Zone 19 Center.
In a lavishly decorated office, Senior Administrator Kobe paced back and forth, shouting furiously at his terminal:
"You useless bunch! We went through all that trouble to get intel from the Military Department, and you just let them get away?!"
The person on the other end of the terminal said, "We checked every vehicle. Aside from that Mimic Mixed Species, the rest of the roster matched up. Our men also saw Alex still over by the east wall..."
"What good is he there?!" Kobe yelled, grabbing a handful of his hair. "I want the female!"
The other end of the terminal went silent for a moment before the person cautiously asked, "Could they have deliberately leaked false information to bait us? Maybe there’s no female at all."
How could a place like Zone 19 have a female?
Kobe took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He grabbed his chair, spun it around, and sat. "What do you know? The fact that Alex stayed behind proves the intel is real."
’I specifically blocked the exit permits for the two pack leaders leaving the zone, yet only one of them left, and Alex even had a Mimic Mixed Species deliberately disguise itself as him.’
’If he was planning on staying, why would he do all that? Just to mess with them?’
’It was highly suspicious.’
"So what’s our next move?" the person on the terminal asked. "Those permits that were intercepted are back under review. They’ll be able to leave the zone in a few days."
Kobe spun his chair to face the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the heavy snow swirl outside. After a moment of careful thought, he said, "Tail them from a distance. Don’t make a move yet. That pack leader, Vine, is no pushover, and the other two squad captains are tough nuts to crack, too. Wait until they’re far from Zone 19 before you act. You must confirm they have a female with them before they enter Zone 5. We need something to report to Admiral Biu Si."
There was another brief silence on the other end. "And if they don’t have a female..."
"They have to," Kobe snapped. "Are you deaf? Did you not understand me? I’ve already sent word to Admiral Biu Si. If we screw this up, we’ll all be facing the consequences."
’At that point, forget about the Zone 19 director position Admiral Biu Si promised me; I won’t even be able to hold on to my current job.’
Thinking of the information he had, Kobe sneered, "Don’t worry. They definitely have a female with them."
’Furthermore, this female is very likely from Sky Watch Point. Merely reporting that Andrew and his men are secretly transporting a female won’t do them much harm. They could just slap a mission title on it, or have the female say a few words on their behalf, and the whole matter would be swept aside.’
’But if this female isn’t from the Beast Alliance, that alone would be enough to bring Andrew down. With a few more kicks while he’s down, he’d never have a chance to get back up.’
’Andrew has controlled Zone 19 for the past few years, clearing out a good number of my people and businesses. If this continues, there’ll be no place left for me in Zone 19.’
Kobe continued speaking to his subordinate, "Hire a group of mercenaries. Don’t expose yourselves."
’I should still proceed with caution.’
’The best group of Bird Clan mercenaries I used in Zone 19 has already been wiped out by the Military Department. I can’t afford to give Andrew any more leverage against me.’
"Aren’t they heading to Zone 5 for a mission?" A calculating glint flashed in Kobe’s eyes as he spoke, a smirk playing on his lips. "This is a perfect opportunity to pin this on that pack leader in Zone 5. Leak some intel to Zone 5 and let those wolves fight it out among themselves."
*
*
Gu Ning was shaken awake.
She didn’t know how long she had slept. After they came out of the tunnel and left the high walls of Zone 19 far behind, she had been too exhausted to stay awake and had passed out.
Amid the rocking, she slowly opened her eyes to a world of white.
Gu Ning stared blankly for a moment, then pushed up her sleeve to check the time on her terminal: 11:45.
It was already noon. She had slept for nearly four hours.
Gu Ning stretched. The long nap had left her stiff and sore.
Her seat was spacious, but it was no match for sleeping in a warm, soft bed. Besides, the road conditions outside looked grim.
She had no idea where they were. Outside, there was nothing but heavy snow and the large vehicle a short distance ahead of them.
The vehicle’s heating system blew a constant stream of hot air. Dressed in thick clothes, Gu Ning was starting to get a little sweaty.
She took off her scarf and reached for the mask on her face.
At some point, the mask had been pulled down to her chin.
’I probably pulled it down in my sleep because it was too stuffy,’ she thought.
A steaming bottle of water was passed to her.
Gu Ning paused, took the rather large thermos, and turned to look at the Beastman driving next to her.
Vine was wearing a simple black shirt, its sleeves rolled up to his biceps, revealing solid, bulging arm muscles.
Gu Ning’s gaze swept over his jacket, which was draped over the seatback, before landing on his face.
He was sweating. Fine beads of perspiration dotted his forehead and neck. The temperature inside the car was clearly too high for him.
’Even I’m starting to sweat, let alone a Beastman, whose body temperature is naturally higher.’
"There’s a supply stop up ahead where we can pull over. If you’re hungry, eat something to tide you over for now."
Vine handed her a wax paper-wrapped package of food, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
Gu Ning took a couple of sips of hot water to soothe her dry throat. She saw Vine holding out his hand, but she wasn’t sure where to put the thermos.
’The vehicle is shaking too much. It would spill on the console or by my feet. The lid...’
’The lid is next to Vine’s steering wheel.’
She tried to reach for the lid but couldn’t get to it. Just as she was about to stand up to grab it, Vine placed the food on her lap, took the thermos from her, and single-handedly screwed the lid on before setting it in the storage compartment beside him.
Slightly embarrassed, Gu Ning sat up properly and picked up the food from her lap, unwrapping it.
It was a thick, multi-layered meat pie.
Although it had gone cold, it still gave off a savory, meaty aroma.
Cook, waking up groggily at the smell of food, nudged his big, furry head next to Gu Ning’s face. He panted, tongue out, staring at the food in her hand as drool dripped onto her skin.
Gu Ning wasn’t particularly hungry anyway, so after taking a casual bite, she handed the meat pie to Cook.
Cook devoured the large meat pie in just a few bites.
Seeing that she hadn’t eaten much, Vine frowned. "Don’t you like it?"
"Not hungry," Gu Ning said, then turned to look back at Barto. He had, at some point, changed back into his beast form. A small fox was lying on the seat, fast asleep, wearing only a pair of pants. Its tongue lolled out, and a small patch of fur near its head was damp with drool.
’He doesn’t look like he’s just sleeping. It’s more like... If it weren’t for the rise and fall of his chest, I would have thought something was wrong with him.’
After finishing the meat pie, Cook also started panting heavily, his tongue hanging out.
Gu Ning: "..."
Seeing how uncomfortable Cook and Barto looked, Gu Ning realized the vehicle was too hot and stuffy. She tried to open a window but found it was locked. She had no choice but to say to Vine, "Could you, Captain, open a window? For ventilation."
Vine glanced at the rearview mirror, paused for a moment, then rolled down the back window.
Cook immediately stuck his head out.
A biting cold wind flooded the vehicle, instantly chasing away the heat.
Before long, Gu Ning started to feel a chill and quickly put her scarf back on.
Vine glanced over at her and said, "I’ll have those two move to another vehicle later."
Before Gu Ning could reply, she heard Cook retching and vomiting.
"..."
’The pup got carsick.’