Chapter 36: Work

  “Status report” The stern voice of Leader Mei rang out from a small glowing stone in Nitaan’s hand.

  “Frontline A, positioned and ready,” Napha’s voice followed shortly after.

  “Frontline B, positioned and ready,” Kasa’s voice chimed in.

  “Tawan and I are in position,” Leader Mei added.

  “Nitaan, have you found the target?” Leader Mei asked through the transmitting stone.

  Nitaan was currently crouching in the shadows on the roof of an ordinary building, next to a large roof ornament. The large shadows made his body difficult to see.

  Kiita lay prone on the roadside, showing himself without any cover. Kiita was lazily tossing and turning, perfectly blending in with the other companions walking by.

  While happily sunbathing, Kiita’s nose was still sniffing, spreading ‘Domain’ to cover a wide area around him.

  Nitaan closed his eyes, receiving the information transmitted from Kiita. Upon receiving the information, Nitaan mentally memorized it and sent a response signal. "There are twelve people in total in the building. Eight are stationed on the first floor, including two Learners, likely at 1-word. Four are grouped together in one room on the second floor. "All four are Learners, one of them is likely a 3-word," Nitaan rattled off, detailing the group inside the building.

  "And what about the evidence we need?"

  "In the room on the second floor with the four Learners, there are many documents. It might be the evidence we need."

  "That's not enough. I trust my informants, but we need a valid excuse for a raid." Leader Mei frowned.

  "There is silk made from White flame roses in the room. White flame roses are a protected plant species since they’re at risk of extinction. Objects woven from their fibers are illegal."

  "I think that is a good excuse for a raid and arrest." Nitaan explained further.

  "Excellent," Nitaan felt Leader Mei's laughter echo through the transmitting stone.

  "Frontline A, Napha and Gion, you two storm in through the front door. Frontline B, Kasa, you and Rain enter through the second-floor windows. Wait for the moment when Frontline B causes chaos."

  "Frontline A, your goal is to create as much chaos as possible and arrest anyone trying to escape. Frontline B, yours is to stall the four Learners in that room and protect the documents on that table. Tawan and I will storm in through the back door and go to you as fast as we can."

  "Understood!" The response echoed in unison from all units.

  "Nitaan, this is your first mission. You wait outside and monitor the overall situation. If anyone escapes, you are responsible for arresting them yourself," Leader Mei ordered.

  "Understood," Nitaan replied.

  "Alright, we'll begin the operation in 3, 2, 1," Leader Mei counted down through the transmission stone.

  "0!"

  At zero, Napha and Gion, who were already stationed at the front door, rushed to the door and kicked it open forcefully. They pushed their way into the building amidst the commotion and panic of the surrounding citizens.

  "Who the hell is it!?"

  "Quickly inform Leader! There's an intruder!"

  "Damn it! I recognize that guy, City Guard!"

  A series of shouts and commotion erupted in the first-floor hall. A variety of thugs swarmed out of their rooms and gathered in the main hall, confronting Napha and Gion.

  "Tawan and I are entering the building now. Kasa, attack!" Leader May ordered.

  With a loud bang, the back door exploded. Long-handled spears pierced deep into the wall, shattering the door and numerous pieces of furniture in their path, leaving only scattered splintered wood on the floor.

  Tawan stepped into the building amidst the dust and smoke, scanning his surroundings to make sure no enemies were hiding. Once certain, he headed towards the back staircase, charging up to the second floor with Leader May.

  Crash!

  The sound of shattering glass echoed as Kasa's body blasted through the glass into the large conference room on the second floor. Rain expanded her body to the size of a Cloud eagle. Sharp talons gripped both of Kasa's shoulders, propelling them forward.

  Upon landing, a barrage of wind blades, high-pressure water blasts, sharp swords, and heavy rocks rained down rapidly on Kasa.

  Rain, already prepared, spun around, spreading and flapping her feathers. Upon contact with the attacks, the feathers exploded, creating a large cloud of smoke that obscured the view of the four Learners.

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  Kasa seized the opportunity, breaking through the encirclement, quickly grabbing all the documents on the table and stuffing them into her side pockets.

  Hammers enveloped in wind appeared in her hand, the swirling wind causing the hammers to expand into giant war hammers.

  Kasa swung the wind war hammer at one of the Learners who still can’t follow the chain of sudden events.

  The thug was sent flying, crashing violently against the wall. The swirling wind on the hammer gathered at the hilt, expanding into a thick shield. Kasa transformed the wind hammer into a giant shield, turning to block the incoming high-pressure water blast.

  The water blast was narrowly blocked. At the same time, two arms of the sword-wielding thug appeared behind Kasa, but the thug's armless body reappeared to Kasa's right side. That armless body kicked at the same time to pincer Kasa.

  The thug’s ability to detach his arms caught her off guard. High pressure water blast followed seamlessly. Both their attacks quickly overwhelmed Kasa, preventing her from defending effectively.

  But the quickest was Rain. Rain swooped down towards the two sword-wielding arms, then flicked her feathers at the armless thug on the other side. The impact knocked the sword from its hand, and the exploding feathers exploded again, striking the armless thug.

  Kasa now only has to defend against one attack. Wind shield in her hand easily blocks the water blast.

  After the first wave of danger passed, another set of wind blades shot out, accompanied by another thug who continued to unleash high-pressure water blasts at Kasa. The last thug affected by Rain's feather bomb regained his footing. Large rocks began swirling around him. The thug glared at Kasa with malice, gathering more rocks in his hand.

  Boom!

  A loud explosion echoed, originating from the wall near the gate. An entire section of the wall collapsed, and rubble flew around the room. Two figures appeared amidst the dust and smoke.

  One figure swung their staff, sending the thug who had unleashed the high pressure water blast flying. The other hand pointed towards the armless thug. The armless thug's body was instantly slammed against the wall as if violently dragged by the collar.

  A long-handled spear pierced through the dust and smoke, destroying the large wind blades heading towards Kasa. After destroying the blades, Spear didn't stop there. It continued to fly forward and pierce the thug who had cast the wind blades.

  Leader Mei's figure lunged at the last remaining thug. A straight right punch landed on the thug's face, sending him flying while all the rocks he gathered fall.

  Kasa wasted no time, attacking the thug who was sent flying by Tawan’s swing. Before he could even get up, a huge wind hammer slammed down on him, rendering him unconscious.

  Rain coordinated her movements seamlessly, expanding her wings. The feathers on her wings grew denser and denser before she unleashed a powerful blast at the armless thug pinned to the wall by Tawan.

  The armless thug's face turned pale as he witnessed the barrage of feathers hurtling towards him. He was unable to move under the old man's power.

  Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

  A series of explosions rang out. The armless thug's body collapsed to the ground.

  “Still holding up, are you, Kasa?” Leader Mei grinned.

  “Please be a bit quicker next time.” Kasa sighed.

  Kasa reached into her pocket and pulled out a large stack of documents. After quickly flipping through them, her brow furrowed.

  “Something wrong?” noticing Kasa’s expression, Leader Mei asked.

  “There’s a slight problem. These documents did say something about ambushing a convoy, but they are incredibly detailed. The quantity, type of goods, travel route, number of escorts… it’s frighteningly detailed.” Kasa frowned.

  “Then it’s good that we stopped them in time,” Leader Mei replied.

  “It is too detailed. Despite the meticulous information, there’s no trace of the source. It’s as if these thugs gathered this information themselves, which is clearly impossible.” Tawan added

  “With their skills, they couldn’t possibly have gathered that much intelligence on their own,” Leader Mei frowned, glancing at the thugs lying on the ground.

  “Field unit will handle the interrogation, but I feel like we will get nothing out of these guys." Leader Mei glanced at the unconscious thugs.

  "If there's a mastermind behind this as we suspect, that mastermind wouldn't leave a trace that we can use with these guys.”

  “They might even be communicating without seeing each other's faces," Tawan said.

  "At least we should thoroughly search this building. There might be other confidential documents or clues that can lead to the informant," Kasa suggested.

  "Let's start searching the building. Tawan, call the field unit to help search and question citizens living around here. Kasa, you can begin the search, starting with this room. I'll go help Napha and Gion," Leader Mei instructed.

  "Leader, there's a slight problem," Nitaan's voice rang out from the transmitting stone.

  "Two carriages are speeding towards us. Inside are sixteen people, all Learners. It's unlikely any of them are above 2-word," Nitaan said. He just received an image from Kiita.

  The two large carriages sped past Kiita, who was sunbathing by the roadside. They turned sharply at the corner towards the building.

  Upon receiving the signal, Kiita stealthily entered the alley. Once out of sight, he leaped onto a rooftop and chased after the carriages.

  “That was fast. Dealing with them isn’t the issue, but if they focus on causing chaos and destroying evidence, we’ll be in trouble,” Leader Mei frowned.

  “Tawan, have you contacted the Field units?”

  “Yes, the nearest unit will arrive in ten minutes,” Tawan replied, putting away the transmitting stone he was using.

  “I and those two should be able to stall some time. You two hurry up and search. Don’t let anyone break in and destroy any evidence,” Leader Mei ordered sharply.

  “Understood!” Tawan and Kasa replied.

  “Nitaan, keep reporting the situation.”

  “If it’s about stalling those two carriages, should I handle that?” Nitaan’s deep blue eyes gleamed softly. Both eyes were fixed on the speeding carriage.

  “Go on, stall them for a few minutes. I will quickly handle these thugs.” Leader Mei’s voice rang out urgently. The sounds of fighting could be heard from the other end. It was clear Leader Mei had already engaged in another fight.

  “Don’t jump in and fight alone. Sixteen Learners are too much to engage.” Napha’s hurried voice echoed from the transmitting stone in Nitaan’s hand. The sound of a fierce fight still lingers from another end.

  Even in the midst of the crisis, Napha quickly warned the newcomer not to act recklessly.

  “Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on fighting sixteen Learners anyway,” Nitaan laughed.

  As he finished speaking, Nitaan’s deep blue eyes glowed faintly, staring at the horses’ legs and the ground below.

  Link!

  “If it’s just to buy time, there are plenty of ways,” he grinned cunningly as he mentally commanded Kiita.

  The red-maned horse pulling the front carriage suddenly stumbled and fell, causing the carriage it pulled to crash. Seeing this, the second carriage tried to dodge, but the distance was too short and too abrupt. Both carriages violently crash into the ground. Learners inside were slammed against the walls.

  Dust, smoke, and pieces of broken wood from the impact spread throughout the area.

  A great commotion erupted from the two crashed carriages and the surrounding citizens.

  A moment later, a group of thugs swarmed out of the carriages, surveying the situation and preparing for any unexpected attacks.

  However, no such attack occurred. Only a diverse crowd of citizens gathered to witness the accident.

  The chaos and gasps from the various citizens convinced the thugs that it was merely an accident.

  Seeing that it was only an accident, the thugs cursed angrily as they helped the red-maned horse get back on its feet. One of the Learners, with a faint green glowing hand, healed the horse's wounds. The thugs looked visibly frustrated and annoyed. They urged the healer to treat the red-maned horses quicker.

  When the two horses recovered enough to stand, they suddenly trembled in fear. Both of them turned to look in the same direction, their faces showing terror as if facing a natural predator.

  The thugs looked in the same direction as the trembling horses and saw a giant black wolf standing a block away, confronting the two red-maned horses.

  The giant black wolf didn't attack but instead radiated an intense murderous aura. Its eyes were ferocious, and the corners of its mouth licked with ravenous hunger.

  The target of its murderous gaze was the two red-maned horses.

  Kiita suddenly bared his fangs and barked loudly at the horses. The deep, guttural bark rang out without warning, making even several of the thugs jump.

  Seeing the giant wolf poised to attack, coupled with its terrifying bark, the two horses panicked, crying out in terror, breaking free from their leashes, and galloping away at high speed. Ignoring the remnants of the carriage saddle still clinging to its back.

  The thugs were still bewildered by the series of misfortunes, watching the red-maned horse that should have been pulling the carriages disappear from sight. When they turned back, the wolf had vanished without a trace, not even bothering to pursue the two horses that should have been its prey.

  "Both carriages crashed. No one's injured, but the two red-maned horses that pulled them have escaped. We should have another 20 minutes," Nitaan said with a smile.