The teams had been at odds for a long time, constantly clashing over major and minor issues, but no one had ever thought of killing another. That fox, however, genuinely wanted to kill Leo.
Gu Ning’s heart leaped at the sound of the gunshot.
Barto and the others were obscured by the crowd of Beastmen, so she couldn’t see what was happening. When she saw that only Cook had returned, she grabbed the waistband of her pants, jumped off the hood of the vehicle, and sprinted toward them.
She realized that regardless of who had fired, this was no longer just a minor squabble.
"Hey, you have to stay here..."
The Wolf Team soldiers guarding her moved to block her path, but Cook immediately bared his fangs and let out a low growl, forbidding them from approaching Gu Ning. They had no choice but to follow her instead.
’They also wanted to see what was going on. How had things escalated to the point of gunfire?’
In the silent wastes, the sound of the gunshot carried far.
Philinos, who was leading a Bird Clan patrol, heard the gunshot coming from the direction of the encampment and descended from the sky.
"Who fired?" Two of his squad members landed beside him, asking in surprise, "There aren’t any Mutant Species here, are there?"
"If there weren’t any before, this noise is sure to attract them," Philinos said with a frown. "You two check farther out. I’m going back to see what’s happened."
Meanwhile, in a set of ruins nestled in a snow-covered depression not far away, a tall figure emerged from a sleeping bag. Grabbing a long sword from her side, she climbed a nearby slope, raised a pair of binoculars to her eyes, and gazed in the direction of the gunshot. She murmured to herself, ’What are these children doing? The sound will frighten the King Seed away.’
She had been waiting here for two days. The injured King Seed had been circling the area, cautiously testing the perimeter.
"KEE..." A giant avian silhouette clambered up slowly behind her, shaking the snow from its feathers.
It said, "A bunch of hot-headed fools."
"Something must have happened," Windsor said, hopping onto its back. "Come on, let’s go check it out."
"KEE," the large bird replied, and began to run forward at a steady, unhurried pace.
*
「Zone 19.」
"That will be all for today," Andrew said, setting down the documents in his hand and looking up at the others in the conference room.
The attendees rose and filed out of the room. A moment later, only Andrew and Cyril, who was tidying up some files, remained.
"Admiral, we’ve lost contact with the Wolf Team."
Cyril added worriedly, "Leo isn’t one for following orders. Without you to keep him in line, I’m afraid he’ll clash with the Wolf Team."
"A clash was inevitable," Andrew stated calmly.
Cyril seemed puzzled. "Aren’t you worried about her... about Miss Gu Ning? I doubt her identity can be kept from Leo for long."
’That dog may be aggressive, short-tempered, and disorganized, but he isn’t a complete fool.’
’If he figures out Gu Ning’s identity on the way, he’ll likely pick fights with the other captains.’
’After all, the other captains know the core objective of this mission. He’s the only one being kept in the dark, and he won’t take that lying down.’
Andrew checked the time, then turned to gaze out the dark window. "He needs to get his ass kicked. Otherwise, he’ll never understand the severity of the situation or learn his place."
’If I had told Leo about Little Gu Ning’s identity from the start, she wouldn’t have had a moment’s peace on this trip.’
Cyril understood then. Andrew was doing this intentionally.
Andrew continued, "Don’t respond to any of their messages for the next two days. Even if you get a signal, ignore it. Let them learn to solve their own problems."
*
*
Gu Ning pushed her way through the crowd of onlooking Beastman soldiers and saw Vine’s bloody fist coming down.
"Little Boss, don’t go," Seth said, grabbing Gu Ning to stop her from getting closer.
When Barto saw her, he strode over and pulled her into his arms, blocking her view.
The area had fallen quiet. The Beastman soldiers were all strangely silent. Even the members of the Dog Team didn’t dare intervene to break up the fight.
’They knew that for Leo, the only outcomes today were death or being beaten half to death.’
’If he didn’t get a severe beating, that fox would end up killing him.’
’Regardless of whether the fox could actually kill him, the core issue was the conflict between the teams. Minor scuffles were one thing, but true infighting—especially the lethal kind—was absolutely forbidden.’
’No one could be allowed to die.’
’They were soldiers; they couldn’t be lumped in with savage Beastmen who reveled in violence.’
Seeing Barto standing there unharmed, Gu Ning let out a heavy sigh of relief.
She could hear the sickening thud of fists on flesh and Leo’s muffled curses and grunts. She couldn’t resist trying to look, but Barto cupped her face in his hands, holding her still.
She opened her mouth to ask what was happening, but seeing the crowd of Beastman soldiers around them, she thought better of it. Instead, she grabbed Barto’s hand to check him for injuries.
When she saw his hand was bleeding, she let go of her pants and seized his wrist.
Her pants promptly fell down again.
Barto looked down at her sagging trousers, his own fist tightening so hard that the veins bulged on his arm.