keiko, and Keiko didn''t see the change in her expression. Jeanne didn''t show anything, turned around, and continued to ask with a smile.

    "Does Lieutenant Lee have any plans for today?"

    Keiko paused, hesitated for a moment, and replied, "No, if there is something I can help with, please tell me."

    She really wanted to say "yes" but looking at Jeanne''s eyes that looking at her, seemingly indifferent but showed a hint of anticipation, she suddenly felt she couldn''t lie in front of those eyes.

    "Well... I got an invitation two days ago from the City Garrison Chief in the outer area of Thrudheim city for a one-day visit. Due to a scheduling conflict, Lieutenant Field will be unable to accompany me today, and then Captain Amanda recommends you to me. I wonder if Second Lieutenant Lee would like to accompany me on a trip?"

    Keiko: "..."

    Do you really need to make up some silly excuses? You just need to say that you want me to accompany you. It''s not like I have any other option than to accept it. After all, you''re my superior¡­ Keiko complained in his heart.

    But then again, Keiko was surprised that Jeanne asked her to go together with her to Thrudheim. If the eldest miss was doing it on purpose, then there must be some hidden meaning in taking her there. Just what would be there?

    Thrudheim City was the outer city that guarded the southwest gate of the Valhalla City-State. It was the most important of mankind''s military fortresses, and it was also the place where the human force was most concentrated. Thrudheim City was humanity''s front line against the Zerg invasion.

    Over the past hundred years or so, the Trudheim city has been attacked countless times by the Zerg. The most tragic one was the assault of a ten thousand Zerg swarm, besieging the entire Trudheim city for three days and three nights, almost turning Trudheim into a ghost city.

    Nevertheless, since the completion of the seven major city-states, the Trudheim city has been firmly guarding the safety of the people of the Federation. There were almost no civilians residing within the city; all of them were soldiers.

    Every year, a large number of troops come here in turns, not only from the Western Army but also from the Central Army and the Southeast Army.

    The City Garrison Chief could be regarded as a powerful figure who held the Federation''s lifeline. Even if they have the ability, people without background wouldn''t dare to sit in this position.

    At present, Trudheim''s City Garrison Chief seat was occupied by Major General Frode Heisenberg, the eldest grandson of Marshal Baldwin Heisenberg, the eldest son of General Erik Heisenberg, and the successor of the next general.

    Keiko had met with General Frode''s youngest daughter, Miss Beatrix, by chance. Beatrix was nearly twenty years younger than her eldest brother, Major General Frode, who was actually already in his early forties.

    The Armstrong family and the Heisenberg family shared a close relationship, and it seemed that Jeanne was quite friendly with Major General Frode. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have invited Jeanne over so enthusiastically.

    "Roger that," Keiko replied indifferently.

    "Then get ready. We''ll leave immediately; the car is already waiting outside," Jeanne seemed to have predicted that Keiko would agree. As soon as Keiko gave her answer, she immediately said the words and went outside.

    Keiko didn''t have anything else to prepare other than to change her training uniform to an official military uniform. Finished changing, She equipped herself with the standard weapon, and then immediately went downstairs.

    A large military jeep was waiting for her. There was already someone else seated in the driver''s seat and the co-pilot, so her only option was to sit in the back row, side by side with Jeanne.

    "Let me introduce you. The driver is Xiao Wang from the transportation team, and beside him is the security guard assigned to me by the garrison. You can just call him Mike."

    Keiko greeted them politely while secretly appraising Mike.

    ''No wonder,'' she thought, ''this man''s clothes are different from the usual uniform. So, he is a member of the city guard¡­'' Keiko mused.

    The color of the guard''s uniform was navy blue. Whether it was the cap badge, the collar badge, or the style of the epaulets, they were all different from the military''s combat uniform.

    The police force was also known as the gendarmerie¡ªthe original name given by Marshal Baldwin at the time and is rarely used now, while the official name is "City Guard".

    Their authority was equivalent to that of the police in the former world, but the City Guard was still a branch of the military; their status was still soldiers.

    The city guards would work together with the army troops stationed in the local area to protect the safety of the city. While the army was guarding against an external threat, the city guards were keeping the city from an internal threat.

    At the same time, the city guard was also equivalent to the former military police (military police, specializing in law enforcement within the military) and the National Security Bureau (the department responsible for investigating classified cases and responsible for the security work of high-level dignitaries).

    Jeanne''s status as a key member of the national strategic talent pool and the relative of high-level politicians was that of a VIP, so the military would protect her while she was on duty.

    This was the first time Keiko had seen her with her bodyguards since she never had them by her side when she went to the training ground.

 Chapter 52 - Frode Heisenberg, Imminent Danger

    The car set off from Ein Base to the city of Trudheim, which only took an hour and a half to drive. They set off at nine o''clock in the morning, and at half-past ten, they saw the massive city walls of Trudheim.

    As soon as they entered the city gate, they saw a black military vehicle waiting for them at the gate with guards and heavily armed soldiers standing beside the vehicle.

    The driver, Xiao Wang, slowly stopped the car; a soldier came up to ask questions and then made a gesture for them to go to the sideline.

    Soon, a middle-aged man in a military uniform with a graceful bearing came down from the opposite car. With a short beard and holding the saber hanging from his waist, the man looked domineering.

    At the same time, Jeanne took the lead in getting out of the car. Keiko and Mike hurried to keep up, and saw Jeanne enthusiastically step forward, stretch out her hand to the man, and say, "Major General Frode, long time no see."

    "Oh! Jeanne, I''ve been waiting for you!" The man smiled boldly and then held Jeanne''s hand.

    After Frode and Jeanne greeted each other, Frode then noticed Keiko''s presence. He looked at her carefully and suddenly asked

    "If I''m not wrong, this young''un is the famous Death Reaper, Lieutenant Keiko Lee."

    "Well, Major General has good eyesight. Lieutenant Lee, come to greet Major General," Jeanne beckoned Keiko to come closer.

    Keiko took two steps forward, stood at attention and saluted, and then replied, "Cadet Keiko Lee, reporting to the Major General!"

    "Okay! I like a young talent like you!" Frode laughed and patted Keiko''s shoulder fiercely.

    Despite the toughness of her body, she still felt slightly hurt by the sheer strength of Major Frode, which astonished Keiko a little bit. Seeing the surprised expression on Keiko''s face, Major General Frode gave her a mischievous grin and then returned to Jeanne.

    "Let''s go to the city wall. By the way, are you still afraid of high place?" asked Frode.

    "It''s alright, Major General, it''s only a city wall, it won''t get in the way," Jeanne replied indifferently.

    Keiko honestly wanted to retort to Jeanne''s baseless confidence, but she was more interested in what Major General Frode said. ''Going to the city wall?'' Keiko suddenly became excited.

    Since Keiko came to this world, she had been very impressed by the miraculous and magnificent infrastructure here. Now that she had the opportunity to go to the city wall, she won''t miss the chance to look at it closely and experience it for herself.

    And she was also slightly bothered by Jeanne and General Frode''s conversation. Although Keiko still didn''t know what they were going to do, looking at Major General Frodele''s appearance, it seemed that there was something urgent that required Jeanne to solve.

    ''Could it be that there is something wrong with the city walls?'' Keiko became more confused, ''But, why Jeanne, though? It doesn''t like the scope of her job.''

    With the doubt lingering in her mind, Keiko followed the group into the elevator, and then what she saw next startled her.

    "It''s huge¡­"

    The outdoor elevator was as spacious as somebody''s living room. 80 people might be able to squirm their way in, and it won''t be enough to ring the overweight alarm.

    When the elevator ascended the city wall, Keiko was watching the breath-taking scenery in front of her with staring eyes and a gaping mouth.

    The dense clouds in the sky were much thinner at the end of the day, and sunlight scattered from the gaps in the clouds.

    She looked at the expansive moat beneath the city wall, the passing ships sailing through the canal looking no bigger than the size of her thumb.

    There were birds flying playfully nearby, so close that they seemed to be able to reach out and catch them. They hovered above Keiko''s and the others'' heads for a while, then turned around and flew in the direction of the Tower of Babel.

    A jarring feeling loomed in her heart as she glimpsed at the overwhelming sight of the tower piercing through the sky like a spear, seemingly trying to split it open. She couldn''t point her finger on what she felt, but by no means was it a pleasant feeling.

    Ahead, Jeanne walked side by side with Major General Frode, who led the way while slightly complaining, "This problem has been giving me a headache for a long time. You''re one of the smarter people I know. What do you think I should do to fix it?"

    "Hehe, Major General, you''re not the only one plagued by this problem but so did the entire Federation. If I have a solution, I would have proposed it a long ago. I''m afraid I can''t help you this time," Jeanne smiled wryly and couldn''t help but ask, "This problem has been around for many years. Although it has not been solved, it is not a particularly big problem. Why are you so anxious?"

    "A survey data from several field base stations in the northwest was sent to me two days ago saying that an irregular weather pattern had been detected all across the Himalaya, and I''m afraid that we would soon face the coldest winter we''ve ever known after the apocalypse," Frode sighed deeply. "You among all people should be clear about how the delicate balance between Zergs and Humanity is only sustained because there was still enough territory on Earth for both of our race so we rarely did a full-scale war against each other for territory or resource, but the appearance of cold winter this time most likely will disrupt those balance."

    General Frode cast his sight at the dense jungle in the distance and turned his body around, looking at the direction of the Trudheim City with a solemn look and continued, "And once this balance is broken, the Zerg will soon attack humans, searching for food and seedbeds for their eggs. When the time comes, the first place that will feel the brunt of it is, without a doubt, Trudheim. If we can''t solve this problem before the inevitable comes, I''m afraid there''ll be a large number of humans who will be sacrificed this year, which is something no one wants to see."

    Jeanne nodded in understanding and then replied: "I understand, Major General. I''ll try my best to coordinate this matter with the technical department. I hope we can find a solution soon."

    "Hahaha, I can only rely on you, young people, now. Those old fogeys at the Academy Institute are not reliable. In the end, I can only put my trust in you and the technical department."

    Keiko was at a loss when she heard their conversation from behind and couldn''t figure out what problems Frode wanted Jeanne to help him solve.

    However, as her footsteps went on, she soon saw many huge mechanical arms appearing on the edge of the city wall, railing thick steel cables and hanging them all the way to the bottom of the city wall.

    ''What are they doing?'' Keiko watched them with a curious gaze.

    "This thing is really inefficient. I''m afraid it can only carry at most two mecha simultaneously and it will take as long as five minutes each," Jeanne criticized, "The city wall is too high and the mecha is too heavy. It''s really difficult to deploy the mecha in the case of an emergency. Although the wall was equipped with heavy armament, their firepower was limited; it couldn''t even deal real damage to Zergs. If you don''t rely on the mecha, once the Zerg stack the insect ladder, they could easily cross the city wall and invade the city. By then, the consequences would be disastrous."

    The inefficiency of the mecha''s deployment outside of the city was indeed a big problem. When the city wall was built, mecha technology was only in its budding stage, so the city wall''s blueprint didn''t take this problem into consideration.

    By now, this problem had taken root and couldn''t easily be solved. Whether it was to increase access in and out of the city wall for the mecha or to transport the mecha by other means, there would always be a big possibility of accidentally damaging the defensive system of the city wall itself.

    Jeanne raised her hands, looked into the distance, and said, "Our only option is to increase the firepower attack of the city wall''s defensive weapon. Transporting the mecha to the top of the wall will be the next best choice, even so, it''s still pretty difficult to do it."

    "My brother seems to have mentioned it to me once, saying that he is currently researching a new weapon, a long-range anti-Zergs weapon that could be installed in the city wall. I will contact my brother and give you an answer as soon as possible."

    Frode nodded and expressed gratitude to Jeanne, "Thank you, Jeanne. If it weren''t for you and your brother, I don''t know what to say anymore."

    Jeanne laughed and said, "Major General is joking. My brother is a well-known science freak; he always thinks of something that other people wouldn''t."

    "Eh~ How can a boorish person like me fathom the mind of a genius?" Frode replied, then burst out laughing.

    The two chatted and laughed for a while until Frode suddenly raised another topic.

    "Actually, there''s another matter that has quite annoyed me recently."

 Chapter 53 - Trudheims Slum

    "Actually, there''s another matter that has quite annoyed me recently."

    "Oh, really? Major General, you can tell me what happened and I might be able to provide you with a helping hand," Jeanne said enthusiastically.

    "Actually, it''s not a big problem. It''s just that the Faction Evaluation Center urged me several times to abolish the slums in the Trudheim city. They said that there might be a lot of unregistered deviants wandering around there recently and argued that they might cause security issues in the future."

    "Oh? vagrant deviants? This is really unusual. What district and city did these people come from? and what''s the response from the faction over there?" Jeanne asked.

    "My people had done their investigation and found that they were refugees coming here from Sariel City via the coal railway. There was a big fire accident in the slum there a few months ago, and many deviants took advantage of the opportunity to escape all the way here," Frode stroked his beard and continued, "The guys in this Faction Evaluation Center are really annoying; all they know is systems, regulations, and procedures, it''s so hard to communicate with them properly. There is no such bullshit in the capital. You can''t even find any deviants there."

    Jeanne only gave him a smile as a response and then pointed to the distance, where a small patch of dark, disordered, and cramped shelters existed like a sore thumb among the high-rise buildings, and the asked, "That''s the slum area, right?"

    "Yes," Frode said, stretching his hand to the side, and the adjutant next to him handed him a telescope. Frode looked at it briefly and then handed the telescope to Jeanne. Jeanne held up the binoculars, seemingly very interested in what she saw, and she did not put them down for a long time.

    Major General Frode said, "By the way, the strange thing is that the news of the appearance of many vagrant deviants in the slum area was reported by an anonymous ID from the Capital. I feel something fishy is going on here. Jeanne, don''t you know a lot about these kinds of things? What do you think happened here?"

    With her eyes fixed on the telescope, Jeanne replied in a voice so low that it was barely audible to both of them.

    "The other party may be a person from the capital who didn''t want to reveal their identity, came to the Trudheim for something, happened to find this matter, and reported it. Or, the other party was a special agent sent from the capital to investigate this matter, or else the anonymous report itself was false and the real purpose of the other party was to use this matter to blackmail you."

    "Major General, if you do not mind, I am just sharing my analysis. You recently received the Order of Merit, I believe there are a lot of people in the dark who feel threatened and become impatient. Everyone knows what your biggest political weakness is, and they''re looking to attack you with it," At this point, Jeanne stopped.

    Frode''s face darkened for a moment before he mustered a smile and said, "Hahaha, you''re really smart, Jeanne. Let''s walk around, I''ll take you to dinner. If I''m not wrong, your favorite food is fried rice from Trudheim, right?"

    "Major General still remembers," Jeanne said with a smile.

    After luncheon, Frode invited Jeanne and company to stay in Trudheim for a few more days, but since the troops were about to start field training tomorrow, Jeanne and the others insisted on returning by today.

    So, Frode sent someone to accompany Jeanne and the others to appreciate the scenery of Trudheim, and when the time came, he would send them back.

    Unfortunately, there was nothing to see in Trudheim. To put it bluntly, this city had an unpleasant atmosphere. Trudheim was a war zone that had been plagued by war for a long time.

    There were bunker-style buildings with barbed wire everywhere, and various military facilities could be seen everywhere.

    In the southwest corner of the city, a memorial hall was built in the memory of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians who died in the tragic Trudheim in the Zerg assault 23 years ago, in order to remind the world to stay vigilant and never relax their guard.

    After wandering around, the Trudheim day trip ended quickly and boringly.

    Jeanne was a little unhappy and said that she wanted to go shopping alone, so that everyone should not accompany her. Then she quickly went against what she said before, and quickly dragged Keiko away, leaving a lot of dumbfounded followers behind.

    The followers didn''t dare not to follow them, but they also didn''t dare incur the eldest lady''s displeasure for sticking too close, so they could only tail them from a safe distance.

    Jeanne''s "wilfulness" came too abruptly, and Keiko hardly had a chance to refuse.

    By the time she reacted, only she and Jeanne left. Keiko could sense that the security personnel were following them before, but the eldest lady just took her passing through two alleys and a corner, and easily got rid of the guards.

    And the eldest lady just tapped twice on her bracelet ID, which not only turned off her GPS location but also blocked Keiko''s location at the same time. All this was done smoothly, in the blink of an eye, as if it had been rehearsed countless times, leaving Keiko dumbfounded.

    "Let''s go, I''ll take you to a nice place," Jeanne laughed.

    "Where?" Keiko asked.

    "Don''t ask, you''ll know when you get there. You will definitely be interested," After saying that, she naturally took Keiko''s arm, sandwiched in between her soft and jiggly bosom, and walked with her side by side.

    Keiko''s body jolted, and then stiffened.

    She didn''t mind physical contact, but because of her sexuality, she became too conscious of intimate gestures like this. Although she had tried to ignore it, the more she deliberately ignored it, the more it lingered in her mind.

    Jeanne, pretending to not be aware of the uncomfortable expression on Keiko''s face, sauntered leisurely while humming happily.

    ***

    Keiko was used to living in poverty.

    Although her adoptive father was a strong martial artist, she had no talent for making money. She had lived a poor life since she was a child.

    Later, when she joined the army, she rarely had the chance to get in touch with people from the upper class, so she didn''t know what it meant to be rich. In her opinion, just having a clean and tidy ordinary home was already a blessing.

    After entering society for a year, she began to understand what kind of life the rich life. Occasionally, she would be a bit envious and think that if she had money, she could do whatever she wanted.

    She knew in her heart that she had pretty much inherited her father''s poor sense of business. Even if there was an opportunity to make money in front of her, she may not know how to seize it.

    Thus, although she was poor, as long as she was free and happy, there was nothing to complain about.

    But today, Keiko understood how terrible poverty actually was.

    Jeanne took her through the filthy streets, where she saw beggar-like paupers in rags to the point of being naked, lying half-dead on the side of the road, motionless.

    In the gap between the shelters, the children who were digging through the rubbish and the wild cats were fighting each other for food.

    Seeing the withered old man kneeling at her feet, softly begging, "Miss Officer, please give me something to eat!" She felt like there was an invincible hand strangling her neck, suffocating her.

    Jeanne and Keiko were dressed in elegant military uniforms and looked imposing and majestic, more so when compared to the dark and gloomy building around them.

    The expensive cowhide military boots they wore on their feet paraded down the dirty streets, gradually stained with mud as they trod.

    Keiko didn''t know why Jeanne brought her here.. At this moment, she didn''t even have the heart to try to figure out Jeanne''s intentions, as she was unnerved by the sight in front of her.

 Chapter 54 - Deviant Shelter

    "This is the Trudheim slum area, and more than 90% of the residents here are deviants," Jeanne walked steadily. Her tone was unhurried, devoid of emotions.

    Keiko followed step by step, silently.

    "Each big district has its own slum, how dirty and messy it is, no one cares. The only thing they strictly control is access to the slum. The people outside cannot enter at will, and the people inside cannot go out at will. Fortunately, I prepared in advance to bring you in, so we can enter with relative ease."

    Indeed, Keiko recalled that when Jeanne took her arm through the inspection, the sergeant at the guard just gave them a glance and let them go immediately.

    "Why did you bring me here?" Keiko asked her.

    Jeanne smiled and said, "I know you''re interested in something, so I made arrangements for you."

    "I don''t have the slightest interest in this place, and this filthy place ruins my appetite. Major, I think we should leave quickly," Keiko spat while wearing a disgusted expression on her face.

    Jeanne smiled again, stopped, and turned to look at Keiko. Keiko covered her nose and looked at her. The disgusted expression on her face looked as if she really meant it.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, your acting is so bad," After Jeanne finished speaking, she gave Keiko a mocking glance, and then continued to turn around and lead the way.

    Keiko''s shoulder dropped, the corners of her mouth twitched, and she decided to shut her mouth from now on. As the saying went, "the mouth is the source of calamity." The more she spoke, the more mistakes she would make. It was better to keep silent.

    She had yet to understand the purpose of Jeanne bringing her here, but it was not difficult to guess that it should have something to do with the pair of mother and daughter she had saved in the Ein City before.

    Keiko''s abnormal behavior at that time should have completely aroused Miss Jeanne''s curiosity. Moreover, the eldest lady may have connected this matter with General Armstrong''s secret plan.

    The eldest lady must be trying to find out whether Keiko is really different from ordinary people by bringing her to the slum where the deviants are concentrated.

    Although this was all Keiko''s speculation, Keiko feels that she mustn''t be far from the truth.

    They gradually went deep into the center of the slum. As Jeanne walked, she naturally introduced the slum''s general situation to Keiko, as if she was aware that Keiko didn''t know these things.

    The slums have basically existed ever since the day deviants came to light; it has been more than a hundred years now. Generations of deviants have made this place their home. It started with small numbers of deviants, but soon it increased at an unbelievable pace.

    Generally, when someone''s alignment deviation value changed, the first thing that had to be done was to determine whether the change was insignificant or big enough to alter that person''s alignment.

    It was fine if the deviation value just fluctuated a little bit and was still within the acceptable range of their original alignment.

    In this case, you can choose to accept the treatment or just give up the treatment as long as you have an "acquaintance" inside the Faction Evaluation Center or can afford a sum called the "change fee".

    The problem occurred when someone''s alignment underwent an extreme change, especially from "Lawful" to "Chaotic" or "Good" to "Evil". They had to go through correctional treatment and re-education. If it still didn''t work, they''ll be exiled to this slum.

    Once you come to this place, it was equivalent to losing your identity as a federal citizen, losing all rights and freedoms, and you could only be put on a black collar and treated as a monster.

    With only a pitiful and pathetic amount of food supplies every month, they have to do a lot of free labor, and they are so skinny that they have nowhere to vent their anger.

    Occasionally, when they could go out, they would be discriminated against by ordinary people.

    The scariest part was that the identity of deviants was passed down from generation to generation. If a person was still single when they was recognized as a deviant, then they basically would have had no offspring in their life.

    And if the deviant already had descendants at the time, then regardless of whether the child was an adult or not, whether they had a tendency to be a deviant or not, they would be similarly regarded as a deviant and exiled into the slums together with their parents.

    "It''s simply a baseless bias and prejudice!" Keiko shouted silently.

    "This isn''t a baseless prejudice, but a conclusion drawn from data. More than 80% of the children of deviants will become deviants, and most of the remaining 20% ??have a tendency to cross factions. That''s why there is such a policy," Jeanne said.

    "How could a person judge by statistics? Is a human being just a number to them?" Keiko said angrily.

    "Unfortunately, most of the time, humans use data to measure themselves and others," Jeanne replied calmly.

    The two stopped discussing this issue and fell into silence, respectively.

    They wandered around in the alley between the shelters and finally came to an area similar to a small square. There was a well in the center of the square, and some people in shabby clothes were fetching water and washing vegetables nearby.

    The people who lived here looked so much better than the area they passed by before. This particular area also looks a little orderly. Although the people were poor, they still kept a shred of their dignity, looked clean and tidy, and lived their lives just like normal people.

    Sensing the confusion in Keiko''s eyes, Jeanne explained, "Even the slums are divided into regions. Most of the people living here are from the Chaotic Good faction. They have their own rules and don''t necessarily abide by the laws of the Federation. Many of them had broken the law and were sent here only after repeatedly failing to reform.

    There was no lack of big shots here, some of whom were once very famous intellectuals and military personnel, including some nobles. They used their contacts accumulated over the years as well as their clever minds to seek a still-safe refuge for this small group of people."

    Jeanne took the lead in walking towards the well, and Keiko followed closely.

    "Don''t you really want to know why I brought you here? Actually, I want to introduce someone to you." As Jeanne said, she pointed to a big-waisted middle-aged woman who was washing vegetables near the well.

    "Donna Casperia, the leader of the chaotic good faction in Thrudheim''s slum, former chief staff officer of the Central Military Command, and¡­ she is my dearest spiritual mentor."

    "What did you say?!"

    Jeanne''s words struck Keiko like a Furious Earth Dragon''s spike.

 Chapter 55 - Donna Casperia

    Due to the commotion, the middle-aged woman finally noticed their arrival, stood up and looked at them. Jeanne looked back at the middle-aged woman and smiled. Then she tugged Keiko''s sleeve gently and then whispered.

    "Donna Casperia''s alignment deviation happened ten years ago. At that time, it caused an uproar in the Central Army, but it was quickly suppressed by my father in secret. You weren''t in the army yet, so you obviously didn''t know about this matter. In fact, if I hadn''t heard it directly from my dad, I''d have been kept in the dark about this too. When you chat with her later, please be careful of your words and you must not mention this matter to her. This accident had left a shadow in her heart."

    "Yes, I understand," Keiko replied solemnly.

    Then Jeanne took the lead and walked towards Donna, who smiled and said, "Jeanne, I hear you''re coming, but I didn''t expect it to be true."

    The way she spoke was basically telling the people around her that Jeanne and Keiko were her acquaintances. Meanwhile, Keiko sensed that the piercing gaze that had been prickling her back since she entered the slum disappeared suddenly. She stared at Donna with awe, thinking that she was really respected in this community.

    "I''m sorry, teacher, I''ve been too busy recently, so I only have a chance to visit you today," Jeanne replied, warmly smiling.

    "It''s okay. I don''t mind it. I know it''s not easy for you to come here," Donna casually said, and then invited them to her house. "Let''s go to my house. I just finished washing the dishes and it just happened that you''re here. I''ll make fresh vegetable soup for you tonight," Donna wore a big smile on her lips and led the way. Although her chubby body made her look clumsy, Keiko could see a trace of military mannerism in her gesture.

    She guided Keiko and Jeanne all the way to her house. Keiko looked around and found that her house did look better and more spacious than the average house she had seen on the way here, decorated with some furniture and electrical appliances. Keiko guessed that they were all preloved goods that she reused from another family''s garbage. Despite it being second-hand stuff, it was still considered a luxury in this place.

    In the narrow and dilapidated kitchen, Donna struggled to squeeze herself inside and try to cook. While stirring the soup in the pot, she asked Jeanne, who was sitting at the dining table behind her, "Little Jeanne, I know you won''t come here just to visit me. Girl, tell me what''s on your mind?"

    "It''s really easier to talk to smart people like Teacher than to a particular blockhead," Jeanne sighed while giving Keiko a sidelong glance.

    Keiko''s face darkened as she heard Jeanne''s snide remark, and she grumbled to herself, "You were just chatting happily earlier, why are you suddenly targeting me?"

    Unaware of the depressed Keiko, Jeanne continued speaking, "I came here to ask the teacher, a few days ago, did some refugees from the Sariel region enter the slums in the Trudheim region? Who are they, I think I want a list."

    Donna didn''t answer immediately; she continued stirring the pot a couple of times before putting on the lid, and then she strode out of the kitchen to face Jeanne. While grabbing the apron around her waist and wiping her hands, she stared at her progenies'' eyes squarely.

    "I can answer your first question; there are indeed many refugees from Sariel here," Donna gave her a deep gaze from which Jeanne didn''t shy off and smiled calmly, "But before answering the second question, I need to ask your reason first."

    "To tell the truth, I''m searching for two people," Jeanne said, "Those two are a pair of mother and daughter. Keiko and I met them in the downtown area of ??Ein before, and I didn''t notice that they were special at the time. I felt something was wrong afterward, so I needed their cooperation to answer some of my questions."

    Keiko''s brow furrowed, ''For what reason did she reach out to them?'' She suddenly felt uneasy in her heart.

    Donna pondered for a moment and sighed, "I know who you''re talking about... Jeanne, you''ve come all the way here and I don''t want to make it difficult for you, but alas¡­" Jeanne patiently waited for Donna to continue, and, after a moment of silence, Donna said, "I''ll speak honestly here; you can investigate whatever you want, but please don''t get me in too much trouble. That mother and daughter are in a special situation right now, and they are actually not really welcome here."

    "Oh, what''s the specific situation?" Jeanne asked.

    "Alas..." Donna sighed again, a look of sadness and pity expressed on her face, "Come with me, I''ll take you to their house and tell you on the way."

    Following behind Donna, Jeanne and Keiko pass through the narrow alley while listening to Donna''s story.

    "The pair of mother and daughter came to us five days ago, and since you said that they appeared in Ein more than ten days ago, I guess they came to Trudheim by foot. The mother''s name is Sarah, and the daughter''s name is Diana. They originally lived in Sariel but, about six months ago, the mother completely switched into a deviant, and then she and her daughter were exiled to the Sariel slum.

    Four months ago, a large fire broke out in the Sariel slum, and a large number of mutineers took the opportunity to escape and leave the city. Most of them have been captured by now, but a small number of people who escaped early managed to reach Valhalla. You should''ve noticed that Trudheim is on full alert right now and many soldiers and city guards are patrolling around searching for these escapees.

    But you also know that Trudheim''s Garrison Chief, Major General Frode, has always believed that the deviants also have the right to a place to live. As long as they escape to his territory, the deviants can be more or less sheltered and live a fairly good life. Although it can''t be said to be a good life, it''s much better than the hellish days in Sariel. This is the main reason why those deviants in Sariel fled here to take refuge.

    Originally, as long as I can help, I''ll do my best to help someone in need, just like this mother and daughter, whom I heard she turned from a "lawful good" person to a "chaotic good" person, getting them into their current situation. So, I accepted them and gave them shelter and food. It''s just that I didn''t expect that just one day after I accepted them, they would cause me trouble.

    That mother, Mary, has mental problems. She has three personalities: not only chaotic good but also lawful evil and chaotic evil. Her normal personality is chaotic good; she looks very friendly and amiable. Once she switches her personality, she will become a lawful evil and if she is stimulated again, she will switch to a chaotic evil personality: insane and completely irrational.

    The first night they arrived here, Sarah suddenly had an episode and switched into her chaotic evil personality, almost strangling one of the neighbor''s children to death. I hadn''t yet settled the matter, but another problem happened. She switched to her lawful evil personality and took advantage of the loophole to hoard the food by cheating some people out of three months'' worth of provision, which I managed to search out from her house to temporarily quell everyone''s anger. Now they are in a difficult situation here, and I guess if they continue like this, they will also be driven away soon."

    Keiko felt a little uncomfortable but said nothing to interrupt her. She just asked, "And, what''s their reason for changing faction?"

 Chapter 56 - Sarah And Diana (1)

    "What''s their reason for changing up faction?"

    "I asked a friend to check their background and just got a reply. They are... really too pitiful," Donna sighed and continued reiterating what she knew about Sarah and Diana.

    Sarah was a native Sarielian, and both of their parents were Babel''s priests. She had lived a religious and clean life since she was a child, and after she finished her military service, she inherited her parents'' duty as a priest. Later, she met Captain Leigh Pisco, executive of the First Weapon Factory in Sariel, and they fell in love with each other and got married.

    Their married life was sweet and fulfilling. Soon they had a daughter, the little girl Diana.

    Captain Ellie Pisco was a member of the lawful neutral camp, and he had a good relationship with the lawful good Sarah. They also educated their daughter well, and she showed an obvious lawful good characteristic.

    However, disaster soon struck. Just before Diana''s 9th birthday, Captain Pisco suddenly had an accident.

    The First Weapon Factory sent Captain Pisco on a business trip to Nilfheim, "The Frozen City" in the north, to negotiate an important deal with the weaponry department there.

    However, Captain Pisco never returned. The news he committed suicide in the Nilfheim arrived at Sarah''s ear.

    Sarah did not believe in the slightest that her husband would commit suicide. She went to the company and asked for confirmation, only to get a vague explanation from the First Weapon Factory and the Sariel City Guards, saying that Captain Pisco could not bear the pressure of work and ended up committing suicide.

    Sarah''s intuition told her that they didn''t tell her the whole story and were hiding something from her, but she had no one that she could trust and rely on, so she decided to sell her property and borrow money everywhere to investigate the matter privately for almost five years.

    Donna didn''t know what they had experienced in the past five years, but all she knew was that ten months ago, Sarah was completely judged as a deviant and had to undergo re-education and rehabilitation.

    Six months ago, the treatment failed, and her condition worsened, resulting in her having a rare phenomenon where one person develops three different personalities with different alignments.

    Because of this, Sarah was detained in the deepest dungeon prison in the Sariel slum, and received strict supervision. Diana was also sent to an orphanage in the slums, where the people took care of her.

    "Then four months ago, a fire accident allowed the struggling mother and daughter to escape."

    As Donna finished telling the story, the three of them arrived in front of a shabby house. The worn door creaked in the breeze, revealing a girl who was dressed in clean and tidy clothes, squatting there, holding a wooden stick, drawing something on the ground.

    Keiko recognized this girl since she personally rescued her at that time. Now she knew her name was Diana Pisco, and she was only 14 years old this year.

    Keiko now understood that the five-year investigation and attempt to seek justice had exhausted their family''s wealth and they had suffered a heavy debt. On that day, the two men who intended to violate them claimed to be collecting debts legally. Because deviants like them were not protected by law, even if they were violated, the offender wouldn''t be punished because formally they didn''t break any law. No wonder it was called "legal debt collection".

    How could small fry like debt collectors find them when the military failed to do so? This made Keiko very suspicious.

    "Little Diana, where is your mother?" Donna lowered her body slightly and asked Diana.

    The girl who was squatting on the ground raised her head and glanced silently at Donna, then Diana''s eyes fell on Jeanne and Keiko behind Donna, and her lifeless face finally changed. Especially when she saw Keiko, she bit her lip almost instantly, and her whole body tensed up. Obviously, she still clearly remembers the benefactor who saved her more than ten days ago, and she recognized her at a glance.

    "Diana?" Seeing that the girl wasn''t responding, Donna called out to her again.

    The girl stared at Keiko and turned her head back to Donna. After looking at her, the girl turned around and entered the room, saying at the same time:

    "Come in, mom is in there."

    The three followed Diana into the house, and as soon as they entered the house, an unpleasant putrid and moldy smell hit their faces.

    The house was only about 10 square meters, including the kitchen, bedroom, living room, and other functions. In the center of the room, there was an old-fashioned pedal sewing machine. Sarah was sitting by the sewing machine doing needlework.

    "Mom, someone is looking for you," Diana said weakly, and then sat in the corner with the stove and watched the fire silently. They used the most primitive wood-burning stove because there was no gas in the slums. Only people like Donna, who have connections in the outside world, could afford to pay for gas every month.

    Something was being cooked on the stove, producing a sweet fragrance. As soon as Keiko came in, he could smell the aroma of sweet potatoes.

    Sarah looked up at her daughter and saw that the three people had invited themselves in. She hurriedly put down her work and stood up to meet them. She looks a little better than a dozen days ago, but her appearance was still looking slightly haggard. As soon as Donna entered, she started raining apologies down on her while looking at her with pleading eyes.

    "Sister Donna, I''m so sorry for the other day, I... I know that something is wrong with me, but I didn''t hide it from you on purpose. I will definitely take good care of myself in the future. Whenever I get sick again, my daughter will tie me up at home. I won''t cause you any more trouble, please¡­ please don''t drive us away, Sister Donna! Please I beg you¡­"

    Donna waved her hand and said, "It''s okay. It''s already happened; all you need to do now is pay attention in the future. I''m not here today for this. I bring two friends here. They have something to do with you."

    After that, Donna Casperia stepped aside, invited Jeanne and Keiko to Sarah, and introduced them.

    "This is Major Jeanne Armstrong and this is Second Lieutenant Keiko," Donna looked at the two girls, and then she said, "you can have a talk among yourselves. I''ll go back now."

    After that, Donna turned around and exited the house, closing the door as she passed by. She understood it would be awkward for her to stay with Jeanne while they asked questions, as it might involve something that she shouldn''t know. Anyway, she didn''t want to pull into the quagmire and end up in a troublesome situation, so she decisively decided to leave.

    After Donna left, Jeanne quickly focused her attention on Sarah in front of her, looking at her with a piercing gaze. Those clear and deep blue eyes gave the impression that no secret could be hidden under their scrutiny.

    Sarah''s body shrunk, and she bit her lower lips while clenching the bottom of her shirt tightly,  frightened by those gazes

 Chapter 57 - Sarah And Diana (2)

    "Relax, I''m not coming here to capture you. I just want to ask you some questions. Um... Won''t you invite me to sit down?" Jeanne smiled. Her tone was relaxed and pleasant.

    "Oh, yes, yes..." Sarah hurriedly started looking for chairs. She brought the chair she was sitting on to Jeanne, and then gave Keiko the small chair that her daughter Diana was sitting on.

    When Keiko was in front of her, she deliberately wiped the surface of the chair with her sleeve, and bowed slightly to Keiko. It seemed that she also recognized who Keiko was.

    There were only two chairs in the house, and they were both used by Jeanne and Keiko, so Sarah could only sit by the bed, while Diana simply sat on the ground, staring at the fire with a lowered head, saying nothing and ignoring anyone.

    "So, I''ll start?" Jeanne said in a tone asking for confirmation, and when she saw Sarah nod, she asked, "First of all, I want to know if you have any connection with the military higher up?"

    This first question dumbstruck Keiko. She couldn''t help but stare at Jeanne beside her with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

    ''What is Jeanne talking about?''

    Sarah and Diana have been struggling for five years to investigate Leigh Pisco''s suicide case, exhausting their family assets. If they had a connection to the military''s higher-ups, how could this case be dragged on for almost five years?

    Obviously, this question also stunned Sarah, and suddenly her face started losing its color. Before she could answer, Jeanne interrupted.

    "I''m going back this afternoon. I don''t want to waste your time or mine, so I won''t beat the bush with you," Jeanne''s tone became colder and stricter, "You and your daughter fled here all the way from Sariel, and when the fire broke, you were also the first to escape. If you want to say you did it yourself, I seriously have doubts about it."

    "What made me really suspicious was after seeing you were being chased by debt collectors in Ein, and I was there that day by chance. You and your daughter were in trouble, and no one offered their help to you. Fortunately, Second Lieutenant Lee is a big softie, so she helped you. At that time, I didn''t pay much attention to this matter, but when I pondered about this matter carefully, I felt something was fishy."

    Sarah''s head lowered so much that Jeanne couldn''t see her expression, but she didn''t mind it and continued, "Debt collectors'' intelligent networks shouldn''t be as good as those of the military, don''t you agree?" Jeanne''s voice became deeper, sending a chill down Sarah''s spine. "But why could they find you when the military couldn''t? Even after that commotion, they didn''t seem to care, and you had even successfully arrived at Trudheim at this time. How could something like this happen, I wonder?"

    The air of silence pervaded the room, and the atmosphere suddenly turned heavy and oppressive. Keiko''s body was restless; she seemed to want to interrupt right away, but Jeanne continued without giving her a chance.

    "My guess is that there are three possibilities," she said while showing her three fingers, "Firstly, the higher-ups really knew your whereabouts, but they let it go because someone was secretly backing you, hoping that you could get asylum."

    "The second possibility is that the military really didn''t know of your whereabouts and your most recent location was secretly leaked by debt collectors to the authorities."

    "The last possibility is... that you deliberately leaked your whereabouts, clashed with debt collectors in Ein''s Central Square to alert some people who are hiding in the dark, or for some other purpose. Of course, this third point is based on the first point. As far as possibilities are concerned, the second is obviously the least, the first is the most likely, and the third is purely my own speculation."

    "Officer, I don''t have an idea of what you''re talking about," Sarah shook her head profusely while still lowering her head to avoid Jeanne''s gaze, and her voice trembled, making her sound so pitiful, "How could I have contact with the military higher up like you say I was? If I had that ability, my husband''s affairs would have come to light long ago."

    "Okay, you don''t need to answer this question if you don''t want to," Jeanne suddenly changed her mind, as if she no longer needed Sarah''s answer, and then she asked again, "Do you know that you have three personalities?"

    Sarah nodded slowly.

    Jeanne pondered for a moment and asked again.

    "With all due respect, when you were cornered in the square at that time, why didn''t you switch personalities?"

    "I...I don''t know..." Sarah staggered. Her voice broke down.

    "Hey! What are you doing?! Why are you interrogating my mother like this?! Whatever happened to my mother, it''s none of your business!"

    Diana, who was silent on the side, couldn''t stand it anymore, and jumped up and angrily shouted at Jeanne.

    "Diana! Shut up!" Sarah said urgently.

    "Little girl, don''t worry, I have one last question. I''ll leave after I ask, and I won''t bother you again," Jeanne said calmly, without any fluctuations in her voice. Then she turned her eyes back to Sarah and continued to ask, "Have you been living in Sariel in the five years after your husband''s accident?"

    "No, Diana and I were shuttling between Sariel and Nilfheim, and we had stayed in both places for a long time," Sarah replied.

    "Very good, I''ve finished asking," Jeanne stood up, smiled at the mother and daughter, and then pushed the door and walked out. Keiko looked at her with a puzzled expression and followed her out.

    "Major, you... you were going too far just now!" Keiko frowned and whispered to Jeanne when she went out.

    "Going too far?" Jeanne laughed, but her eyes darkened, "I just asked some questions. When people with guilty feelings in their hearts hear it, naturally they''ll feel that I''m too excessive."

    "Why are you doing this? What does this have to do with you?" Keiko unknowingly grunted in a low voice as anger eluded her.

    Jeanne gave her a sidelong glance and sighed, then pointed her index finger to her temple while looking at Keiko with ridicule in her eyes.

    Keiko''s face was flushed with anger. This woman was clearly laughing at her as if she was a fool! But who could keep up with her thinking? She asked those seemingly random questions that Keiko couldn''t figure out no matter how hard she tried.

    Jeanne didn''t answer Keiko''s question but instead said, "Second lieutenant Lee, this mother-daughter affair won''t end here, and I may have to visit them again. They are indeed very pitiful, I would trouble Second Lieutenant Lee to take care of them."

    Jeanne''s attitude changed so suddenly, like a downpour on a sunny day, that Keiko struggled to believe it. One moment ago, she cornered the mother and daughter like a wicked witch, and the next moment, she was very kind, like a saint. What was going on?

    She sighed deeply and felt a bit tired. She looked around and saw that when Donna left, there were many people watching them secretly, making her a little uncomfortable.

    Her eyes inadvertently fell on the scribble drawn by Diana on the ground with a wooden stick. Looking at it closely, she found that the girl drew a crying woman, holding an umbrella in the heavy rain.

    For some reason, Keiko''s heart tightened when she glimpsed at the saddening picture.

 Chapter 58 - Returning To Valhalla

    On the way back to Valhalla in the afternoon, the military jeep galloped on the road connecting Thrudheim to Valhalla. The distant silhouette of the military fortress quickly disappeared along the way.

    Keiko frowned slightly, looking at the scene outside the window that gave her a strong sense of Deja Vu. It was familiar but unfamiliar at the same time, filling her heart with a sense of melancholy.

    Jeanne, who was sitting right next to her, turned her head to look at her profile, then looked out of the window on her side of the car, and said softly, "Second Lieutenant Lee, are you feeling uncomfortable in your heart?"

    Keiko tilted her head when she heard the words, glanced at Jeanne from the corner of her eye, and said, "It would be a lie to say I''m not uncomfortable, but I don''t really mind it too much."

    The corner of Jeanne''s lips curled as she said, "Don''t take Mrs. Donna''s words to heart. She has always been outspoken, and she didn''t mean to target anyone personally."

    "No, I''ve never had such a thought," Keiko hurriedly said.

    After leaving Sarah and Diana''s house, Jeanne and Keiko returned to Donna''s house to say goodbye. They chatted for another ten minutes about the mother and daughter. Donna''s emotions might be triggered somewhat, then she blurted out in indignation, "In everyone''s mind, perhaps, it was the monsters who destroyed our world, and the disgusting Zergs and Predators outside the city were our mortal enemies. But in my opinion, the human-eating people inside the city are more chilling."

    As she continued, her voice gradually hardened, "I was a soldier. In my heart, I always believed that soldiers were the sword used to defend mankind''s peace, but only later did I realize that if the sword didn''t have a handle, it would hurt the human instead... Look at what the military does nowadays: bullying, acting overbearing, committing crimes in the name of the law; even these unarmed and weak people are not spared. You guys..." Donna wanted to continue, but her words choked in her throat. The looks in her eyes while looking at Keiko and Jeanne reveal complicated emotions.

    Keiko couldn''t understand exactly how Donna felt as she had never walked her life in her shoes, but that didn''t mean that her heart didn''t feel uncomfortable.

    She used to be proud of her identity as a soldier, but after hearing what Donna said and seeing for herself what happened in the slum, she felt a little ashamed and couldn''t hold her head high like before.

    "Does Lieutenant Lee have a mother?" Jeanne suddenly asked.

    "No..." Keiko replied absentmindedly but soon realized what a blunder she had made because she suddenly remembered that the former Keiko actually had a mother who died young, so she hurriedly corrected her words, "I mean, my mother passed away when I was very young. I only have a vague memory of her now."

    "I''ve known the second lieutenant for many years, and you hardly ever mentioned your family to me. I know you grew up in an orphanage. Do you still know people in the orphanage?" Jeanne asked again.

    "I don''t have anyone I know very well. It''s been so many years and I''ve lost contact with those people. Even if we meet again now, I''m afraid I won''t recognize them," Keiko replied thoughtfully.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, have you seen my mother?"

    Keiko was stunned for a moment before replying, "Uh... I did have a few encounters with Mrs. Armstrong."

    "Hehehe..." Jeanne laughed, "It seems that you''re unfamiliar with my mother. My mother, you see, really hates it when people call her Mrs. Armstrong. You have to call her Ms. Mo to make her happy. My brother and I also always call her Ms. Mo instead of addressing her as "Mother". It''s so strange, isn''t it?"

    "Well, the name is quite charming," Keiko answered vaguely while sweating profusely inside. She nearly made a blunder again; it was really difficult to keep her guard up against this eldest lady.

    Jeanne took another deep look at Keiko; her eyes suddenly softened, and she said softly.

    "No matter how the world changes, "Mother" is always the greatest word..."

    Keiko was dumbfounded. She didn''t know that Jeanne would actually say something so out of character. It was as if she had changed her personality.

    Keiko suddenly felt a little sore in her nose when she recalled the scene of Sarah and Diana.

    She only had an adoptive father and no mother, but that didn''t mean that she didn''t understand maternal love.

    She also had someone who was like a mother to her, an aunt who lived in a large mansion next door. From the time she was five or six years old until she joined the army, this aunt took care of her and watched her grow up, treating Keiko like her own daughter. It was from her that Keiko learned about the warmth of a mother.

    Thinking about it now, she suddenly felt that Sarah''s eyebrows and eyes looked really similar to her aunt''s in her memory. Maybe mothers all over the world have the same face when facing their children.

    Tears threatened to burst out of her eyes, and Keiko was struggling to keep her emotions in check.

    It had been more than half a month since she came to this world alone.

    Since then, she always felt afraid, anxious, restless, nervous, angry, and suspicious. Never once did she feel really at ease these days, even in her own room. She missed her family and friends so dearly.

    In order to adapt to this new world, she had buried her grievance deep inside her heart until this very moment when, even though she had tried her best to prevent it, it surged out uncontrollably, like an erupting volcano.

    She raised her elbows on the edge of the car window, stifling her sobs with her palms, and looked out the window with her reddening eyes.

    Can I still go back home? I''m afraid... I''ll never return...

    Jeanne''s beautiful face reflected in the car window as she tilted her head.. She clasped her fingers slowly, placed them on her knees with her raised legs, and sighed silently.

 Chapter 59 - Field Training Begin (1)

    At four o''clock in the morning, the alarm for the emergency assembly in the Ein Mecha Division''s base suddenly sounded.

    The officers and soldiers immediately bounced out of bed, washed up as quickly as possible, and lined up in the big square. After counting the number of people, distributing dry food, wearing the exosuit, and boarding the cabin, at 4:30, the whole army would set off for the city of Trudheim.

    For this long-distance field training, they would leave the city-state of Trudheim and then head southwest into the vast jungle.

    Jeanne and the team of instructors she brought over from the Baldwin Academy would also accompany the trip, following the team they were responsible for, to supervise how the officers and soldiers used the new system to cooperate in combat in the real environment and at the same time record various data, analysing the pros and cons for future improvements.

    As the instructor of the Third Squadron, Jeanne naturally acted together with the Third Squadron throughout the whole process.

    As they marched, the third squadron advanced in a boomerang formation. The mecha piloted by Jeanne was at the corner of the boomerang and was protected by five or six mecha around her. Keiko''s mecha was on the left-wing, far away from her.

    With a sigh of relief, she could now finally get rid of the eldest lady. Although she also knew that she was still being watched by Jeanne all the time, it was still good because she didn''t have to face her directly. She couldn''t put her finger on why, but every time she faced the eldest lady, she immediately panicked. This woman was too scary.

    As the third squadron dived deeper into the jungle, Keiko finally sensed something was off. The jungle was quiet, extremely quiet. The squadron didn''t even encounter a single Zerg or predator along the way. Although it was a good thing that they didn''t meet by accident, Keiko always had an ominous premonition in her heart.

    Such a phenomenon was very abnormal to Keiko, but again, even until today, humanity couldn''t comprehend Zerg''s behavior completely, so it wasn''t ruled out that what happened today was actually a very ordinary phenomenon. Many of the behavior patterns of these monsters were still not understood by humans.

    For example, mass suicide attacks were carried out by the swarm of Zerg every year, aimed at the outer fortresses of the seven main city-states. These monsters bashed themselves into the city walls without any apparent reason, killing themselves in the process. This phenomenon had been baffling many of the federation''s researchers for decades.

    There was also the mysterious relationship between predators and Zerg. Sometimes they lived in harmony, sometimes they killed and devoured each other, and nobody knew how they exchanged information with each other.

    Anyway, Keiko didn''t have sufficient information about their current situation, so she stopped pondering deeply about it and just increased her vigilance.

    In the evening of the eighth day of field training, the team rested and built a camp beside a clear river.

    Keiko and Seol-Hyun Ae shared a tent, and Miss Jeanne''s single-person tent was not far from them. There were four guards that could be seen guarding the tent throughout the night. This treatment was much better than that of Captain Amanda, the leader of the third squadron.

    Speaking of which, Jeanne had been quiet these days and had not come to trouble Keiko. Keiko felt that the eldest lady might already have obtained all the information on her and had lost interest in herself.

    Keiko knew her shortcomings well. When it came to resourcefulness, she was far inferior to a brainy woman like Jeanne. She had already made a lot of flaws in front of her, and it was not unreasonable that Jeanne had exposed her. She had already prepared for the worst.

    Anyway, she was not from this world. Even if she was found to be a transmigrator and was sent to be a test subject, she just considered it a contribution to scientific breakthrough. Wouldn''t it be wonderful if, after that, she could be able to transmigrate back to her time?

    But this kind of innocent idea was just to comfort herself. If something really happens, she won''t wait for death without doing something. It was difficult to live, yet dying so early wasn''t good either.

    Keiko was sitting beside the stove, watching the water in the pot being boiled little by little, thinking about something in a daze.

    When Seol-Hyun Ae saw that Keiko didn''t react at all, she patted her and said, "Why are you daydreaming? The water is boiling. Quickly turn off the stove. "

    "Oh, oh." Keiko came back to her senses and quickly opened the instant noodles and put them into the cup. Then she added the seasoning packet, some freshly picked wild vegetables, two canned portions of meat, and cooked two large bowls of noodles, enjoying them warmly.

    This instant noodle was a bit similar to the instant noodles of Keiko''s time, but the dough was made from the dry noodles made by the cooking team, which were stronger and more filling.

    The Third Squadron was out for a total of ten days, and each lieutenant was handed out twenty packets of instant noodles. This kind of food is already delicious.

    The soldiers couldn''t even enjoy such a simple delicacy. They could only eat the hodgepodge cooked in the cauldron of the cooking class. There is everything in it, and sometimes they don''t know what they are eating.

    After dinner, she washed the pots and pans in the clear stream, dried them, folded them, and put them away. Keiko and Seol-Hyun Ae put on their helmets, walked out of the tent, and walked along the stream.

    It is already September 16. Summer has passed, and autumn has entered.

    The climate in the rain forest was humid and wet, and there was not much of a refreshing autumn feeling.

    There were bursts of sounds from the forest, which sounded very crisp and pleasant, and some unknown animal was calling. Keiko couldn''t hear the cicadas and frogs chirping. It stood to reason that this was the time when the autumn cicadas and frogs chirp. Perhaps this was one more thing that this era lacked.

    Speaking of walking, Keiko was actually not comfortable at all.

    She was equipped with an exosuit, a helmet on her head, a weapon on her back, and she was fully armed.

    When night fell, the surroundings were dark and numb, and she couldn''t see anything clearly. If it weren''t for her strong night vision, she would have to turn on the night vision function to walk without hindrance.

    It was forbidden to use light in the jungle, and the tents where they camped were not allowed to light up.

    After the big mutation, many animals are very sensitive to light. It is taboo to make a fire, especially at night, so when the soldiers were cooking, all of them used a source of crystal energy stove, which produced no fire.

    Keiko stood by the stream, thinking about whether there was danger lurking in the stream. As she was just thinking about it, footsteps suddenly sounded behind her.

    She turned around quickly and found a female officer who was also fully armed, walking towards her. At a glance, the epaulet was the rank of major, and at a glance, she knew it was Jeanne.

    Why is this woman here again? Keiko began to murmur in her heart.

 Chapter 60 - Field Training Begin (2)

    Author Note: I''m sorry for the late update and also for the unedited chapter this time. I have something going on IRL so I can only publish my draft this time. As soon as I finished with my business I''ll quickly fix the chapter. You might find some awkward English, it''s because I sometimes write in my native language first and then translate it and finally edit it. Please bear it for a moment. Thanks.

    ###

    Keiko stood by the stream, thinking about whether there was danger lurking in the stream. As she was just thinking about it, footsteps suddenly sounded behind her.

    She turned around quickly and found a female officer who was also fully armed, walking towards her. At a glance, the epaulet was the rank of major, and at a glance, she knew it was Jeanne.

    Why is this woman here again? Keiko began to murmur in her heart.

    Jeanne tapped on the earphone part of her helmet and signaled to Keiko to turn on the internal voice. Only then did Keiko react, and she quickly logged into the system and turned on the internal voice. Only then did she hear Jeanne''s voice through the intercom headset:

    "Come with me, I found something," After saying that, Jeanne took the lead and walked into the jungle.

    Keiko frowned and followed.

    Jeanne took Keiko to a small open area in the jungle. Jeanne was about to persuade Keiko not to go any further when she stopped, squatted down, and looked at the ashes on the ground, and said, "Look, there are signs of a fire here. The pot and stand were overturned, and the water inside was spilled. Also here are two large travel backpacks, which were also left by the roots of the tree.

    She stood up again, walked to the side, pointed to the traces on the ground, and said, "Here, there are traces of dragged clothing and messy footprints. The span is quite large. It should be caused by rushing in a hurry. What do you think happened here? "

    Keiko looked at these traces and analyzed them. "Looking at the footprints, there are at least four people walking in this jungle together, and looking at the extent of the ashes burning, it has been naturally extinguished for at least six or seven hours." I guess it is a temporary place to have lunch at noon. As soon as the pot was boiled, one of them was attacked and dragged away, while the others were hurriedly chased and have not returned. "

    Jeanne nodded and added, "Most likely an adventurer."

    The two circled around to a small bush at the back, which was also a mess, apparently trampled and crushed by a huge animal. The herbs on the ground showed signs of corrosion, and the surrounding trees were cut down, and the sections were smooth.

    "It''s a predator with corrosive venom on its body and a sharp spike. It may be scorpion-shaped, but there are very few scorpion-shaped predators, and they are all first-level predators when they act alone; they are the overlords of the first level. If they were really ambushed by those monsters, I''m afraid these adventurers had long gone. It seems that there was no return. "

    Keiko looked around, and suddenly found something reflecting light in the grass.

    She stepped forward, picked it up, and found that it turned out to be an old pocket watch. This thing is an antique among antiques in this era.

    Keiko was curious and opened the cover of the pocket watch to find a photo inside that had changed color.

    It was a photo of a family of three, but the appearance of the child and father had been scrapped off for some reason, and there was only one woman left, smiling brightly at Keiko. The woman is pretty, and she looks like a Chinese person. Keiko always feels like she has seen it somewhere.

    Jeanne snatched the pocket watch from Keiko''s hand, then her eyes turned solemn, slightly frowning. After looking at it, she suddenly said to Keiko, "Sorry, Lieutenant Lee, we may encounter a major incident.

    "What''s wrong?" Keiko''s heart tightened, and she quickly asked,

    "The granddaughter of Feynman, the former chief of the Science Institute, might be in danger..."

    "What did you say?"

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, hurry up and contact Captain Amanda and ask her to send reinforcements," Jeanne said, with a solemn expression.

    As she spoke, she opened her wristband ID and quickly tapped the holographic screen with her five fingers, wondering what she was doing.

    "No, Major, I don''t understand. What happened? How could Feynman''s granddaughter appear in the jungle? " Keiko asked in confusion.

    "I don''t know why she appeared in the jungle, but this pocket watch is Feynman''s memento. It has been kept by his granddaughter for the past five years. His granddaughter''s name is Bailey, and she is five years older than me. And now she is an expert in the biology of the Feynman Institute of Sciences, specializing in Zerg''s study, and I have a good relationship with her, and I will meet and gather when I have time, "Jeanne explained to Keiko, with two minds, while operating the bracelet ID.

    Then she dialed the video call with someone, and soon, she had a conversation with a male officer:

    "Sistine, are you at the Science Institute in the capital right now?"

    "Jeanne? Why did you contact me suddenly?" The other party sounded very surprised.

    Don''t talk nonsense, answer my question.

    "Yes, what''s the matter?"

    "Do you know what happened to Miss Bailey?"

    "You!" The other party was obviously startled, and after a while, maybe it was a place with fewer people, and then he continued to reply, "We just got the news an hour ago, and now they are still pressed, and they already kept it tightly sealed so it couldn''t leak." But Jeanne, how did you know? "

    "I happened to find the scene of the incident, and I found Sister Bailey''s pocket watch," Jeanne replied.

    "What? Great! Hurry up and send someone to the rescue. Is it the third squadron of the Western Army Mecha Division? I''ll send a rescue request. "

    "Tell me the truth, why did Sister Bailey come out of the city? Why do you have to hold back and dare not speak up? " Jeanne asked.

 Chapter 61 - Baileys Situation

    "Tell me the truth, why did Sister Bailey come out of the city? Why do you have to keep this information secret and don''t tell the others?" Jeanne asked.

    But the other party didn''t seem to want to talk about it, "Jeanne, don''t ask me about this. The situation is pretty complicated around here."

    "Sistine, you know my personality," Jeanne said in a chilling tone, "don''t provoke me to use some of my means against you."

    Sistine didn''t speak for a while. However, perhaps because he was familiar with the methods of the eldest lady, he reluctantly spoke.

    "Sister Bailey had a big quarrel with Dean Rudeus ten days ago about the change in the weather measurements in the southwest, including the Himalayas, in recent months. She thought it might lead to disastrous consequences.

    But Dean Rudeus quickly dismissed her conjecture, saying that the change was a normal phenomenon and that they couldn''t make a move just because of a unproven conjecture.

    Furthermore, due to the development of the new weapon, all resources of the institute, whether they be manpower or financial resources, are allocated to this project. The Institute had their hands pretty much tied in this matter.

    So, Sister Bailey''s investigation proposal was ruthlessly rejected.

    Sister Bailey was really angry that she hired a four-person adventurer team at her own expense and went out of the city without authorization with the survey equipment. And you know the rest of the story.

    We contacted the military and police in our main city and planned to open a secret rescue channel. I just arrived at the Institute of Sciences, and you happened to contact me. With your intelligence, you might have some guesses, right?"

    "There were only four people escorting Sister Bailey on this trip, it was too little for an official assignment from the Institute. Also, I see the stuff left at the scene was too crude. I knew at a glance that Sister Bailey came here privately."

    "It''s been a while since the accident happened, so the automatic rescue signal from the bracelet ID should''ve been sent back. According to the relationship between your family and Dean Rudeus, since she came out without permission, there is a great possibility that he would ask you to open a secret rescue channel, so I just tap in to the channel and I finally connect to you," Jeanne briefly explained her thoughts.

    "Tell Dean Rudeus, don''t try to hide this matter anymore. Sister Bailey was probably captured by a first-class scorpion predator. The danger is now off the scale, and she might lose her life if you don''t quickly make a move. I don''t think they should play anymore for just a little self-interest, if something happened to her it''ll give them more harm than benefit.

    Also, the third squadron would be fully responsible for the rescue, and the military and city guard should not interfere. Time is pressing, I hang up, and then contact."

    Without waiting for the other party to answer, Jeanne cut off the video call. Meanwhile, Keiko also completed contact with Captain Amanda at this moment.

    "Do you have a rescue plan?" Keiko asked Jeanne.

    "Looking at the traces, the blood on the ground didn''t seem that much, which proves that Sister Bailey was not seriously injured, but was dragged away. The only reason for the Scorpii Predator to drag the prey away without killing it immediately is to use her body as a seedbed," Jeanne''s expression turned solemn, but her voice was still cold and composed.

    She continued, "Autumn is coming, and it''s also their mating season. We only have eight hours to rescue Sister Bailey and her team. After that, the scorpion predator would open the belly of the prey and lay the eggs. By then, it would be too late. There is not much time, probably less than half an hour, but the scorpion predator''s nest should also be not far from here. We might find it soon."

    Keiko nodded, Jeanne looked up at her, and then asked:

    "When you notified Captain Amanda about this accident, did you say how many people you asked her to bring?"

    Keiko shook his head and replied, "Speaking of the possible situation of the enemy and the general context of the matter, the captain responded immediately."

    "That''s good. Captain Amanda should have a good idea. When it comes to going deep into the first-level predator''s lair, ordinary soldiers are basically sent to death, and Captain Amanda would pick up experts," she paused, then looked at Keiko and said, "be prepared, you will definitely have to go inside later."

    "That''s natural, it''s our duty to save people," Keiko answered as a matter of course.

    Ring, ring, ring¡ª

    At that moment, Jeanne''s bracelet ID suddenly rang. She connected again, and found that it was the male officer named Sistine who called her again.

    "Jeanne, I got two directors of the Institute of Sciences along with a ten-man elite rescue team together with me, and I''m on my way there by helicopter right now. It is estimated that I''ll arrive there in about three hours. Your father already knows this matter. His order is that the third squadron must not act rashly and wait for the rescue with us."

    "Bullshit! Sister Bailey could be done in three hours! It''s impossible for my father to give such an order," Jeanne was extremely angry, and the volume increased.

    "I just conveyed the order. Whether to believe it or not, it''s up to you. If you and the third squadron don''t obey the order, I couldn''t help it, but you are responsible for the rest," Sistine may also be provoked by Jeanne. With a stiff tone, he hung up.

    "What''s the situation?" Keiko asked. Jeanne was not in conference mode when she was on the phone with others, so she couldn''t hear it.

    "It''s okay, let''s go to the cave first to save time." Jeanne replied calmly.

    "Good."

    The two stopped talking, lowered their bodies, started using their weapons, and quickly went around the depths of the jungle with a tactical trot.

    Following the traces left by the monster along the way, they quickly found the entrance to the cave. The entrance was inconspicuous. Predators are generally bulky, but this hole is only more than two meters high. Two meters high is easy for people to enter, but it is a little too small for tall predators.

    Jeanne looked at the darkness in the cave and her expression hardened; she get a bad premonition about this whole situation.

 Chapter 62 - Rescue Operation (1)

    "The Scorpii''s lair is narrow and filled with many twists and turns, which gives them a great home advantage compared to us, because we can''t use our mecha when we go inside, so we can only try to smoke and lure them out before killing them."

    "However, it won''t be easy," Jeanne''s eyes turned grave, and a hint of severity could be heard from her voice as she continued, "The Scorpii is the type of predators with a high IQ and very cunning. They will never come out easily if they''ve found a suitable body to be a seedbed and quickly proceed to lay their eggs, more so if they feel a threat around them. The most important thing is that we don''t know what''s going on inside. If you act rashly, it is very likely that Sister Bailey will be killed inside."

    Jeanne didn''t explain this thing to Keiko alone. In fact, they were currently in a virtual meeting with Captain Amanda. Although Captain Amanda was not at the scene, she immediately responded.

    "I understand what your point is. We just waited a little bit more, as we had already made preparations. We could use a diversion tactic: we deploy our main force to lay a siege to enclose the nest from outside, while a detached small group will infiltrate inside the nest to rescue the targets. If we could secretly rescue Bailey, it would be best. If not, we will rescue them by force. After the monster inside chase them outside, we will finish them in one swoop."

    Jeanne nodded in agreement.

    "Captain, please send some people to search for the traces of the four adventurers in the vicinity. If we can''t find their corpses, it means that they may all be in the cave now. The worst-case scenario is that we might be ready to rescue five people later," said Jeanne.

    "Affirmative, Major Jeanne," Captain Amanda replied.

    While speaking, Amanda had already brought a team to the entrance of the cave based on Keiko and Jeanne''s GPS positioning. A total of five mecha came, four of which were Sieg MK-2, and the other one was a conspicuous customized mecha of Captain Amanda. In the night, the majestic appearance changed, and it appeared murderous and frightening.

    Lieutenant Valentine, her two adjutants, Lieutenant Lilian and Lieutenant Leoz, Seol-Hyun Ae, and the seven officers of the third squadron, except for Lieutenant Lu Diyun, who organized the search, all came together.

    And there were also fifteen elite non-commissioned officers of the infantry division who were fully armed with exosuits, exuding a battle-hardened and seasoned soldier aura, and the five mecha that completed the encirclement position silently.

    When confronted with this type of predator with terrifying individual battle prowess, a large number of people may actually have a negative effect. In fact, ten people were almost just right, and the current number of people was a little surplus.

    "What''s the plan, Major?" As soon as Amanda came, she immediately asked for Jeanne''s instructions. Clearly, she had great confidence in Jeanne''s ingenuity.

    "My plan is no different from the captain''s, but I want to wait another three minutes first. If there is no news about the four adventurers, I will confirm the number of people who entered the cave to be the infiltration team," Jeanne replied.

    "Well, it''s a suitable strategy. Then, I''ll name Keiko as the leader of the infiltration team. Does the major have any opinions?"

    Jeanne paused for two seconds before replying, "She is the most suitable candidate, I have no opinion."

    "Major, please go to the rear safety zone, and the battle will affect you later."

    Jeanne replied affirmatively, but did not immediately move and instead turned on her bacelet ID to make a private call with Keiko.

    At that time, Keiko was talking to Seol-Hyun Ae alone, and Seol-Hyun Ae knew that Keiko was going to lead the team inside, so she was a little worried and insisted on reminding her to be careful and not reckless.

    Jeanne had much higher authority than Seol-Hyun Ae, so when her call came in, Seol-Hyun''s call was immediately turned off, being replaced by Jeanne''s.

    Keiko had no right to refuse the call, so she immediately picked it up.

    "You don''t need to force yourself, okay? If it doesn''t work, you should immediately withdraw, understand?"

    Keiko was stunned for a moment before answering, "Oh...Roger that."

    Wait, wasn''t she here to save people? If she aborted the mission just because of the danger, wouldn''t this mission end up a failure?

    Keiko wasn''t the type of person who gave up halfway. Since she was already tasked with saving people, she would do her best to save them. Of course, in doing so, she wouldn''t neglect her own safety and proceed with reckless abandon. After all, she wasn''t a fearless and mindless suicidal madman.

    But still, after hearing these words, Keiko was a little baffled by Jeanne.

    Looking back at Jeanne''s appearance before, she seemed very nervous about Miss Bailey''s condition. Why did she say something like, "if it doesn''t work, then withdraw" to her? Keiko shook her head and sighed. The mind of the eldest miss was getting harder and harder to understand.

    Three minutes had passed, and during this period, news came that the bodies of three adventurers were found in the surrounding area, leaving one body missing.

    It meant that, besides Bailey, there was probably another person in the cave, so Keiko and the others may have to rescue two people.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, you bring ten people in, and the other five would respond outside and be responsible for support. Remember, save people first. Try not to disturb the monster if you could. If it was inevitable, grab the target immediately and don''t fight the monster recklessly, understand?" Captain Amanda ordered.

    "Yes Ma''am!" A uniform answer came from the intercom headset.

    Keiko put away the gun, pulled out the saber and held it in her hand, and, with ten extraordinary non-commissioned officers, quietly sneaked into the cave under the watchful eyes of the crowd outside.

    It was extremely dark inside the cave, and it was extremely hard to navigate. There was a damp smell all around, and everyone''s breath was eroded by the anti-virus and oxygen supply masks.

    Keiko and the team quietly entered the cave. Everyone turned on their night vision goggles, and they could see the road under their feet more clearly. They could feel that there was a downhill path after going in. After walking for ten meters, they still couldn''t feel the end.

    Keiko carefully observed the surroundings.

    In the green light of the night vision, she found that the cave was overgrown with vines and rotten leaves, which seemed to be a natural cave, but Keiko felt that the surroundings of the cave looked a little too flat, which made her couldn''t help but feel suspicious.

    She first made a hand gesture to make everyone stop and wait, and then she touched the wall, gently pushed away the vine moss covering it, and pushed in a few layers. She actually saw the concrete wall.

    Sure enough, the cave was formed after the collapse of a man-made building.

    After leading the team to go another ten meters, Keiko suddenly halted her steps as she saw a bottomless ravine in front of their path. There was no road ahead, and their only option was to climb down into the ravine. That monster had very strong climbing abilities and could go down casually, but they couldn''t.

    Keiko''s intuition suddenly tingled. They''d be helpless if they really startled the monsters during the climb, like a fish on a chopping board. This vertical cliff is a kind of natural death trap for Keiko and her team.

    Keiko opened the intercom to inform the outside team of the situation. Ten seconds later, Jeanne and Amanda finished their discussion and gave Keiko the order.

    "Change your first priority: annihilate monsters as soon as possible, then rescue the targets!"

 Chapter 63 - Rescue Operation (2)

    Among the ten non-commissioned officers who were following Keiko into the cave, most of them were unknown to her, and only Antonio was familiar with her.

    She didn''t expect that Antonio would be specially recruited for such a dangerous mission, which meant that, in Captain Amanda''s eyes, he could be regarded as one of the best and most trustworthy non-commissioned officers in the Third Squadron. Otherwise, he would never have been allowed to come.

    Unlike a commissioned officer whose rank was at least a lieutenant, a non-commissioned officer started at the enlisted level, so there was a gaping difference between the benefits and the power in their hand.

    The highest level of a non-commissioned officer is the sergeant major. Before Keiko came to this world, she was a soldier of this rank in the army.

    Unless one achieves great military merit, like the Ernesto First Class Merit that Keiko had achieved, getting promoted from sergeant major to lieutenant, or in other words, from a non-commissioned officer to a commission officer, was harder than a carp leaping through a dragon gate.

    Unfortunately, such merit wasn''t a Chinese cabbage, more so if you didn''t have a background like an Academy Alumni or a descendant of Federal Higher Ups.

    Keiko could be regarded as one of the few that were lucky enough to obtain these rewards.

    Non-commissioned officers are generally summarized as veterans with skilled combat knowledge and skills, more so as elite non-commissioned officers.

    By chance, Antonio was actually an elite non-commissioned officer. It could be said that in the future, it is possible to accumulate military merit and be officially promoted to the rank of officer.

    "Second lieutenant, what should we do next?" Antonio stood beside Keiko, looking down at the deep crack with her.

    "Prepare the climbing device, we will go down in two batches," Keiko''s order rang in all the soldiers'' ears.

    "Affirmative."

    The so-called climbing device consisted of several rock-climbing equipments used uniformly in the army.

    They were usually attached to the forearm and sole of the exosuit and could be taken out for use when necessary.

    In this way, the need for ropes for climbing could be decreased, which is safer and easier to climb.

    Of course, some terrain still required ropes to climb; in that case, the belt of the exosuit was also equipped with a hook wire and a winch.

    As the commander, Keiko took the lead and climbed down together with the other four non-commissioned officers, leaving Antonio and the remaining five non-commissioned officers behind.

    The cracked surface was relatively easy to climb, and when coupled with the climbing tools at their disposal, the soldiers could descend the cliff very quickly.

    The climbing tool in Keiko''s hand was a suction cup with barbs, with a handle on it for easy gripping.

    Simply place the handle on the rock wall and press the button on the outside; barbs will protrude from the inside, drilling into the rock wall and hooking it firmly.

    When the button was pressed a second time, the hook will be retracted easily.

    The studs on the feet could be deeply penetrated by simply kicking hard against the rock wall, and it was not difficult to recover, as long as the movements were right.

    In addition, the hooks could be replaced with powerful suction cups and magnets, making it possible to climb any wall vertically.

    This section of the rock wall wasn''t very deep, only about 20 meters.

    Keiko put away the climbing tools and surveyed the surrounding environment silently. This was an urn-shaped cave, and there should have been no passages in it. The only exit was the cracked rock wall they came down from.

    The entrance to the cave was narrow, but inside it was open and spacious. The walls and floor were very puddled and wet, and it had the feel of a stalactite cave. But the geology here was clearly not a karst landscape.

    Judging from the liquid left on the wall and the ground, it is probably caused by the corrosion of the venom secreted by the scorpion predators themselves.

    Keiko did not act rashly and waited for the rest of the four non-commissioned officers to come down before she gave the first order.

    "Everyone is on standby beside the rock wall, I''ll go check the situation first, and come back soon."

    Everyone was a little surprised. It was rare to see an officer who willingly rushed to the front line to be the vanguard like this. Furthermore, she volunteered herself to do it.

    This action significantly increased their impression of their temporary commander. But still, it was quite reckless of her to charge forward alone when monsters were waiting inside.

    But an order is an order, and they have no objection to it and will obey it.

    Keiko crouched like a civet cat and walked silently against the wall. She advanced carefully, and with the help of night vision goggles, she could see the situation inside relatively clearly.

    She could see an ugly monster coiled up in the cave, seemingly sleeping. It has a relatively huge body, and its head and tail are extremely long. Especially the long tail is extremely terrifying, with a huge sting on its end.

    She couldn''t describe what she saw with words. The monster seemed like a failed experiment between a scorpion and a human, with four limbs and a pair of menacing pincers.

    Keiko could only see the side and the rear of the predator, but its bulging belly was an obvious sign that it was about to lay its eggs.

    Predators are mostly infertile and have no reproductive organs. Most of them rely on infecting humans to expand their numbers.

    But there are exceptions.

    The Scorpii was one of the rare species of predator that relied on sexual reproduction to grow their population.

    Just like most of the insectoid family, after the male scorpion-shaped predator mated with the female scorpion-shaped predator, it would voluntarily die in the claws of the female scorpion-shaped predator to provide nourishment for the female scorpion.

    Then, from maturing to finally laying the eggs, all procedures were completed by the female scorpion alone.

    However, although scorpion predators could reproduce sexually, their birth rate was very low, and their overall population was far less than the predators that relied on infecting humans to expand their numbers.

    It was because the Scorpii hatchlings had been fighting for their survival even before they were born.

    When they were still inside the eggs, they will compete with their brethren for nutrients. The one who could absorb more nutrients would grow splendidly, and the one who lost the competition would perish.

    After they matured and finally broke out of their eggs, they would fight each other and try to devour each other until only one Scorpii was left.

    Because of this phenomenon, the Scorpii have very strong individual fighting and predation abilities, and their personalities are also extremely violent and cruel.

    In the corner of the cave less than three meters away from the scorpion predator, Keiko saw two figures lying motionless on the ground. It was unknown whether they were dead or alive.

    She was thinking about whether she should get closer to check, when Jeanne''s voice came from her earphones:

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, don''t approach it lightly. The Scorpii''s sense of hearing is terrifying. If you get within 10 meters of it, not to mention the sound of footsteps, even the sound of your heartbeat can be heard, and it will easily expose your position."

    ''How can she predict what I want to do? She is really a worm in my stomach'' Keiko couldn''t help but click her tongue in wonder.

    Ignoring what Keiko thought, Jeanne continued, "It has poor eyesight and an ordinary sense of smell, so I recommend a swift and lethal attack, finishing them in one move without giving them a space to counter. Unlike a real scorpion, it didn''t have an exoskeleton covering its bodies, which meant that although they were prone to attack, their agility and flexibility far outstripped another predator. It can be very dangerous when you give them an opportunity to launch an attack.

    "Their biggest weakness was in the neck and abdomen. When you get the opportunity, you should focus your attack on these points. And one more important thing for you to know, they have amazing vitality, so you need to make sure that they really died before you start rescuing the targets."

    "Understood, Ma''am!" Keiko''s answer was short and concise.

    At this time, Antonio''s call request came, and after Keiko was connected, she heard Antonio''s report.

    "Reporting to Blast, the ten-man squad Numbers 01 to 10 is ready and waiting for the next instruction."

    Keiko thought for a moment and replied, "01 to 07 follow me to distract the monster''s attention first, 8,9 and 10 press behind, wait for us to distract the target, immediately go to protect the hostage, and grab the hostage to the exit. Don''t let the fighting go to the hostages. Return to help according to the situation."

    Because Keiko was not familiar with the soldiers who were currently under her command, she had just assigned a number to each of them, from 01 to 10, which was registered on each person''s combat command map out of convenience.

    Among them, Antonio was No. 01, and Keiko''s own code name was "Blast", which actually wasn''t her self-made name but a special code name of the red emergency rescue front-line commander.

    Originally, the code name belonged to Captain Amanda, but now it has been transferred to Keiko. After all, she was the one leading the battle here.

    "The battle starts at 19:29. There are still twenty seconds... Three seconds countdown start now, 3...2...1, GO!"

    ###

    Author''s note: Sorry I''ve run out of my stockpiles, so today I only publish one chapter. Hopefully tomorrow it will be back to the regular scheduling, thanks!

 Chapter 64 - Rescue Operation (3)

    "The battle starts at 19:29. There are still twenty seconds to go... Three-second countdown, 3...2...1, GO!"

    As soon as the countdown hit zero, Keiko immediately led seven people along the wall from the opposite side where the hostages were. The three sergeants, 08 to 010, were a little slower and approached the hostages more carefully.

    All the non-commissioned officers didn''t use guns as a weapon but instead used cold weapons, such as military sabers, bows and arrows, and military daggers.

    The Scorpii was a predator that had a frightening hearing sense. Fighting them in such a dark and narrow cave with a hot weapon like a gun was nothing but suicidal.

    Captain Amanda must have already predicted this because the officers she picked for this mission all had a profound mastery of cold weapons.

    Among them, No. 06 caught Keiko''s eyes. A compound bow and arrows hung on his back, and a very powerful-looking crossbow was attached to his waist.

    Looking closely, he wore a slightly different helmet than an ordinary non-commissioned officer, which was equipped with a scope on the left side. From this setup, Keiko was certain that this man was actually a sharpshooter with a specialty in using bows.

    Keiko glanced at him again and secretly gave him a thumbs up. Although a gun was more precise and lethal than a bow in general, a bow was a far more suitable long-range weapon in this situation.

    It didn''t use gunpowder, so they weren''t easily exploded, and they wouldn''t be accidentally injured by the rebound of hard rocks. In addition, No. 06 was using the latest bow and arrow that had been imbued with paralyzing and poison substances, so the lethality had been improved.

    About ten meters away, Keiko stopped and gave the first battle order:

    "06, fire some arrows to lure the monsters!"

    Without saying a word, 06 readied his bow, docked an arrow into it, and shot an arrow quickly. After shooting the first arrow, he immediately reached into the quiver, took out another arrow, and shot the arrows consecutively.

    Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh¡ª

    Three arrows, like missiles locking onto their targets, flew through the cave toward the monster at supersonic speed.

    Puff¡ª

    The sound of a sharp edge piercing into the flesh reverberated, breaking the silence inside the cave.

    The monster actually heard the whistling sound of the arrows and immediately responded, but due to its bulky size, it couldn''t avoid it completely, causing the three arrows that were originally aimed at the vital spot to miss it slightly.

    However, the purpose had been served as the poison imbued in the arrows could enter the monster''s body through the gaping wound. Although the Scorpii used poison themselves, it didn''t mean that they couldn''t be poisoned. The effect would gradually appear.

    "Hiss!!!" The monster''s shrill echoed in the cave deafeningly.

    The sudden sneak attack made the female Scorpii, which was about to lay eggs, furious. Triggered by its anger, its twelve-meter-long tail immediately swayed around violently in Keiko and her team''s direction.

    "Deploy Crescent Moon formation! All personnel encircles the monster and attack!"

    Keiko took the saber and rushed forward. Behind her, seven officers lined up in an arc, separating the monster from the hostages, forcing the monster into the southeast corner of the cave, intending to surround and kill it.

    However, the situation was more difficult than they thought.

    The monster''s long and sharp tail was extremely dangerous. It got a wide range of action, and its power and speed were ridiculously high.

    The monster''s attack range was very wide, and the tail was too terrifying. Whether it is swinging or attacking, the speed is astonishingly fast.

    Just avoiding the attack had already made them sweat profusely, more so if they wanted to pin it down.

    Difficult, it was extremely difficult!

    The monster''s wild attack disturbed the team''s coordination and practically broke their formation, so the team couldn''t execute Keiko''s command properly, as they practically did their best to avoid getting swept by the Scorpii''s tail.

    As the vanguard, Keiko was the first to face the flailing tail. As the tail swept towards her waist, she turned over and leaped over it then continued rushing towards the monster''s abdomen, which was hidden from sight.

    This monster was also very cunning. It knew that it only needed to lie on the ground and use its tail to protect itself. The monster could detect the position of the ambushers only by relying on its extraordinary hearing, so the monster didn''t need to face its ambusher squarely and risk revealing its vital point.

    Antonio ran right in front of Keiko, seeming like he was about to attack the monster''s abdomen from the side. The saber in his hand had been clenched and raised, but the tail seemed to have eyes, and suddenly chased him from behind.

    And this time, it was not a sweeping motion but a thrust, straight to Antonio''s back, as fast as lightning.

    Keiko immediately sensed the danger and quickly ran in Antonio''s direction without saying a word. As she ran, she passed the sword from her right hand to her left and took out the army dagger from her leg.

    When the tail was only 1 meter away from screwing Antonio, Keiko''s figure blurred, leaving only an afterimage.

    Clank!

    Keiko arrived at the critical time in front of Antonio, shielding him from getting stabbed by the Scorpii''s tail with both of her weapons directly clashing with its sting.

    She successfully saved Antonio''s life, but the brunt of the attack was way too much. She was pushed backward strongly and bumped into Antonio.

    While Keiko successfully steadied her body, Antonio was flung sideways due to its momentum.

    It was unknown what happened in Keiko''s mind; instead of retreating further from the monster''s tail, she actually clutched the tail without fearing for her life.

    Sensing that its enemy was stuck onto its tail, the monster became more furious and lift its tail along with Keiko, trying to toss her into the ceiling.

    "Second Lieutenant!" Antonio was in a hurry, running after its tail. The saber in his hand plunged into the flesh of the monster''s side, and slashed along the way, widening the wound. The monster, in pain, roared and turned around.

    What they saw next sent an inexplicable chill down their spines.

    Unlike the image of a hybrid creature between a scorpion and a human that Keiko had seen before in movies from her previous times, the Scorpii''s head seemed like it was forcefully stuck on the front of its body between its pair of claws. It could only be described as a horrendous sight.

    Scorpion-shaped predators are extremely rare, and many of the people present were seeing them for the first time since they joined the army. When they saw this scene, they suddenly felt their stomach-churning, and had an urge to vomit right away.

    Keiko was thrown in mid-air, but she didn''t pay attention to it. She actually let go of her hand in mid-air and flew towards the rock wall, using its momentum.

    After adjusting her posture in the air, she kicked the rock wall with both feet, propelling her body forward toward the Scorpii''s head with a saber in her hand raised high.

    "Ah!!!!" Keiko jumped towards the monster from the air, stabbing her saber blindly to any part of its body.

    Sshhluck!

    The muffled sound of the flesh being pierced could be clearly heard from the external headset.

    Keiko only felt that her entire body was splashed with strange fluid, and a fishy smell briskly tickled her nostrils. She didn''t know exactly which part of the monster''s body her saber plunged into; she wasn''t even certain whether the fluid was its blood or not.

    However, when an excruciating shrill pierced her eardrum, she knew that her attack had done significant damage to the monster.

    The monster flailed about frantically and swung its tail violently, trying to shake off Keiko from its body.

    The rest of the team couldn''t get close at all. Only 06 was still constantly attacking the monster with his crossbow from a distance, making the monster''s body full of poking arrows look like a hedgehog. It''s just that he didn''t dare shoot too hard for fear of hurting Keiko, who was still latching onto the monster.

    "Not good! 08! Make sure to protect the targets!"

    Keiko hurriedly warned her team when she noticed that the monster had gone mad and was approaching the positions of the three non-commissioned officers, 08-010, who were rescuing the hostages right now.

    At that time, the three non-commissioned officers¡ª08, 09, and 010¡ªhad already carried the two fainted hostages and rushed towards the entrance when they came.

    When they had just reached the entrance of the urn-shaped hole, the monster''s claws suddenly approached in their direction with a powerful blow. 09 and 010 were carrying a hostage each, and they had no time to defend themselves. Only 08 stood in the way, facing the attack bravely.

    ###

    Author''s Note: Sorry, today is also only a single chapter update.

 Chapter 65 - Rescue Operation (4)

    When they had just reached the entrance of the urn-shaped hole, the monster''s claws suddenly approached in their direction with a powerful blow. 09 and 010 were carrying a hostage each, and they had no time to defend themselves. Only 08 stood in the way, facing the attack bravely.

    At the same time, Keiko pulled out the army dagger that was stuck on the monster''s body.

    Only now did she realize that her dagger had actually pierced the monster''s back spine. No wonder the monster went berserk so abruptly.

    As Keiko pulled her dagger out of the monster''s body, the monster started shrieking in pain again, and its entire body trembled violently, making the attack from its tail much looser and the trajectory slightly deviated.

    Although it had been reduced and wasn''t as deadly as initially estimated, the impact was still so strong that 08''s hand became partially numb when he blocked the attack head-on. But despite being unable to feel his hand for a moment, he still firmly stood guard, protecting 09 and 10 who were carrying the targets on their backs.

    Keiko pulled out the army dagger, got up, and took a big stride, directly stepping over the monster''s head.

    She had a bold assumption that, despite having a head like a human, the Scorpii body''s anatomy was closer to a real scorpion than a human. So, with all her strength, she thrust her dagger into the monster''s body.

    The dagger in her hand then fiercely stabbed into the cephalothorax region¡ªthe joint between its head and the torso, which seemed to also have the function of a monster respiratory organ similar to the human trachea.

    Because Keiko was attacking from behind, from this angle, the monster couldn''t do anything to defend itself, similar to how a human would be helpless when their throat was sliced from behind, so she succeeded so easily.

    To make sure that the monster would be incapacitated after Keiko stabbed the monster''s body with the army dagger, she plunged the army saber in her left hand at the same time. Under such a ferocious and decisive attack, the blood sprayed through the gaping wound.

    More and more blood covered her body but Keiko didn''t care in the slightest. She fiercely pressed the saber and the dagger deeper into the cephalothorax and then with her monstrous strength stretched both of her hands to the opposite side, tearing open the section that connected the head and the body.

    The monster''s neck was directly pulled open with a huge opening, the airway was completely severed, and only a thin piece of flesh was left between the brain and the body.

    The terrible head swayed back and forth on the back, and it was about to be completely disconnected.

    Keiko''s blow was too ruthless, causing an irreversible fatal injury to the monster. Although this monster squirmed and struggled for a long time, it finally died of hatred.

    The body fell to the ground with a slam, the head tilted, smashed to the ground, shattered a hole, and the brain slowly leaked out.

    Its bulging belly was exposed, and everyone realized that someone had cut a big hole in the abdomen, and the dense worm eggs were pouring out.

    Keiko leaped away from the monster, and when she saw such a scene, she felt slightly uncomfortable inside, thinking about the battle that they had been through.

    The battle was actually not that difficult. When Keiko challenged the monster arena, she also had her fair share of dealing with this monster. If she was using Hela, she could finish this fight with only one or two strikes.

    But, she was actually quite surprised that even without the mecha, she could actually deal with the monster with relative ease. It seemed that she had been underestimating the physical strength of her body all this time.

    It was just that, other than her, most of the team had never seen the Scorpii''s terrifying and disturbing appearance before, so they naturally felt frightened and shocked at first contact.

    Under such an impact, it was understandable that they would make some mistakes. This was what made the battle harder than it should have been.

    "Who cut his stomach? It''s disgusting!" Sergeant 05 complained.

    "01, It''s you!"

    Sergeant 02 looked at Antonio beside him. This guy was limping on the ground and couldn''t stand up, and his body was covered with insect eggs. It was obvious that he did it.

    "I... I was also in a hurry and wanted to help the second lieutenant, so I went down and cut its abdomen. I didn''t know... I never thought it would be so disgusting!" Antonio said with disgust in her eyes, while covering his mouth with his hand, making sure not to vomit.

    "Okay, everyone has worked hard, hurry up and clean up," Keiko stated sternly before contacting Captain Amanda, who was waiting outside, to report.

    "The mission was successful, and the target had been secured. The monster has also been eliminated."

    "Good job. Thank you for your hard work, Second Lieutenant Lee," replied Captain Amanda with a satisfied tone. Then, she asked, "Are the targets injured?"

    "They are still unconscious right now, and the specific situation needs further examination."

    "Okay, go back immediately."

    Keiko organized everyone to send the unconscious Professor Bailey and the unknown adventurer out of the cave, and the non-commissioned officers also climbed up the cliff, one after another.

    Keiko was the last person to ascend. As she reached the midway, she suddenly felt a prickling sensation on the back of her neck. She reached out and touched it, but she didn''t feel anything unusual. She only felt a little wet and thought it was water dripping from the top of the cave, so she quickly ignored it.

    When they finally came out of the cave, the two wounded people were immediately sent for treatment, and the eleven combatants, including Keiko, were greeted by Captain Amanda with a lot of praising words and a promise that when they got back, she would give everyone extra military merit.

    Seeing that Keiko was all right, Jeanne didn''t go over but instead went back to the camp with the medic team first.

    After a big battle, Keiko was a little tired. She was a bit relieved that the eldest lady didn''t come over and approach her. She was so embarrassed by her appearance, covered in monster blood like a brute, that she just wanted to go back to the camp to have a quick shower.

    The emergency rescue team returned to the camp, and the eleven soldiers who participated in the battle annihilated a Scorpii predator without anyone being injured, which could be said to be a very impressive record.

    This time, the battle unexpectedly went very smoothly, which might have a lot to do with the female predator laying eggs and weakening.

    In addition to Keiko, who gave the most fatal blow in the battle, Antonio cooperated with Keiko to cut open the monster''s belly and made a great contribution.

    Keiko recalled later that Antonio''s cutting of the belly was probably the same as the one he plunged into the monster''s neck. The time coincides; no wonder the monster died so fast.

    In addition, the paralyzing poison arrow of Sergeant 06 also greatly delayed the mobility of the monster, which was a great contribution.

    08, 09, and 010 were successful in guarding the hostages, and the rest of them also had assistance to varying degrees.

    Seol-Hyun Ae chased Keiko and asked questions, hoping Keiko would recount the story of the battle that happened inside the cave. Keiko dealt with her patiently, but she felt her body becoming more and more fatigued.

    In the end, Second Lieutenant Lilian noticed that Keiko was tired and stopped Seol-Hyun Ae from pestering her.

    Back at the camp, Keiko vigorously recovered and quickly returned to his lieutenant''s tent, where she cleaned herself up in the makeshift shower room.

    She came to this world and experienced two exhilarating battles in such a short period of time. Keiko believed she was too violent and wild; perhaps the adrenaline rush had taken over her reason.

    Since she had fought various zergs and predators in the simulation chamber, she embarrassingly accepted that she was a little bit of a battle junky. Just a little bit, Keiko always convinced herself so.

    But still, she didn''t want to always be dirty every time; she wanted to be more refined and elegant and wasn''t always covered in blood every time. She might have to put extra effort into her training.

    If other soldiers could peek into her mind right now, they would be awestruck by her thoughts.

    As expected of the Death Reaper, she was not thinking about how to preserve her life and how to kill the enemy when fighting, but instead thinking about being elegant and refined?

    After taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, Keiko felt even more tired, and her eyelids became so heavy that she couldn''t muster any strength to open them again once they closed.

    She didn''t care about anything else, threw herself on the camp bed, and fell asleep.. In almost a second, she lost her consciousness.

 Chapter 66 - Poisoned

    Meanwhile, Captain Amanda and Jeanne were in the medical tent, sitting outside the emergency room separated by a curtain.

    Jeanne made a serious expression while her arms were crossed in front of her chest, one leg on top of another, and her fingers were tapping her arms rhythmically.

    Captain Amanda was sitting neatly while staring at the curtains of the emergency room.

    After a while, Dr. Leah finally came out, and Jeanne immediately stood up and asked:

    "How is the situation?"

    Dr. Leah''s beautiful face frowned slightly, and she said, "Both of them have hole-shaped wounds on their bodies and they also got poisoned by scorpion venom. I''ve already injected the antidote serum into their bodies, but since the duration between the first contact with poison and when they got treatment was relatively long, the effect of the antidote will be greatly reduced. If you can give me the monster''s carcass before the 48-hours pass, I might be able to do something about the poison."

    "I''ve sent an order for someone to fetch the body," Captain Amanda said, nodding.

    "One more thing, was there any roselle growing near the Scorpii''s nest? In an urgent tone, Dr. Leah asked.

    "Roselle?" Captain Amanda asked in a shocked voice.

    Jeanne frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Is it a purple-colored broad-leafed plant?"

    "Yes, that''s Roselle!" Medic Alita replied.

    Jeanne and Captain Amanda exchanged glances, and their expressions suddenly changed. They realized that they might miss something important this time.

    Dr. Leah also grew anxious and her voice turned tense, "Why are you so careless! Roselle is a highly poisonous plant that grows well in toxic soil. If there is roselle growing next to the cave, it means that the soil contains a highly concentrated level of toxicity.

    "Moreover, roselle has a parasitic creature called kudzu, about the size of a fingernail, and likes to infest themselves into the human body, sucking their blood while releasing violent neurotoxins in the process.

    "Once infected, the human body would soon fall into a coma. If not treated immediately, the victim will die within 5 hours. Make sure to ask any soldiers who went down to the cave to have a medical examination immediately and then thoroughly clean up the body, burning the clothes they wore previously so that the kudzu couldn''t spread out in the camp."

    "Shit!" Captain Amanda couldn''t help but curse on her stupidity and quickly opened the bracelet id to issue an order, "Stop the transportation of corpses immediately and gather the eleven soldiers that went into the rescue mission into the medical tent, right now!"

    Meanwhile, Jeanne had already rushed out of the medical tent and ran towards Keiko''s tent. She could feel her heart pounding crazily with anxiety.

    The road leading to the military camp wasn''t well-lighted, and Jeanne was almost tripped off several times as she ran.

    After a few minutes, she finally arrived in the front of the tent and then rushed inside without hesitation.

    When she opened the tent and rushed in, Seol-Hyun Ae, who was looking at a manuscript with a small flashlight, was startled by her. She quickly hid the book under the quilt, looked at her with a befuddled gaze, and asked in a surprised tone, "Major Armstrong, why are you here?"

    "Where''s Keiko?" Jeanne asked breathlessly.

    "As soon as she came back, she immediately took a bath and fell asleep right away. If you''re looking for her¨C"

    Before Seol-Hyun Ae could finish her words, Jeanne rushed to Keiko''s bed, lifted the quilt, and saw that Keiko was lying unconscious on the bed.

    Her face darkened; she felt her heart sink into the deepest abyss.

    She quickly pulled Keiko''s shirt off, undressing her in the blink of an eye.

    Seol-Hyun was stupefied by the sudden turn of events and couldn''t help but exclaim, "Major! What are you doing?!"

    Jeanne ignored Seol-Hyun''s sudden cry and focused her attention on searching for any sign of poison on Keiko''s body. However, because the lighting inside the tent was dim, she couldn''t see anything clearly.

    She then looked at the confused Seol-Hyun¡ªto be exact, the flashlight in her hand.

    "Hurry up and give me a flashlight and follow my lead!"

    ''W-what is this? Does Major Jeanne have this kind of kink?! no, no, I can''t do this. This is too bold even for me¡­'' Seol-Hyun blushed at her own fantasy. Then she shook her head and shyly rejected Jeanne''s "invitation."

    "It''s not... Major, it''s not good. Why do you want me to help with the flashlight? Just do it yourself. I...I''ll not disturb you two¡­"

    Seol-Hyun Ae got up from her bed hurriedly, ready to scurry away from the tent.

    "Don''t talk nonsense! Do whatever I ask you to do!"

    But before she could walk out of the room, Jeanne grabbed her arm so strongly that Seol-Hyun let out a little yelp, and her voice was so cold and fierce that Seol-Hyun Ae couldn''t help but shudder when she heard it.

    "Y-yes, yes," Seol-Hyun hurriedly nodded like a chick pecking at rice and then did exactly what Jeanne ordered her: she quickly picked up the flashlight and helped Jeanne look at Keiko''s body.

    At that time, Keiko''s t-shirt had been taken off by Jeanne, and the black tight vest inside was completely exposed.

    But neither Jeanne nor Seol-Hyun Ae paid attention to it because a terrifying mark on Keiko''s neck immediately caught their attention, and Seol-Hyun Ae took a deep breath.

    The area around Keiko''s nape was already bruised and had turned color, and the blood vessels that burst out looked very scary.

    "This... what is this?" Seol-Hyun Ae asked in surprise.

    "She''s poisoned..." Jeanne said, biting her lower lip.

    In the medical tent, Jeanne was sitting beside Keiko''s hospital bed, looking at Keiko, who was lying on the bed with an expressionless face. It was unknown what was thinking about.

    Keiko''s treatment had already been completed by Dr. Leah, but it wasn''t that easy to treat kudzu poisoning.

    Other than performing surgery to open the back of Keiko''s neck and remove the parasitic kudzu, they had to feed Keiko the antidote for the poison itself.

    Unfortunately, Dr. Leah didn''t have an antidote for kudzu in hand readily, so she could only do a general treatment for Keiko, and the poison couldn''t be completely removed from her body in a short time.

    Although it was not life-threatening, it would definitely affect Keiko''s daily activities. At least for five or six days, she would sometimes fall into a coma again and wake up with a high fever.

    "The kudzu poison was hallucinogenic. During this time, her mind may not be that clear and she may have hallucinations. I will assign a nurse to keep an eye on Lieutenant Keiko to prevent her from doing anything dangerous," Dr. Leah turned her head sideways and said to Jeanne. She paused briefly before continuing. "It''s already past 9 PM. Major Armstrong should go to rest and get up early for tomorrow''s trip."

    "No, I''m staying here with her," Jeanne replied softly.

    Dr. Alita raised her eyebrows and showed an amused expression. She only shrugged her shoulders before she continued to bury her head in the stacks of documents on the table.

    It was nine o''clock in the evening, and an hour and a half had passed since the end of the underground cave battle. Fortunately, because Jeanne kept her eyes on Keiko, her poisoning was discovered early and she got treated promptly.

    Other than Keiko, two non-commissioned officers¡ª03 and 07, were also parasitized by the mutated kudzu plant, and they were treated quickly.

    The room separated by thick curtains where Keiko and Jeanne stayed was actually Dr. Leah''s office. Leah specially prepared this room for her treatment. After all, Keiko was her friend, and Major Jeanne didn''t seem to want Keiko to be with other patients outside, and Leah herself had another tent.

    Another ten minutes passed, Jeanne was still silent, and Keiko showed no sign of waking up. Alita finished her work, got up, and talked to her briefly.

    "I want to go back to my tent to get a little rest. If there is anything, call me immediately."

    Jeanne nodded, to which Leah replied with a smile. She then opened the curtain and walked out. As she passed the nurse on duty, she said, "Give Major Armstrong and Second Lieutenant Lee some space and don''t go inside if it''s not necessary."

    The nurse was slightly taken back by Dr. Leah''s instruction but quickly gave her an understanding nod, looked at the curtain-covered room, and smiled knowingly.

    Meanwhile, in the patient room, only Jeanne and the unconscious Keiko were left alone.

    Jeanne''s expression softened, and her eyes returned to Keiko.

    Seeing Keiko frowning, sweat dripping from his forehead, an expression like he was going through a painful nightmare, Jeanne''s heart tightened, and she seemed to sigh softly.

    She got up and left the tent, and after a while, returned with a bowl of cold water in her hand, then sat beside Keiko''s bed while dipping the towel in the cold water before helping Keiko wipe off the sweat on her body.

    Because of the wound on her nape, Keiko could only sleep on her stomach, so it wasn''t easy to put a cold towel on her forehead, so Jeanne only wiped her with cold water and alcohol occasionally to cool her fever.

    "Hey, you know, I''ve never taken care of anyone like this since I was a child, you are my first. After being spoiled by me, if you don''t get better soon, do you think you''ll get a chance with me?" Jeanne said softly while wiping her body.

    Unfortunately, Keiko couldn''t hear it at all.

    "I told you to say goodbye to me before leaving the main city, are you really hate to see me? Do you know how many people are lining up to pursue me? But you actually keep avoiding me like I''m a snake. I know I sometimes can be a little too much, but that''s because you''re too dumb and stupid like a wood. If... if you could be more considerate and obedient, why would I think about plotting against you, and the two of us end up worse than strangers?"

    Jeanne complained in a low voice, threw the towel into the bowl, and rubbed it a few times. Then she took out the towel, wrung it dry, folded it into a square, and spread it on the back of Keiko''s head.

    She picked up the water bowl and planned to go out to ditch the water, but her steps slowly halted as she got a glimpse of her blurred reflection in the water basin.

    "Keiko¡­ How could you... How could you forget me..."

    Jeanne slowly clenched the edge of the bowl tightly.. Closing her eyes, she whispered to herself as if raving, her eyelids under her eyes slightly dampened.

 Chapter 67 - Hallucination

    On a large grass field, with loud whistles and shouts as a background, many soldiers clad in army green military uniforms were doing exercises and practicing.

    "Why are you slowing down? Haven''t you all eaten yet?!" A male instructor crossed his hands, looking at five or six female soldiers currently on the ground, doing several sets of push-ups for punishment. He scolded them ruthlessly, "I always remind you that after you join the army, there will be no differential treatment for you as a woman! On the battlefield, your beauty will be of no use! When you''re ambushed by enemies, what are you trying to do with those pretty faces? Seducing the enemy''s soldier to spare your life? Or being a princess who needs a prince charming to save her ass?!"

    The male instructor''s fury eventually spread to the sole soldier who still stood up with a straight back, "Keiko! For God''s sake, you''re the team leader! Is this how you lead your team; by spoiling them like teenage girls?! Using cosmetics is prohibited when soldiers are on active duty. You know this rule as well, right? So, what are you trying to pull off here by turning a blind eye to their disciplinary violation? You''re not being a good leader by indulging their whims. This is the army, not a school club!"

    "You also go down with them, do it ten times more!" The male instructor pointed to the ground and ordered.

    "Yes!" she answered loudly, then took a step forward, fell flat on the ground, braced on the ground, and started doing push-ups.

    "Team leader..." Right next to her, the female soldier who was doing push-ups turned her head. Her face was full of guilt, and she was about to cry.

    "Are you still having time to cry?! Quickly continue!" She deliberately shouted in a fierce tone.

    At the end of the day, she was punished by doing more than 500 push-ups, causing her body to ache all over, and she couldn''t even hold her body straight. Her arms were all swollen, and she couldn''t even bend them.

    In the dormitory, her subordinates boiled water and dipped the towel inside it before compressing the swollen part of Keiko''s arm while sobbing profusely.

    "T-team leader¡­ t-team leader, this is all my fault¡­ I''m the one who got you implicated¡­ I''ve wronged you¡­"

    "It''s okay, at least your next vacation is still saved. Your mother''s health hasn''t been good recently. You need to accompany her more often," said Keiko softly.

    The female soldier felt more guilty when she saw Keiko wasn''t even angry at her teammates and her, "But leader, it''s your vacation that''s gone."

    "I don''t want a vacation; I don''t have any family to spend my time with anyway... It''s no fun to go out," Keiko said these saddening words lightly, still with a gentle smile adorning her face.

    "Team Leader..." All of her subordinates felt their hearts wrench, looking distressed.

    "Okay, I need to go to bed earlier, I''ve been tired all day," said Keiko, and she went to her bed.

    At night, she was lying in bed listening to her comrades talking about their parents, friends, and sweethearts, and somehow her heart suddenly felt empty.

    Her childhood was nothing but lonely. She grew up in the compound only with her adoptive father.

    Her adoptive father was busy every day in order to support the family. Even when he returned home, he would not give her a good look and was very strict with her. Except for practicing, they had no common topics.

    Fortunately, there were many children around her age in the compound that she had a good relationship with and who could play together with her.

    But as everyone grew up, each had their own studies and their own social circle, and so the small circle of childhood playmates also gradually grew apart.

    There was a little girl, one year younger than Keiko, who had the closest relationship with her and always followed her like a duckling following a hen since they were very young. If she didn''t remember it wrongly, her nickname was Yaya.

    Yaya was both very beautiful and very smart. She even won first place in the Mathematical Olympiad in elementary school.

    But, when she was in front of Keiko, she always acted silly and cute and always called her "Big Sis Keiko" and "Big Sis Keiko" affectionately, which warmed Keiko''s heart.

    She didn''t know when it started, but this little girl somehow successfully squirmed her way into Keiko''s heart. Keiko found that she became more and more caring about the girl.

    They were in the same school from elementary school to high school. When going to and from school, Keiko would always find her unconsciously and accompany her to and from school.

    Yaya always said that she felt very safe walking with Big Sis Keiko. If any bad person dared to bully her, Big Sis Keiko would definitely drive them away.

    In Yaya''s mind, Big Sis Keiko was the most powerful martial arts master in the world and her own bodyguard. When she was a child, she liked to sit on a small bench and watch Keiko practicing martial arts. Even when she was already fifteen or sixteen years old, she still did it the same. It wasn''t strange that it had become a habit by now.

    Yaya''s mother, Aunt Pei, had loved Keiko since she was a child. Especially when she saw Keiko often left alone by her father, but instead of throwing tantrums or crying, she still perseveringly practiced the martial art that her father taught her without complaining.

    This was Keiko, precocious and very sensible from a very young age, and this also drew Aunt Pei''s sympathy and affection toward her, and eventually, she treated Keiko like her own daughter.

    She always cooked a warm and delicious meal for Keiko. When she bought new clothes for Yaya, she never forgot to buy one for Keiko too. When someone mentioned how great their mother''s cooking was and how much they missed it, Keiko always thought of Aunt Pei''s cooking. That was how much Aunt Pei''s presence weighed in her heart.

    Yaya''s father was a formidable soldier and the person Keiko admired the most. She rarely saw him at home throughout the year, but whenever he returned, he always came with fanfare, escorted in a big jeep with a large group of brothers, wearing a straight military uniform, especially handsome.

    It was because of her admiration of Yaya''s father that Keiko eventually chose to become a soldier when he graduated from high school.

    Sometimes, Keiko felt it rather strange that when she tried to remember the man who was her adoptive father, she could only recall a vague figure of a middle-aged man with a sign of the vicissitudes of life on his full of stubble face, and it gradually became more unclear as the time passed by.

    On the other hand, her impression of Yaya''s family in her mind was always very fresh. No matter how much time passed, she could see their smiles and hear their voices vividly as if it was just yesterday.

    At the age of 18, Keiko was about to take the college entrance examination, and Yaya was in her second year of high school. Aunt Pei and her husband bought a new house and decided to move out of the compound and live in the new house. Yaya would go through the transfer procedures and go to a better high school near their new residence.

    In the face of the abrupt and inevitable separation from Yaya, Keiko finally recognized and embraced her sexual preferences as a homosexual, a lesbian, and a woman who loved another woman.

    It was summer in early May, and the weather suddenly became hot.

    Yaya, together with her parents, was cleaning up this dilapidated little home that they had lived in for more than ten years. Keiko went to help, and together with Yaya, they cleaned up the little girl''s room.

    The two did not talk much, except for simple conversations such as "pass that to me" and "where I should put this". But Keiko''s movement was getting slower and slower while her eyes were locked on Yaya''s figure, and her heart started throbbing in pain.

    The little girl who followed her back then has grown up into a big girl. She was so beautiful, gentle, lovely, generous, intelligent, and considerate.

    However, she was about to leave her life, and Keiko had no idea whether they would meet each other again in the future or not. Having such a thought, Keiko felt like a knife was gouging out her heart, and the pain was dripping with blood.

    Suddenly, she really wanted to take little Yaya into her arms and kiss her.

    This thought that Keiko had thought up several times and was forcibly suppressed, was now sprouting wildly like weeds in her heart.

    She didn''t want to endure it anymore and she didn''t want to run away from her love for Yaya.

    Stepping over the messy items, she walked to Yaya''s side. The little girl was wearing a white t-shirt, which was soaked in sweat and became so wet that Keiko could see through her sexy figure even from a distance.

    Her hair was tied in a ponytail, revealing her beautiful and delicious white nape.

    Keiko swallowed a big gulp as she saw the tempting sight.

    Keiko sat down beside her and took her arm. The girl looked back at her and asked, with a smile, "Big Sis Keiko, what are you doing?"

    The sun rays shone upon the side of the girl''s face; the contrast between light and dark accentuated her breath-taking beauty.

    After so many years, Keiko finally realized that Yaya seemed to have captivating blue-colored eyes and her facial features were a little mixed-race.

    Maybe it''s because Yaya''s father himself looked a bit like a foreigner, and his daughter inherited these excellent facial features from him.

    "Can you not go?"

    Yaya looked at her with a smile but said nothing.

    "I like you."

    Yaya still didn''t speak, and the smile on her face gradually faded.

    "Girl, I want to be with you."

    Keiko gathered up the courage to finish these three sentences.

    Seeing that Yaya was still looking at her with a gentle expression, she couldn''t help raising her hand to touch her cheek.

    Suddenly, Yaya stood up and let go of her hand.

    Keiko''s heart seemed like being pummelled by a hammer, and her body was suddenly stiffened. Her hands and feet were numb as she heard a cold voice come from Yaya''s mouth.

    "Keiko, are you out of your mind? Is it really me that you like?"

    "How could it not be you... Am I not confessing to you right now?"

    "Heh!"

    The other party sneered as if she had heard something so ridiculous.

 Chapter 68 - Guilty Pleasure (NSFW)

    Author''s Note:

    This is the first NSFW chapter for this book. This chapter includes a depiction of sexual advances under influence of substance/drug, and not fully consensual sexual activity, so read it at your own discretion.

    ###

    Jeanne came in with a bowl of cold water and continued to cool down Keiko''s fever. She could vaguely hear Keiko talking in her sleep, but Keiko''s voice was so small and gibberish that Jeanne couldn''t hear what she said clearly.

    Without warning, Jeanne suddenly felt a hand grabbing her arms strongly, causing her to let out a little yelp. There was only Keiko and her in this room, so obviously the culprit was Keiko.

    As she was about to turn around, she felt her body being pulled toward the bed, and then she sat down on top of the bed beside Keiko, slightly dazed.

    She saw Keiko open her black eyes, her eyebrows drooping, her long and thick eyelashes obscuring the emotions in her eyes, and she looked straight at Jeanne''s eyes with a gaze that could even charm immortals.

    "Can you not go?" Keiko whispered.

    Hearing the affection and longing in Keiko''s voice, Jeanne''s heart nearly skipped a beat. She looked at Keiko with wide eyes, not sure that she had heard it right.

    ''This dense woman actually speaking in such a tone? This guy... did she half-awake right now?''

    "I like you," Keiko''s voice grew softer and more seductive.

    Upon Keiko''s abrupt confession, Jeanne quickly realized that Keiko might be under a hallucination right now. That was the reason this piece of wood suddenly became so bold, which was in a normal setting would only happen when the sun was rising from the west.

    Despite this, Jeanne could feel her heart pounding like a drum and a butterfly fluttering in her stomach, and her white cheeks turned pinkish in the dim light. The happiness came so suddenly, she didn''t know how to respond.

    But, Keiko''s next words quickly doused a bucket of cold water on her enthusiasm.

    "Girl, I want to be with you."

    ''Girl? Who the hell?!''

    Jeanne felt a chill in her heart and realized that the object of Keiko''s dream at this moment might not necessarily be her at all, because Keiko had never called her "girl" before.

    Keiko''s other hand had already slowly touched Jeanne''s cheek, but Jeanne''s mood had already turned sour and her blood was boiling from anger.

    She didn''t care whether Keiko was currently sober or not; she stood up and slapped Keiko''s hand off her arms and coldly said, "Keiko, are you out of your mind? Is it really me that you like?"

    Who knew that this guy would answer right away unhesitatingly.

    "How could there be another person that I like? Am I not confessing to you right now?"

    This scumbag-like line made Jeanne annoyed. She smiled coldly and sneered inwardly, ''Lieutenant Lee, oh, Lieutenant Lee, I usually see your serious and upright appearance. I didn''t expect that you could be a jerk too.''

    Jeanne turned around and was about to leave, but she didn''t expect that Keiko''s hallucination was so severe that she couldn''t wake up from it in such a short time. Keiko suddenly hugged her from behind, and then the two fell on the bed together.

    The simple camp bed made a creaking sound, and Jeanne exclaimed in a low voice, which alarmed the nurses outside.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee? Major Armstrong? What''s happening? Is there something I can do to help?" The nurse obeyed Dr. Leah''s instructions and asked outside instead of entering without authorization.

    "Ah, it''s alright, it''s alright, I''m just a little bit startled by the noise when I sit on the bed. It seems the bunk is quite cranky. Rest easy, there isn''t any serious problem," Jeanne lay on Keiko''s back and said with difficulty.

    "Oh, okay, you''ve worked hard, Major." The nurse''s footsteps gradually moved away.

    "Damn, bastard, let me go!" Jeanne lowered her voice and cried angrily to Keiko, who was under her, pinching Keiko''s thigh with her fingers, trying to wake her up.

    Keiko was obedient this time and quickly released Jeanne from her embrace. But, she didn''t let her go completely and instead suddenly pressed her down, raised her hand to lift Jeanne''s chin, and pressed her lips to Jeanne''s.

    As she sensed the softness on her lips, Jeanne''s eyes widened, and her body shuddered in inexplicable pleasure. She didn''t know if she had somehow fallen into an illusion too, but she could taste the lingering sweetness on her lips as if they were dipped in honey.

    She was shocked by the sudden kiss and tried to push Keiko away from her. But, once she felt the warm tingling breath on her skin, she couldn''t help but feel her heart melting, and her stiff body was now weak and soft.

    With another soft moan escaping her lips, she couldn''t muster any more strength to resist Keiko.

    Her hands that previously wanted to push Keiko away were now tightly circling around Keiko''s neck, hugging her body tightly, and she could feel Keiko''s warmth on her own.

    After a brief separation, this time Jeanne was the one who initiated the kiss. Differing from Keiko''s kiss, which was rough and abrupt, her kiss was as gentle as falling dew.

    Her tongue didn''t rush to charge forward but tasted the nook and cranny of her small lips first, and then, after a brief moment of besieging, Keiko''s defense couldn''t help but crumble, her breaths ragged, leaving a slight gap in her mouth, which was quickly used as an opportunity by Jeanne''s tongue to infiltrate inside.

    What happened next wasn''t a surprise anymore. Jeanne''s tongue was wreaking havoc inside, triggering a stifled but sweet moan from Keiko.

    While feasting on Keiko''s sumptuous lips, Jeanne''s foxy eyes quietly observed Keiko''s facial features through her long fluttering eyelashes.

    Right at that moment, her majestic and awe-inspiring looks were long gone, replaced by a slightly intoxicated expression.

    The eyes under the double eyelids were like lacquer as if there were little stars shining in them at any time, and after staring at her for a long time, there was a feeling of blush and heartbeat.

    Looking at her at such a close distance, her skin was flawless, fair, and tender, which was unbelievable for a soldier who was exposed to the wind and the sun.

    Her sharp and exquisite nose was also very charming.

    Jeanne couldn''t help but reach out and attach her cheek, sliding her thumb lightly across the bridge of her nose.

    Coincidentally, Keiko''s lips reapplied to hers from a different angle, and Jeanne became mischievous and nibbled her lower lip lightly.

    ''Even though you''re currently not fully conscious, taking advantage of me, you still have to pay a price.''

    Keiko''s exquisite brows frowned because of the pain, and she suddenly stuck out her tongue, lightly prying open Jeanne''s lips, and she took advantage of the situation to launch another assault.

    "Hmm~" Jeanne was a little surprised, and subconsciously gave a soft moan, but then was embarrassed by the sound she made.

    She prayed that Keiko didn''t remember any of this, otherwise, where would she put the face of Major Armstrong?

    However, her kitten-like purring voice completely switched Keiko''s flip. Her breathing became heavier, and her kiss escalated from a peck of a dragonfly to a deeper one.

    Jeanne''s and Keiko''s lips intertwined with each other, and for the first time, Jeanne felt that kissing was such a wonderful thing.

    As they drowned in the sweet moment, Jeanne''s hand gently stroked Keiko''s cheek. Her fingers fiddled with a few strains of Keiko''s hair before slowly tucking it behind her ears and then slid down from there, tracing the neckline and touching her straight and beautiful collarbone, making her blush fiercely.

    It was cold at night, and Jeanne was wearing a camouflage jacket, which had been torn out of shape at the moment, and the corners of the camouflage T-shirt she was wearing were also lifted up, revealing a flat belly without any fat.

    Keiko''s hand had slipped to her waist and was gently stroking her lower back. That hand was really warm but a little rough, and I could feel the calluses from holding the weapon for a long time.

    Jeanne was kissed so passionately by Keiko that though she knew in her heart that if things went on like this, they might cross the line tonight, it didn''t mean she would stop.

    She had her own plans in her heart, and she didn''t mind cooking cooked rice with Keiko, and in the process, it was best to leave some evidence in case this guy didn''t recognize the bill after eating.

    With this guy''s upright personality, Jeanne wasn''t afraid that she would run away again in the future.

    Well, she knew that it was a bit despicable to plot against the person she liked like this, but she always believed that even if it was a lover, it was necessary to be a little bit innocuous and careful; otherwise, how could the other party be firmly tied to her side?

    Even love had an expiration date. If you want to keep it fresh for a long time, you should make some effort to preserve it.

    Especially now that she was completely fascinated by a piece of wood and couldn''t extricate herself from her. If she didn''t act proactively, should she wait for the wood to enlighten itself?

    So, Jeanne wanted to reach out and open her bracelet ID in her busy schedule.

    How could she have known Keiko was obsessed with her, holding her and not letting go as her lips made their way to Jeanne''s ear, the most sensitive part of her body?

    As Keiko lightly bit her earlobe, she suddenly felt something dripping below her crotch and subconsciously clamped her legs.

    She pursed her lips that were a little swollen from the kiss; her foxy eyes were now watery with lust concealed within, and her long curly hair was scattered all over the bed messily, full of temptation.

    "Keiko...don''t¡­wait, wait a minute..."

    She gently stretched out her hand to push Keiko, but Keiko couldn''t listen to anything at all now, Jeanne''s strength was not as strong as hers, and she was already controlled by her desire. There was really no way to get rid of her entanglement right now.

    ''You wood, why are you so impatient, I really owe you a lot in my past life!'' Jeanne sighed, feeling very resentful in her heart but already resigning to this temptress'' whim.

    Keiko''s right hand had already crawled up from Jeanne''s waist to her bosom, copping a feel of Jeanne''s perky twin mounds. While her left hand was venturing below, about to visit Jeanne''s hidden garden.

    At that moment, the nurse''s slightly anxious voice suddenly came from outside.

    "Sir, who are you looking for? You need permission to visit, sir, please stay."

 Chapter 69 - Sistine Smith, Storm Is Coming

    At this moment, the nurse''s slightly anxious voice suddenly came from outside.

    "Sir, who are you looking for? You need permission to visit, sir, please stay."

    "I''m not here to visit the patient. I heard Major Armstrong is currently inside, I look for her," A male voice sounded.

    "Sir, please show your visit permit," the nurse insisted.

    "Scram! don''t get in my way!" The male voice seemed a bit domineering.

    Oops! As soon as Jeanne heard the voice, she knew who was coming. She quickly pushed Keiko with all her strength and said urgently.

    "Keiko get up! Someone is coming!"

    But, Keiko wasn''t in her right mind right now and couldn''t understand her words at all, just acting according to her own hallucinations.

    She was now in the heat of passion and had no reason to pull the brakes. How could she stop it so easily?

    As a result, when the owner of the voice outside barged inside, he saw a woman lying on top of Jeanne, trying to kiss her, while Jeanne in her disheveled state was pushing her strongly as if she was struggling to resist the woman''s assault.

    The visitor immediately became furious, took a step forward, grabbed Keiko, and pulled her off the bed with a forceful pull. After that, he raised his hand and punched Keiko''s left cheek mercilessly.

    Keiko let out a stifled groan and then fainted on the spot. He had already suffered from the neurotoxin, added with such a heavy blow she couldn''t hold her consciousness anymore.

    "Bastard! Why did you hurt her?!" Jeanne immediately jumped off the bed, pushed the man away, and then pulled Keiko up from the ground.

    "Why?! She had the gall attempting to violate you and you asked me why I beat this little shit down?!" The man raised his eyebrows and said angrily.

    "Who told you she violated me? Did I call for help? Sistine are you stupid?!" Jeanne retorted back fiercely, it was apparent that she wasn''t less angry than the man, or even angrier.

    "But...she..." The man was startled, unable to say a complete sentence for a long time, just stared at Jeanne with wide eyes in disbelief.

    Jeanne didn''t bother to pay attention to him, and with some effort, she picked up Keiko horizontally, put him back on the bed, and then checked the wound on the back of her neck. Fortunately, the wound didn''t open again.

    But she was punched on the left cheek, and his pretty face was already bruised, making Jeanne very distressed. She hurriedly ordered to the startled nurse who was standing at the door.

    "Go get the medicine and help her deal with the wound on her face."

    "Okay, I''ll come right away." The nurse hurriedly left.

    "Jeanne! You are my woman," The male officer, whom Jeanne called Sistine, said angrily.

    "Who is your woman?" Jeanne stared dagger at Sistine, while her voice became much colder than before, "I, Jeanne Armstrong, are not anybody''s possession. I am me, and no one in this world could control me."

    "Have you forgotten my engagement with you?"

    "Oh, the so-called engagement that my father and your father made privately? How many times have I told you Sistine, no one in this world can force me to do what I don''t want to do, not even my father. No exception, let alone your father. That marriage contract is child''s play, you actually take it seriously, I really feel pity for you."

    "Mo Jian Ni!" Sistine gritted his teeth angrily.

    "Who allows you to call me by that name? Sistine, don''t push your luck and mess with me or you''ll taste the meaning of suffering," Jeanne''s voice turned sharper than a sword.

    "You..." Sistine looked at Jeanne with a livid face, but there was nothing he could do about her, and then his eyes shifted to Keiko. After taking a closer look, he suddenly sneered:

    "Heh, I don''t pay attention to her before, it turns out to be the little soldier who saved you back then. I really don''t know what you think Jeanne. What is the status of your Armstrong family? you don''t need me to remind you, this female soldier has no background, and is only a second lieutenant at the lowest level of an officer, do you really think your father would agree with you to be together?"

    "Whether my dad will agree or not, what does it have to do with you? Sistine, you have crossed the line tonight, let me remind you, no matter how good your father, Lieutenant General Smith, is in the federal government, your family is just still a vessel of Armstrong family."

    Sistine''s face turned ugly quickly, but he couldn''t find a word to refute her.

    "Now please wait for me outside, and I''ll come out after I''ve dealt with the affairs here. Unlike you, I won''t be carried away by personal affairs. I''ll ask you about Sister Bailey later."

    "..." Sistine clenched his fists, looking at Jeanne with an unresigned expression.

    "What about the answer?" Jeanne raised her voice.

    "Yes, Miss." Sistine did not give a military salute but bowed with one hand touching his chest, and then turn around and exited the room.

    After he went out, Jeanne''s expression gradually relaxed. She stretch her hand and caressed Keiko''s head and sighed deeply.

    At this time, the nurse came in with the medicine, and Jeanne regained her senses, stood up, and made way for the nurse to deal with the wound on Keiko''s face. And she herself turned her back to the bed, tidied up her messy clothes, tied her hair again, and said to the nurse.

    "I''ll go out, please take care of her."

    "Yes, Major," the nurse replied.

    Jeanne walked out of the account and was about to lift the curtain when she suddenly turned around and told the nurse, "She will sometimes have a period when her dereliction returned, she would hug and kiss anybody she saw. You''d better tie her up and don''t let her move."

    The nurse looked at Jeanne with a bewildered expression, and Jeanne had already opened the curtain and walked out.

    ***

    Stein Field Base is currently the westernmost military base of the Federation and the closest survey base to the Himalayas. At an altitude of 4,200 meters, it is a plateau area with thin oxygen and a cold climate.

    The base had a small population, no more than 30 people all year round. Half of them were well-known military geologists and climatologists. Their survey and research data were regarded as a very valuable asset for the entire federation.

    At the entrance of the valley near the base, there was a spring in which water came from the melting of ice and snow layers in the surrounding, people in the base knew it as Frozen Spring.

    Every day, soldiers from the logistics team at Stein Base drive snowmobiles to fetch water there. The amount obtained was not much, only enough to make coffee and tea for the scientists in the base.

    Every time they came to fetch the water, a snowy mountain mastiff dog called Titan would welcome them. This mastiff dog was a new breed after the great biological mutation. It was huge and like freedom. Therefore, it is generally not bound in the base but is only kept around the base, maintaining a semi-wild state.

    Titan was very familiar with the soldiers of the logistics class. Every morning, it would wait at the entrance of the Frozen Spring valley, waiting for a familiar figure to drive a sleigh motorcycle and bring it fresh beef for breakfast.

    On the morning of September 16, a soldier from the logistics team came to fetch water as usual Frozen Spring but the soldiers didn''t see Titan around. He didn''t think much about it, and fetched water, as usual, put it on the sleigh motorcycle, and rode back to the base.

    When passing a corner, he suddenly saw a series of conspicuous red marks on the snow, stopped the sled, stepped forward to take a closer look, and found that it was actually blood, and the amount of blood was so great that he turned the corner.

    The hillside behind the entrance was all dyed bright red. Just under the hillside, he could see Titan''s corpse was falling miserably below.

    The soldier took a deep breath and hurried back to the sled. He rode on the sled and rushed back, while activating the contact device on the sleigh motorcycle, calling for rescue. He didn''t know whether Titan was already died or not, but at least he attempted to save it.

    But the strange thing was that no one answered his call. He subconsciously felt ominous premonition in his heart, and he accelerated to the base.

    When he arrived at the gate, a sight that resemble a scene of hell in the tale entered her sight, causing his body to tremble involuntarily.

    There he saw a massive number of Zergs and predators are wreaking havoc and slaughtering everybody in the base. He only left for twenty minutes, the world had already upside down when he returned.

    ''How, how could there be so many Zerg and predators? Why didn''t they notice it at all? This is impossible!''

    The soldiers panicked and hurriedly drove their sleigh motorcycles and ran away. However, no matter where he fled, he could see the figures of the Zerg and the predators. The base was besieged from all directions.

    "Red alert! Red alert! Stein base is attacked by unknown Zergs! The number is uncountable! Request support! Red alert! Red alert! Stein base is attacked by unknown Zergs! Request support!"

    He slumped on the snow, desperately sending distress alerts to the central main city, but no one respond as if he was the only human left in the world.

    Just below the snow where he was slumped, a huge black shadow suddenly pounced at him, biting the soldier''s body into two pieces, and the blood and internal organs splashed all over the ground....

 Chapter 70 - Undercurrent

    Jeanne walked out of the medical tent and saw Sistine in a blue and black city guard uniform standing not far away, smoking a cigarette.

    "Come on, let''s talk somewhere else," said Jeanne, passing by Sistine without stopping.

    Sistine stomped on the cigarette and followed quietly. He has calmed down now, but his expression was still uncomfortable.

    Jeanne took him to her tent, and the two sat on the folding chairs outside. Jeanne glanced at him while calmly operating her bracelet ID to open some photos and information. She skimmed over it and said, "You came very quickly. Earlier, you said it was three hours, but you actually arrived here in only two and a half hours."

    "Hmm," Sistine hummed indifferently.

    "Where is the helicopter parked?"

    Sistine raised his finger and pointed to the south of the base.

    "Well, your comrades have come a long way and have worked hard. I would ask Dad to give them a bonus later," Jeanne laughed while enlarging a photo on the holographic screen with her finger to observe it carefully. Jeanne seemed to be looking at what was displayed on her bracelet ID. But in Sistine''s eyes, she seemed very absent-minded.

    "Jeanne, are you not afraid at all? This time you acted without authorization; do you know what the consequences of your action were this time?" Sistine said, slightly frowning.

    "Consequences? First, I don''t believe that my father would give such an order. As for the consequences, hehe," Jeanne chuckled, the corner of her lips curled up slightly, showing a mocking smirk, "Second, if I don''t save Sister Bailey but foolishly wait for you to come, then the consequences are really serious. Third, Sistine, you are also someone who grew up in the capital city. You should know how muddy the water is there. I advise you don''t get involved in any confrontation that has nothing to do with you," Jeanne said.

    Sistine shook his head immediately, "It''s not as simple as you think, Jeanne, do you think I don''t know how to stay out of this quagmire? But this time, Sister Bailey has invited a big disaster upon herself, and I''m afraid no one can save her."

    Jeanne remained calm, waiting for his next words.

    Sistine seemed very scared of this matter, and his voice became smaller and smaller, barely audible to Jeanne and him.

    "There was someone in a very high position who wanted her to die because she accidentally messed up that person''s big plans."

    "What big plan? Something to do with the climate anomalies?" Jeanne asked.

    "I don''t know the specific situation, it''s my own guess. But believe me, Jeanne, I think my guess isn''t far from the truth. Bailey couldn''t be allowed to live; if you saved her, you''d risk yourself against that person."

    "It''s best for her to be "lost in action" outside the city. If you bring her back to the city alive, that person''s attention would inevitably be shifted to the head of the third squadron of the Western Army''s mecha division, and their good days then can be counted on fingers."

    "And even if she can return to the city safely, Sister Bailey might still not be able to keep her life by then. You could protect her for a while, but not for the rest of your life. Doing so is like playing a losing game; you won''t get anything in return."

    "Is Dean Rudeus aware of this matter?" Jeanne asked calmly.

    Sistine looked at her and nodded slightly.

    "I''ll ask you two questions; you just need to nod or shake your head to answer me. Did Sister Bailey get into trouble when she was still in the city, and this time out of the city a trap to get her into an accident? "

    Sistine nodded.

    "What about your father? Did he know about this matter?"

    Sistine hesitated for a moment, shook his head, and added, "I don''t know, but he might know."

    Jeanne stopped talking, stared at the holographic screen of her bracelet id, called up the second photo, and continued to observe carefully.

    "What have you been looking at since just now?" Sistine couldn''t help but ask her.

    "The photos of the four adventurers Three of them were dead, and one is currently in critical condition and being treated right now. This is the picture of the three dead adventurers when they were still alive."

    "What have you found?"

    Jeanne dropped a shocking revelation, "They''re all soldiers in disguise. A secret agent."

    Sistine raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked, "How did you come to this conclusion?"

    Jeanne replied casually, "I had suspected the identity of these adventurers from the beginning. Judging from their carrier bags, the utensils, tents, sleeping bags, and other large items were all used by active-duty troops. The compass hanging on one of the people''s bags is the latest military product; real adventurers have no way to buy such military tools. They could easily fool Sister Bailey, who didn''t know much about the army, but there''s no way it could fool me."

    "Also, looking at this photo, the man''s cuff covering his wrist was torn to pieces, and there were still sunburns on his left wrist, presumably because it was covered by Bracelet ID before. Only soldiers will use the bracelet ID on their left hand, while civilians all wear their bracelet ID on their right hand."

    "And I also manage to discover the military and city guard badges on them, which confirms my previous guess."

    Sistine shook his head and sighed, "No wonder you asked if my father knew about this. It turned out that the military and city guards were involved in it. As the top leader of the military and city guards, it is impossible for my father to not know this kind of thing. To be honest, I just had an intuition until just now that my father might know, and if you hadn''t told me, I wouldn''t be sure about it."

    "Your brother might know about it," Jeanne said.

    "Yeah, father prefers big brother," Sistine shrugged, a helpless smile on his face.

    Jeanne didn''t speak, Sistine scratched his head and said, "If eldest brother hadn''t been married long ago, perhaps father should have made a marriage contract between you and eldest brother."

    With an absurd expression on her face, Jeanne said, "Sistine, are you still dwelling on the marriage contract? I don''t know whether you''re stubborn or stupid. I don''t like repeating what I said, you have forced me to say it three times already, so I hope this is the last time I''ll state it for you; I won''t marry you, let alone your brother. I''m in charge of my marriage, and no one could force me against my will."

    "No... Okay, you have the final say, you have the final say," Sistine raised his hand and gave up, then he changed the subject.

    "What are you going to do about Sister Bailey?"

    Jeanne pursed her lips and squinted at him, then lowered her eyes and said, "I''ll find a way, you don''t have to worry about it. In short, I won''t trouble you about this matter anymore."

    "Jeanne..."

    "It''s already very late. You''ve come from a faraway place. You''d better get some rest early. We''ll be heading back to the city tomorrow."

    When Sistine was about to persuade Jeanne to change her mind, Jeanne interrupted him, not giving him a chance to continue, and quickly shooed him out of the tent.

    Sistine reluctantly got up and walked out of the tent, saying:

    "Okay, good night then, Jeanne."

    Jeanne ignored him and pulled down the tent curtain. Sistine stood outside with a gloomy face, and then glanced at the two bodyguards of Jeanne standing at the door.. Seeing them staring straight ahead, he turned and left without saying a word.

 Chapter 71 - Wake Up

    A violent bump made Keiko wake up from her slumber with a splitting headache. She frowned and opened her eyes with difficulty. Her eyes slowly focused, and the blurred sight in front of her became clear. She saw the roof of the armored car.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, how are you feeling?"

    The nurse''s voice rang in her ears. She turned her head and saw that the nurse was sitting across from the bed where she was lying, looking at her with concern.

    "Uh...I''m a little thirsty..." she said in a dry, weak voice.

    The nurse hurriedly took the water bottle and put the straw in Keiko''s mouth. Keiko drank a lot of water, finally quenching her thirst. She cleared her throat and asked.

    "What time is it now?"

    "Second lieutenant, you''ve been in a coma for five days. Today is September 22nd, at 10:10 in the morning, we will soon arrive in the Trudheim city."

    "...Five days..." Keiko was a little confused, "I...why..."

    "You were poisoned by a kudzu parasite in the cave, so you fell into a coma," the nurse explained.

    Keiko recalled for a moment and remembered that she seemed to have a chill in her neck when she was climbing the rocky cliff.

    ''Could it be that time? Ah, I was really careless,'' sighed Keiko inwardly.

    Keiko struggled to get up, and the nurse quickly came to help her. She sat up, took a breath, and asked.

    "I''ve been in a coma for so many days. What happened while I''m still unconcious?"

    "What does Second Lieutenant Lee want to know?" The nurse asked in a slightly embarrassed tone, with a twinkle in her eyes.

    "For example, what happened to the person who was rescued by us? and also, didn''t the central government also send reinforcements?" Keiko didn''t seem aware of the nurse''s strange response and just elaborated further.

    "Oh," the nurse replied with a sigh of relief, "I heard the situation is not very good, especially with the female scientist, who seems to be dying. The reinforcements from the central government came that night. There were two directors from the Feynman Institute of Sciences, one city guard officer, and several soldiers. The directors and the city guard are now in another medical vehicle with Major Armstrong, looking after those two people."

    Keiko nodded, looked around the carriage, and found only the two of them here.

    "Where is Dr. Leah?"

    "She is in that medical van too."

    "Where''s my... uniform? I want to get out of the car and have a look."

    "Second lieutenant, you''d better take a rest. It''s not the right time to come down and walk around," The nurse hurriedly stopped him.

    "I''ve been lying down for too long, and my bones are about to fall apart. Just let me go for a walk," Keiko pleaded.

    The nurse was in a dilemma when suddenly the intercom on the wall of the carriage rang. The nurse hurried over to answer and heard Jeanne''s voice:

    "Did she wake up?"

    "Yes, Major Armstrong. Second Lieutenant Lee said that she wants to get out of the car for a walk."

    "Let her go out, I''ll pick her up right away," Jeanne said.

    "Yes, Ma''am," The nurse finally breathed a sigh of relief.

    With the help of the nurse, Keiko put on the military uniform, as she wasn''t allowed to put on the exosuit for now. She just put on a helmet to supply oxygen opened the door, and got out of the car.

    The team was advancing, and the medical vehicle could only get off people when it was parked in the grass on the side of the road. Keiko jumped out of the car and saw the familiar green steel dragon.

    For some reason, the weather is very gloomy today, and the temperature outside was very cold. When she got out of the car, Keiko felt like she was in winter and couldn''t help but slightly shiver.

    Her eyes wandered about, searching for her mecha, but didn''t see it around. In fact, there weren''t any mecha in the vicinity. It seemed that almost all of the third squadron had already arrived in Thrudheim earlier in the day.

    She looked into the distance, and the city walls of Trudheim were clearly visible in the distance. In only half an hour, they would be able to enter the city.

    A jeep speeded up and stopped in front of Keiko. Jeanne jumped out of it and walked towards Keiko.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, the team is moving forward. It''s about to enter the city. You could move on and get in my car."

    Keiko nodded, but she felt a little depressed. Why did she have to get Jeanne''s permission before being allowed to get off the car? This woman was so tyrannical.

    Keiko stretched her body, and Jeanne watched from the side.

    Although she was wearing a helmet and couldn''t clearly see Jeanne''s expression, Keiko could somehow feel that her gaze was a bit too intense, making Keiko feel uncomfortable.

    ''What''s the matter with me, miss?'' Keiko was confused.

    "Let''s go."

    Keiko gave up the activity and followed Jeanne into the car. At this point, they had already fallen to the end of the team, and they were two or three hundred meters away from the last car. Jeanne didn''t seem to be in a hurry, so she let the driver drive slowly, Keiko sat beside her and didn''t say a word.

    Jeanne''s car was a special modified off-road vehicle. It had an oxygen supply system in the car, so after entering the car and the door was tightly closed, you could take off the helmet and didn''t have to wear it all the time.

    Such a car is very luxurious. The energy consumption of the oxygen supply system alone could not be afforded by ordinary military vehicles, and only the eldest nobles could use it.

    The inside of the car is very spacious. Jeanne took off her helmet and put it at her feet, and Keiko followed suit. The eldest lady straightened her messy hair, then patted the driver''s seat in front.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee and I have something to talk about in private."

    "Yes, Ma''am," The driver replied, and the electric flaps between the driver''s seat, the co-pilot, and the rear seats were closed.

 Chapter 72 - Ambushed

    "Second Lieutenant Keiko and I have something to talk about in private."

    "Yes, Major," the driver replied, and the electric separator between the driver''s seat, the co-pilot, and the rear seats was closed.

    "Turn around," Jeanne turned her head and said to Keiko commandingly.

    "Ah?" Keiko didn''t understand why.

    "I said, turn around."

    "Oh," Keiko said as she turned around, and Jeanne suddenly grabbed her back, pulled down her collar, and examined the back of her neck.

    "Uh, Major..." Keiko cried out.

    "Good, the wound healed quickly," Jeanne said, sounding satisfied.

    "Thank you, I''ve troubled you, Major Jeanne," Keiko said politely.

    Who knew Jeanne wouldn''t follow the usual script and instead shamelessly said, "Well...you really make me worry a lot. Second Lieutenant Lee, you really don''t remember anything?"

    Keiko was a little embarrassed. What should she remember? Could it be that she unconsciously did something to offend the eldest lady during the five days she was in a coma?

    Jeanne stretched out her hand and opened her lower lip to show Keiko, and Keiko saw a deep wound, as if it had been bitten out.

    "This..." Keiko stared at Jeanne blankly; her silly expression was inexplicably cute.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, people are kind enough to see you. You said that you were poisoned by kudzu and had hallucinations. It doesn''t matter, but don''t admit the wrong person, and then hug and kiss them wildly. This kiss is also kissed. Why are you still What about biting? How painful," Jeanne said it deliberately in a aggrived tone.

    "I, I, I..." Keiko''s face flushed red. Did she really kiss Jeanne and bite her?

    "You you you..." Jeanne raised her beautiful eyes and looked at her without a smile in her eyes, "You tell me what to do, Lieutenant Lee."

    "Y-yes... I''m sorry... it''s... it''s really not my intention..." Keiko stammered.

    She didn''t have any memory of being unconcious for five days. At least she remembered that she seemed to dream about Yaya, whom she hadn''t seen for a long time, and she seemed to have done something unspeakable together with her.

    She thought it was just a spring dream. How could she know that she was actually... God! What had she done?

    "Oh, an apology is useful, so what else are the military and police to do?" Jeanne raised her eyebrows.

    "Then... I don''t know what to do either, or you could tell me what to do," Keiko replied helplessly.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, you really have no sincerity at all," Jeanne teased her.

    "I...really...I''m really sorry, I promise to do everything you say," Keiko was embarrassed and remorseful, so he could only say that.

    "Everything?" A strange light glimmered in Jeanne''s eyes before quickly dissapearing like it was never there before. Then she smiled and said, "Then when we get back to the base, you have to accompany me on a date for a day. You have to pay for what I buy and eat."

    Keiko''s expression was a little subtle, but then he became serious and replied, "Well, I promise you."

    Inside, the atmosphere in the car suddenly turned quiet. Keiko looked out of the car window, seemingly calm on the surface, but actually struggling fiercely inside.

    The moment Jeanne proposed a date, she had confirmed that Jeanne liked her, no, it should be said that she liked the former Keiko. No matter how slow she was, with how persistent Jeanne was, she couldn''t fool herself and act as if she saw nothing.

    Ambiguity and feelings are not what she wanted.

    She had not been in this world for a long time and had not yet established a firm foothold.

    Jeanne''s personality was cunning and unpredictable. It was not clear whether she was an enemy or a friend.

    Keiko had experienced Jeanne''s cunning and ruthless means many times, which didn''t give her the best impression of this lady and somehow left a psychological shadow in her heart.

    No matter how well the major had treated her, she couldn''t bring herself to trust Jeanne completely. Also, she couldn''t confirm whether the eldest lady''s feelings for her were just her fooling around or serious.

    Or, the eldest lady was only interested in her existence, without involving any feelings whatsoever. She would have no qualms about ending their relationship once she stopped being interested in her.

    Keiko always had a notion that a person with a character like Jeanne would always put reason above emotion. If there was a conflict between them in the future, she believed that Jeanne would never act sentimentally.

    And there was indeed a hidden danger between them.

    Even now, Keiko still didn''t know what plan the original owner had with General Armstrong. From the perspective that they have been hiding this matter from Jeanne, meaning that this was something that Jeanne shouldn''t have involved herself in, then they are likely to have a conflict of interest in the future. She didn''t want to taste the feeling of being betrayed or opposed by her girlfriend.

    The most important point was that she was not the original owner, Keiko Lee. She didn''t know anything about many things that she should have known, and she had no way to find out about them.

    This huge hidden danger was like an invincible blade that was hanging above her head, making her feel ill at ease and always on guard.

    What about falling in love with the eldest lady who knew Keiko''s past? That''s simply digging a hole for yourself to jump into.

    Although she felt physical attraction to her, she didn''t think that she liked the eldest lady romantically, and perhaps the original owner didn''t feel about her in that way either.

    She knew that, deep in her heart, she was really afraid of this woman, and she was always on guard when she was around. There was no way a relationship based on fear could last long or be rewarded with a happy ending.

    The reason why she agreed to go on a date with Jeanne was that she really owed the eldest a lot of favours, and she had to pay it back. This was her principle in life; otherwise, she couldn''t live her life with a clear conscience.

    Keiko decided that after the date, she would draw a clear line with the eldest lady. Even if it seemed cruel, it was something that had to be done, or she would dig her own grave.

    "Major, we are about to enter the city." The driver''s voice came from the loudspeaker on the separator.

    "Okay," Jeanne responded lightly.

    Through the car window, Keiko could see that the car had driven into the shadow of the 100-meter city wall. The road into the city was lined with tall grass, which blocked the view and buried the car.

    Outside the gate of the city wall was a meadow about the size of a football field, and beyond the meadow was a vast forest. This exit in the Trudheim faced the forest directly, so it was also the most dangerous opening. Every time you open the city gate, you need to be vigilant.

    At this moment, 90% of the main force has entered the city, and there are only four armored vehicles left behind, a cargo vehicle, a medical vehicle, and Jeanne''s jeep that was in the rear.

    Originally, they thought that they would return to the city safe and sound, but no one thought that the accident would happen at this time.. Suddenly, a dark shadow jumped into the grass and rushed towards the jeep where Jeanne and the others were.

 Chapter 73 - Luring The Enemies Alone

    The sound of glass shattering and metal crashing clamor at the same time, drowning the shocked cry from the driver in the front and deafening screeches from outside the car.

    The car instantly went out of control and skidded to the right, catching Keiko, who was sitting in the back row on the right side, off guard and slamming her body directly onto Lanny''s.

    The car spun around and slid into the grass on the right side of the road. After god knows how many rotations, it gradually slowed down and finally stopped.

    Keiko''s hand immediately reached out to her waist, going to grab her weapon, only to find that she was not equipped with any weapon at the moment, nor was she equipped with an exosuit.

    She quickly moved away from her position to avoid crushing Jeanne, and then vigilantly looked at the roof while paying attention to the two windows, not daring to make a rash move.

    "Xiao Wang, what''s happened?!" After Keiko moved away, Jeanne quickly got up, reached out, took off the walkie-talkie, and shouted to the front seat, "Xiao Wang! Answer me!"

    There was no answer from the front, only silence. Jeanne threw away the walkie-talkie in her hand and cursed in a low voice.

    "Fuck!!"

    Suddenly, a dull "thud" was coming from the top of the car''s roof, followed by a scratching sound.

    Keiko and Jeanne almost simultaneously grabbed the helmets beside their feet, quickly put them on, and then activated the oxygen supply system.

    The front driver''s seat had been damaged, and so had the airtight oxygen supply system in the car. Despite the fact that the rear seats are separated by a separator, it won''t be long before the oxygen level in the car drops.

    "Major, I''ll count to three and we''ll jump out of the car together. Once outside, you should run as quickly as possible in the direction of the city wall, and I will try to divert that monster, buying some time for you," Keiko suggested with a solemn expression.

    "No way, you don''t have any equipment on your body right now, it''s too dangerous!" Jeanne rejected her proposal reflexively.

    "This is the best way, Major. Listen to me, I''m sure!" Keiko insisted.

    "But..."

    "We don''t have any other options!" Keiko reminded Jeanne.

    Jeanne gritted her teeth and said, after a moment of hesitation, "Be careful, you must come back alive!" And then, she rolled up her sleeves, and Keiko saw a gun holster tied to her arm, and inside it was a pocket-sized and exquisite gun. She took off the gun and stuffed it into Keiko''s hands.

    Keiko clutched the gun in her hand with a bitter smile, thinking in her heart, ''Well, it''s better than nothing.''

    "One, two, jump!" Keiko''s voice rang through the intercom headset.

    Jeanne pushed the car door hard, jumped out quickly, and rolled forward, she got up and took big strides, and ran without even looking back.

    Behind her came the furious roars of the monsters and the whistling of a split wind. At first, Lanny seemed to feel that the monster was coming after her, but at the same time, she heard Keiko''s booming voice in the headset.

    "Hey! You ugly son of a bug! Where are you going?! Your enemy is me!"

    And the banging of the gunshots and the monster''s wailing filled the air, while Jeanne was getting further and further away.

    Jeanne never looked back once. She sprinted towards the city wall with all her strength, and via the radar on her helmet''s visor, she saw some red dots representing a group of monsters chasing Keiko''s green dot away.

    At the same time, she also noticed that their car wasn''t the only one being attacked. The four armored vehicles in front, as well as the logistic car and the medic car, were also under the assault of five monsters.

    Jeanne could see that their situation wasn''t much better off than Keiko''s and hers, and one of the armored vehicles and also the medic car were even flipped upside down by the monster.

    Jeanne recognized in a single glance that their ambushers were the Mantis-type first-class predators, Devil Mantis, known for their speed and agility. They are wielding sharp and hard scythes to attack the vehicles, looking to tear the six vehicles to pieces.

    Inside the four armored vehicles were all reserve mecha soldiers, each with 11 people, including the driver, so there was a total of 44 soldiers that could be utilized.

    The medical car was the one that transported Bailey and the surviving adventurers, but the two directors of Sistine and the Academy of Sciences, who were supposed to be in the car, were not there at the moment.

    Just before Keiko woke up, they had entered the city by helicopter. Now, only Dr. Leah and the two nurses were in the car, accompanying Bailey and the adventurer. However, now that the vehicle was overturned, Jeanne didn''t know their situation.

    Jeanne halted, squatted down quickly, and hid behind the grass.

    The situation has changed. The city gate was blocked by the convoy, and she didn''t have the confidence to be able to enter the city in such a brief window of opportunity.

    She was currently unarmed and unable to fight; furthermore, she didn''t think Keiko could hold the monster for so long, so she had to ask for support.

    Jeanne directly dialed the highest-authority rescue channel, and the call went directly to Major General Frode''s ID, the highest commander of Trudheim City. When the line connected, Jeanne sighed in relief and quickly reported their situation.

    "Major General, I''m Jeanne. When the third squadron entered the city, the seven vehicles at the tail were suddenly attacked by six Devil Mantis, and the city gate was blocked. Now we are trapped outside the city, so please send mecha immediately to kill the monster."

    "I''ve received the news that the rescue team will be here within two minutes. Please hang on there!" Major General Frode''s voice sounded calm and not panicked.

    After hanging up the call, Jeanne bit her lip and began to think quickly. Why did these six mantis-type predators suddenly appear and attack the incoming troops at the gate of the city?

    Although she was curious about this question, she didn''t have the time to ponder about this matter for the time being.

    The biggest problem at present was how to delay the time.

    With the personnel she had here, their chance of survival was actually pretty slim. The attack power and evasion ability of the Devil Mantis was horrifying. One monster was enough to slaughter a team of 50 people, but at the moment, they were besieged by six such creatures. Since they only have a 40-ish man right now, how should she handle it?

    Beep, beep, beep¡ª

    A warning alarm suddenly beeped on the helmet screen. Jeanne clicked on the three-dimensional map of the city wall in the whole territory, and then her expression suddenly darkened, and her fist clenched so hard that blood was dripping from her palm.

    Instead of seeing their reinforcements coming from the city, she actually saw the city gate was slowly closing down!

 Chapter 74 - Desperate Situation

    "Bastard!!" A cuss came out of Jeanne''s mouth.

    She gritted her teeth and anger flared up in her eyes.

    ''The city guards were actually closing the city gate! Did they want to abandon us? How on earth did Major General Frode give the order?''

    There were still three armored cars on the drawbridge that connected to the city gate; if the bridge was lifted while the cars were still there, she was afraid that there would be a collision with the city gate, killing many soldiers and city guards in the process.

    Furthermore, the city gate, which was only made of steel plates covered with miracle stones, wasn''t as strong as the city wall itself. If the cars really crashed into it, the city gate would surely be destroyed at the first impact. Jeanne couldn''t imagine what would happen to Trudheim city by the time it happened.

    Jeanne called Major General Frodele''s ID again, but her effort was for naught as it kept showing that no one answered.

    ''What the hell is going on here?'' Jeanne frowned. Her heart was full of doubts.

    "Did General Frode want to harm us?" Keiko shook her head immediately, "No, the possibility of that happening is nigh impossible. After all, he didn''t have the motive to do so, and he wouldn''t get any benefit if that happened." The frowns on Jeanne''s forehead became more apparent, "Who is messing with us?"

    Jeanne''s eyes suddenly shifted to the medical car; some guesses surged in her mind. But the most urgent task right now for Jeanne wasn''t thinking about this matter, but thinking about how to survive this ordeal.

    Jeanne looked at the radar and saw that there were dense green spots in front of her. Obviously, the reserve mecha soldiers were still trapped in the vehicles without someone who could command them, and they probably didn''t know what to do.

    Jeanne called Captain Amanda''s ID again and got no answer. The same thing happened when she tried to dial Sistine''s ID.

    At that moment, she realized that someone had installed a signal jammer nearby, leaving them without a proper communication method.

    ''Is there a traitor in the third squadron? How did they predict that we would get separated from the rest of the team?''

    Installing a signal jammer right in front of the entrance of the city gate required time and effort. There was no way that such suspicious behavior hadn''t been detected before.

    ''No, I''m so stupid! As long as they could kill us, it didn''t matter how many people were buried with us! They weren''t planning to spare anyone from the beginning''

    ''Oh, so vicious! If I, Jeanne Armstrong, come out alive this time, I won''t let you off easily! ''

    They were trapped in an extremely dangerous situation right now.

    The people on the other side had made their move; Trudheim''s city guards and the soldiers weren''t on their side but the enemies''.

    They might still have retained their calm at this moment and waited for the monster to finish their entourage.

    But when the reinforcements come, they might become anxious and decide to bombard them with the city wall''s defensive weapons with the excuse that they misfired when attempting to annihilate the Zergs.

    If that happened, even if they had nine lives, they might not be able to survive.

    Jeanne just prayed that her comrades inside the wall could understand their situation and try their best to prevent reinforcements from leaving the city.

    Right now, they could only rely on themselves.

    After thinking for a while, Jeanne tried to contact the soldiers in the armored vehicles ahead.

    Jeanne eventually connected to their side not long after. The one who received her communication was a male soldier with the rank of corporal, and he is currently the highest-ranked non-commissioned officer in several vehicles.

    His voice sounded calm, and after receiving the communication from Jeanne, he immediately described the situation in the car in a clear and orderly manner.

    The man was in the third armored car; trapped on the drawbridge. He had established contact with the other three armored cars.

    Of the 40 soldiers, 3 were injured and could not move for the time being. The others were fine. But the drivers were all dead.

    Jeanne thought for a moment and said: "Now I appoint you as the leader of this 37-man squad, responsible for commanding the action at my command. Mantis-type predators have the habit of confronting their prey head-on. You will jump out of the car together. Do not run around after getting out; find the mantis-shaped predator, raise your guns to confront it, and then listen to my order to shoot around to kill!"

    "Roger!"

    Jeanne then called Dr. Leah, and after a while, Leah''s voice faintly appeared on the intercom.

    "Major¡­ Major Armstrong¡­"

    "Doctor Leah, What''s the condition on your side right now?"

    "My right leg was scratched, and the two nurses with me had fainted. The two patients are fine."

    "Okay, stay in the car and don''t come out. I''ll take care of the outside and come to save you."

    After hanging up the call, Jeanne glanced at the radar and saw that Keiko''s green dot had led the mantis predator into the forest. She pursed her lips and said to herself, "We all have to survive!"

    ***

    "Huh...huh...huh...huh..."

    The sound of rapid breathing reverberated in Keiko''s ears, drowning out the shrieks of the monsters behind him and the snapping sounds of the broken twigs beneath her shoes.

    Her silhouette maneuvered through the jungle quickly, her steps as light as a feather.

    If she could be measured this time, she would be surprised to learn that her speed has increased to 72 kilometers per hour.

    What kind of concept was this? Imagine sprinting through a 100-meter track in 5 seconds. That was how fast she moved, far exceeding the world record of 9.58 seconds for the 100-meter dash in the old era.

    What was more terrifying was that Keiko could achieve such speed despite not being equipped with an exosuit. She had been running entirely on her own muscle strength, and she was constantly dodging various potholes in a forest with complex terrain and blocking branches.

    This speed lasted for a minute. She had run at least 3 kilometers by now, and her heart had been working at full throttle since the beginning, depleting a frightening amount of her oxygen supply. The storage of the oxygen cylinder behind her had gone down by more than half.

    "No, I can''t run anymore. I must find a way to get rid of this guy. If it really doesn''t work, I can only do it the hard way."

    Keiko just had this thought in her heart, and suddenly saw a big tree, so she jumped with her hands, grabbed the thick trunk protruding from the big tree with both hands, swung up like a horizontal bar, and then squatted on the branch.

    The speed of the monster chasing her was also extremely terrifying but it was abruptly thrown two or three hundred meters down by Keiko. Unfortunately, this monster had a keen sense of smell, and this distance was simply not enough to get rid of it.

    Before Keiko could catch her breath, the Devil Mantis jumped lightly to reach Keiko''s height and slashed over with the sickle.

    "Tsk!" Keiko clicked her tongue, thinking that this guy was really annoying. Then she stretched her body and jumped, like a leopard leaping to another tree.

    The monster chased after her again, a pair of sickles hooked on the branches, climbing like a monkey. Keiko leaped from one tree to another while once again clicking her tongue in annoyance and cursing the monster inwardly, ''Damn it! Are you a mantis or a monkey?! Please make up your mind!''

    She had exerted most of her strength but still failed to get rid of her pursuer, making her slightly frustrated.

    She finally had enough of running away. She immediately jumped down from the tree, turned around, and readied her fighting stance, deciding to have a good fight with this guy.

    The monster saw that Keiko stopped, but instead of attacking, he held a pair of sickles, lowered his body, and stared at Keiko motionlessly, reminding Keiko of a veteran fighter who practiced mantis boxing she had met previously.

    The handgun in Keiko''s hand had been emptied of bullets. It actually wasn''t that effective when dealing with a monster like the first-class predator in front of her, which had copper skin and iron bones.

    Despite so, she didn''t throw it away, keeping it close to her body.

    After all, It was better than nothing, and it could be taken out and thrown away at a critical time.

    Although she had encountered many predators and zergs in the monster arena previously, she hadn''t gotten to fight this Devil Mantis at that time. So, she actually didn''t know much about this monster.

    Know your enemy, and you''ll be undefeated in 100 battles. Keiko was well aware of the importance of information, so while still keeping herself ready for the monster assault, she quickly accessed the bracelet ID to find the monster data.

    After the helmet scanned the monster, the information came out instantly, Keiko skimmed the line of words in front of her and quickly digested the information, searching for its abilities and weaknesses.

 Chapter 75 - Perilous Battle (1)

    There were many kinds of classification that could be used to distinguish Zergs and Predators, such as their size, their habitat, their diet, and so on and so forth.

    But, the most common classification used in military operations was based on their lethality level and the numbers of troops needed to eliminate them. They were separated into, from the lowest to the highest, F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS.

    F-Rank: the monster could easily kill a civilian, but any soldier with an exosuit and full arms could easily dispose of it.

    E-Rank: posed a lethal threat to an individual soldier, but was easily handled by 5-man teams.

    D-Rank: could destroy armored vehicles and would need at least a 10-man squadron to fight it.

    C-Rank: Ordinary guns and artillery posed a little threat to the monster in this rank. At least a 50-man platoon and a mecha need to be deployed in the case of an encounter.

    B-Rank: This monster or swarm possessed the ability to destroy small sentries. At least 2-3 mecha accompanied by several platoons were needed to eliminate this monster or swarms. Individual Furious Earth Dragons were classified in this class, but because they usually showed up in groups, their class actually went up one level.

    A-Rank: This monster or swarms could easily slaughter a platoon in a single strike, leaving even a mecha vulnerable in front of this class of monster; many first-class predators, such as the arachnid-shaped predator Broodmother and Devil Mantis Youngling, fell into this category.

    S-Rank known as outpost destroyer; SS-Rank known as a base disaster; and SSS-Rank known as city-state calamity.

    If humanity encountered any monsters or swarms that exceeded these categories, we might experience another dark era.

    The weakest Devil Mantis was classified as A-rank, while the strongest could reach SS-Rank.

    They had well-developed muscles in their legs, giving them a strong explosive power when bouncing and running. The whole body was clad in a pitch-black hard exoskeleton, which could only be broken by an anti-tank bullet or a mecha''s high-vibration saber. It was one of the most eye-catching and terrifying predators that Keiko had seen so far.

    Compared to any predators or zergs that Keiko had encountered so far, Devil Mantis was in a bit smaller scale, only around 4 meters high standing on two feet, a bit similar to a human whose arms have turned into scythes, with long forearms, a pair of diamond-shaped eyes on a pitch-black head that looks a bit like amethyst, and a pair of pincer teeth sticking out hideously from the mouthpiece below.

    This monster had unparalleled neural reflexes, so bullets were generally ineffective against it, unless it was under heavy artillery fire; only then could it be maimed and disabled.

    It has strong vitality; any non-lethal wound can be healed relatively quickly, so it takes a lot of effort if you want to kill it completely.

    And its only weakness is fire.

    "It weakness is fire? Are you fucking kidding me?"

    Keiko wanted to curse so badly. Where was she going to get a fire now?

    Looking at the Devil Mantis, who was sniggering in a taunting position like an MMA-champion belt holder looking at their challenger, Keiko didn''t have the confidence to beat it in a full head-on confrontation. This guy looked more like a martial artist than herself.

    If only... if only she had been prepared and brought her weapon with her, Keiko gritted her teeth in regret right now. She should''ve known that, as a soldier had to be ready to battle in any kind of situation, she was really embarrassed herself for dropping her guard.

    Time passed by minute by minute, and Keiko was still in a stalemate with the predator.

    Although the temperature in the forest was as cold as late autumn and the clothes Keiko wore now were a bit thin, it didn''t prevent dense beads of sweat from occurring, seeping out of Keiko''s forehead, and a grave expression could be seen on her face right now.

    She adjusted her breathing, figuring out how to fight this guy. The Devil Mantis usually took their prey slowly, as if toying around with them, giving them the taste of despair. So, the monster wasn''t in a hurry to attack Keiko, as it observed Keiko''s actions and, had it had a human face, it would have shown an amused expression.

    Quite the opposite, Keiko wasn''t as leisurely as the devil; she couldn''t afford to waste her time right now. She needed to end this fight quickly as she was very worried about the situation at the gate of the city.

    She suddenly rushed forward and came within the range of the scythe attack. The monster instantly reacted, slashing her scythe at Keiko.

    Her body reflexively bent backward to dodge the attack. The sickle swept across only an inch away from Keiko''s head, which was currently breaking into cold sweat profusely, but Keiko''s face didn''t show any fear, only an unprecedented focus.

    Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, just like in the movie matrix, except Keiko wasn''t dodging bullets but a two-meter scythed blade.

    Seeing the sickle only cutting an air pocket, the Devil Mantis was slightly surprised, then became more excited. It immediately swung its left scythe at Keiko, this time at a lower position.

    Keiko immediately rolled her body sideways, then her legs jumped up, causing her body to spin in the air with the passing sickle beneath her. Using this momentum, Keiko swung his body in the air, with an almost inhumanely roundhouse kick, striking the monster''s shoulder like a thunderbolt.

    Keiko fell to the ground and crouched; his left foot was numb from the impact as if she was kicking a concrete wall.

    The monster, while it didn''t seem to be injured, looked a little frightened by Keiko''s unpredictable yet, extremely fast movement, and didn''t launch another attack immediately.

    ''Tsk, how should I fight this monster?''

    After a short trial just now, Keiko had already assessed the ability of this monster. It was impossible for her to defeat this guy barehanded. The attack using only her hands and feet didn''t pose any lethal threat to this monster.

    Keiko''s attention suddenly fell on the monster''s scythe and a crazy idea popped up in her mind: If she didn''t have the weapon just snatch the enemy weapon!

    Keiko licked her dry lips, and a dangerous smile appeared on her face behind the visor.

    She was going to make a high-stake gamble here. One wrong move she had to say goodbye to this strange world that she barely fitted in. Would she return to her own time if she died here?

    A face of a girl with beautiful chestnut hair and captivating sky-blue eyes wearing a stubborn look on her face while challenging her limit flashed in her mind.

    ''Will she feel sad if I''m not coming back?''

    Keiko was taken back by her own thought.

    ''Why did I suddenly think of her?''

    Whether she recognized it or not, that woman who she kept her guard against was slowly but surely worming her way into her heart, searching for a special corner where she would root herself into.

    ''Is this really, okay?''

    Keiko shook her head helplessly and let out a wry smile.

    She couldn''t afford such distraction if she want to defeat this terrifying monster!

    She needed to focus all of her attention on the next move if she wanted to survive and came back alive.

 Chapter 76 - Perilous Battle (2)

    Keiko licked her dry lips, and a dangerous smile appeared on her face behind the visor.

    She was going to make a high-stakes bet here. One wrong move and then she had to say goodbye to this strange world that she barely fitted into.

    Would she return to her own time if she died here?

    Keiko shook her head helplessly and let out a wry smile. Such a defeatist mindset couldn''t help her defeat this terrifying monster!

    She needed to focus all of her attention on the next move if she wanted to survive and come back alive.

    From a crouching position on the ground, she suddenly jumped up and pounced at the monster like a cheetah.

    The monster screamed in anger and slashed at Keiko with both of its scythes furiously.

    But Keiko, who was as slippery as an eel, quickly avoided the monster''s wild attack.

    And then, without paying attention to the wounds on her body that were caused by the sharp thorns on the top of the scythe, she hugged the Devil Mantis'' right arms like she was hugging a lover, roaring louder than the beast.

    The monster became more enraged when it realized its right scythe was suddenly being restrained by Keiko. In a fit of anger, it frantically swung its left blade at Keiko.

    Seeing the opportunity, Keiko suddenly stepped on the monster''s left scythe, leaped around to the back of the monster with the huge scythe still in her arms. She then landed on the predator''s back and used it as extra support for pulling its own right arm.

    The sounds of cracking and shattering echoed in the air as the monster''s right arm was forcibly broken by Keiko. All of the bones had been fractured and broken, leaving only a few strains of muscle that were still connected, causing the arm to limply dangle.

    The monster started to squirm about desperately, trying to throw Keiko off. Its left scythe also reached behind, almost slashing Keiko several times, but Keiko dodged them all in a thrilling way. Even so, there were still several new slashing wounds appearing on her body.

    Shaking, bumping, jumping, flying, spinning, rolling, no matter how the monster tried to throw Keiko off its back, it still failed to shake off Keiko.

    This person was latching onto its body like being stuck with a strong glue; it couldn''t get rid of her at all.

    Despite seemingly having the upper hand, Keiko wasn''t having a good time either.

    The monster''s struggling actions had left many wounds on her body. Her flawless skin was marred by bruises, scratching wounds, and some pieces of shattered twigs even stuck deep into her flesh. Not only that, but her head was also slammed to the ground several times and her neck was almost twisted.

    At this moment, she felt a head-splitting pain in her head and was almost unable to hold on, but she was still stubbornly holding onto the Devil Mantis'' right scythe.

    Finally, the opportunity she had been waiting for came.

    The monster had been struggling madly for so long and eventually grew tired, and the power in the monster''s left scythe was weakened.

    Keiko saw the window of opportunity and suddenly stretched out his hand to restrain the left sickle.

    The monster seemed to realize what Keiko was about to do, producing a shrill scream that almost pierced Keiko''s eardrums, and then tried to change the trajectory of its left arm to break free from Keiko''s clutch.

    Keiko roared furiously, struggling with all her strength. Ignoring the bleeding from her hands, she finally controlled the left sickle and directed it toward the monster''s right shoulder.

    Slash¡ª

    The monster''s left scythe slashed downward, ripping the whole right arm from the Devil Mantis'' shoulder.

    "Pfft!" Blood was crazily gushing out from the cutting wound, soaking Keiko''s body entirely, and finally, the scythe slipped off the monster''s body.

    Keiko quickly kicked the monster, tossing it around 5 meters away from her. The monster, which was currently in excruciating pain, couldn''t avoid Keiko''s kick and then rolling away on the ground.

    Keiko fell to the ground at the same time, panting heavily; her entire body felt numb. But she knew that she didn''t have time to breathe, so she struggled to get up from the ground and picked up the falling scythe.

    It was a little rough in the hand, and she could barely hold onto it. Holding the scythe in both of her hands, she roared again, striding towards the monster like the "Death Reaper" she had always known to be...

    ***

    "I want you to open the city gate right now! You bastard!" Sistine''s roar echoed at the Trudheim city gate.

    "No, this is the commander''s order to close the city gate. We couldn''t open the gate without authorization," The officer guarding the gate and standing in front of Sistine right now was a brown-skinned, middle-aged man with a big beard, and his black, narrow eyes looked very sinister.

    There was no expression on his face. No matter how Sistine grabbed his collar and yelled furiously at him, he didn''t mean to give in at all.

    "Commander?! Who is your commander? Frode? You''re Rajeev Shanker, the dignified Colonel of the Trudheim garrison, right?! Who else could order you other than him?! Ah?!" Sistine was furious.

    "Yes, it was Major General Frode''s order. He told me to close the city gate and wait for rescue."

    "Bullshit! Rajeev, let me tell you, Admiral Armstrong''s most beloved daughter is in danger just outside the city! Are you ready to face a Seven Stars General''s wrath?"

    However, Colonel Rajeev didn''t budge an inch and simply kept his silence.

    Sistine was so mad that he went wild, pulling out the gun from his waist and pressing it against Rajeev''s forehead. He gritted his teeth and growled in a low voice.

    "I want you to open the city gate right now!!"

    At the same time, Sistine directed his gun''s nozzle at Colonel Rajeev, all the surrounding garrison soldiers raised their guns at him, surrounded him, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

    "Major Sistine!" Suddenly, Captain Amanda''s voice came from behind. She strode into the encirclement with steady steps, raised her hand, and slowly pulled down the gun that Sistine pointed at Rajeev''s forehead and said softly.

    "Major Sistine, calm down.. I have something to tell you."

 Chapter 77 - Internal Conflict

    "Major Sistine, calm down, I have something to tell you."

    Colonel Rajeev glanced at them before waving his hand at his soldiers. The soldiers who raised their guns put their guns down immediately.

    Sistine glared at Rajeev with a grim face as he was pulled to the side by Captain Amanda unwillingly. She leaned closer to Sistine''s ears and whispered, "Major, listen to me. I think there is a conspiracy in play here, I believe you could see it too. Now the city guards have already supressed my third squadron, even if we start a fight with them here, we couldn''t get any benefits from it. We have to think of other ways to save our people outside the city."

    Sistine let out a long sigh and replied, "Then, what do you think we should do now?"

    "They might seal the gate, but it''s not the only way to get out of the city. Remember the helicopter that brought you here? We need to find a way to get into the helicopter to rescue them," Amanda said solemnly.

    "I don''t think this will work. See, my helicopter is now detained in their custody. Let''s say we successfully reclaim it, even if I can get us outside the city, what if these bastards shoot us down immediately?" Sistine said while shaking his head helplessly, "They already revealed their evil intention. There is nothing they wouldn''t do. I''m not afraid of confronting them, but I also don''t want to lose my life in waste."

    "That''s why we have to wait," stated Amanda.

    "Wait? Wait for what?"

    "Wait for General Frode to make his move."

    "Are you stupid?" Sistine stared at Amanda incredulously, "We have tried contacting him since then, but we can''t connect to him at all. It''s obvious that he got his hand in this accident. He can''t be trusted! What''s the use of waiting for him?!"

    "Major, calm down. It''s because of this that we failed to contact General Frode," Captain Amanda quietly stuffed a small black box into Sistine''s hands.

    "A signal jammer?" Sistine raised an eyebrow, and he couldn''t help but raise his voice.

    "I have sent someone to dismantle these things secretly. We are now within the range of a signal jammer. When the signal is restored, it will be clear whether General Frode is on our side or our enemy," Captain Amanda said, returning her gaze to Major Sistine. "Moreover, after such a major incident, he is bound to rush over here."When the time comes, let''s bring Major General Frode together with us in the helicopter to rescue Major Jeanne and the team. Those people won''t attack us again. "

    "How can you be sure they won''t attack again? And will he agree? It''s a risky thing to do, he''s not obligated after all..." Halfway through the sentence, the expression on Sistine''s face changed, as if he suddenly thought of something and closed his mouth.

    Amanda curled the corners of her lips and stayed silent.

    ***

    At the city gate, the pungent smell of blood was filling the air.

    Of the 37 soldiers who came out of the armored vehicle, six died the moment they got off the vehicle. Although the remaining soldiers had exerted their utmost effort to defend against the group of Devil Mantis, casualties were bound to happen.

    However, this was still within Jeanne''s expectations.

    Sometimes she was quite helpless. Despite knowing how cold-blooded and cruel to calculate her allies, she still had to do it. The cards in their own hands, the cards in the hands of the other side, the overall situation, the future prediction, all the details couldn''t be overlooked.

    The matter of life and death had plagued philosophers since ancient times, but the environment in which Jeanne grew up since childhood taught her that in the face of unavoidable great losses, choose the action that lets your enemies pay a bigger price while trying to minimize our loss and let the individual bear the burden, not the mass.

    When necessary, sacrifice the few to preserve the many. It was considered the basic level of becoming a qualified leader.

    A bitter smile appeared on Jeanne''s face.

    If she told this principle to certain bullhead, that guy would definitely become angry and then argue with her about her bottom line and conscience.

    ''Keiko, how are you doing right now? I''m really worried about you ...''

    "Major, Major ... What should we do now?"

    William, the corporal who had just been appointed by Jeanne as the leader of the temporary combat troop, asked Jeanne quietly; his voice didn''t sound too good at the moment; he seemed to have been injured in the brief clash just now.

    "Hold on, if the monster doesn''t move, you absolutely can''t move! If the monsters make their moves, immediately release the fire! Remember, you must aim at their eyes and then send someone behind the monsters to cut the nerve of their ankle with a saber. This step is very critical; it''s deciding whether we can surround the monster or not."

    "After the monster''s ankles are cut, then destroy the shoulder muscles that connect its two scythes as well as the aorta in the neck, so that it will lose its aggressiveness and die soon."

    Jeanne''s voice was calm and firm on the surface but deep within her heart, she knew that they need a miracle to be able to survive from the ambushed of five A-rank monsters. Despite so, she didn''t show it in her face, afraid that it''ll affect the soldier''s mentality.

    "Yes, I understand," Corporal William''s voice sounded a little more confident, and it looked like Jeanne''s words had given him direction.

    "Are all five monsters in your encirclement now? Why do I only see four monsters here?" Jeanne suddenly noticed the anomaly and inquired.

    "Eh? Hold on a second, let me confirm," Corporal William was taken aback and was just about to check when suddenly a female soldier''s scream broke into their conversation.

    "The monster moved!"

    "Fire!" Jeanne ordered it immediately.

    Jeanne, who was crouching in the grass, immediately heard the intense gunfire within the circle formed by several armored vehicles not far away. In addition to the furious roars of the monsters, the screams and wailing of the soldiers were also lingering in her ears.

    She clenched her fists, her eyes fixed on the direction of the battle, waiting for the result of the battle.

    Jeanne took a glimpse at the digital clock displayed on the visor''s screen. The commotion only lasted for ten minutes, but Jeanne felt that the battle lasted for eternity.

    Jeanne''s visor showed a call request from Corporal William, and Jeanne picked it up and immediately asked.

    "How is it?"

    "Report Major ... The monsters are all eliminated by us ... But... Only two people survive..." Corporal William''s voice was as feeble as if he was going to drift away next moment.

    They actually succeed! Jeanne felt jubilant inwardly but didn''t let her guard down.

    "Are you sure it was all of them? Is it four monsters, or five?" Jeanne asked.

    "It''s four... monsters..." After struggling to say these words, Corporal William suddenly lost his voice, and Jeanne frowned and called out several times:

    "Hello? Corporal William, do you hear me? Please answer!"

    But no one replied.

 Chapter 78 - Friend Or Foe?

    Author''s Note: This chapter contains a mild description of gore. Please read at your own discretion.

    ###

    "Hello? Corporal William, do you hear me? Please answer!"

    But no one replied.

    Jeanne cursed inwardly while weighing her options. After a while, she decided to take the risk of confirming the troops'' status.

    She walked slowly while crouching down through the grass to get closer to the vicinity of the convoy.

    On the way, she tried to make sure that there were no rocks and branches getting stepped on as she walked so that there would be no excessive noise that could attract the monsters'' attention in the worst case that any of them were still alive.

    The first thing she saw was an armored car.

    She quickly approached the car and then cautiously went around it.

    After reaching the other side of the car, she turned on the camera on her bracelet ID, quietly stretched her hand out of the area covered by the car, and took an image of the surroundings.

    After drawing her hand back, she carefully observed the photo displayed on the screen and found that the encirclement formed by the armored vehicles was quiet and no threat could be seen. But because there was still an area out of the range of the camera that wasn''t captured, she still couldn''t relax her guard.

    She quietly poked her head from behind the armored car and finally clearly saw the remnants of the recent battle.

    The four monsters were not completely dead yet; their bodies were still twitching on the ground in their last breath.

    The monster''s blood spilled all over the ground, mixing with the blood of the soldiers. It was almost impossible to tell which was which.

    Soldiers'' corpses were scattered, many of them so badly disfigured that Jeanne couldn''t tell their identity. Some of the corpses were split apart into two or three parts. Jeanne also saw a head wearing a helmet rolling beside the wheel not far away.

    Jeanne suddenly felt her vision blurry, her head dizzy, and her breathing ragged. The sight was so brutal it suffocated her.

    This was the first time in her life that she encountered such a bloody battlefield.

    Since joining the army, she had only gone outside the city to the wilderness twice; the first time was on a mission six years ago, and the second time was right now.

    On the mission where she was captured by first-class predator Broodmother in Myrkvier forest, it was the first time she saw someone die in front of her eyes, as well as the sight of living Zerg and predators.

    Even though she almost died that time, it didn''t give her that big of an impression.

    But it was different this time.

    Almost all of the 40 people under her command perished under her watch. Thinking that all of these people died because of her own orders, her palm broke into a cold sweat and her face became slightly pale.

    ''Did I kill them?''

    ''No, my judgment was not wrong. This is the price that must be paid for victory.''

    ''Even if it was wrong, this was the sin I must bear, the responsibility I must shoulder as a leader.''

    She heaved a deep and long sigh to regain her composure and slowly stepped into the center of the battlefield.

    There was still one missing monster, but at least the radar didn''t show any signs of the enemy around, so it should not be near here.

    Confident of her conclusion, she made up her mind to rescue the two surviving soldiers.

    Treading the wet and slippery path on the steel drawbridge where the viscous blood coagulated, she finally found the survivors through life response exploration assistance.

    She saw that Corporal William and a female soldier were seriously injured. Corporal William''s abdomen was cut open and his intestines were flowing out, while the female soldier''s right hand was missing.

    Jeanne couldn''t carry the two by herself, so she ran towards the overturned medical car first to find assistance.

    Seeing that three green dots were still shining inside the medical car, Dr. Leah and the two nurses should have survived,

    Jeanne circled around to the back of the medical car and went to pull the door, but it was stuck.

    She knocked on the car''s door while calling Dr. Leah''s ID and was soon connected to her. Dr. Leah''s voice appeared on the line, slightly weak.

    "Major Armstrong..."

    "Dr. Leah, the battle outside is over, and all the monsters have been eliminated. I''m going to rescue you guys now."

    "The door..." Jeanne could hear Dr. Leah''s words interrupted by coughing before she continued falteringly, "the door¡­is stuck and I... I can''t open it from the inside..."

    "It''s okay, I''ll find a way. Are Prof. Bailey and that adventurer still alive?"

    "Well... they''re still alive..."

    "That''s good. Please wait a little bit longer. I''ll find the tools and come back right away."

    ''Tools... where can I find the tools...'' Jeanne looked around and suddenly remembered something, ''Yes, the armored cars! Maybe the driver had put a toolbox in the car.''

    She immediately set out to find another armored vehicle.

    But at that moment, she accidentally caught a glimpse of dripping, thick purple liquid in the gap between the medical car and the steel drawbridge guardrail.

    ''This is... monster blood?''

    Jeanne looked at it suspiciously and quietly and cautiously walked over to that side to peer into the gap within, and a shocked expression appeared on her face.

    ''This the fifth monster''s corpse? Why is it dying here?''

    Jeanne squeezed into the gap and went closer to the monster''s corpse to get a better look at it.

    The monster''s corpse had already turned cold and stiff, it seemed that the monster had died for a while, at least before the four on the battlefield.

    Jeanne checked the monster''s wounds. The muscles of the back ankles and the muscles of both arms and shoulders were all cut off. The wounds were deep, and whoever the culprit was, they was extremely ruthless.

    There was a clean, cutting wound in the back of the monster''s neck that directly cut off the central nervous system, causing the monster to die quickly.

    The wound was seemingly caused by the most common standard saber used by the army.

    "A first-level predator, Devil Mantis, was killed just like this? Who killed it? One of those 37 soldiers? It seems unlikely."

    Judging from the trace of the battle on the scene, it looked like there were no more than two people who fought against this monster, and it was very likely that there was only a single person.

    This person''s skills are very terrifying, neck to neck or even surpassing Keiko, who was currently ranked No. 1 in Jeanne''s mind.

    ''Wait, these wounds are... secondary wounds?''

    Jeanne found that the hand tendons and hamstrings that had been sliced, including the fatal wound on the neck, were a bit weird as if they had been stabbed twice.

    Why make two cuts in the same place? Is it... to cover up the weapon he used to fight in the first place? Who is it? To kill a praying mantis-shaped predator while concealing their identity? Is they enemy or ally?

    Jeanne suddenly felt a chill creeping down her spine.

    After getting involved in Bailey''s incident, she suddenly felt as if a thick fog began to cover her surroundings, gradually obscuring her vision. Even with her intelligence, which she was so proud of, she couldn''t see through it.

    To reignite her spirit, Jeanne decided to get down to business first.

    She ran to the logistic armored car and fortunately found the toolbox in it. She picked up a crowbar and rushed back to the medical car.

    When she arrived at the front of the car door, she immediately contacted Dr. Leah again and asked everyone to put on the oxygen supply device.

    Then, she tried to forcefully open the door with the crowbar in her hand, but it was harder than she thought before. The door was stuck so tightly that her meagre strength couldn''t make it budge even an inch.

    Just as she was concentrating on cracking the door open, someone suddenly patted her on the shoulder. She gasped in fright, shook her body, turned around, and swung out the crowbar in her hand.

    "Wait! it''s me!"

 Chapter 79 - Traitor

    "Wait! It''s me!"

    The swinging crowbar was easily caught by the figure, which was actually Keiko, who had approached Jeanne without her even noticing.

    "Heh...heh..." Jeanne was gasping, almost out of breath.

    If Keiko could see Jeanne''s face under the helmet, she would see that her face was as white as a sheet of paper right now.

    Hearing the familiar husky voice, the tension in Jeanne''s body gradually loosened up.

    "You''re back," muttered Jeanne softly.

    Keiko was slightly flustered by Jeanne''s affectionate mixed with relief tone. Fortunately, she was wearing a helmet right now, if not Jeanne would surely be able to see her blushing cheek.

    But she quickly regained her composure, so Jeanne didn''t realize what happened.

    "Are you okay?" Keiko asked her worriedly.

    Jeanne nodded her head, then began to look at Keiko.

    This girl really lived up to her promise to come back alive despite the injuries on her body.

    Seeing that she was still carrying a Devil Mantis scythe, Jeanne could imagine how Keiko killed that monster.

    ''Wait, could it be that Keiko killed this monster too?''

    However, she rejected this idea as soon as it popped into her mind. After all, with her upright and slightly na?ve personality, there was no way she would go through such hassle to deliberately inflict the corpse with a second wound to cover up her act.

    However, she still opened her mouth to confirm it.

    "When did you come back?"

    "I just came back, and it seems... this battle is very tragic."

    "Yeah, we''re almost wiped out."

    "How many survivors are there?"

    "There only two people survived, and they are still lying near the city gate," Jeanne returned her gaze to the car door after a brief glance toward the battlefield."Dr. Leah and the two nurses, as well as Bailey and the adventurer, are all still alive. They are currently trapped inside."

    "It means, including us, only nine people remain?" Keiko sighed, and then said, "I''ll help."

    "Are you alright? I can see wounds all around your body," Jeanne asked.

    "Fortunately, I could still hold on."

    After saying that, she took the crowbar in Jeanne''s hand, banged, and pried open the door.

    The dazzling light made Dr. Leah, the only person who was still awake in the car, squint her eyes subconsciously and stretch out her hand to cover it.

    Keiko peeked inside the car. The two patients and two nurses were still unconscious.

    Dr. Leah had them leaning side-by-side on the overturned bed, covered with sheets, with oxygen ventilators on their mouths and noses.

    Leah was the only one who wore the helmet, with gauze wrapped around her right leg and conspicuous bloodstains on it.

    "Hey, are you the savior?"

    Dr. Leah still had the time to joke around when she saw Keiko''s arrival.

    "Let''s talk about this when we return to the city," Keiko replied.

    Keiko and Jeanne started working together with Dr. Leah to treat the wounds on Corporal William''s and the female soldier''s bodies.

    Keiko was a little worn out after experiencing such a bitter fight with the Devil Mantis.

    Her body was bruised and battered.

    She may not have realized it at the time, but as the adrenaline rush in her body gradually calmed down and she was finally in a relatively safe environment, the fatigue that had accumulated from the fight, added to her condition, which wasn''t at peak performance because she was still recovering from the kudzu poisoning, gradually took a toll on her body.

    After treating her wound with basic treatment, she sat side by side with Dr. Leah by the side of the overturned medical car.

    Seeing Jeanne still wandering around the battlefield, searching around for something, Keiko, who was wondering what Jeanne was doing, couldn''t help asking, "Major, what are you doing?"

    "Don''t mind me. You can go and rest first. I''m just looking for something."

    "Looking for something?" Keiko replied with a puzzled look.

    Jeanne didn''t answer Keiko anymore and continued searching for something among the soldiers'' corpses.

    How come it''s not here? Did I remember it wrongly?

    There must''ve been a sonar device here before because otherwise there was no way they could control the predator at will to ambush them.

    Does it mean that it was already thrown into the moat? Or that the traitor wasn''t outside the city but had entered the city? Or, was it that the traitor had lost the sonar device and was already dead? Or else, this person should be among the 9 of us ...

    "Major Armstrong, the city gate is now closed and we have no method to contact our team inside the city. What should we do now?" Dr. Leah asked, suddenly interrupting her train of thoughts.

    Jeanne had already come back to her senses and replied, "Wait! A little bit more and they''ll definitely let us into the city."

    ''What makes her so confidence?'' Keiko muttered in his heart.

    In fact, Jeanne found out that she was overlooking something so obvious¡ªthe number of people here didn''t match up.

    She recalled that of the 40 soldiers that were trapped outside the city with them, only 37 participated in the battle.

    The surviving Corporal William and the female soldier belonged to the 37 people, so there should be three others who did not participate in the battle.

    When Corporal William reported, he said that three soldiers were injured and unable to move in the car accident, so they should''ve been inside one of the armored cars at the moment.

    Perhaps, the missing sonar device was on one of those three people, Jeanne thought.

    She immediately rushed toward the car to check them out, but she immediately frowned when looking at the bloody scene inside the car.

    Two of the three soldiers were already dead, and the last soldier had gone missing.

    Jeanne examined their bodies and found that both were shot through the throat and died when they were caught off guard.

    The reason why the murderer didn''t shoot them in the head might be due to the helmet''s extraordinary toughness. It was made from high-end bulletproof material so that ordinary bullets couldn''t hope to get through it.

    The crime scene was inside the passenger seat. The murderer suddenly attacked from a position deeper inside than the victims, indicating that the murderer was in the same car as the two victims from the beginning.

    By observing the scene and deducing from the clues inside, Jeanne could guess what had happened here.

    Initially, the three soldiers were injured and unable to participate in the battle due to the armored vehicle being turned upside down, but unbeknownst to the two victims, one of them was a traitor, arranged by the group of people who wanted Bailey''s life.

    After everyone got out of the vehicle, the traitor remained in the vehicle with two other innocent soldiers.

    Right at the time when the fighting broke out, the man took advantage of the cover of the messy and dense gunfire to shoot and kill the two soldiers inside the car.

    As for the murderer''s motive, Jeanne could easily spill three or four reasons, but Jeanne felt that the biggest reason was that this person wanted all the people outside the city to die, preventing any hidden danger from rising later on.

    Jeanne searched the corpse''s pocket but didn''t find the sonar device. She assumed that it was probably taken away by the murderer.

    So, she took photos and collected evidence first before getting out of the car.

    Jeanne didn''t rush to find the murderer but first pulled up the information of all the personnel in the third squadron and checked it out one by one. By elimination method, she quickly found the suspected killer¡ªPrivate Elisa Ford, a female soldier who had just enlisted in the army.

    Now that her id reported that she was dead, Jeanne deliberately expanded the life sense detection, but she didn''t find any sign of life nearby.

    Jeanne sent the information to Keiko, opened a private call, and said to Keiko:

    "I sent you information about a person. She is most likely a traitor of the Third Squadron, and her whereabouts are unknown. You could help me by searching around and seeing if you can find her body.. She should have a sonar device on her body; it''s a tool used to control predators."

 Chapter 80 - Deadly Chess Game

    "What makes you think that the traitor is still nearby?" Keiko asked.

    "The sonar device''s area of coverage is very limited, so this person couldn''t be that far away from us. She must be with the team that was stranded outside the city. I have already confirmed that Elisa Ford killed two soldiers and escaped. I doubt that she could escape that far in such a period of time. Also, I''ve checked using the life detector and got no response. It means that she should be dead by now," Jeanne elaborated her guess to Keiko.

    Keiko wasn''t that surprised by Jeanne''s explanation.

    At first, she thought what happened to them was an accident, but after thinking it through, she could feel something was wrong. She had always trusted her intuition, and this time was no exception.

    She realized that there was indeed a traitor in the team and that the traitor was someone who was very familiar with the third squadron''s convoy arrangement.

    The traitor could accurately grasp the position and movement of the medical car where Bailey and Jeanne''s car were and thus was able to activate the sonar device at the very right time to guide the monster to attack the cars behind.

    So, this person should''ve been someone really close to them.

    The most convincing proof was that the drivers of several cars died at the same time.

    Only when the vehicles lost their mobility could the people in the rear compartment fall into an extremely passive state.

    Most predators have low IQs, and the mantis type is no exception. With their own hunting and fighting instincts, they would not understand such a complex principle.

    "How do you know about this sonar device? It doesn''t sound like it''s a publicly known technology," Keiko inquired again.

    "It was when I attended a scientific research exhibition around two or three years ago. I heard a colleague talk about this device. My friend said it was a tool with similar functions to a voice recorder that could record and then convert the human language to a particular sound wavelength that the predator could understand. So, it''s possible to give a command to manipulate predator action.

    "But, this device only works on predators, not zergs, because of the peculiarity of the predator being a combination of human and zerg. And there are also limitations to where it can be used¡ªonly underwater can it be properly operated. So, although it indeed has a high potential application and was a first step for humanity to domesticate predators, because of its impracticality and high uncertainty, it had never been made public."

    So, it could only be used underwater... No wonder the traitor didn''t make a move until the convoy reached the drawbridge. No wonder it would be a Devil Mantis that was used for the ambush.

    According to the information bank, Devil Mantis was a highly capable swimmer and could stay inside bodies of water unnoticed. This was especially true when the city guards who were supposed to be monitoring the presence of a dangerous monster near the city wall were also on the enemy side. Their execution was pretty much flawless.

    Thinking about it at this moment, Keiko understood the complete picture regarding their accident.

    "Since you already know the origin of the sonar device used by the traitor, then you should already know who is the mastermind that wants to harm us?" Keiko asked.

    "I indeed have a guess," Jeanne admitted easily, paused for a while, and then continued. "Second Lieutenant Lee, I wouldn''t tell you about my discovery if it were someone else''s. You should have known my attitude since I sent you the information on the traitor, Elisa Ford. I can tell you who the other party is, but I think knowing this matter won''t bring you any benefit and instead could cause you harm."

    "It doesn''t matter; I just want to know who wants to harm us," Keiko replied with a determined voice.

    Jeanne took a deep breath and said slowly, "Then come here. I will write it for you."

    Keiko hesitated for a moment before walking to Jeanne''s side. Jeanne avoided the scars on Keiko''s body and slowly wrote a name on her back.

    Keiko''s body froze, and she muttered solemnly, "I see."

    Jeanne''s index finger was still lingering on Keiko''s back, fidgeting, as if hesitating to say something.

    In the end, Jeanne drew back her slender finger and decided not to tell Keiko about the mysterious death of the fifth Devil Mantis.

    This incident wasn''t as simple as the confrontation between the two parties.

    Aside from Jeanne, who wanted to protect Bailey, and the enemy who wanted to kill Bailey, there was an unknown third party whose identity and purpose she wasn''t clear about yet.

    So, she had to hide this from Keiko before she figured out everything.

    "Major, I think I''ve found Elisa," Keiko said, leaning against the guardrail of the drawbridge.

    "What? Where?" Jeanne asked while rushing towards Keiko''s side.

    "It''s below," Keiko pointed to the bottom of the drawbridge. "Her body is floating on the moat."

    Jeanne directed her gaze in the direction Keiko pointed to and saw a body wearing an army uniform floating face down in the water, looking pretty much dead.

    Jeanne''s face under the mask was very gloomy. Although she had expected the traitor to be dead, she was still very annoyed knowing that her leads were gone this time.

    Is it suicide?

    This wasn''t a surprise to her; she was an abandoned child, and she should''ve been aware of the fate awaiting her when her existence was exposed and certainly wasn''t afraid of death since the first time she infiltrated the third squadron.

    "It looks like we''re going to have a hard time recovering the body and the sonar device should be still on her. At least with the body around, it can be regarded as a form of evidence," Jeanne said, sighing.

    "Major, I have a few questions," Keiko asked.

    "Continue."

    "If the matter of the female scientist''s leaving the city this time is itself a trap, then the four adventurers who followed her out should''ve been more than simple adventurers, right?"

    "Yes, they are all from the military and police," Jeanne replied.

    "Then, the accident that time with Scorpii wasn''t a coincidence, but a premeditated one, wasn''t it?"

    Jeanne nodded and said, "But, I think they didn''t use a sonar device that time, as the Scorpii isn''t an aquatic animal nor an amphib, and there wasn''t any presence of a water body at that time. I guess that they lured the monster directly. We also didn''t find any sonar device on the surviving adventurer or on the three other corpses."

    "I''m just wondering, since they wanted her dead, why did they do it in such a roundabout manner, risking their lives by luring a ferocious predator? Why didn''t they just do it directly to make sure she was dead?" Keiko asked.

    "Because that mastermind didn''t just want Bailey to die outside the city, but he also wanted Bailey''s body back into the city to prove that she was indeed killed by a monster so that they could completely erase the trace of involvement in this matter," a cold glint flashed in Jeanne''s eyes as she explained.

    "The mastermind wanted to kill Bailey with a borrowed knife. Those four militaries polices, posing as adventurers, who were also destined to die, should have been mentally prepared when they received this mission."

    " Damn it! So many people have been sacrificed just to kill one person!!" Keiko gritted her teeth, clenching her fists hard.

    "No. This attack in front of the city gate is more vicious than you think."

    "What do you mean?"

    "This was a deadly chess game set up to provoke the relationship between the two generals. If this game could be successful, then he would be killing two birds with one stone."

    "Two generals..." Keiko took a deep breath and immediately understood that the two generals hinted at by Jeanne were General Armstrong and General Heisenberg.

    Major General Frode was the eldest son of General Heisenberg and his heir. On the other hand, Jeanne was the Armstrong family''s jewel.

    Jeanne was attacked outside Trudheim city gate, which was under the control of Frode, but Frode didn''t rescue her and instead closed the city gate, so Jeanne ended up killed.

    What would happen if the two generals learned of this matter?

    Keiko felt her heart turning cold.

    While Keiko was pondering the truth, Jeanne turned on the auxiliary camera on the helmet mask, aimed at Elisa''s body, zoomed in as close as possible, and wanted to take a photo first as evidence. But, just after she zoomed in on the camera, she suddenly made a new discovery.

    There seemed to be a silver-colored thing stuck in the back of Elisa''s neck, which Jeanne couldn''t immediately identify. But what she was sure of was that it was these small things that killed Elisa.

    Could it be that this traitor, Elisa, did not commit suicide, but was instead murdered by someone?! Who is it?

    Jeanne suddenly turned around and began to carefully investigate the scene.

    The position of Elisa''s floating corpse, the scratch marks on the guardrail, and the blind spot where the fifth monster died were all fitted the puzzle.

    Except for the third-party character who killed the fifth monster, Jeanne couldn''t think of anyone else. It must be this mysterious figure who killed Elisa, and the motive is very simple: Elisa witnessed the scene where the mysterious figure killed the fifth monster!

    Is that silver thing a special weapon that the mysterious person wants to conceal?

    Jeanne re-created the scene of the incident in her mind. The mysterious figure killed the fifth monster. Elisa, who was fleeing, happened to witness it. Elisa was in a hurry and was about to jump off the bridge to escape when suddenly she was noticed by the mysterious person and was killed by them.

    The mysterious person should not have time to deal with the weapon in such a short time. Since no weapon was found on the drawbridge, the weapon must have been on Elisa''s body.

    "Major? What''s the matter?" Keiko couldn''t help asking when she saw Jeanne''s strange behavior.

    Before Jeanne could answer, suddenly, numerous red dots appeared on the radar and the alarm blared.

    Keiko''s complexion changed greatly.

    She turned to look and saw countless monsters appearing in the forest not far away. So much so that monsters began to appear in the moat.

    Jeanne''s face turned pale. She suddenly grabbed Keiko''s arm and yelled in fright, "Damn it! It''s a Zerg swarm''s tide!!!"

 Chapter 81 - Misfortune Doesnt Come Alone

    Colonel Rajeev stood on the top of the 100-meter city wall with a gloomy face, observing the situation on the drawbridge''s deck through the binoculars.

    He watched Jeanne Armstrong and a female officer wandering around the drawbridge while his grasp became stronger, nearly breaking the binoculars.

    Just a minute ago, the scout under his command told him that the six mantis-shaped predators had all died.

    They had prepared as many as six vicious predators, but they still couldn''t completely wipe out a squad consisting of just around forty people.

    What made him most depressed was that none of the key targets died, while the spy they had planted in the third squadron died inexplicably when she jumped off the bridge!

    Damn it! Who killed Elisa?!

    This action was planned spontaneously, so he felt it was unbelievable that someone could intervene and mess up with their business.

    It seemed that it wasn''t only them that had placed someone to infiltrate the third squadron, but also other unknown forces outside of his knowledge.

    What is so special about this third squadron?

    His side had never set their eyes on this squadron before.

    Although it was an elite ace division, there were so many ace divisions in the entire federal army that he thought it was nothing special, at least until this accident.

    Who knew that this seemingly ordinary squadron would be his jinx at the end of the day?

    To make matters worse, the famous prodigy, the jewel of the Armstrong family, Jeanne Armstrong, happened to be in this damned third squadron too.

    Rajeev couldn''t do anything but curse at his own wretched luck.

    "Scout, are you sure you really didn''t see who killed the fifth monster?"

    Rajeev asked his appointed scout with a voice so low that the scout in front of him couldn''t help but tremble in fright.

    "Y-yes, Colonel!" The scout stammered, recounting the event before, "The monster suddenly perished when it entered our blind spot. From the wall, we couldn''t see the person''s figure at all. We only noticed something was going wrong when we saw the monster suddenly struggling. The battle lasted only about ten seconds. It was too fast to be observed at all."

    "Damn it!"

    Caral cursed, slamming the binocular in his hand to the ground. He didn''t know how he should proceed next.

    Now that all the monsters were dead, he had no excuse for releasing the fire anymore. When the reinforcements arrived, he couldn''t continue to stall them.

    Moreover, Major Sistine and Captain Amanda weren''t people that easy for him to deal with. He was certain that they had been cooking up some plan to force him to let the people outside enter the city.

    Should I give up the mission?

    This idea had been lingering in his mind soon after he heard that the predator that attacked Jeanne''s car failed to kill her on the spot.

    But... his superior had already warned him from the beginning that once the mission began, no matter what happened, he wanted to see these people die outside the city and made sure that he didn''t leave any clues or evidence whatsoever that could implicate his superior.

    Rajeev was bitterly aware that he was ready to be sacrificed at any moment by his side if it was to accomplish their goal.

    Should he continue to fulfill his loyalty, or should he betray his superior to save himself?

    After several evaluations, Rajeev knew that even if he betrayed the commander and let Jeanne and the others enter the city, the matter had already been exposed.

    Given the ruthlessness of the Armstrong family''s eldest miss, it wouldn''t be strange if she immediately retaliated as soon as she was rescued.

    If he really betrayed the big guy, he wouldn''t only face the wrath of General Armstrong but also his superior.

    He hardened his heart and finally made a decision. It was better to carry out the task to the end. Even if he died, the commander would recognize his worth and treat his family well, at least that was what he hoped for.

    Suddenly, his bracelet ID rang; a nameless communication channel was trying to get through.

    Rajeev irritably answered the incoming call without checking the identity of the caller and yelled to the other end.

    "What''s wrong?!"

    "Rajeev, it''s me."

    Caral''s pupils shrank when he heard the incoming voice. He was so familiar with the voice that he had heard for almost a decade that he instantly recognized who was the one who made the call.

    He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and replied meekly.

    "Major General..."

    "Do you know what you''re doing?"

    There was no anger in Frode''s voice, instead, it was calm, so frighteningly calm that Rajeev''s back began sweating profusely.

    "It''s not too late to stop now; I can protect you," Frode said once more.

    "..."

    Caral was silent. His mouth gaped as if he wanted to say something, but his jaw trembled. In the end, he couldn''t say anything.

    "I can get through your ID means that the signal blocker you installed has been removed. The people in the HQ should''ve known everything about this matter by now. I said I can protect you but I can also destroy you as easily if you make the wrong choice."

    "I''m below the city wall right now with Major Sistine and Captain Amanda from the third squadron. I''ll give you a minute to think about it, and after that, whether you agree with my proposal or not, I''ll take over all the troops under you."

    "There is a big difference between when someone has the initiative to give up and when I need to make a move myself. You should consider it carefully."

    Without waiting for Rajeev''s reply, General Frode immediately hung up the communication.

    "FUCK!"

    Bang!

    Rajeev punched the wall behind him and let out a furious roar as soon as Frode''s voice disappeared from his intercom.

    Meanwhile, below the city wall, next to an extremely high-end military vehicle, Major General Frode, Captain Amanda, and Major Sistine stood together.

    "Major General, why are you giving him more time?! We should just take him down by force and let Jeanne and the others enter the city quickly..." said Sistine anxiously.

    Frode raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don''t be impatient, I still have a use for Rajeev. His defense will crumble now that he is under heavy pressure. If we used brute force, we couldn''t gain anything from him."

    Sistine was thoughtful. Amanda glanced at Sistine silently and shook her head disapprovingly.

    On the top of the city wall, Rajeev was staring at the digital clock displayed on the screen.

    The number kept increasing every second, and with only thirty seconds left, he couldn''t take it any longer. His hands trembled as he tried to connect Frode''s ID to surrender.

    At that moment, a harsh alarm rang from the entire city gate area. Colonel Rajeev was shocked and raised his head in reflex and saw that the red warning light above his head was flashing rapidly.

    "Colonel! S-s-swarm¡­ There is a swarm tide coming!!"

    A panicked voice from his scout reverberated in his ears.

 Chapter 82 - Colonel Rajeevs Choice

    Swarm Tide!

    Rajeev hurriedly grabbed the new binocular from the scout''s hand, looked below the city wall, and saw a massive swarm of predators and zergs, as horrifying as dark clouds before a thunderstorm, approaching the city gate at an alarming speed.

    He could even see some aquatic zergs and predators emerging from the moat.

    ''Oh, Praise the Nine Gods! Praise the Ione! Even God help me too!''

    Rajeev suddenly burst into maddening laughter and seized the last ten seconds to give the last command of his life.

    "All artillery on the wall!"

    "First group reload!"

    "Second group reload!"

    "...."

    "....locking target!"

    "Energy storage is over!"

    "Countdown to fire..."

    "Three, two, one! Fire!"

    The next moment, "Boom!"

    All 50 electromagnetic railguns lined up at the top of the wall bombarded the incoming swarm simultaneously. The electromagnetic railguns were extremely powerful with a long attack range. When it was being shot, the booming sound produced in the process could severely damage an ordinary person''s hearing sense.

    "That bastard actually opened fire!" Sistine bellowed furiously.

    "It''s a swarm tide! The swarm tide is coming!" A soldier staggered to report.

    "Jeanne! No, I''m going to save her. Open the city gate immediately!" Sistine roared while grabbing General Frode.

    General Frode didn''t bother answering and just punched him directly in the stomach, knocking Sistine down on his knee. His hand covered his stomach, his veins burst out, and he couldn''t breathe for a long time.

    "Boy, I know what to do! I don''t need you to tell me what to do!" shouted General Frode in a low voice.

    Immediately, he took over the highest command authority of the City Guards at the fastest speed.

    For this operation, Caral actually transferred 5,000 out of 10,000 city guards to suppress the 2,000 members of the Third Squadron as soon as they entered the city.

    "All soldiers heed my order! This is the highest authority''s order. Stop the shelling immediately!"

    "I repeat it for the last time, this is the highest authority order, stop the shelling immediately! Violators will be killed on the spot for treason!"

    He immediately gave a secret order to his own bodyguards, "Capture Rajeev immediately! Anyone who helps him resist or escape should be killed on the spot!"

    The sound of the cannon stopped quickly; the artillerymen on the wall looked bewildered.

    A young soldier asked his superior with a pale face, "What happened? The swarm was about to reach the city wall. Why can''t we shoot at them?"

    His officer sweated profusely and scolded, "Shut up! Watch your mouth!"

    Although he still had a scruple in his heart, the young soldier didn''t argue anymore and just zipped his mouth off.

    Meanwhile, General Frode was currently weighing his options on how to secure the people outside, or at least to be able to ensure Jeanne''s safety.

    Opening the gate wasn''t an option right now.

    The insect tide was coming, and opening the city gate was tantamount to welcoming them into the city to commit slaughter.

    A helicopter would have to be used to save the nine people on the suspension bridge.

    He needed someone to stall the time before he could finish the rescue.

    "Captain Amanda, get ready for your man to deploy immediately for rescue. We have three cranes stationed on the city wall near the drawbridge, so you can only prepare six mecha at most. After that, you and Sistine can follow me in the helicopter to pick up the survivor. Select some personnel to go with us."

    Frode immediately turned around and rushed towards the apron where the armed escort helicopter was located.

    "Yes!" Amanda replied immediately, and then quickly opened the communication channel for the third squadron.

    "Lieutenant Lu Diyun! Lieutenant Stacy Valentine! Second Lieutenant Seol-Hyun Ae! Second Lieutenant Lilian Croft! Second Lieutenant Leoz Silverburg! The five of you will be immediately deployed outside the gate. This mission will be very dangerous as you need to buy us time to rescue the survivor, and you might even lose your life. I''m not going to be unreasonable. If you want to forfeit this mission, I won''t blame you."

    After a few moments of silence, Captain Amanda continued, "I take your silence as a confirmation. Now get ready for your post! And don''t forget to bring Second Lieutenant Lee''s personal mecha with you; she might need it."

    "Yes, Ma''am!" The five people''s responses came immediately, like a beast that had been suppressed for a long time, showing a burst of momentum.

    After that, Captain Amanda also ordered Antonio and two other sergeants to follow her into the helicopter.

    "Major Sistine, can you still do it?"

    After Amanda gave the order, she turned to look at Sistine, who was still squatting on the ground and clutching her stomach, with contempt in her eyes.

    "Yes, I''ll bring a few brothers with me."

    "There are nine people outside the city and 20 people in the helicopter. I have already brought 3 people here. You can only bring six more people."

    "Understood," Sistine struggled to get up from the ground.

    Not long after, the mecha team had already been deployed, ready to be dropped down outside the wall. The rescue team by helicopter had also gathered, and the helicopter took off immediately.

    However, this was very dangerous.

    Although there were no flying Zergs or predators seen in the vicinity, in order to safely pick up the survivor, the helicopter needed to descend to a low altitude, which could make it easy prey for any gigantic Zerg or predators or monsters that had the extraordinary jumping ability.

    However, General Frode went out of the city without hesitation. It wasn''t because he was righteous and heroic, but because the situation forced him to do so.

    Colonel Rajeev unexpectedly really ordered the release of the fire. Although in reality, Rajeev had betrayed him, in the eyes of the outsider, he was still a loyal subordinate of his. What Colonel Rajeev had done representing General Frode''s will.

    Thus, he had to let everyone know that he was going out of town to save Jeanne himself, drawing a clear line between him and Rajeev; otherwise, it would have brought catastrophic consequences worse than death.

 Chapter 83 - Death Or Life Struggle

    On the drawbridge''s deck, the nine remaining people were in a grave situation.

    Although brief and didn''t directly impact the drawbridge, the aftermath shock of the artillery bombardment was still causing people to shudder, deafening their ears temporarily and bedazzling their eyes.

    As the artillery bombardment finally came to an end, the Zerg swarm tide came in wave after wave, fiercer than ever, making Keiko and the others didn''t even have the time to breathe. They desperately tried to squeeze their brains, searching for a path of survival.

    "Damn it! They are really trying to kill us all!"

    Keiko''s furious bellow could be heard from Jeanne''s and Leah''s intercom. In fact, their complexions were no better than Keiko''s right now.

    "I''m just a little doctor. This is too much action for me," Leah said weakly, though it was unknown whether she was serious or just joking.

    "Well, just think of it as one of your unlucky days," replied Jeanne, shrugging.

    "Unlucky day, huh? Well, I''m just hoping this isn''t my last day."

    "We will survive this together, definitely..."

    After a few moments, there wasn''t any following attack coming from the city wall.

    Jeanne said, "It seems that the situation in the city has been resolved. The enemy should''ve been captured and General Frode should''ve taken back control."

    The city gate behind them was closed, and they weren''t stupid enough to believe that, even if the traitor had been found and their allies had successfully wrestled the power inside the city, they would be able to enter the city soon.

    Though, the entire case might unfold differently if there was no swarm tide that threatened the Frodheim city''s survival.

    Hiding in the moat was also a no-go. After all, there were already a lot of monsters that had invaded their canals and waterways. Doing so was the same as committing suicide.

    Their only option now was to find higher ground so they could easily keep their eyes on the enemies'' movements and make it easier for the reinforcements to rescue them.

    Keiko looked around, and when her gaze spotted the armoured car''s roof, she sighed. It seemed that it was the only place they could go.

    Keiko turned her head to Jeanne at the same time as Jeanne looked at her, exchanging glances. They nodded at each other in understanding. It seemed that they thought of the same thing.

    Jeanne and Keiko, as well as the limping Dr. Leah, joined hands to carry all the fainted soldiers onto the roof of the car, ignoring their injuries and tying them back-to-back. Jeanne knew that there would be reinforcements who were going to rescue them sooner or later. By doing so, it would make the rescue process easier and more time-efficient.

    While Jeanne and Dr. Leah were busy treating the injuries that were holding them back, Keiko drove the armored car they were in between the other two armored cars, with their backs against the city wall, and an overturned car in front of them acting as a barrier to slow down the enemies'' advancement.

    She hoped that this arrangement could help them buy some more time and increase, even a tiny bit, their chances of survival.

    Luckily, Jeanne had a good eye and searched for all the weapons on the scene before the arrival of the swarm tide, which saved her the time of picking up weapons.

    She had also suggested Keiko equip one of the exosuits that used to be worn by one of the deceased soldiers, which, only after a fair moment of hesitation, Keiko had reluctantly agreed to.

    After parking the armored car, she jumped behind the overturned armored car body, and she was able to use more than 30 large and small guns, 6 standard short-handled sabers, 1 long saber, and 3 crossbows in the places where she could reach quickly.

    Holding two machine guns in both hands, she stood in front of the formation, looking at the rapidly approaching swarm tide in the distance with an expression as calm as a lake and a straight back as imposing as a mountain.

    Jeanne and Alita were on the roof of the car with the injured soldiers. They also had a lot of weapons at their disposal. Not only to protect themselves but also, most importantly, to cover Keiko from sneak attacks that could come from the side.

    Jeanne gritted her teeth and gazed at Keiko''s back. Looking at her body full of wounds, she felt pretty helpless. In such a desperate situation, she could only rely on Keiko.

    Jeanne began to despise the mysterious third party who concealed their identities.

    They was obviously so powerful and capable, but they were still hiding behind, leaving the injured Keiko to face the swarm tide alone.

    Thinking of this, Jeanne felt hatred in her heart, but she just gritted her teeth and tried not to think about it. Now she couldn''t cause trouble; they have to get through this!

    "Major, did you know that in the old era there was once a great book titled "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" from a country known as China," Keiko''s voice suddenly came from the earphones, and Jeanne looked at her back and did not speak. "Whether I can survive today or not, I might have my story written as a biography or an epic in the future, or it might even pass as a myth, just like that book."

    "You are not allowed to die! This is an order!" Jeanne roared angrily at Keiko, seemingly really angered by Keiko''s comment.

    Keiko sighed; this eldest miss had never read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and had no idea what she was talking about.

    In the book, there was a story about how Zhang Fei, a loyal general of Liu Bei, stood with a spear in both of his hands on Changban Bridge, facing Cao Cao''s six thousand cavalries without fear.

    Today, she also ended up in a rather similar situation with Zhang Fei.

    If she was also facing a human army just like Zhang Fei, she might even blurt out the same line as him: "I am Keiko Lee, and anyone can come and challenge me to fight to the death!"

    Unfortunately, she wasn''t. But it didn''t dampen her spirit.

    "Today, I, Keiko Lee, with machine guns in both hands, stand in front of Trudheim''s city gate, facing tens of thousands of Zerg and predators alone."

    "If I don''t die today, there''s nothing to be feared in the future! KILL!!!!!!!"

    The zerg swarm was almost at the door.

    Keiko scanned through the various kinds of predators and zergs; most of them were only F-rank and E-rank monsters, some of them were D-rank monsters. However, their numbers were overwhelming.

    It was obvious that this wave was just the first wave, the vanguard for them to test the water, only cannon fodder.

    With only this many weapons in her hands, she might not be able to fend them off, but if only to buy some time, Keiko was confident she could hold on for around 20 minutes or so.

    Keiko raised her machineguns, aiming at the black cloud in front of her and roaring loudly, and then released the barrage of bullets.

    TRATATATA!!

    Roaarr¡ªpfft!!

    The monsters went down one after another upon arrival, just like cascading leaves at the end of the fall.

    Although the rain of bullets didn''t completely kill them, the upcoming monsters gave no damn shit about them and mindlessly trampled the laying monsters to death as they uncaringly march forward.

    Keiko felt like she had found the most efficient way to eliminate these groups of gigantic insects. She just needed to incapacitate them, and the following monsters would take care of the enemies for her.

    "Keiko!" Jeanne didn''t even notice that she subconsciously called Keiko by her first name, not by the usual address of "Second Lieutenant Lee" They''re not slowing down!"

    "I know," Keiko replied while her fingers were still pulling the triggers, "their numbers are way more than we thought. We can only do our best while waiting for the reinforcement!"

    The swarm had already edged over the city wall¡ªonly 50 meters away from where Keiko was.

    The drawbridge was not very wide, and Keiko was able to cope with the double-gun fire.

    The clanking sound of bullets dropping on the ground and the pungent odor coming from the sparked gunpowder filled the air.

    But the consumption of bullets was so terrible that Keiko didn''t have time to load the bullets at all. After emptying one machine gun, she could only throw it away and use her feet to lift the next one to continue shooting.

    As soon as her firepower weakened, the swarm quickly approached.

    Keiko''s heart sank as more and more monsters poured into the moat, stuffing the waterway with their own bodies to build a path and stack a ladder for the tens of thousands of monsters behind them.

    The Swarm would be able to flood the suspension bridge from the side at any moment soon.

    Suddenly, the rumbling of the helicopter sounded from above. Jeanne looked over and said, with a voice full of joy, "It''s the reinforcement! The reinforcements are finally here! Keiko, just a little bit more and we will be saved!"

 Chapter 84 - No Option Left

    Suddenly, the rumbling of the helicopter sounded from above. Jeanne looked over and said, with a voice full of joy, "It''s the reinforcement! The reinforcements are finally here! Keiko, just a little bit more and we will be saved!"

    Keiko didn''t have the leeway to shift her focus yet; the zerg swarm tide had breached the drawbridge and was only less than 20 meters away from Keiko.

    The bridge was full of corpses, and the piles were getting higher and higher. Keiko''s bullets were almost out, and there were only the last two guns and a crossbow left.

    The helicopter hovered directly above them, and two officers, a man and a woman, descended, bringing a large bundle of rope with them, and quickly landed on the armored car''s roof.

    Jeanne immediately recognized Captain Amanda and Sergeant Antonio.

    They didn''t say anything and began tying not only the injured soldiers'' bodies, but also Jeanne and Leah. To ensure their safety, Captain Amanda was on the top, and Sergeant Antonio was on the bottom.

    "Keiko, get here quick!"

    Jeanne''s voice echoed on Keiko''s intercom. Keiko turned her head around and take a glance at them before facing forward once more.

    The machine guns had already run out of ammo when Captain Amanda and Antonio were still busy tying people together. So just like before, Keiko carelessly threw it off as soon as they were empty. Then she picked up two sabers and gripped them tightly.

    She retreated with her body still facing the swarm tide.

    It wasn''t that she didn''t want to turn around and rush, but she couldn''t.

    Firstly, the fatigue slowly ate away her stamina and she could only barely hold on right now. Showing her back to the enemies in this situation was equivalent to forfeiting her life to the swarm tide.

    Secondly, at least in this way, she could also prevent the monsters from attacking the survival and rescue team behind her. This way, more people could be saved.

    Keiko moved back, staggering, with four sabers strapped around her wrist and two sabers in both of her hands, busily chopping all the monsters that pounced on her.

    The tide of insects had come close; fangs, claws, venom, all directed at her.

    She didn''t even know what she was fighting; she just slashed, evaded, blocked, slashed, evaded, rinsed and repeated, with the fighting instinct she had developed over the years.

    One second felt as long as eternity; it seemed like a never-ending battle.

    She felt so tired; she didn''t want to fight anymore; she really couldn''t hold on anymore.

    There were many wounds on her body and she was in pain all over her body.

    But she kept swinging her sabers anyway.

    Her swinging power wasn''t as good as before, her rhythm was already messed up, her dodging speed continued dropping, and she got more and more wound all over her body.

    "Keiko!" As Jeanne''s voice grew louder and louder, Keiko became agitated and distracted.

    "Major, just go first. I still can handle it. Let''s meet again inside," Keiko''s voice sounded hoarse, her unsteady breath intermittently entering the intercom.

    "What nonsense are you saying?!! Quick, come here! We''ll go out from here!"

    "Major¡­"

    "Second Lieutenant Keiko Lee, I order you to go back here right now!!"

    "I''m sorry Major, I can''t obey you this time¡­" Then a chuckle soon followed, "It seemed that I never obeyed you before either¡­ see you later, Major."

    "YOU!!!"

    Jeanne gritted her teeth in frustration as she knew very well how stubborn Keiko could become when she was determined to do something.

    ''Does she want to play hero and sacrifice herself for us?! Don''t fucking kidding me, you dumb stupid rock!''

    She then looked at Captain Amanda and spoke into her intercom. At the same moment, Keiko''s voice also appeared on Amanda''s intercom.

    "Captain Amanda, wait a moment! Second Lieutenant Lee is still there, we need to save her!"

    "Captain Amanda, pull up the rope right now! They''ll soon reach your position!"

    Captain Amanda was stunned. There were two people asking her for two opposite requests. She was stuck between a rock and a hard thing.

    On one side, one of her most promising subordinates was in imminent danger. Major Jeanne, who was usually cold-headed, calm, and collected, now asked her in an urgent tone to save Keiko. It showed how much this eldest miss valued her.

    On the other hand, Keiko was also right. It would be too late if they were waiting for her. Although Keiko could be said to be one of the most promising cadets, she was still only a soldier.

    After all, her value couldn''t be compared to the safety of Major Jeanne, who was the daughter of one of the seven stars generals and the youngest prodigy in the Federation.

    But, if she ignored Major Jeanne''s request, she most likely will form a grudge against her.

    Captain Amanda didn''t know how to respond, and soon two voices sounded on her intercom again.

    "Captain Amanda, this is an order!"

    "Captain Amanda, please!"

    Hesitating for a moment, Captain Amanda finally spoke.

    "Second Lieutenant Keiko, are you sure?"

    "Yes, Ma''am."

    "What the hell are you talking about, Keiko! You want to die?!" Jeanne roared into the intercom.

    Keiko didn''t try to argue with her as she was now currently busy engaging with the incoming swarm tide. Instead, she asked Captain Amanda.

    "Lieutenant Lu and Seol-Hyun Ae aren''t here, they are deployed with mecha to support us, right?"

    "Yes."

    "I still can hold on until they come. I promise I''ll go back alive."

    "Major Jeanne, what do you say?"

    "¡­"

    "Major!"

    "Fine! But if you dare to die, don''t think I won''t turn hell upside down and bring you back here and then send you back down there personally!"

    Jeanne''s voice turned cold, but there was also a hint of anxiety and helplessness contained within. If someone could peek under her helmet, they would see blood dripping from her lower lips and tears swimming in her eyes, about to burst out.

    "Yes, Ma''am!"

    Keiko replied weakly but determinedly and then continued her struggles with the group of zerg and predators that came after her.

    "General Frode, we''re ready! Pull up the rope, right now!"

    "Pull it up! Pull it up!" In the cabin, General Frode was yelling at the pilot through his earphones.

    "Yes!"

    "Pull them up! Sistine, at the rear, was directing Antonio and three other military police to activate the rope winch and pull everyone up.

    While the rope was slowly pulled over to the helicopter, Jeanne looked below, and her watery eyes never once left Keiko''s heroic figure.

 Chapter 85 - Hopeless Situation?

    Inside the helicopter cabin.

    As soon as Jeanne and the others were on board, General Frode and Sistine rushed over to them with a relief expression on their faces.

    "Glad that you''re safe, Major Jeanne," General Frode gently said.

    "Thanks the Nine Gods!" Sistine hurriedly knelt down to support Jeanne and examined her body carefully, "Are you okay, Jeanne? Are you hurt somewhere?"

    "Thanks, but no need. I can do it myself," Jeanne quickly brushed off Sistine''s hand and responded perfunctorily while standing up on her own.

    "Ah¡­ Okay," Sistine was momentarily stunned before drawing his hand back with a disappointed expression on his handsome face.

    Jeanne ignored Sistine''s abandoned puppy looks and turned her over to General Frode.

    "Thank you for the rescue, General Frode," Jeanne bowed down slightly and then hurriedly asked, "Where is the mecha squad? How long do we need to wait for them? Second Lieutenant Lee is still down there. We need to rescue her fast!"

    General Frode slightly frowned when he heard Jeanne''s tone. After all, considering the vast difference in rank between them, this kind of interrogative tone wasn''t appropriate and should have warranted Jeanne''s severe punishment.

    But he decided to let the matter go and didn''t pursue it because he was aware that what happened to Jeanne this time could be said to be his blunder. So, he still needed to provide a proper answer to appease this young miss''s anger.

    Before he could answer, Captain Amanda spoke on his behalf, "The Mecha team has already docked and is ready to be carried down in 5 minutes."

    Jeanne looked at the top of the wall, and indeed there were six mecha hanging from the cranes, slowly descending. However, it still didn''t ease her heart at all. She turned her head below, looking at a single female soldier among the flood of monsters anxiously.

    Looking at how restless Jeanne had been for this seemingly insignificant soldier, Sistine felt really displeased and accidentally blurted out his thoughts, snorting in disdain.

    "It''s good that she knows her place. At least this way, her life will be a little bit more useful."

    But just after he made this comment, he could feel a chill creep up on his spine as many sharp gazes fell on him, causing his body to shudder inexplicably.

    He could sense at least four pairs of eyes looking at him with killing intent, stronger than the others.

    "What do you say?" a toneless voice icier than iceberg entered his ears through the intercom.

    "I¡­ Jeanne¡­ I just..." When he saw Jeanne turn her head, facing him, he somehow had an illusion that she was staring at him like she was looking at a dead man, even though he couldn''t possibly know what exactly the expression was that Jeanne had currently under her helmet.

    He frantically searched for words to defend himself but found that the words choked in his throat vehemently refused to be uttered.

    "Bug off!" Jeanne couldn''t help but snap at him and immediately blocked his ID to vent her anger.

    General Frode shook his head, giving him a mocking gaze under his helm, looking at him like he was looking at a fool. It was evident to the eyes how much Jeanne valued this little officer known as the "Death Reaper."

    Even he had grown to appreciate Keiko''s tenacity and potential from what she had done this time. Had she survived today, General Frode was even entertaining the thought of poaching this little girl into his team. She might be able to replace the vacant seat of his adjutant after Colonel Rajeev''s betrayal.

    ''It''s a pity¡­''

    He glanced below once more, looking at the figure of a soldier wielding a pair of sabers in both of her hands while surrounded by uncountable monsters'' dead bodies and spilled blood scattering with her in the center, which seemed like a blooming red spider lily grown on the shore of the nether river, then shook his head, sighing in lamentation.

    Despite the upcoming reinforcement, she needed a miracle to stay alive until then.

    Although the rescue mission could be counted as successful, the atmosphere turned dark, like attending a funeral.

    At that time, a hoarse but calm voice broke the gloomy silence in the room.

    "Don''t worry, Major Jeanne. Second Lieutenant Keiko is much harder to kill than you thought. Believe me, I was there with her in so many deadly situations, but both of us were still alive and well until today," said the simpleton Antonio to Jeanne, and it didn''t sound like just a simple consolation but stemmed from his own deep conviction, making Jeanne''s heart move.

    "Yeah, that girl is a tough nut. She is more of a cockroach than an actual cockroach," Dr. Leah added, in a slightly joking tone.

    "She is one of my best personnel. I believe she will survive through this hell," Captain Amanda nodded in agreement.

    Jeanne didn''t muster a response, her eyes still fixed on the descending mecha, keeping track of their movement, which was as slow as a snail in Jeanne''s eyes.

    She tried her hardest to convince herself to believe what they said was true.

    General Frode, who kept his silence before asking Jeanne, "We should get out of here while there is still no flying Zerg or predator in sight. But, Major Jeanne, what do you think?"

    "We wait," Jeanne replied with a determined voice, "I want to see her rescued with my own eyes."

    Although he wanted to say that it was better for her to not see the tragic event that was soon to unfold, he kept the words in his heart and didn''t say anything more other than instructing the helicopter''s pilot to increase their altitude.

    As the helicopter ascended, a rumbling sound suddenly came from below, causing everybody''s expression to turn ashen.

    They instantly lowered their heads to look below and saw that Keiko was already on her knees while waves of monsters were about to drown her alive at any moment soon.

    Keiko''s face lost its color, and a grieving scream echoed through everybody''s intercom.

    "Keiko!!! Nooo!!!"

 Chapter 86 - Finally Get Rescued?

    Click¡ª

    Keiko shut down her intercom.

    "At least I sound pretty cool, right?" She chuckled lightly at herself, as if some heavy pressure on her shoulder had suddenly been lifted.

    She knew she had done something extremely stupid and illogical, but she didn''t regret it at all.

    After confirming that the remaining survivors, including Jeanne and Dr. Leah, had successfully been rescued, she suddenly felt an unprecedented power surge within her, as if something within her had been let loose.

    Her focus reached an extreme height; her five senses were strengthened to the point she felt like she had a 360-degree view and even a minute movement couldn''t escape her grasp.

    She noticed that the fatigue and pain that had been dragging her down had suddenly dulled; a new vitality had infused within her body, making her feel as if she could fight for another week and another week after that.

    The exhilarating feelings right now somehow remind her of the first time she got on her mecha, Hela.

    "This¡­ this is the sensation of having your mental strength aiding your body... It''s really addicting¡­"

    Keiko licked her lower lips, looking at the swarm of zergs and predators around her like how they looked at their prey.

    Even the air around her was changing¡ªfull of a murderous aura and bloodlust.

    If someone could peek under her mask, they would see her face grimacing, a big and wide grin blooming on her lips.

    The Face of Ashura¡ªthe Warmonger, the Battle Freak.

    This time, Keiko was no longer retreating; instead, she steadied her stance and straightened her back, just as imposing as the Tower of Bable.

    More and more monsters had reached her position and lunged at her, but with a swing of her saber, they were either decapitated or being sliced apart cleanly into two parts.

    Every time she swung her saber or pivoted her steps to avoid an enemy attack, her movement became more fluid. She didn''t move even a step from her current position.

    Her attack range was around 2 meters with the saber, and no monster could enter within that radius. In the parameter, on the other hand, the corpse was gradually piling up.

    20, 30, 50¡­ 100¡­

    The dead body count around her kept increasing and increasing.

    It wasn''t exaggerating to say that any domain outside of the 2-meter radius of Keiko was a death zone.

    If Xianxia fans from the old era were watching this scene, they might even call it a "Death Domain," very befitting of the Death Reaper moniker Keiko is famous for.

    Alas, despite the boost from her mind, her battered body eventually couldn''t keep up anymore.

    In her last attack, her feet failed to support her body, making her trip down and fall on her knees.

    "Haah¡­ haah¡­ haah¡­"

    Keiko was out of breath, the pain from her neck surged back, and she could only let out a wry smile.

    ''I think this is the farthest I can go¡­ I suppose there''s no way back, huh¡­''

    Jeanne''s face once again flashed in her mind, but now it was overlapping with the adorable face of her childhood sweetheart, little girl Yaya.

    ''What a silly thought¡­''

    Keiko shook her head, feeling a bit sad for a moment, before letting it go.

    ''At least I can ensure her safety. Consider this a token of gratitude for her kindness to me and an apology for robbing her of her crush.''

    Time seemed to be stopping at the moment, and her surroundings seemed serenely quiet.

    Even the thunderous roars and rumbling stomps from the flood of monsters around her seemed to be put on mute.

    Keiko didn''t close her eyes. She didn''t want her last time spent in darkness. The only thing she was dissatisfied with was that she didn''t have the energy to stand up, just like many heroic figures in her era.

    She vaguely remembered one of her favorite manga when a certain pirate with a white beard stood gallantly in the face of his death. Unfortunately, her end was far less glorious than his.

    But, the pain she''d expected never came. Instead, the monsters that surrounded her were currently spraying blood from their bodies and falling on the ground lifelessly.

    TRATATATA!!

    A deafening barrage of bullets and the smell of gunpowder filled the air.

    Keiko vaguely heard someone calling her name through the intercom.

    "Keiko, we are here!!"

    A familiar, bright voice entered her intercom. It was her best friend, Seol-Hyun Ae''s, voice.

    "Keiko, can you still hold on? Your mecha is behind us. Can you get there by yourself?" This time it was Lu Diyun''s

    "Ah¡­ I think it was rather difficult¡­" Keiko replied with a chuckle.

    "Seol-Hyun, you picked up Keiko and retreated. I''ll cover your back."

    "Yes, Sir!"

    "Lieutenant Valentine, Second Lieutenant Lilian, Second Lieutenant Leoz, please handle the flank."

    "Roger that."

    "Yes, sir!"

    After Lu Diyun finished organizing the team, Lieutenant Valentine and her adjutant immediately went into their position, and Seol Hyun carefully carried Keiko in the mecha''s big hand, retreating at once.

    "Thank you, Seol-Hyun," Keiko said weakly.

    "You''ve done it now, huh?! Is it fun to play a hero like this? Fortunately, we arrived on time. If not¡­ if not¡­"

    Seol-Hyun couldn''t finish her sentence as she sobbed. Keiko could hear anger, frustration, and blame in her voice, which made her feel slightly guilty.

    "I''m sorry, okay. Please don''t cry. I promise I won''t be this reckless in the future," Keiko coaxed Seol-Hyun in a gentle tone.

    "Who the hell wants to waste their tears on you?!" Seol-Hyun growled, her voice a bit hoarse. Keiko wanted to laugh because she sounded like a Tsundere girl character, but didn''t dare to do so. "And what do you mean you won''t be THIS reckless in the future? It sounds like if it isn''t exactly this dangerous, you will still risk your life in the future!"

    "Well¡­"

    Keiko''s next word would be, "After all, we''re a soldier¡­" But she decided to shut up and swallowed back her words, lest Seol-Hyun became angrier.

    Unfortunately, even without saying those words, Seol-Hyun seemed to know what she was about to say and rewarded her with another round of scolding all the way to her mecha.

    Keiko could only enjoy the feeling of being nagged by Seol-Hyun, which was the same feeling that she missed very much from the ones she considered family, like Aunt Pei.

    Soon, they reached where Hela was, and Seol-Hyun quickly stuffed Keiko inside it.

    "Hey Hela, I''ve returned," muttered Keiko softly while connecting the plug from her exosuit into Hela''s bridge. Not long after, she finally logged in to the mecha system.

    Having a little rest when she was carried in Seol-Hyun Ae''s palm, her strength was restored a little bit.

    The feeling when she moved her body became slightly heavy and stiff, but still within her comfort zone.

    She felt that she could fight for another round, but decided not to do it because Lu Diyun had already issued a retreat order.

    "Finally, it''s going to end¡­" Keiko finally exhaled a sigh of relief. Just a little bit more, she could escape from this hellish situation.

    Alas, it seemed that the day was far from over.

    "We need backup! We need backup! Lieutenant Lilian Mecha''s was hit and now she is surrounded by enemies!"

    A distressed voice was coming from the shared channel; everybody''s expression turned tense, including Keiko''s.

 Chapter 87 - Escaping From The Deaths Jaw

    We need backup! We need backup! Lieutenant Lilian Mecha''s was hit and now she is surrounded by enemies!"

    A distressed voice was coming from the shared channel; everybody''s expression turned tense, including Keiko''s.

    They instantly turned their eyes toward Lilian''s direction and saw that her mecha had already lost half of its arm and feet, and the body leaned over at the drawbridge''s edge, clutching at the guard rail tightly to support its body while its remaining hand was swinging the high-vibration saber frantically, trying to fend off the enemies.

    Keiko also noticed a wave of ripples undulating on the waterway surfaces where a large black shadow was lurking beneath it. It seemed that the one who destroyed the mecha''s limb was ready to make its move once again.

    Leoz and Keiko were the two closest to Lieutenant Lilian''s position. But, Leoz was still engaged with a group of Zerg, which prevented him from quickly going over to help Lilian.

    Keiko knew she was the only one who could help Lilian this time, so she quickly disengaged the hook while crouching down in a position similar to a runner at the starting line.

    She concentrated her remaining strength in her legs and then burst forth toward Lilian at lightning speed while gritting her teeth as she withstood the heavy pressure from the explosive burst of movement.

    The monster underwater finally made its move. Something long and thick was suddenly shot, aiming at Lilian''s mecha bosom where the mecha bridge was. It obviously went for the kill.

    Lilian was like a fish on a chopping board. Neither could she block or dodge the incoming attack.

    Whoosh¡ª

    Clank!

    "Aaaaah!"

    Lilian exclaimed in surprise, looking at the black graceful figure in front of her who was blocking the attack in her stead, with a gaping mouth and wide-opened eyes.

    "Aahh! D-d-death¡­ T-the Death Reaper!!"

    Although she had seen Keiko pilot her personal mecha, Hela, this was her first time seeing them in real action.

    As a certified fangirl of "The Death Reaper," her fear and dread were quickly replaced by awe and reverence. Her pale face suddenly turned into a blush.

    How many people have had the honor of being saved by the Death Reaper personally? It could be counted on one finger! And now she was included in those already scarce numbers! How exciting!!

    Keiko didn''t know what was going on in Lilian''s mind right now as she struggled to maintain their stalemate. If she could hear what Lilian was thinking, she would definitely smack the latter in the head, knocking some sense into it.

    While Keiko was engaging with the monster, Seol-Hyun Ae had finished the fight on her side and rushed over to assist Keiko and Lilian.

    Seeing on the radar that Seol-Hyun was approaching, Keiko quickly gave an order.

    "Seol-Hyun, take Lieutenant Lilian to the back right now!"

    "What about you?!" Keiko could hear Seol-Hyun yelling at the other side. "You just said you weren''t going to be reckless any longer, and now you''ve put yourself in danger again!"

    "Quit the nonsense; it''s an emergency! Hurry up, I can''t hold this beast for too long!"

    Keiko''s voice was firm and stern, leaving no room for Seol-Hyun to argue. It was the same as the last fight with Ferocious Earth Dragon; Seol-Hyun Ae seemed a little bit scared and didn''t dare disobey Keiko''s word.

    "Damn it!"

    So she could only curse silently while dragging Lieutenant Lilian''s Sieg Mk.2 away from the battle scene toward the docking place.

    Because Lilian''s mecha was currently disabled, Seol-Hyun Ae''s mecha fully supported its body while advancing at a snail''s pace. This made them extremely vulnerable to sneak attacks and ambushes from behind or to their sides.

    In fact, there were already some groups of monsters that were currently pursuing them from behind.

    Keiko was frowning at the situation and thought it was not good. Her brain was working full-throttle to find a way to eliminate the danger to Seol-Hyun and Lilian. Soon, a crazy idea came to her.

    As she didn''t have much time to ponder, Keiko switched her limbs back into a hand, tilted her body slightly sideways to let the unknown body parts of the monster pass through her, and quickly clutched it tightly as it passed by, catching the monster off guard.

    "Hooraaaa!!"

    With a roar, she pulled the monster''s body with all of her monstrous strength, and once the gigantic body of the monster was floating in the air, she quickly slammed it in Seol-Hyun Ae''s direction, crushing the smaller monsters like crushing a watermelon with a metal bat.

    Splurt!

    Crack!

    Other than the splattering sounds of monsters'' flesh and innards organs, Keiko seemed to vaguely hear cracking and crumbling sound somewhere down below.

    Just like she feared, her little shenanigans were a little bit too much. The impact from slamming the huge monster directly at the drawbridge had been too strong and affected the bridge''s foundation. If she accidentally threw another whamming bam into it, it would collapse in a second.

    Fortunately, all of the mecha rescue teams were already on the side near the city gate, so they won''t be trapped in the event that the bridge really fell down.

    She looked at the monster, which was actually a predator, and felt that it was rather familiar.

    Not long after, she finally recognized this abomination.

    "So it''s you¡­ we meet again, you fugly! Time to get my revenge!"

    It was the predator she had met when she first woke up in this era that had given her quite a scare and a nightmare that she still often dreamt of until now.

    She had fought several times with this type of predator in the Monster Arena before.

    It was called Nymph, based on its appearance, which looked like a disgusting combination of dragonfly larvae and human beings. It was a rank-A monster, only slightly weaker than a Devil Mantis, and just like a Devil Mantis, it could roam freely inside the water.

    It had a pair of pinchers, which were actually an extension of its mouth, hidden beneath its body in front of its abdomen.

    Nymph, like a dragonfly nymph, can extend its pinchers at breakneck speed, almost supersonic, to catch its prey. Added to its mass, the force that the Nymph could exert when it shot her retractable mouth at its enemy was nearly as destructive as a guided missile.

    Of course, it had a weakness too.

    The elongated labium was actually one of its vital spots too. If one could render it immobile and then break it or cut it, then it would only leave the Nymph with its huge body, which was practically an easy training dummy.

    This was exactly what Keiko had done. She had ripped the labium apart, and the Nymph was flailing about wildly from the pain, slamming its own body to the right and left.

    The impact was enough to shake the bridge foundation once more, and a huge rumbling sounded from below. Keiko instantly knew what happened, the bridge started crumbling down at an alarming speed.

    Despite how much damage it had done to the bridge, the Nymph didn''t seem to stop anytime soon.

    Keiko initially thought that the monster was in a lot of pain, so it lost its mind, but then a realization hit her hard¡ªthe monster actually wanted to escape into the water!

    Keiko, of course, wouldn''t let its plans go smoothly.

    Her Hela was lying down on the ground in a crawling position, and with one big stomp, she pounced at the monster like a cheetah. As soon as it got into close contact with the monster, Keiko stretched Hela''s hands to stop and then used them to support the body while her feet performed an upward kick at the monster''s abdomen, kicking it into the air.

    The Nymph, which was still busy destroying the bridge, didn''t have enough time to react to Keiko''s action. It couldn''t dodge Keiko''s action and was flung around 20 meters into the sky without the slightest resistance.

    Now, it was the Nymph''s turn to become a fish on the chopping board.

    As it reached the top limit before gravity started pulling them back to the ground, Keiko was waiting patiently from below.

    The moment the monster entered her range, she jumped as high as possible while switching her four limbs into four high-vibration sabers and then executed a perfect and flawless quadruple roll in the air, slicing the helpless predator into two like a spinning saw cutting through a wooden log.

    This was the first time since she came here when she stayed clean after the battle.

    "Enough, Keiko, Enough! Hurry up and retreat!"

    Keiko''s ears echoed with Lu Diyun''s order, which Keiko quickly followed. She rushed through the crumbling bridge, every part of the bridge behind her completely collapsing after she had passed.

    The scene was so dramatic, it could''ve won an Oscar for the best picture of the year if it''d been shot as a movie blockbuster.

    As soon as she arrived, Keiko quickly installed the cable and then spoke through the intercom.

    "Thank you everybody for rescuing me."

    "I¡­ I also want to thank you for saving my life earlier, Second Lieutenant Keiko!" Lilian was the first to answer.

    "Thanks for saving my subordinate. This way we didn''t owe each other," Valentine said in a cool way.

    "I''m only doing my duty," Leoz said plainly. He seemed to be the same type of person as Antonio.

    "It''s been hard on you, Keiko. Fortunately, this time you also escaped from such a dangerous situation," Lu Diyun said in a gentle tone.

    Only Seol-Hyun Ae didn''t give her a reply.

    ''Is she still angry with me?'' Keiko thought. ''Well, I kind of deserve it, so let''s apologize to her. I don''t know if it will work though¡­''

    "Seol-Hyun¡­ uh, that¡­ I''m sorry to make you worry¡­"

    "Heh, as if you really meant it¡­" Seol Hyun retorted sarcastically.

    "Hehehe¡­"

    "What are you laughing at?!"

    "¡­"

    There was no reply from Keiko, and Seol-Hyun suddenly went panicked.

    "Huh, Keiko, what happened?! Keiko answers me!"

    Lu Diyun''s voice came over her intercom, "There''s no need to work up, she just fainted from exhaustion."

    "Fuuh¡­" Seol-Hyun exhaled a sigh of relief and then shook her head and complained weakly, "Being her friend is so stressful¡­"

    As the six mechas were being pulled back onto the top of the wall, another wave of swarm tide was approaching the wall, but this time it was welcomed with a bombardment of the city''s heavy artillery.

    Keiko went unconscious amidst the loud roars and bangs.

 Chapter 88 - Aftermath

    Keiko woke up in the evening the next day, surrounded by a burst of noises: the pitter-patter of footsteps, clamoring yells, and the clanging of bottles and jars.

    The smell of disinfectant filled her nostrils. Her entire body felt extremely sore, and it took a long time for her to just lift her fingers.

    "Bed number 6! I need new anesthesia, hurry up!"

    "Bed number 8! Where are the bandages?! What took it so long?!"

    "Bed number 11! Please apply some alcohol to her wound, make sure it''s properly disinfected!"

    She struggled to open her eyes. The glaring light made her eyes wince, a bit bedazzled. She vaguely saw a swaying figure slowly approaching her, then the figure leaned over and greeted her gently while passing a glass of water.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, you are finally awake."

    Keiko instantly recognized the voice¡ªIt was Jeanne''s.

    "Hmm..." Keiko replied weakly.

    She immediately felt the wetness lightly touch her parched lips, licked them in reflex, then greedily sucked the water to quench her thirst.

    After drinking the water, a refreshing feeling spread all over her body and her confused mind gradually regained its clarity.

    "Where¡­ where is this?" Keiko inquired.

    "We are in Trudheim Military Hospital," Jeanne replied.

    Keiko wanted to ask about the situation but looking at Jeanne who stared intently at her, she unsurprisingly couldn''t find the courage to speak.

    After a moment of awkward silence, Jeanne broke the silence first.

    "Is there anything you want to say to me?"

    Jeanne said with a breaking voice as her swollen red eyes seemed about to be watery again.

    "Um..." Keiko scratched the back of her head while chuckling awkwardly, "Nice to meet you again?"

    "Are you trying to piss me off?" Jeanne gritted her teeth and growled in frustration.

    "I''m sorry to worry you, Major," Keiko released a long sigh, "But in that situation¡ª"

    "I know. You don''t need to explain yourself to me. After all, who am I to worry about you, right?" Jeanne sneered, traces of pain could be heard from her voice.

    "No, no. I don''t mean it that way! I don''t regret taking that action now I see you''re fine!"

    After blurting such an embarrassing line, Keiko finally realized what she had done and almost instantly turned her head to avert Jeanne''s gaze.

    "Hehe, really?" Jeanne''s expression turned back to her usually sly face, causing Keiko to realize that she had fallen to her trap.

    ''This woman is truly dangerous,'' Keiko complained in her head while ignoring Jeanne''s teasing grin.

    She quickly changed the topic.

    "The swarm tide... what''s the situation right now?"

    "It''s not very good. The monsters had already invaded Trudheim city. The front line was pushed back five kilometers from the city wall, and many lives had been lost," Jeanne said solemnly, her attitude completely turned serious this time.

    "Continue to tell me about the situation," Keiko responded calmly.

    "Thrudheim city had entered a first-level warzone state and had become a battlefield, and the access between Trudheim and Valhalla had been blocked. This is a seven-star general order, the highest military order of the military council. Except for the army, who was given an enter and exit permit, no one was allowed to enter Valhalla from Trudheim through the city gate.

    Thrudheim''s three outermost outposts have been destroyed. Although the swarm tide outside the city has stopped, at least thousands of Zerg and predators have infiltrated the city, and currently the army is busy clearing the city."

    "So, we couldn''t return to Ein right away, right?"

    "Yes."

    "Captain Amanda and Seol-Hyun Ae, what are they doing now?"

    "They... are currently deployed on the battlefield. We''re severely lacking manpower, with thousands of monsters running amok within the city. It is still not clear how long it will take to clear the city in this case. They had been fighting for almost a day and a night now, without resting. I spoke to Captain Amanda just now, confirming that they are still alive."

    She knew that it was useless to hide it from Keiko; she would inevitably know.

    Keiko didn''t say some nonsense like "I''m going back to the battlefield now" or something like that.

    It was glaringly obvious that, in her current condition, insisting on going to the battlefield was the same as committing suicide.

    After a moment of silence, she changed the subject and said:

    "My injury¡­how is it?"

    "There are more than 60 wounds¡ªlarge and small¡ªall over your body and more than 20 deep wounds, all have been sutured. It''s a miracle that there is no injury to your muscles and bones. It''s only that you''ve lost a lot of blood, so you need to rest for a while," Jeanne hesitated for a moment before adding,"Your natural healing ability is exceeding my expectations. In just one day, many of your wounds have been scabbed over."

    Keiko frowned and said nothing.

    Her healing ability was abnormally strong. She knew this fact pretty well. Although it couldn''t be said to be instant healing, it was 5 to 6 times faster than ordinary people.

    "Are you... immune to Zerg''s poison, Second Lieutenant Lee?" Jeanne asked suddenly.

    Keiko was a little surprised and didn''t immediately reply.

    Was she immune to Zerg''s poison? She herself didn''t know the answer.

    "You have been scratched and bitten by at least four venomous Zerg species, but the poison was quickly neutralized. If an ordinary person was poisoned and didn''t get the corresponding antidote in time, they would definitely die. But you are immune to the four types of poisons in your body," Jeanne said bluntly.

    "Hehe, I''m really lucky then. But honestly, I''m not immune to zerg poison. I was infected by kudzu poison before and comatose for nearly five days, you know it already, Major," Keiko smiled.

    "Really?" Jeanne responded without further questioning.

    The two fell into an inexplicable silence. After a while, Keiko asked with an unnatural expression.

    "You...are you hurt?"

    Jeanne stared at Keiko intently, and when Keiko looked away, averting Jeanne''s gaze, Jeanne''s mouth pursed, struggling to hold her laughter.

    So she replied enthusiastically, a bright smile blooming on her cherry lips, "I''m fine. Thank you for your concern, Second Lieutenant Lee."

    "Have you been here all the time while I was in a coma?" Keiko turned his head and asked her.

    "What do you mean? I''m a civilian officer. They don''t need me to direct the battle outside. So I''ve been very idle all this time. What can I do except stay here with you?"

    Jeanne gave her a playful wink and replied coyly, enough to stir a storm in a certain dense girl''s heart.

    Keiko''s face suddenly became flustered, and her cheeks turned slightly red.

    "Major has worked hard. Please take more rest, don''t let your body get tired."

    At this moment, Keiko, who was like an incarnation of War Goddess on the battlefield previously, couldn''t be more stiff and awkward when talking to Jeanne, like a virgin maiden.

    Jeanne sneered and said, "I, of course, will go to rest when I feel tired. But, I''m not tired right now."

    Keiko slumped into her bed, looking at the ceiling blankly, and didn''t speak at all.

    In fact, she said so much just to express one point: "Miss, please go away. I feel so awkward right now."

    However, the eldest miss had seen through her farce with a single glance, rendering her effort useless.

 Chapter 89 - Conspiracy

    Keiko didn''t speak, and neither did Jeanne.

    The eldest lady looked at her with teasing eyes, but Keiko couldn''t bear it, so she could only pretend to look around.

    However, as her eyes wandered about, the surrounding scene flabbergasted her.

    She thought that scenes of overcrowded hospitals could only be seen in movies and on TV, but now they were happening directly in front of her eyes.

    The ward she was in looked like it could barely accommodate eight beds at most but had forcibly been stuffed full of a total of twelve.

    Moreover, each of these narrow beds had been occupied by more than one patient each, and just looking at them gave her a feeling of great discomfort.

    Being the only person who occupied a whole bed by herself under such circumstances, Keiko couldn''t help but feel both guilty and grateful.

    ''This...'' Keiko glanced at the girl beside her and shook her head helplessly.

    Clearly, the treatment she received was different from the rest, and Keiko knew exactly who was to "blame".

    The medical staff hopped from one patient to another with barely a pause in between, their clothes marred with numerous bloody stains.

    It was no wonder, really, given that numerous operations, both minor and major, had to be conducted on the spot, regardless of the usual protocols. If they wanted the people they cared for to remain alive under such circumstances... some rules had to die.

    The scene was so morbidly fascinating that Keiko was sure she would have fainted in barely a second had she had even the slightest fear of blood in her heart.

    This¡­ was the hospital in wartime.

    Even in her previous time when she served in the army, Keiko never had the ''opportunity'' to witness such a scene.

    When a friend who had been assigned to a conflict zone shared her experience, Keiko had imagined a scene like this.

    At that time, she''d thought that her imagination was already quite vivid, but only now did she realize that it still paled in comparison to the brutal reality.

    "The Zerg swarm tide this time was really disastrous; many people died from the assault. Not to mention the soldiers, there are also many innocent people in Trudheim who suffered," Jeanne said.

    "Why is such a large-scale swarm tide not observed in advance? There is no warning at all. What happened to so many outfield bases?" Keiko asked with a frown.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, the swarm tide this time was a natural disaster, but at the same time not. Do you know why Bailey was set up and they were hellbent on seeing her dead? I believe this is also due to this matter.

    She had observed the abnormality of the zerg and predator''s behavior in the Himalayan mountains for so long, especially around the Vstrevier, and suspected that it might have escalated into a swarm tide.

    The Institute had dismissed her proposal to do a field observation to deliberately provoke her so that she would act on her own accord and go out of the city alone in a fit of anger.

    This might not only be a ploy to trap Sister Bailey but also a scheme to cover the truth that the Institute''s higher-ups actually knew about the existence of this swarm tide earlier but decided to conceal it.

    And because of her righteousness and sense of justice, even though she knew it was a trap, Bailey didn''t hesitate to jump into it. They knew her too well."

    "But why would the Institute¡ª"

    "Shh, keep your voice down."

    Jeanne''s hand reached out to cover Keiko''s mouth and she suddenly felt softness lingering on her fingers, sending a jolt of inexplicable feeling into her heart.

    The two gazes met, and suddenly they realized something was wrong.

    Jeanne blushed and retracted her hand reluctantly, while Keiko pursed her lips awkwardly.

    "Do you remember when I told you that the ambush in front of the city gate was to disrupt the relationship between the two generals?"

    Jeanne cleared her throat and said softly while her left hand subconsciously caressed the fingers that touched Keiko''s lips just now.

    "Yes."

    "Whether it was the concealment of the information or the ambush in front of the city gate, who do you think will be blamed for it?" asked Jeanne, staring deeply into Keiko''s eyes.

    Keiko thought for a while, and suddenly her eyes widen, "General Frode!"

    "That''s right," Jeanne nodded and her gaze turned colder, "When the swarm tide surged from the Vstrevier forest, Trudheim was the first to feel the brunt of it. As for the ambush, if it succeeds, the relationship between General Frode and my father will be broken. In any case, the one who suffers the biggest loss is General Frode."

    "And if the swarm tide is so severe that the Trudheim region falls and even spreads into the city of Valhalla, then the victim would not only be Frode himself, but also the behemoth occupying the western city of the Federation¡ªthe Heisenberg family. That man was deliberately dealing with the Heisenberg family, and that was the truth behind this chain of events. "

    Keiko got goosebumps as she listened to Jeanne''s analysis. They both fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.

    ***

    After chatting with Jeanne for a while, Keiko felt fatigue wash over her and soon fell asleep again.

    This time, she didn''t wake up until noon the next day.

    When she woke up, Jeanne wasn''t there with her. There was only the nurse who attended to her.

    Keiko felt so much better than yesterday, and her strength and mind had recovered a lot. So, she wanted to get out of bed to stretch her body.

    The nurse advised her not to, but Keiko really didn''t want to lie down anymore.

    The last thing she wanted to do was lie in bed.

    After so many years of military life, she was used to going to bed early and getting up early, and she was often woken up in the middle of the night and getting up for emergency gatherings, so she actually sleeps very little.

    Despite that, she was very energetic and, generally, she only needs four to five hours of sleep a day.

    Her adoptive father taught her since she was a child that for people who practice martial arts, the most important thing was to always practice their bodies. Only by moving frequently could they maintain a good spirit.

    Just as she was trying to find some excuses, Dr. Leah came to visit her. Keiko looked at her with gleaming eyes, as if she were meeting her savior.

    With the approval and company of Dr.. Leah, Keiko, who was wearing a hospital gown, supported the mobile drip stand, finally walked out of the crowded ward, and walked outside the hospital for a breather.

 Chapter 90 - Humane (1)

    "I know you won''t be able to stay still for long," Dr. Leah said, smiling teasingly.

    Keiko just smiled and didn''t refute her ''accusation''.

    "Well¡­ I''m going to thank you again, it seems. If it wasn''t for you, I would have died outside the city this time," Alita said again.

    "Don''t mention it. After all, we were all on the same boat at the time. I wasn''t only saving your life but also mine," Keiko said.

    "What did you say? At that time, you even used your own body to protect us from the monsters. Are you trying to humblebrag in front of me?" Leah retorted, pretending to be angry.

    Keiko shrugged, chuckling lightly, and said, "Alright then, I''ll accept your thanks this time."

    "That''s the way," Alita happily patted Keiko''s shoulder.

    "Oh, speaking of which, how are Prof. Bailey and that adventurer now?"

    "Both of them are still being treated in ICU. They haven''t woken up yet," Dr. Leah said, "Major Armstrong and Major General Heisenberg have already assigned some guards to protect them."

    Keiko nodded in understanding. With Jeanne''s personality, there was no way that she wouldn''t send some of her people to protect an important witness like Prof. Bailey.

    "What about the two other nurses and also Corporal William and the female soldier?"

    "The two nurses are fine. They have woken up and already started to work. Corporal William is also fine. His life has been saved, but because his injury is quite heavy, he still lies on the bed right now. But¡­" Dr. Leah''s paused for a moment, and continued with a subtle hint of pity in her voice, "The female soldier is quite unlucky. Her right arm and the wound were also stained with Zerg blood. There''s a high probability of infection."

    "Then what?"

    "She... there are still several hours of observation time left. If her condition continues to deteriorate, the only option is... to release her from her suffering."

    Keiko was dumbfounded, not knowing how to respond.

    In the end, no one said anything while they continued moving forward in silence.

    As they passed by the hospital gate, Keiko caught a glimpse of countless ragged and dirty people gathered outside the hospital gate with worn and dirty cardboard boxes or mattresses underneath them, in simple tents, either sitting or lying down.

    Keiko could see very eye-catching black collars wrapped around their necks. Her face suddenly sank, and a suffocating feeling surged within her heart.

    ''So many deviants¡­ why are they gathering here?''

    Alita could only sigh in her heart as she noticed Keiko''s gaze.

    "The three garrison areas that were lost¡­ were all in the slums. These deviants were fortunate enough to escape with their lives and fled here to beg for help from the hospital. Unfortunately¡­"

    Keiko suddenly had a feeling that she didn''t want to hear what was coming next, but at the same time¡­ there was no avoiding the truth.

    "¡­The law stipulates that the deviants have no right to federal medical care, and their entry is barred from the hospital."

    Keiko''s eyes fell on the dozen or so heavily armed soldiers at the entrance of the hospital. This was probably the reason why these deviants dared not make trouble here.

    But strangely, in spite of common hatred for deviants, the soldiers didn''t drive them away and let them gather here.

    "But why didn''t the military just drive them away?" Keiko asked perplexedly.

    "It''s the order from Major General Frode," Dr. Leah replied, "Although he couldn''t provide medical assistance to them, at least he could give them a safe place to live."

    Keiko''s good impression of General Frode shot up by one level immediately. It seemed that the leader of Trudheim city was genuinely concerned about the deviant. Even in such a wartime state, he does not forget to take care of them.

    No wonder Trudheim was known as a paradise for deviants, and it was not surprising that some deviants even travelled long distances to come here from other places to make a living.

    "I''ll go out and have a look," Keiko supported her IV stand and stepped outside the hospital gate. Leah didn''t stop her but just followed her from behind.

    As soon as she and Leah emerged from the inside, many deviants quickly noticed them, or to be specific, had their eyes fixed on Alita, who was in a white coat.

    A man suddenly knelt down and kowtowed with tears in his eyes, "Doctor, I beg you please save my wife. She''s dying..."

    A woman was lying on the ground beside him, unmoving. The woman''s right leg was broken and only lightly bandaged with a dirty cloth. Her skin was extremely pale and lifeless.

    Although Keiko wasn''t a doctor, it was apparent to her that the woman had already long gone.

    Meanwhile, Leah kept silent.

    What could she do? They said that a doctor had the heart of a parent. Didn''t she also want to treat them?

    But she wasn''t so na?ve that she''d risk her own safety for the sake of a stranger.

    After all, everybody knew that as long as you were a legal doctor, you were forbidden from treating a deviant, otherwise you would cause trouble for yourself.

    Furthermore, the man''s wife was obviously already dead. The man just deceived himself by insisting otherwise.

    Seeing the man kowtowing, many mutineers in the surrounding area also followed suit, begging for Leah to save their relatives and loved ones.

    Among them, there are many patients who could still be saved, but without immediate treatment, they wouldn''t have a chance of survival.

    However, Leah really couldn''t lend a helping hand at all.

    She staggered two steps back, her face grimacing in discomfort. A feeling of guilt and embarrassment washed over her.

    The patrolling soldiers immediately noticed the commotion and shouted at the deviant to scram.

    "You, all go back! Anyone who dares to cause trouble again will be executed on the spot! "

    Hearing the soldiers'' threat, all the deviants flinched, showing a face full of unwillingness and grief.

    They still wanted to give it a try, but they were forced to hold back with all their might and forbearance to retreat.

    A mother was wailing while holding her feverish child, and Keiko could hear her saying, "Son, it''s your mother who wronged you..."

    Keiko instantly felt like a big stone pressed upon her heart, making her extremely bitter and uncomfortable.

    At this moment, Keiko suddenly saw that on the road outside the hospital square, there was a scrawny figure carrying a weak woman, staggering, walking towards the hospital with difficulty.

    Keiko recognized them almost instantly; it was Diana and her mother, Sarah.

    Keiko hurriedly pulled out the drip needle from the back of his hand and rushed toward her.

    Leah, who was behind her, was startled and called her name out in reflex, "Keiko!? Where are you going?"

    However, Keiko had already rushed out all the way.

 Chapter 91 - Humane (2)

    Keiko hurriedly pulled out the drip needle from the back of his hand and rushed toward her.

    Leah, who was behind her, was startled and called her name out in reflex, "Keiko!? Where are you going?"

    However, Keiko had already rushed out all the way.

    The soldiers on the side were surprised and quickly asked:

    "Doctor, did you say "Keiko" just now?"

    Leah was perplexed and said, "Yeah."

    "Is that person right now Second Lieutenant Keiko Lee from Einherjar Brigade''s third squadron who was fighting against the swarm tide alone at the city gate a few days ago?" The young soldier blabbered, looking very excited.

    Leah, in her confusion, absentmindedly nodded, confirming the young soldier''s guess.

    "That''s The Death Reaper in flesh! The real deal!"

    "I don''t expect the death reaper to be in this hospital. We are so lucky!"

    "I heard that she killed more than 100 monsters alone, even without a mecha! Damn! Is that even possible? So unreal¡­"

    "Heh, what do you know? That''s not surprising. Listen to me, the story didn''t end there! She even killed an A-rank monster without breaking a sweat after getting in her mecha! You know, the A-rank, right? A-rank!"

    Dr. Leah''s mouth raised her eyebrows while her mouth twitched unconsciously when she heard the story getting more and more exaggerated.

    "Yes, that''s true," a soldier sagely nodded and said in a solemn tone, "I also heard that the drawbridge collapsed because it was accidentally hit by her punch! Terrifying!"

    Another soldier jumped in, not wanting to lose, "My friend that happened to be on duty on the wall that day swore to me that she saw some zergs and predators pissed their pants, no, no, they don''t have pants, um¡­ shed tears and cried like a baby when Death Reaper''s mecha turned its head on them!"

    "Damn, that''s my idol for ya!"

    "This time she has made great contributions at the gate of the city, and I won''t be surprised if she gets another promotion after this."

    Several soldiers gathered around, gossiping. Together, they exclaimed with excitement, while their attention was focused on Keiko in the distance.

    Their conversation was overheard by some deviants, and they began whispering to each other, as if they were talking about Keiko.

    Leah wore a weird expression on her face and murmured to herself, "Why do I feel like things are heading in a strange direction?"

    At that moment, Keiko, who wasn''t aware that she had become the new sensation in the city, was rushing to Sarah and Diana''s side. Without a word, she picked up Sarah, who could barely walk, and carried her on her back while Diana followed from behind.

    Seeing the familiar figure of her saviour, tears instantly wet Diana''s eyes. Her lips trembled, and she couldn''t say anything. Although she had misgivings about Keiko in the past, any of her hostility had been cleared because of Keiko''s kindness this time.

    Keiko returned to the hospital''s entrance, seated Sarah on a stone bench, then turned her head at Diana, asking her, "What happened to your mother?"

    "There were many zergs that wanted to eat us. Mom protected me as we escaped, but¡­ but she was stabbed on the side by a monster¡­"

    Her sobs turned louder, and her haggard little face became wet and messy. She explained honestly, without omitting anything to Keiko, fully relying on Keiko.

    Keiko lifted the corner of Sarah''s clothes and saw a fresh gaping wound on her side.

    Sarah seemed to feel excruciating pain from it as her forehead started sweating profusely, repeatedly gasping for air, and her face turned sickly pale.

    She should''ve fallen unconscious a long time ago if it wasn''t for her concern about Diana.

    Keiko decisively tore a piece of cloth from Sarah''s worn trousers, then divided it in half and stuffed it into Diana''s hands while giving her instructions.

    "Use these two pieces of cloth to block your mother''s wounds or she will bleed to death."

    "Yes...Yes..." Diana completely and unconditionally believed in Keiko, and hurriedly followed her instructions.

    Keiko raised his blood-stained hand, beckoned to Leah, led her aside, and said softly.

    "The law states that doctors are not allowed to treat deviants. What exactly does the law say? Could you recite it to me word for word?"

    Leah was taken back by Keiko''s request and vaguely understood what she was trying to do. She asked Keiko anxiously, "Keiko, are you planning to save those people?"

    Keiko quickly nodded and admitted that was the case.

    "Keiko, you have gone crazy! You''ll be in deep trouble if you do this!"

    Leah tried to talk some sense to Keiko, but to no avail.

    "So many lives can be saved, so what if I get into some trouble because of it? I even survived a swarm tide. As long as it''s not violating my principal and conscience, there''s nothing I can''t, won''t, or am afraid to do."

    "If I don''t die, I have no fear in the future," Keiko still remembered her cry at the city gate at that time.

    "You¡­ you''re just..." Leah was completely speechless. She just thought Keiko was crazy.

    "Just tell me, is there any loophole that can be used?" Keiko urged.

    Leah took a deep breath, raised her hand, and stroked her long silver hair before slowly reciting the said law.

    "Article 113 of the Mutated Persons Handling Act under the Criminal Code, any physician with a federal physician qualification shall not, under any circumstances, directly or indirectly assist the deviant in any way. Anyone who violates this law shall be disqualified as a physician, and depending on the severity of the case, the violator will be imprisoned for at least a five-year period, and at the longest, a ten-year period. In addition, all the properties under the violators'' names will be confiscated by the government. "

    "Any physician qualified as a federal physician? So, there are illegal doctors who can treat deviants? "

    "Yes," Leah nodded. "It is indeed true that there are some illegal doctors who treat deviants, and most of them are deviants themselves. Otherwise, the deviants would not survive until today."

    "Is it illegal for soldiers to rescue civilians on the battlefield?"

    "Ah? Of course, it''s not against the law."

    "Is it illegal for soldiers to rescue deviants on the battlefield?"

    "It''s not... There is no law that states clearly this matter, but... soldiers can''t have anything to do with deviants, otherwise they would be investigated, and in serious cases, they would be charged with military violation. You..."

    Keiko raised his hand to interrupt her, "That''s easy. I know first aid, and I know how to sew, bandage, and give an injection. I also know how to set bones. I just need medicine. Do me a favour and go to the pharmacy to prescribe medicine in my name. I''ll handle the rest."

    "Keiko! Do you really want to do this?"

    "I''m not a doctor, so I can save them without breaking the law, hehe." Keiko smiled at Leah, revealing her neat and white teeth.

    Leah was moved, only to feel that at this moment, this person in front of her seemed to be exuding the aura of a saint, which was extremely charming.

    "Okay, I''ll help you."

 Chapter 92 - Cold-Blooded Demon, Lieutenant General Judas Escarte (1)

    A few hours earlier, Jeanne came to the hospital to visit Keiko, but since Keiko was still deep in sleep, she didn''t want to disturb and accidentally wake her up, so she left as quickly as she arrived.

    Her first stop was the Grandenburg Military Prison in the northwest of Trudheim, commonly referred to as Grandenburg for short.

    This was the detention facility for military criminals charged with felonies.

    The prisoners here were all soldiers who had committed a serious violation of the Military Discipline Law and were investigated and arrested by the city guards.

    Under the judgment of the military court, these people needed to stay in prison for at least 20 years, and many people would never get out of this prison for a lifetime.

    Glendenburg was one of the five most terrifying prisons in the Federation, where most of the military criminals of the Western Army spent time being punished.

    Aside from the fact that the prisoners here would experience harsh living conditions and cruel treatment, the greatest horror of Glandesburg was that, in this place, the public execution system that disappeared more than 200 years ago was being implemented once again.

    The outer south wall of the prison was the 200-meter section closest to the residence area, commonly known as the "execution wall". Since the prison was completed 80 years ago, countless criminals have been shot in public before the execution wall.

    The walls were dark, speckled, and full of craters, which could not be cleaned no matter how hard they were cleaned. The blood of the deceased had completely penetrated the walls.

    Jeanne came to the prison in an armored vehicle with a ten-centimeter-thick deck, under the escort of five mecha.

    She was accompanied by Sistine, who was also trapped in Trudheim, and a government representative sent by Frode, Colonel Park Si-Won. He is a very rare pure-blooded Korean officer: male, 38 years old, and one of Frode''s right-hand men.

    It was a joint presence of the three parties'' representatives to do a joint interrogation of the key person in this swarm tide attack¡ªRajeev Shanker.

    A matter this important was usually handled personally by General Frode, but because the situation on the frontline was getting more and more disadvantageous for the human side, he couldn''t attend the meeting and delegated the duty to Colonel Park Si-Won.

    Jeanne was seated in the passenger seat with Sistine beside her while Park Si-won sat in co-pilot seat.

    Sistine had tried to strike up a conversation with Jeanne several times but got ignored by her while Colonel Park Si-Won minded his own business.

    The awkward silence persisted inside the car until they reached their destination.

    After getting out of the car, the warden personally greeted them and led the three of them into the eerie Glendenburg.

    Inside, Jeanne looked around and found that the interior looked antique, mostly influenced by the Gothic style.

    The inside wasn''t well-lit, dark, and damp; the corridor was long and narrow with low ceilings, which easily gave people an uncomfortable and uneasy feeling.

    The courtroom was located on the southeast side of the first floor.

    When Jeanne and the others entered the courtroom, Rajeev was already sitting behind the glass, waiting.

    They immediately sat in their respective positions, and Park Si-Won, as the representative of Frode and the presiding judge, presided over the trial.

    Although Jeanne participated in the interrogation today, she didn''t plan to say anything because she had a hunch that Rajeev would be a tough nut to crack.

    Furthermore, she knew that Rajeev was determined not to speak today, and no matter how intimidating they were, he would never say anything.

    Therefore, the interrogation would be pretty much pointless.

    To convict that person, other channels of evidence need to be found.

    What Jeanne wanted to know the most right now was what kind of relationship Rajeev had with the mastermind and when he became that person''s spy in Trudheim.

    He had been in the Trudheim region for at least fifteen years. Since he first joined the army, he had been assigned to the Western Army, and his subsequent transfers had never been within that person''s sphere of authority.

    Therefore, Frode trusts him very much, and he could sit in the position of the colonel of the garrison army, all relying on Frode for promotion.

    Rajeev and Park Si-Won, the two colonels, were Frode''s most trusted subordinates, but even so, Rajeev still decided to betray Frode and sided with the other person.

    Only General Frode himself knew how disappointed and furious he was when Rajeev''s betrayal was exposed.

    Of course, if Jeanne could figure this out and find evidence, there''d be no need to worry about Rajeev not confessing. Therefore, another breakthrough has to be found.

    Just as she expected, despite having exhausted any means of cruel and tormenting investigation method, Park Si-Won and Sistine still failed to pry Rajeev''s mouth open.

    Jeanne knew that this person had a very important handle in that person''s hands, most likely a loved one.

    Maybe, in Rajeev''s mind, if he could keep his mouth shut, that person would treat his family well, and if he revealed even the smallest clue, then his family would likely suffer a fate worse than death.

    Anyway, he was already aware of the consequences of his action, so it was easy to keep his calm.

    Saving a lot of energy, Jeanne didn''t say a word all morning.

    At noon, she was hungry, and the warden brought them meals: two sandwiches and a bowl of vegetable clear soup.

    It was a rare thing for them to have such a lunch with their status.

    But this is wartime, an extraordinary period.

    The Trudheim region was currently locked down without any clear sign of when the ban would be lifted, so the food and vegetables in the city were limited, and everyone''s ration has begun to be calculated precisely.

    Jeanne ate it without complaining, and when she finished, she said her farewell to Colonel Park and Sistine.

    "I''m going back first. If you want to continue the trial, go ahead and don''t mind me."

    "Where are you going?" Sistine asked.

    "I guess reinforcements are coming soon. I have to make some preparations."

    After Jeanne finished speaking, she left the interrogation room, leaving Sistine in a confused state.

    Park Si-Won touched his stubbled chin and said, "Miss Jeanne probably knew the news that the 180th Airforce Division was coming to help. I just got the new news from the old general last night."

    The old general he mentioned was referring to General Eric Heisenberg, General Frode''s father, one of the Seven Star Generals.

    "The 180th Division of Air and Land?! Is that the ''Steel Wing Devil Legion''?" Sistine was shocked.

    "The old general is very angry about this incident. It is not surprising that he sent one of his most trusted troops to deal with the problem. I heard that Lieutenant General Judas is going to lead the team personally this time, and it is estimated that he will arrive today."

    "Judas? The Cold-Blooded Demon Judas Escarte from the Devil Legion?"

    Sistine''s expression turned pale in fright.

    ###

    Author''s note:

    Hello reader.

    This chapter is one of the Golden Tickets bonus chapters upon reaching the 50''s mark. Another chapter will be published soon. Thanks for your support and please enjoy it.

    Another thing that I want to say, the end of the second arc is just around the corner! I plan to write several side stories before entering the third arc. I already got some ideas so let me share them with you here:

    1. Daily life of Death Reaper Fans (feat. Keiko, Connie, and Lilian)

    2. Let''s go shopping! (feat. Keiko, Seol-Hyun Ae, Leah, Sarah and Diana)

    3. Who is the best in Third Squadron? (feat. Keiko and Captain Amanda)

    4. Every day is training day! (feat. Keiko, Antonio, Lu Diyun)

    If you have a request for someone to be given airtime or a scene you particularly want to see, just leave a comment in this chapter or join my discord server at https://bit.ly/bigmarch8897.. I''ll make 5 side stories this time.

 Chapter 93 - Cold-Blooded Demon, Lieutenant General Judas Escarte (2)

    "The 180th Division of Air and Land?! Is that the ''Steel Wing Devil Legion''?" Sistine was shocked.

    "The old general is very angry about this incident. It is not surprising that he sent one of his most trusted troops to deal with the problem. I heard that Lieutenant General Judas is going to lead the team personally this time, and it is estimated that he will arrive today."

    "Judas? The Cold-Blooded Devil Judas Escarte from the Satan Legion?"

    Sistine''s expression turned pale in fright.

    Park Si-won stared at Rajeev, who was sitting quietly behind the tempered bulletproof glass, and frowned, "Rajeev, are you sure you won''t change your mind?"

    Rajeev still didn''t utter any response.

    "Let''s see if you can keep being stubborn when Lieutenant General Judas comes to interrogate you in person," Park Si-won snorted mockingly before getting up from his seat and leaving the room together with Sistine.

    Behind the tempered glass, Rajeev remained motionless, a shadow draped over his lowered face, making it difficult to see his expression.

    ***

    The second thing Jeanne did was go to the leader of the slum, Donna. She has very important and urgent matters to discuss with her.

    Jeanne knew that the slums had been destroyed and a large number of deviants were now scattered heedlessly outside the city, and only a small number of people gathered in the square in front of the military hospital.

    Originally, this was not a problem.

    When the swarm tide passed, these deviants would casually clean up the aftermath and rebuild their homes on top of the ruin.

    But the situation suddenly changed, and Jeanne believed that the deviants were going to suffer.

    The person who loathed deviants the most in the federation was about to come to the Trudheim, according to his usual style, none of the deviants would be spared.

    This person was the "Cold-blooded Demon," Lieutenant General Judas Escarte, the name that made Sistine shiver inexplicably.

    Judas Escarte, the 49-year-old Lieutenant General, was the commander of the 180th Airforce Division of the Western Army, the chief of staff of the Western Army Staff Bureau, and was also General Heisenberg''s right-arm.

    The 180th Airforce Division was famous as the Devil Legion, an iron-blooded army¡ªdecisive and ruthless.

    Their main specialties included air-to-ground lightning operations, paratrooper airborne, fighter bombing, landing blitz, and so on and so forth; in short, they were a force capable of dominating both air and land warfare.

    As Trudheim was currently being locked down, only Judas''s team was allowed to enter the city. They would be dropped from the sky, injecting new and powerful armed support for Trudheim.

    When it came to Judas Escarte, even Jeanne was terrified.

    This man had a very cruel experience in his early years, which caused his character to be distorted and bloodthirsty.

    Especially because of this experience, he formed a bloody feud with the deviants.

    As long as he was there, even a single deviant''s hair wasn''t allowed to exist.

    Originally, Jeanne held a neutral attitude towards the deviants.

    She would neither sympathize with them and help the deviants as Frode did nor would she, like Judas, despise or hate the deviants and slaughter them wantonly.

    But, this wasn''t always the case.

    As an absolute neutral faction, Jeanne had her own rules and judgments. Whether she should follow the law or break it; do good or do evil; it all depended on the circumstances and the goal she wanted to achieve.

    And now, the deviants in the Trudheim still play a big role in Jeanne''s perspective, not to mention Jeanne''s enlightenment teacher¡ªDonna Casperia was also one of them, so even without considering their "role", Jeanne couldn''t watch the deviant lose their life like this.

    If Judas came and then wished to kill them all, Jeanne was the first to object.

    However, she couldn''t stop a big shot like General Judas if he wanted to kill someone. Although her father was also a Seven Stars General, General Judas might not necessarily give her a face and put down his grudge against the deviant for her.

    But it was different when she joined hands with General Frode.

    The only one who could restrain General Judas was Major General Frode, the owner of the Trudheim Region.

    Judas''s alignment was a firm lawful neutral, and the deviation value was very small, almost a model for lawful neutral citizens.

    Compared to him, Frode, who was also lawful neutral, was more inclined to the lawful good faction.

    These two were always at loggerheads with each other in the Western Army.

    Judas was a few years older than Frode. When Frode was a young man, around seventeen or eighteen years old, the two had a very unpleasant relationship, the beginning of their everlasting feud.

    After all, Frode was the heir of General Heisenberg. He was practically born with a golden spoon in his mouth. While Judas climbed from the very bottom, step by step, to his status as a major at that time, it could be described as crawling out of hell to become emperor.

    Such a vast difference in background, like heaven and earth, naturally made them unable to see eye-to-eye with each other.

    Judas once disregarded his status and taught Frode a painful lesson. In the end, General Heisenberg did not protect his own son, which left a deep psychological trauma on the young Frode, making him both hate and fear Judas. This matter was very famous in the upper-class circles of the Federation at that time.

    As they get older, this hatred and fear turns into constant suspicion and fighting. They always made things difficult and tried to get an advantage over each other.

    The conflict between Frode and Judas was also very famous in the Western military.

    Strangely, although General Eric was most likely aware of their disagreement, he never meddled in it and kept silent.

    Last night, Jeanne received a communication from Frode, informing her that Judas would arrive at noon today, and hoped that Jeanne would go with him to join Judas.

    In the communication, although Frode sounded very calm, Jeanne could sense that he was actually very annoyed.

    Originally, when Trudheim had a major incident, he was already a little bit overwhelmed, and now that his father had actually sent his nemesis to help him, his cheeks felt painfully hot.

    Frode was worried that Judas would grab his power as soon as he came, so he hoped that Jeanne would also be present, which made Judas think twice before he made a move.

    Jeanne agreed to Frode''s request and made a deal at the same time. She hoped that Frode could help her find Donna as soon as possible, and Frode agreed.

    So now, under the escort of a team of guards, in an underground air-raid shelter, Jeanne saw Donna pick up some parts of a homemade gun, assembling it carefully.

 Chapter 94 - Cold-Blooded Demon, Lieutenant General Judas Escarte (3)

    At the military hospital''s entrance, the previously gossiping soldiers, many deviants in the surrounding area, and Dr. Leah gaped with widened eyes when they saw the "Death Reaper", still in her hospital uniform, treating Sarah''s wound on her side.

    Keiko nimbly and skillfully did the procedures: disinfecting the wound, injecting the anesthesia, stitching, and bandaging it. If they hadn''t heard the rumor that she was as fierce as a war goddess on the battlefield, they might have mistaken her as a kind and gentle doctor.

    The wound was treated in less than twenty minutes.

    Keiko washed her hands in the basin that Dora brought, then untied the military card hanging around her neck and handed it to Dora.

    "Your mother has lost a lot of blood. Take my military identification and go to the hospital cafeteria with Dr. Leah. Remember, don''t cause any ruckus, and don''t take too much."

    After that, she said to Leah again, "Leah, please trouble you."

    "Fine, it''s just that Red Date might not be available. That thing is very rare."

    "It''s okay. As long as it''s something that can replenish the blood."

    "Why do you need to eat these things for blood supplementation? The effect is too slow. I can go to prescribe blood supplements, but even I can''t prescribe too much of this thing, only up to 5 vials because you''re the only one who requested it," Leah said.

    ''O-oh yeah¡­ there is something like a blood tonic here; how can I forget it!'' Keiko sweated inwardly.

    "Then I''ll trouble you. She really lost a lot of blood, so she needs to replenish it as soon as possible."

    Keiko originally wanted to donate her blood to Sarah, but she wasn''t quite sure whether their blood types were compatible or not. And she didn''t expect that something like blood supplements would appear in this era. It seemed that blood transfusions had been eliminated.

    Dora put the military card back on Keiko''s neck again, then took a step back, knelt down, and gave Keiko a deep bow.

    "Thank you for your help, benefactor. This saving grace couldn''t be repaid in this lifetime."

    Keiko helped her up and said with a light smile, "You don''t need to be like this. What if others see it and think that I''m bullying a little girl? And don''t call me benefactor in the future. I have a name. My name is Keiko."

    "...sorry...thank you..." Dora cried again.

    "Don''t cry; everything will be okay," Keiko smiled at her, reached out, and touched her head.

    The deviants around them who witnessed Keiko saving Sarah were now rushing forward one after another, hurriedly kneeling on the ground, bowing their heads to Keiko and crying.

    "O Saint, please save my kid..."

    "Praise the goddess! Please save my father!"

    "Help me, my leg...my leg is broken..."

    "..."

    Keiko hurriedly exuded some pressure to keep the deviants in check and reminded them.

    "Don''t be in a hurry; come one by one. Severe emergencies come first; minor injuries come later. Please be considerate of each other."

    Seeing that armed soldiers were surrounding them, of course, these deviants did not dare make too much noise. They did obediently according to what Keiko said.

    With Diana''s help, Keiko sorted all the deviants there according to the severity of their injuries and then began to treat them one by one.

    After treating the last patient, Keiko sighed tiredly, and her body seemed to be soaked in sweat. She didn''t realize that it was already so late. When she glanced at her bracelet ID, it showed the time had already passed 6 PM.

    She suddenly felt soft fabric brush her forehead and saw that Diana was carefully wiping the sweat on it.

    "Thank you," said Keiko, showing a charming smile.

    "Ah¡­ I-it''s okay. I just want to help you," Diana muttered softly and slightly blushed as she was captivated at the moment by Keiko''s handsome face.

    Seeing Diana''s shy expression, Keiko couldn''t help but smile. ''This is how a little girl like her is supposed to be,'' she lamented quietly as she reflected inwardly.

    At the entrance of the hospital building, a lot of injured patients and medical staff in hospital gowns gathered, all watching the liveliness here.

    Keiko was actually still not fully recovered. After being busy all afternoon, mostly squatting or bending over to work, and was utterly exhausted and in urgent need of rest.

    She ignored the curious gaze around her and just dragged her tired body back to the hospital and back to her ward. Finished her dinner, she quickly fell asleep right after.

    Leah put her to sleep, stood beside her bed for a while, sighed, and slowly turned to leave.

    ***

    Just before Keiko fell asleep, Jeanne was on her way to Trudheim''s Zerg Counter Invasion Military Headquarters.

    She had just finished visiting Donna when she received a message from Frode that Judas''s 180th Airforce Division had arrived at Trudheim at 13:00.

    Upon their arrival, a blitz counterattack was launched, and the Zerg and predators in the city were quickly expelled by the joint effort of the Airforce Division and Garrison Soldiers. The clearing basically finished at 16:48 in the afternoon.

    They are still doing investigation and cleaning work so that there were no zergs or predators that accidentally missed out or were hiding in Trudheim territory.

    These investigations are left to the general troops.

    The 180th Division has already been stationed in the Trudheim region, and now Frode has just met with Judas. He hoped Jeanne could come quickly to fulfill the promise.

    When Jeanne strode into the large conference room of the combat command, Frode and a middle-aged male officer with an extremely stern face were sitting on both sides of the long table with their own people.

    As soon as she stepped in, she immediately felt the tense atmosphere in the air. Both of the parties were currently engaged in a staring match.

    Jeanne raised a smile and walked to Frode''s side, then greeted General Judas.

    "Lieutenant General Judas, it''s been a long time. My father asked me to say hello."

    The middle-aged male officer stood up, brushed off the folds of the high-ranking general''s uniform, placed his right hand on his left chest, bowed gracefully, and said.

    "It''s my honor to see Miss Armstrong again. Thank you for General Armstrong''s concern. I''m quite flattered."

    He stood up straight, his eagle-eyed sharp eyes turned to Jeanne, and the conspicuous nasolabial lines around his nose and lips made him look even more majestic.

    This was Judas Escarte.

    He looked elegant and refined on the outside, like a highborn from a noble family, but his true self was a murderous demon king who climbed out of hell without blinking an eye.

    Jeanne suddenly felt intimidated by his presence.

    She had only experienced this sort of aura of superiority from her father and several veteran generals.

    Among some major generals and lieutenant generals, only the Cold-Blooded Demon, Judas Escarte, could give her this shivering feeling.

    But she didn''t care too much. She had long been used to her father''s majesty and had her own way of coping.

    Jeanne stepped forward, stretched out her hand, shook hands with Judas, and sat down on the empty seat beside Frode.

    "Pardon me for the late arrival. Have I missed something here?"

 Chapter 95 - Jeannes Determination

    "Pardon my late arrival. Have I missed something yet?"

    "Escarte and I are talking about the disposal of the Zerg corpses piled up inside and outside the city," Frode explained on the side.

    Judas on the opposite side nodded and said:

    "That''s right, now that the purge is coming to an end, this large-scale invasion of Zerg and predators will cause more serious problems later on. It''s very likely to cause epidemics, and the rate of infection might be increasing. So, I think that cleaning the zergs'' corpses all around the city, especially outside the city, should be taken as a priority before it attracts new waves of zerg swarms. "

    Jeanne nodded and said, "Well, that''s the obvious thing. So, what''s the problem here?"

    Frode grumbled displeasedly, "I''ve planned to allocate some soldiers to do these things, but Escarte seems to have a different opinion."

    Jeanne glanced at Frode. An ominous premonition rose in her heart. Was it still coming?

    Sure enough, Judas smiled slightly and spoke unhurriedly.

    "Based on my experience, I think there will be a more efficient and cost-effective way to dispose of the Zerg corpses. I heard that there are many deviants here in Trudheim, so let them help transport the Zerg corpses.

    After fighting such a bitter battle, the soldiers must be extremely tired right now, and so their efficiency will also decline. Instead of them, why don''t we give the chance to the deviant to help the soldiers who have risked their lives to protect them? In this way, the soldiers will also have the time to recuperate. Kill two birds with one stone, if I may say.

    Furthermore, those deviants must''ve been attacked by the monster when they invaded. Since they can''t receive federal medical treatment, without a doubt, most of them might have been infected by zerg poison, and if they haven''t, it is only a matter of time before they are.

    So, instead of wasting time and effort waiting for them to die and then burning their corpse, why don''t let them perform the last service for the federation on their last day? I think this is a superb idea.

    What do you think of my proposal, Ms. Jeanne?"

    At the end of his words, a chilling chuckle came out of his mouth, causing Jeanne''s goosebump to spike.

    Jeanne clenched her fists, raised a smile, and said in a feigned calm tone.

    "Lieutenant General is joking. These deviants also suffered disasters, and they are exhausted and wounded as well. How much can they help? They will only drag us down. The loss outweighs the benefit."

    "How can you say it like that, young miss?" General Judas chuckled lightly, a brief madness gleaming in his eyes. "They can make contributions to the Federation before they die. How could they be unwilling? No matter how tired or painful their bodies are, as long as they can prove their value to the Federation again, they will definitely be enthusiastic. Don''t you think?"

    "Don''t be too cruel to them young miss. Don''t take their opportunity to amend their ways. It''s not nice of you to do that. I think if they can complete the corpse clean up this time, I will personally ask the general to erect a monument with their name on it in the Memorial Hall for the Swarm Tide Victims. Generous, am I?"

    ''Lunatic! This man is an absolute lunatic!''

    The more Jeanne heard General Judas''s words, the dizzier and sicker she felt.

    Even the word "cruel" paled in comparison to this man''s method.

    Is this madman already speaking on the premise that all deviants will die? Furthermore, this man twists my words as if I''m the evil here attempting to bereft the deviants of their chance at salvation!

    Jeanne always thought that she had a top-class negotiating ability, but she couldn''t even muster a word in front of this Devil.

    His grudge against deviants had been etched deep in his bones; it had already become his obsession. No matter how eloquent Jeanne was, she wouldn''t be able to persuade this devil.

    Originally, Jeanne wanted to avoid the topic of "mutate infected with the disease," because she knew in her heart that once the deviant was infected by the disease, it would end up in death.

    Having said that, it was one thing for the deviants to contract the disease and die, but it was another matter altogether to forcibly classify them as the infected and push them to deal with the Zerg corpses. The executioners of the former were the Zerg, while the executioners of the latter were their fellow human beings.

    Dealing with Zerg corpses was a very dangerous job because Zerg''s blood is very infectious. If protective measures were not strictly applied, it was easy to be infected with insect poison and then fall ill.

    Once they got the disease, there was no salvation for them, only a dead end.

    Keiko had been poisoned by kudzu poison before, and Professor Bailey had also been poisoned by scorpion-shaped predators.

    Both kudzu venom and scorpion venom were chemical toxins and were not contagious. However, zerg poison was a biological toxin that could be transmitted through blood and mucous membranes, which is more dangerous and harmful.

    For example, the unfortunate female soldier with a broken arm was infected with Zerg poison because her wound was in contact with Zerg blood, and in the end, she ended up with euthanasia.

    Did the deviants forced by Judas to clean up the Zerg''s corpse would be granted a good protective gear while doing it?

    Absolutely not. They were practically given a death sentence.

    Jeanne could already imagine the cruel scene where they were pushed into the burning Zerg corpse and turned to ashes together.

    Jeanne knew that persuasion alone couldn''t stop Judas''s murderous intentions. On the other hand, Frode, who was beside her, was always gloomy and silent and did not seem to oppose Judas too much.

    Jeanne guessed that General Eric had put pressure on Frode to delegate power to Judas, and Judas might have been given full responsibility for this matter.

    That was to say, now Jeanne had no way out. There was only one way left¡ªto delay time as much as possible.

    Fortunately, she had already met Donna before and had mapped the current dynamic distribution map of the army in the Trudheim region.

    The place that Frode was looking for was relatively hidden and could never be found by ordinary people.

    The address and opening method of the underground secret warehouse and a part of the intercom device were handed over to Donna.

    Jeanne spent two hours with Donna setting up a detailed plan to rescue all the deviants in Trudheim.

    After the discussion, Donna Casperia hurriedly left the temporary hiding place to organize the manpower to search for the scattered deviants across the city and took them to the secret warehouse to hide, avoiding the limelight these days.

    However, it would take time. Donna told Jeanne that it would take at least 7 hours to complete the evacuation completely.

    However, it was less than an hour from when Donna left to when Jeanne sat in front of Judas.

    There were still 6 hours left, and Jeanne had to buy at least another 6 hours, otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.

    Jeanne glanced at the time on the bracelet id. It was now... 6 o''clock in the evening. 6 hours later, it would be 0:00 in the morning. Who''d laughed in the end? We would see by then.

    The corners of her mouth turned up, her blue eyes lit up with fighting spirit, and she said to herself, "Jeanne, from now on, this is your battlefield! That person helped you block the tide of thousands of zergs. Now it''s yours!"

 Chapter 96 - Race Against Time

    After four hours of arduous negotiations, the negotiations broke down at ten o''clock in the evening. Although Jeanne had tried her best to delay the time, she still failed.

    Judas had already noticed that Jeanne was stalling for time, but for General Armstrong''s sake, he still gave Jeanne enough face.

    After spending a full four hours with Jeanne, and Jeanne having nothing more to say, he got up and said with a smile, "It''s very late, Miss. You should go back and rest early."

    "Lieutenant General should also go to rest early. You have come a long way, I''m sure it''s hard on you," Jeanne said.

    "Don''t worry, Miss. I''m a short sleeper, and there are still many things waiting for me to deal with. I can''t sleep well if it''s not finished yet."

    Frode, who had been quiet all the time, finally stood up and spoke to Jeanne.

    "If Escarte has something to do, just let him go, Miss Jeanne. Come with me, I have something to ask you."

    Jeanne knew that she could no longer stop Judas and had already planned to use extraordinary means.

    At this juncture, Frode suddenly said those words to her, causing Jeanne to freeze for a moment before following Frode''s lead, thinking that maybe things had changed.

    "Okay, then Lieutenant General, I won''t waste your time anymore," Jeanne said politely.

    After Judas left, Frode took Jeanne to the garage while informing her of the change in situation.

    "My people sent a message just now that basically all the deviants scattered in the city have been assembled and now they have all been brought to the warehouse."

    "So soon?" Jeanne looked at Frode''s, surprised.

    "Yes, because a lot of people have died, and most of the remaining people have always followed Donna, so it''s easier than we thought. They have their own unique contact information, as well as the intercom device we gave them to assist. My people also communicate with them secretly, so it''s pretty fast. It''s just that... there are still some people left, but it''s quite difficult to rescue them."

    "What do you mean?" Jeanne frowned, asking another question.

    "Right now, there are about 30 to 40 deviants in the square in front of the military hospital."

    "I already know this. What I don''t understand is why you say it''s difficult to rescue them?"

    "Donna told me that when she rushed to the military hospital, she found that the 180th Division had appeared at the entrance of the hospital, and the number was quite large. It seemed that the wounded were sent for treatment, but now a large number of the 180th Division were there. The gate of the hospital is blocked, clearly targeting this group of the most conspicuous deviants."

    "Damn, are we still outwitted by that lunatic?" Jeanne gritted her teeth.

    "Anyway, let''s rush to the military hospital now. Maybe we can still save this group of people. Judas had just left, and he probably already received the news. Now, this is a race between us and him. Whoever gets to the hospital first will be able to take the initiative."

    The two walked in a hurry, almost running, to the garage, got into an armored car, and immediately galloped to the military hospital.

    Jeanne clicked on the ID, hesitating whether to contact Keiko. Keiko was now injured and weak. She was probably resting at the moment.

    Even if she was awake and told her about it, she wouldn''t be of much help. After hesitating for a moment, she dialed Dr. Leah''s ID.

    "Major Armstrong? Why are you contacting me this late? What''s the matter?"

    Dr. Leah, clad in a white coat, appeared on the video call.

    "Doctor Leah, is Lieutenant Keiko still awake?"

    "Major really cares about Lieutenant Lee," said Leah, giggling softly, "She was busy all day and fell asleep after having dinner. Now she is sleeping soundly."

    Ignoring Leah''s teasing, Jeanne felt something wasn''t quite right and asked.

    "Busy all day?"

    "Yes, she has been busy all day treating the injured deviants at the entrance of the hospital. Oh, I really don''t expect that Second Lieutenant Keiko actually has abundant experience in treating wounds and surgery, and she is also quite skilled at stitching and bandage¡ª"

    "You said she has been in contact with the deviants?! Is she okay?" Jeanne interrupted Leah.

    Leah was stunned, then nodded and said, "Yeah, she''s fine and recovering well. I still find it strange. Is there something wrong with her alignment value?"

    "Don''t worry about it for now. Can you do me a favor and go look at the hospital gate now? See if there is a group of soldiers in air force uniforms or not."

    "Oh, what a coincidence. My room window happens to be facing the hospital gate square directly, and I saw it just now. They should be from the 180th Air Force Division. Is there any problem?"

    "I''ll call you again." Jeanne hung up after saying that.

    Jeanne didn''t plan to tell too many people about Judas''s plan to massacre the deviants, because she knew that the deviants'' issues were too sensitive and most people didn''t want to get involved at all, and Dr. Leah was probably no exception.

    What''s more, the suspicion of this Doctor Leah has not yet been cleared, and Jeanne still doesn''t trust her.

    In the dark of night, Jeanne sat in the armored car, hesitated again and again, and finally dialed Keiko''s ID.

    Keiko, who was deep in sleep, was suddenly awakened by the vibration of her bracelet ID, and she connected the video call in a daze, with the laziness in her voice when she just woke up.

    "Hello? Major?"

    "Keiko, I''m sorry I woke you up suddenly,"

    Jeanne''s wristband ID holographic screen showed Keiko lying on her side. She still had her bed face, was only half awake, and looked a bit lost and cute.

    Her bed eyes were looking at Jeanne in a daze, stirring the desire in Jeanne to spoil and pamper her, so her voice subconsciously became inexplicably gentle.

    "It''s alright. What''s going on?"

    The picture on Jeanne''s holographic screen trembled twice. It was Keiko who sat up, wiped his face with his hands, and stroked her messy black hair.

    She was just waking up and didn''t seem to notice how Jeanne called her just now.

    Jeanne looked at the screen, smiled softly, and then explained the ins and outs of the matter to Keiko in the simplest and clearest words.

    "I understand. Leave it to me." Keiko said solemnly.

    "I''ll be there soon. Before that, it''ll depend on you."

    After hanging up the call, Keiko got up, took off his hospital gown, and started changing into his military uniform. While getting dressed, she began to map the layout of the hospital gate in her mind.

    Just now, Jeanne gave her a task to stun all the soldiers of the 180th Division who were blocking the door of the hospital, and then, together with Donna, who was responding outside, transfer the deviants at the door.

    This task was not difficult per se, but if you added a time limit, it would be really difficult.

    Whether it was Jeanne or Judas, they could arrive within 20 minutes at the fastest. Therefore, the time limit for her task was set at 20 minutes.

    The faster it was completed, the higher the survival rate of the deviants, which meant that the more people she could save.

 Chapter 97 - [Bonus Chapter] Friends Of The ABC (1)

    The time was tight. Keiko knew that she needed to go out as quickly as possible. Without much time to think, she put on her military uniform and, instead of taking the stairs, she opened the window and jumped out.

    Although she was on the third floor, it wasn''t that big of a deal for Keiko. After landing on the ground and rolling on the grass, she immediately took advantage of the dense bushes and walked hunched over behind them, sneaking around to the side of the square.

    There were many deviant tents all over the square, making it rather difficult to pass unnoticed. Furthermore, aside from guarding the gate, there were many soldiers from the 180th Air Force soldiers spread across these tents.

    Looking at the situation, Keiko frowned. It was quite unfavorable for her because, even though they couldn''t see Keiko, she also couldn''t see their movement. An accidental encounter was highly probable.

    She couldn''t afford to be rash at the moment because, had she been found out attacking another troop, not only her but also the whole third squadron might be implicated.

    Furthermore, their plan might be jeopardized and the deviants here would suffer the most.

    Fortunately, Donna''s team was already waiting outside the hospital wall, and Keiko was going to meet them now.

    Under the cover of the bushes, Keiko dashed to the left side of the wall and then stepped on the wall lightly, climbing over like a ghost cat.

    After reaching the top, her feet stomped the wall fiercely, giving Keiko the momentum necessary to jump over the wired barbs and glass shards on the top of the wall.

    Crossing the wall, a dull thud could be heard as she safely landed.

    She looked left and right, searching for the sign of Donna''s team, and soon saw someone flashing a flashlight at her in a dark alley not far away. So, she quickly scurried out and into the alley.

    The surroundings were completely dark; she couldn''t even see her own shadow. Although she wasn''t afraid of the dark, the lack of vision made her quite uncomfortable.

    Then, a voice sounded in her ears; it was Donna''s.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, it''s me, Donna. Frode''s people have been withdrawn, so you only need to deal with the people from the 180th Division. This is for you to wear. Our people have stood by in the opposite building and are ready to direct your next course of action."

    "Roger that," Keiko took the things that Donna handed over and replied in military-style.

    Although Donna had retired from the army, her persistent efforts to help other deviants had garnered Keiko''s respect for her.

    Then she turned around, walked out of the dark alley, and saw a wireless intercom headset in her hand.

    She put on her earphones right away, switched it on, and heard a girl''s voice coming from the speaker.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, I''m Little Nine. Please return to the hospital again and we''ll clear it from the inside out."

    She heard the words and jumped back on the other side of the wall. It happened that she had the same idea as the girl on the other end of the call.

    Though her voice sounded quite young, Keiko sensed that this girl was a seasoned strategist and planner.

    As the saying goes, you really can''t judge the book by its cover.

    Shortly, another command came from her headset.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, there is a man in the front. After disabling him, turn to the right, and there is another one next to the second tent from the right."

    Keiko rushed forward stealthily, akin to a phantom in the dark night.

    A male soldier was standing in the grass taking a piss when someone suddenly struck him on the back of his neck. He instantly fell unconscious.

    After disabling the first target, Keiko followed Little Nine''s instructions and quickly turned right, sneaking up to the tent.

    The second person was squatting beside the tent, smoking a cigarette. This time it was a woman. Keiko covered her mouth from behind and dragged the struggling soldier into the grass behind them and, just like before, gave her a quick hit on the neck.

    The female soldier didn''t say a word and quickly fainted.

    "Next, go forward. There are two people between the two tents on the left front."

    Keiko saw a man and a woman who were hiding in an inconspicuous corner, enjoying their making-out session.

    Keiko stepped forward with a cold expression, put down his left and right hands, and ruthlessly smacked the backs of the necks of the two of them with great precision.

    The kissing couple gasped and then fainted in the next second.

    Keiko dragged all the people she had knocked out behind the bushes and tied them together.

    "The last one is behind the tent north of you. He''s coming towards you. Don''t move."

    Keiko crouched down behind the tent and was about to take action when suddenly she heard someone call her from behind.

    "Savior! What are you doing here?"

    ''Crap!'' Keiko shouted inwardly for a moment and then hurriedly turned around and escaped. As she ran, she heard someone yelling from behind.

    "What''s going on? Who''s there?!"

    Keiko dodged and hid in the grass; the soldier had come over, attracted by the noise.

    Seeing the deviants who called the passing figure just now, the soldiers guessed that the man knew the identity of the trespasser.

    The soldier squinted his eyes at him and asked him in an interrogating tone, "Who did you call before? Answer me!"

    ###

    Author''s note:

    Hello reader.

    This chapter is one of the Golden Tickets bonus chapters upon reaching the 50''s mark. Another chapter will be published soon. Thanks for your support and please enjoy it.

    Another thing that I want to say, the end of the second arc is just around the corner! I plan to write several side stories before entering the third arc. I already got some ideas so let me share them with you here:

    1. Daily life of Death Reaper Fans (feat. Keiko, Connie, and Lilian)

    2. Let''s go shopping! (feat. Keiko, Seol-Hyun Ae, Leah, Sarah and Diana)

    3. Who is the best in Third Squadron? (feat. Keiko and Captain Amanda)

    4. Every day is training day! (feat. Keiko, Antonio, Lu Diyun)

    If you have a request for someone to be given airtime or a scene you particularly want to see, just leave a comment in this chapter or join my discord server at https://bit.ly/bigmarch8897.. I''ll make 5 side stories this time.

 Chapter 98 - Friends Of The ABC (2)

    "No, I just came out to pee," the deviant said sheepishly.

    He immediately realized what was going on and decided to cover her. His son was seriously injured this morning, and only Keiko offered them a helping hand. He felt immensely grateful for that. At that moment, he thought he would do anything to repay her kindness. Who knew the opportunity would come so soon.

    But, the soldier didn''t believe the man''s word. He raised the gun in his hand vigilantly, turned on the flashlight on the gun, and lit it in the grass where Keiko was hiding.

    He clearly saw something sneaking into the grass just now, and he intuitively felt that something was wrong.

    Woosh¡ª

    Seeing a silhouette jump to a tree beside the grass, the soldier was startled and shouted.

    "Who are you?! Get down here!"

    The male soldier approached the tree vigilantly. Just as he raised his head to look up, he saw a figure descend from the sky.

    He only saw a pair of dark eyes, and then he was hit on the back of the head with an elbow.

    He groaned and fainted.

    Keiko dragged him into the grass, heaved a sigh of relief, and continued to sneak towards the gate.

    The male deviant in the distance looked at this scene in surprise, Keiko gave him a simple gesture and told him to hurry back and call out to everyone. He seemed to understand it, and hurriedly turned back and ran back.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, there are seven more people at the main gate, and it''s quite difficult if we want to sneak attack them. What do you think we should do? "

    "How many weapons do they have on them?"

    "All of them are armed with standard military sabers and guns."

    "It''s okay, there''s no need to sneak attack. Let''s face them head-on."

    When Keiko finished saying these words, she had already reached the side wall and was trotting to the city gate, hiding in the shadow of the wall.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, how are you going to break the encirclement?" Xiaojiu was surprised.

    Keiko didn''t answer and just observed the other side''s station. Seven soldiers gathered in front of the front hood of an armored car, seemed to be talking about something, all with guns in their hands.

    Keiko took out the flash bang from her pocket. It was something she had snatched from the soldiers earlier.

    Keiko took out a piece of black cloth, took a last look at the group of people, and covered his eyes with the black cloth.

    Immediately after, she calculated the strength and direction of the throw, pulled the flash bomb, and threw it out.

    The moment she threw it out, she rushed out.

    She heard a "ding ding" when the flash bomb landed, felt the explosion of magnesium burning violently and exploding, and heard a scream after another.

    She swiftly shortened her distance and quickly disarmed the seven soldiers from the 180th Air Force Division.

    Counting to the fifth second in his heart, knowing that the light of the flash bomb had passed, she tore off the black cloth covering her eyes, and launch several punches to the soldiers'' stomachs, decapacitating them after letting out several muffled groans.

    Keiko took a breath, opened the door of the armored car, picked up one person with one hand, and threw all seven people into the compartment, locking the door from the outside.

    Then she got into the driver''s seat, started the car, and moved the car that was blocking the door aside.

    "Little Nine, tell the person who is answering to come quickly!" Keiko jumped out of the car and said while holding down the wireless headset.

    They needed to quickly bring the people out of the hospital before General Judas and her troops arrived there.

    "Yes...Yes!" Little Nine, who saw Keiko knock off seven people in a row from above, no longer had any doubts about the name of the Death Reaper, and was so impressed.

    She immediately contacted her team to escort the deviants.

    In the dark alley, a large freight truck drove out and stopped at the entrance of the hospital.

    From the carr, three deviants in shabby clothes but in good spirits, with some homemade weapons in their hands, such as nail guns and iron rods tied with sharp knives.

    "Listen to all our comrade Liberion! we are organized by The Friends of ABC, if you want to survive, get in the car quickly!" One of them also tore off the Tricolor Feather logo tied to his arm and waved it in the air.

    Perhaps this "The Friend of ABC" was so influential and appealing that the deviants in the square didn''t even bother to pack their things, and all boarded the freight truck under the organization''s instruction.

    What is Liberion? Keiko only roughly understood what he said just now, "Liberion" should refer to the deviants, and the Friend of The ABC was probably the deviant organization under the hands of Sister Donna Casperia.

    Speaking of which, she seemed to recall an organization with a similar name in her time. Her memory was quite vague and blurry. She couldn''t remember, whether it was in the real-life event or in the work of fiction called "Les Miserable". There was a revolutionary organization led by young people also called by the same name in the French Revolution Period.

    The name of the organization was actually a wordplay, in which abaiss¨¦s (''the abased'', ''humiliated'', ''degraded''), was pronounced [abese], very similar to A-B-C ([¨» be se]).

    It was too late to think much, Keiko also helped put some people who couldn''t climb on their own into the car. When everyone got into the car, Keiko also called out his name to check, lest anyone was left behind.

    As a result, there were really people who did not get into the car, but it was actually Sarah and Diana.

    Keiko''s heart skipped a beat. At this juncture, where did the mother and daughter go?

 Chapter 99 - Meet With Failure

    "Second Lieutenant Lee, is everyone ready? Could we leave?"

    "Wait a minute, there are two people left."

    "Eh? Hurry up, we don''t have the time anymore. If we don''t go now, I''m afraid we will be found.

    Keiko gritted her teeth, looked at her watch, and since it was almost twenty minutes, she jumped out of the car and closed the door. I patted the carriage and said:

    "Let''s go! Leave those two to me, and I''ll protect them!"

    "Okay!" The member of the Friends of ABC organization in the driver''s seat gave Keiko a thumbs up, then started the truck and drove away quickly.

    Keiko hurriedly ran to the hospital, dialing Jeanne''s ID while running, and it was connected in almost a second:

    "Hello? Major, the rescue operation was successful, and most of the people have left safely."

    "What do most people mean?" Jeanne asked.

    "There are two more people you know, Sarah and Diana who are gone."

    Hearing that Sarah and Diana were gone, Jeanne was not in a hurry, because her attention was on another matter.

    Ever since she separated from Judas, a premonition that something was wrong has been haunting her. She kept thinking about whether there were any flaws in the whole process, but she never found anything wrong. Keiko''s phone call just now was like a bolt of lightning suddenly running through her mind, and she suddenly understood what was wrong.

    "Oops, it''s a hit! Quickly tell that car to stop!"

    "What''s the matter?" Keiko stopped and asked lightly.

    "The small group of soldiers from the 180th Division you just knocked out was a bait to deceive us. Damn, I didn''t expect it. We shouldn''t have done it. Now the car carrying the deviatss is probably being followed. Judas is trying to hit the big fish with a long line and catch all the deviants!"

    "Then what happened to Sarah and Diana?" Keiko asked.

    "Ah?" Jeanne was inexplicable, "Oh, you mean the mother and daughter? There is no time for them now. The most urgent thing is to inform the car that is carrying the deviants first, and don''t drive to the hidden warehouse, let them detour with stalker."

    "Okay!" Keiko hung up the call, and then quickly notified Litlle Nine with a wireless headset. She was also in a hurry, and quickly got in touch with the people in the car. However, the communication failed. The enemy installed a signal jammer, and the vehicle completely lost contact and fell into the enemy''s snare.

    At the same time, Keiko was running towards the toilet on the first floor of the hospital. She was always worried that she could not find Sarah and Diana. Keiko thought that they might have gone to the toilet, otherwise they wouldn''t be running around. At this point in time, there was no gatekeeper at the gate of the hospital, and Frode''s soldiers were also removed because of the action. No one was in charge of the deviants. It was very likely that the mother and daughter had slipped into the building.

    Keiko stepped into the women''s toilet and immediately saw something she shouldn''t have seen. I saw that Sarah and Diana were both inside, both undressed and naked. Diana was using a torn rag from her clothes as a towel to help her mother wipe her body. Keiko quickly backed out and said awkwardly.

    "Sorry, I''m really sorry."

    "Sister Lee, Lee... uh... I just use some water to wipe my mother''s body, she is covered in blood, it''s so uncomfortable." Diana stammered, probably shy.

    "Ah, I said, why aren''t you here, so you are here." Keiko stood outside the toilet, Jun''s face flushed, God, what the hell is going on, it''s so embarrassing...

    "The blood tonic you gave her is very effective. Mom is already awake, and the wound is well stitched. It''s just that we are too dirty. I was afraid of infection, so I sneaked her in and borrowed some water to clean it up. Don''t worry, we''ll be out right away, won''t... won''t cause you any trouble..." Diana seemed to cover up her shyness with a long explanation.

    Sarah also said, in a weak voice: "Lieutenant Lee, thank you so much. You saved us again, I really... I really don''t know how to thank you..."

    "Don''t be in a hurry to say thank you." Keiko cleared her throat and said sternly, "The situation is critical now. The people in the square have already evacuated with the car, and it is very likely that officers and soldiers will come to arrest you later. You must hide now."

    "Hiding? There''s no way to hide. The restraint ring around our necks could be detected by special instruments, unless there is a confined space wrapped in lead blocks to hide."

    Keiko remembered that the information about the deviant''s restraint collar that she had seen was indeed written like this. The deviant''s restraint collar had a GPS locator and the personal information barcode of the deviant, which could be obtained by scolding and was compatible with the Nine Gods System Auxiliary system: - the deviant picket system connection, which contains a needle and a small tube of neurotoxin, and also emits signals all the time. The interface of this thing is inlaid with assimilation diamonds. After wearing it, the seams quickly merge into one, and it can''t be taken off again. In the event of a forcible breach of the restraint collar, the collar would initiate a countdown to execution, and then inject neurotoxins to kill the deviant.

    Keiko recalled the truck that came to rescue the deviants just now. She always felt that something was wrong with the carriage, but only now did she realize that the carriage was covered with a layer of lead, which could block the signal. It seems that there is also lead in the wall of the warehouse used to hide. Otherwise, hiding would be meaningless.

    Just as she thought about it, Little Nine''s anxious voice came from the wireless headset.

    "Second Lieutenant Keiko! What to do, I couldn''t contact them, they.... Did something happen to them!"

 Chapter 100 - General Judas Suspicion

    "Second Lieutenant Keiko! What should we do? I can''t contact them, they... did something happen to them?!"

    Keiko was taken aback with a sinking feeling in her heart.

    "Don''t worry, calm down first. Try if you can contact the people in the shelter and ask them to move out of their hiding places immediately. In addition, the few members of your team who are still outside should hurry up and follow them, making sure to catch up with the car. If you can catch up with them, tell them to not go to the shelter and find another place to hide for a while."

    "Okay, I get it."

    The call was hung up, and Sarah''s questioning voice came from the toilet.

    "Second Lieutenant Keiko, what should we do now?"

    "Hurry up and get dressed; I will take you to the hiding place," Keiko said.

    When it comes to hiding places, Keiko could only think of the radiation room.

    Keiko took the mother and daughter, who were almost naked, out of the bathroom, went into a storage room, took two sets of work clothes, and asked the mother and daughter to put them on.

    She told them to pull the zipper as high as possible, covering the restraint choker around their necks, and led them into the radiology room.

    There was a table in the radiation room, and there was a row of lockers under the table.

    Keiko opened the locker, let the mother and daughter hide inside, and told them not to come out unless they heard her voice. Then she returned along the way, and as she passed by, she cleaned up the traces of when she came.

    When she returned to the first floor, she saw an armored vehicle speeding into the hospital from afar. The car stopped at the door of the building, the door opened, and Jeanne and Frode jumped out.

    Keiko breathed a sigh of relief. The eldest miss had finally arrived.

    She hurried to the door, and the eldest lady noticed her quickly. After the two met, Jeanne''s first words were, "You''re not hurt, are you?"

    "No." Keiko replied briefly, "The people in the car couldn''t be contacted. I''ve asked Donna''s people to intercept the car as soon as possible, and I also asked them to contact the shelter to move the hiding place as soon as possible. But until now, I have gotten no response. I don''t know what their exact situation is."

    "Okay." Jeanne breathed a sigh of relief. Now that they had done everything they could, even if it was unavoidable, they could only think of other ways.

    "What about the mother and daughter?" Jeanne asked.

    "Hidden."

    "How did they fall behind?"

    "The two slipped into the toilet of the building to wash their bodies, so they didn''t know that everyone was evacuated."

    Jeanne nodded, indicating that she knew. Then she raised her eyebrows and asked.

    "Did you see it?"

    "Hmm? What did I see?" Keiko was puzzled.

    "Did you see them washing their bodies?" Jeanne said, with a hint of vinegar.

    "Well, I did," Keiko replied expressionlessly.

    Jeanne looked at her silently for three seconds, then changed the subject.

    "You should hurry back to the room to rest. Let me handle it from here."

    "I think I should act with you from the start until the finish. Besides, only I know where the mother and daughter are. I have to protect them. In case they are found, I can help them in time."

    Jeanne frowned, lowered her voice, approached Keiko, and said, "You have to know your situation. The fact that you treated the deviants this afternoon has been seen by many people, most likely including Judas''s people. Furthermore, you also beat several soldiers under Judas. Do you think he will let you go when he comes over later? So, get back to your room and try to avoid him as long as possible."

    Just as Keiko was about to answer, Little Nine''s trembling voice suddenly came from the intercom headset.

    "Second Lieutenant Lee... The mission failed, all the deviants were arrested, and only the few of us who followed Donna Casperia were still outside..." Before the words were finished, the call was interrupted.

    Keiko looked at Jeanne, opened his mouth, and finally said nothing. Jeanne saw her cheek muscles trembling, and she could hear the call just now, so she already understood what was going on.

    The rescue mission failed, and they fell into Judas''s trap, allowing him to nearly wipe out the entire city of deviants.

    As if reflecting their inner thoughts, at the entrance of the hospital, a large number of military jeeps and armored vehicles entered.

    Many heavily armed soldiers jumped out of the vehicles, rushing into the hospital, blocking the entrance, and surrounding Jeanne, Frode, and Keiko.

    At the same time, Judas stepped out of the armored vehicle, paced leisurely, and walked in front of the three of them.

    "Why are Young Master Frode and Miss Armstrong here?" Judas asked with a smile, reeking of mockery.

    "That''s also my question, why is Lieutenant General here?" Jeanne asked coldly.

    "Several of my soldiers came to the hospital to see a doctor, and they were beaten by someone for no reason. One of them ran out and asked me for help. I''ll bring someone to see if there are any dangerous elements in this hospital. I have to catch them quickly. It''s good to get up."

    "Really? The elite warriors under your Judas can be beaten so easily?" Jeanne sneered.

    "The soldiers under my command are still far behind. They couldn''t compare to the elite soldiers under General Armstrong," Judas curved his lips, and after saying this, he glanced at Keiko, to which Keiko responded with a cold glare, without saying a word.

    Judas smiled and suddenly said seriously, "Let''s not talk about this for now. Arresting dangerous elements comes first and is more important. General Heisenberg ordered me to take over the security of Trudheim, and I couldn''t sit idly by and ignore the dangers under my eyes."

    "So, what are you going to do? Search all over this hospital? I''m sorry, there are many wounded soldiers here. Please don''t disturb their rest," Frode said.

    "Oh, it turns out that you are here to offer condolences to the wounded. In the middle of the night, everyone is sleeping, and no one knows about the condolences. Also, Frode, why didn''t you bring troops to protect the eldest lady? This hospital is not safe. I think you should rest in my armored vehicle. After I have ruled out the potential safety hazards, I will let you in to offer condolences. When everyone wakes up, the condolences will be effective," Judas laughed boisterously.

    Jeanne gritted her teeth secretly and glanced at a large number of heavily armed soldiers that Judas had brought, it would be too unfavorable to conflict with him. Out of desperation, she could only say, "Major General Frode, Second Lieutenant Lee, let''s listen to Lieutenant General Judas''s words and wait in the car."

    Keiko clenched his fists and was about to speak when Jeanne grabbed her wrist. Jeanne shook her head indistinctly and stopped her with a look. Keiko clenched his back teeth and finally held back.

    Frode''s handsome face was also turning ugly right now. He was the dignified major general, the master of Trudheim, but now he was helplessly being bullied by his mortal enemy, and he couldn''t retaliate.

    He was extremely aggrieved. If it weren''t for his father''s intervention this time, leaving him with no choice, he would have had to fight Judas to the end.

    Keiko, Jeanne, and Frode sat in the armored vehicle and watched helplessly as these heavily armed soldiers rushed into the hospital and searched. Time passed by minute by minute, and Keiko was in a cold sweat. It seemed like every second was like a year.

    Jeanne had been holding her wrist tightly, and Keiko knew that she was warning herself that if the mother and daughter were discovered, she would never rush to save them. They had done everything they could, and there was no need to trap themselves in it anymore.

    But Keiko was full of unwillingness and anger. The other deviants had no way out; only Sarah and Diana were left. She wondered whether she would be able to endure if the mother and daughter were also discovered.

    Could she pretend that it really had nothing to do with her? Keiko''s expression turned cold, her silence deafening, seemingly having made up her mind.

    Twenty minutes later, when the soldiers completed their search of the hospital, an officer trotted to Judas and stood at attention, "Reporting to the Lieutenant General, we have searched everywhere, nothing can be found."

    Judas raised his eyebrows, hesitated for a moment, and asked again, "Are you sure you didn''t find anything?"

    "Yes, Lieutenant General, We''ve searched every corner but found nothing."

    Judas was silent for a moment before saying, "Stop the search!"

    Keiko was finally relieved, but her sorrow remained.