The next day, as things settled down following the bloody battle, life inside the Zero Horizon base entered a new rhythm. At the underground exit, Akai Kiriko had packed her belongings, preparing to return to the Federation ranks as a spy.
— "Everyone, it's time for me to head back. If I gather any intelligence, I'll report back immediately!"
Loona waved her hand, her eyes filled with reluctance to part:
— "Sister Kiriko, whenever you're free, come visit us okay!"
Kiriko smiled and nodded:
— "Of course, Loona!"
Seijuro stepped forward, resting a hand lightly on his sword hilt, his eyes filled with a swordsman's resolve:
— "I also look forward to the day I can test my swordsmanship against yours!"
— "I look forward to testing your skills as well!" Kiriko replied politely, then turned to bid the group farewell: — "Until we meet again, everyone!”
Shin stepped forward:
— "Let me walk you out!"
Shin escorted Kiriko out of the safe zone. The moment he returned to base, his expression instantly darkened. He immediately threw himself into training, because based on Kiriko's disclosures before leaving, the other three members of Shikoku no Chishitsu (Order of the Four Extremes) possessed terrifying power. Kiriko might very well be the weakest among them.
Shin spoke in a firm, resolute tone, calling out to the team:
— "Now is not the time to slack off! Everyone, we train together, because those out there are strong—extremely strong!"
Xie Xingchen leaned against the wall, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully:
— "I'm curious to see what those other three look like too! Besides, over the next five months, it won't just be the Order of the Four Extremes showing up. I bet plenty of other factions out there will gather as well!"
Roxy Vance knitted her brows in concern:
— "What if Kiriko gets exposed as a spy?"
Shin pondered for a moment before shaking his head:
— "Hard to say. But I trust she can stay safe—she's only a newcomer after all!"
While the squad was still seriously debating, shouting and frantic chasing footsteps suddenly echoed from down the hallway.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
— "You two Mikami siblings! You said ONE bite and wolfed down my entire bowl of noodles?!" Kwon Tae-Joon roared, his face flushed red as he chased fiercely behind them.
The Mikami siblings fled for their lives, turning their heads back to argue.
— "We really did take just one bite!" Rei defended.
Ren, running alongside, chimed in:
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
— "Combined, the two of us only had two bites!"
— "Your 'two bites' finished off almost my whole bowl?! PAY ME BACK NOW!" Tae-Joon bellowed.
SWOOSH!
Tae-Joon unexpectedly launched a vicious, wind-tearing knee strike. Luckily for the Mikami siblings, both reacted quickly, ducking down just in time to dodge.
Standing nearby, Seijuro could only shake his head at the sight:
— "Fighting over food..."
Roxy rubbed her rumbling stomach, clicking her tongue:
— "I'm starving too, gotta go grab something to eat!"
Shin looked at the chaotic scene before him and let out a weary sigh. He headed over to the laboratory—where Loona was absorbed in formulating various strange substances. The jumble of complex equations flashing on the screens made Shin's brain hurt just looking at them. Seeing Loona even build an advanced piece of machinery, Shin asked curiously:
— "What are these, Loona? How do they work?"
Loona looked up, her eyes gleaming with excitement:
— "I'm working on an idea to integrate chips containing Sophion energy so later I can build bio-robots or machinery that can actually utilize Sophion! And over here, I'm researching super-potions to enhance physical attributes!"
Shin smiled, gently patting his little sister's head:
— "Not a bad idea at all, Loona!"
He watched fondly as his little sister immersed herself in her research. In the adjacent room, Ling Mo was training relentlessly to hone his technique and improve his reaction speed. Meanwhile, Kento had gone out long ago, currently at a massive gym in the city, bench pressing up to 800 kilograms!
BANG! BANG!
'This is still way too light...' Kento thought to himself, effortlessly pressing the barbell loaded with weight plates.
He trained completely oblivious to the horrified stares around him.
— "Look at him, that's 800 kilograms!" a girl whispered in shock.
— "He's definitely a monster! Lifting it like a sheet of paper!" the guy beside her swallowed hard.
— "I swear my max is barely 200kg, and he's casually repping 800kg!" a burly man shook his head in disbelief.
Kento remained utterly indifferent to those stares. Sitting up slowly, he pulled out a cigarette intending to light it, when a rather timid-looking young guy summoned up the courage to walk over:
— "Excuse me, sir, smoking isn't allowed in here!"
Kento cast a blade-sharp glare straight into the approaching guy's eyes. That bone-chilling gaze made the poor guy tremble in fear the moment their eyes met.
— "Fine," Kento replied coldly, putting the cigarette away.
— "Th-Thank you, sir!" The young man bowed hurriedly and scrambled off.
While Kento was still lifting, a figure walked in. Shin had arrived as promised. Seeing his younger brother training, he stepped closer:
— "Looks like you really take a liking to this place!"
Kento smirked, his eyes flashing with provocative intent:
— "Wanna give it a shot? Let's see how much you can handle!"
The two headed over to the heavy weight area, adding plate after plate and tying on extra weight blocks until the weight reached an insane number: nearly 2 tons!
BANG!
Everyone in the gym held their breath, eyes wide open staring at the two monsters preparing to enter a contest of raw strength.
— "Let's see how far my little brother has come!" Shin smiled, placing his hands onto the bar.
At the same time, at the Federation Headquarters.
Kiriko—having just returned after receiving a summons from her superiors regarding her day-long absence—stepped into a massive conference room. At its center stood a circular table made of black stone.
The moment Kiriko appeared, a burly, towering man clad in an elegant black suit abruptly stood up. He marched over, his eyes blazing with intense rage:
— "You bitch, you went on a mission and left your target unfinished, forcing me to come clean up your damn mess!"
Kiriko calmly looked straight into his eyes:
— "Who forced you to do it?"
— "You damned bitch!" The muscular man grit his teeth, killing intent surging from him.
Just as the two were about to clash, a raspy voice interjected:
— "Enough! Arthur Pendleton, you're making a racket in here!"
The burly man—Arthur—snorted coldly:
— "Hmph, lucky for you, bitch!"
Both returned to their seats.
At this point, a beautiful woman with an extremely mature and flirtatious demeanor spoke in a sultry tone:
— "I really don't see why a full summons was necessary for all this!"
Beside her sat a man dressed in a luxurious suit. He nonchalantly propped both legs onto the table, leaning his head back with the most arrogant attitude among the four, speaking in a mocking tone:
— "I've also noticed a few insects stirring up trouble these past few days. Besides, plenty of big shots will be arriving over the next five months—looks like this meeting revolves around that!"
Arthur slammed his palm hard onto the table:
— "Dammit, countless dogs bite the hand that feeds them when they aren't given food!"
The arrogant guy smirked:
— "Calm down, Arthur, most of them have already been dealt with anyway! Keep the ones that bring us profit!"
The alluring woman smiled meaningfully:
— "The head of the Federation will deal with those pests personally... the traitors and spies!"
Hearing the word "spies," Kiriko—who had remained silent until now—flashed a subtle change in her eyes for a fleeting second, before quickly regaining her calm composure as she watched the three discuss.
BUZZ…
Suddenly, a brightly glowing energy projection beamed down into the space above the round table. An overbearing voice issued from the display:
— "Moving forward, I expect you all to ensure security properly. I better not catch anyone slacking off! If you slack, you know the consequences, don't you?"
The arrogant man quickly dropped his feet off the table, scratching his head:
— "Brother Wuhuang, no need to be so tense!"
— "Shut your mouth, Damon!" The mysterious voice coldly cut him off, then turned toward the woman: — "And as for you, Siren Sinclair, don't go seducing all the VIP guests!"
Siren rested her chin on her hand, pouting:
— "Got it, boss. It's not my fault those men come crawling to me on their own!"
The energy projection shifted its gaze toward Kiriko:
— "Akai Kiriko, where have you been for the past full day?"
— "I was merely tending to my injuries, boss,"
Kiriko replied coldly.
Arthur leaned forward, glaring menacingly:
— "You bitch, are you telling the truth? If you're lying, I'll rip your damn mouth and fox tail right off!"
— "Enough, Arthur, don't make me warn you again!" Qin Wuhuang's voice boomed in reprimand, then issued his command: — "Carry out your instructions as ordered. Is that clear?"
— "Understood!" everyone chimed in unison.
— "Very well, dismissed!"
The energy projection snapped shut, leaving dead silence engulfing the room once more…
(To be continued)