...
On one of the sides of the mountain range, there was a group of three young people entered the place. They quickly started sprinting toward the center of the mountain range right after they entered.
Given their insane running speed and great familiarity with the terrain of the place, they would most likely arrive at their desired location within a short span of time. They would most likely reach their destination within an hour or two.
"Tsk! Why do you have to be dispatched here at all times? We are in the middle of our important assignment. Aren't we supposed to be acting in a low-profile manner?" said one of the three while running at full speed.
"Stop complaining, Chris. It is an order from the higher-ups, so it is not something you can question," said the girl with a slender but nimble body running beside him.
"There is that, but isn't this place under the jurisdiction of the Professor? I even heard that Butcher and Coffin Maker are also here, so how come we are being summoned here when those three are already in this place," said Chris with a deep frown before turning to the girl. "What do you think, Serra?"
"I have no idea!" the girl named Serra glared at Chris for a moment before continuing. "What's more, we are not to head to the underground base. Our task is to head to the center of the mountain range where the said inheritance is located."
"We are to identify the person who receives the inheritance and take them down if possible. Though, it is best if we can capture them alive," she added with a frown.
She was also not pleased to be summoned here since it was not her job. She preferred focusing on her current mission and not being relieved from it than being summoned unexpectedly just to clean up the mess of other people, especially when she was about to succeed at infiltrating the ranks of her target organization.
While she was lost in thoughts, she suddenly remembered something before turning to the person running a little ahead of them. "Hey, Steve! What are your thoughts?"
The young man running ahead slightly turned his head to the side and looked over his shoulder before turning his gaze back in front. "All of it is not important. What we have to do is to follow the orders and execute them properly."
Serra clicked her tongue when he heard that. "Of course, we understand that. But aren't our boss keeps on changing his mind too frequently?"
"First, we, the executioners, are tasked to partake in this infiltration mission when our jobs are supposedly taking down the traitors of the organization as well as assassinating specific targets in the enemy camp."
"Now, we are to check on this place and investigate what is happening. And also identifying a few individuals?"
"What happen to the strict rule that our organization has and the job hierarchy?" she continued to complain before suddenly shutting her mouth when she saw Steve looking at her with cold eyes.
She then pouted her lips and continued to complain internally.
It was at this moment when Chris suddenly injected. "What she said is actually true. If not for that traitor exposing our secrets, then the organization must have trained more agents on specific roles through different camps."
"But since our cities are cautiously being attacked by those unknown enemies, the organization can't continue nurturing more agents. Even our training camps are not being spared, so we are actually short of people when it came to agents with designated and specialized roles."
Reaching that point, he suddenly paused as he remembered something. "Now that I think about it. Didn't Daemon from the first unit said that he found one of the traitors of the organization – that guy who rank first in the seventh training camp."
"That sole surviving Joker? I think I also heard he mentioned something about it in the meeting last time," said Serra as she fell into deep thought.
Hearing them, Steve's eyes suddenly turned colder, and said. "We will take care of him when we have gotten the chance. For now, we have to focus on our current task and finish it as quickly as possible."
They continued the rest of their journey in silence until their communication devices suddenly rang.
They simultaneously tapped their devices and listened to the person talking on the other side of the line.
"This command. You three have to be careful when approaching the targeted location. Something unexpected happened – we just have lost contact with the scouts stationed in the area."
Steve frowned deeply before asking. "What is the situation?"
The operator on the other side of the line quickly replied. "The situation is still unclear. We just suddenly lost contact when we are in the middle of briefing them with the plan."
"The enemies should be in a much larger group than them since the fight did not even last for more than three minutes before it ended. Our side is defeated before they could even report what is happening."
Hearing that, the expression on Steve's face suddenly turned solemn while Chris and Serra exchanged glances with each other while wearing the same serious look on their faces.
They could understand that the enemies waiting for them on the other side were not simple. The agents sent to scout the area were at least in the middle phase to the late phase of the Ethereal Opening States Martial Artist, so for them to get eliminated that fast and without being able to retaliate, the enemies that struck them should be much stronger than them.
"A Void Manifestation Stage Expert? Or a Mentalist in the Rulers Realm?" muttered Chris, asking the two indirectly.
"Most likely," said Serra before adding. "That must be the case if the opponents did not have an overwhelming advance in terms of numbers.
In the meantime, Steve suddenly said. "I doubt it. If there are such experts sent to that place, then Sir Butcher or Sir Coffin Maker have already been dispatched by our superiors to deal with them."
"Given the strength of those two, it is impossible for them not to sense such experts hiding in this place. But if they indeed miss such experts, then there is no point for us to continue with this task since we will be only sending ourselves to our deaths."
Hearing that, the two suddenly turned to them before Serra asked. "So, what are we going to do now?"
Steve did not answer her and asked their operator instead. "Do we still don't have any information about our opponents? If there are indeed experts that exceeded our strengths greatly waiting there, then there is no point to continue with this task."
There was complete silence on the other side of the line before the operator finally responded. "Sir Coffin Maker has given us the signal. He said that there is no way an expert on that level waiting on that side. At most, there are only people from the Ethereal Opening Stage Experts, which shouldn't be a problem for you."
"The Wanderer and his company are still engaged in an intense battle with the Artificial Mutants, so the ones waiting at the center of the mountain range should be much weaker than the three of you."
"Just be at the highest level of vigilance when you are approaching the area. Quickly escape if you find it impossible to get any nearer to the target."
Steve and the other two were silent for a moment before nodding their heads and acknowledging the instructions. They might not like how the operator was telling them to run, but they knew that it would be in their best interest not to engage in a losing battle than to put up a desperate struggle.
"Just knowing the identity of the possessor of the inheritance is more than enough for your mission, so there is no need to force the rest if you found it impossible," reminded the operator, emphasizing their main objective for this task.
"Roget that," answered the three before sprinting forward but maintaining their highest level of vigilance.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
...…
Not long after, the three finally arrived at their destination. When they reached the center of the mountain range, they did not hastily approach the target hut that they had heard from the report.
They advanced with full caution, not willing to end up like the agents they had sent to scout the area.
They sneakily survey the surroundings while maintaining their highest level of vigilance. They did not know what it was, but they could feel a chilling aura enveloping the whole area right after they reached this place.
And the closer they approached the simple-looking hut in the distance, the more intense this chilling aura assaulted them.
It felt like a bunch of needles pricking their bodies. Those were needles made from cold metals that could send chills on their entire being just by touching them.
A few moments later, they finally found the bodies of the agents that were sent to scout the area. And upon closer inspection, the three immediately realized that them was not much sign of resistance when those agents died.
A solemn expression quickly appeared on the faces of the three as they realized that the 'enemies' were most likely much stronger than them.
Unknown to them, there was a pair of eyes looking coldly at them, watching their every move from the dark. The owner of these eyes was preying on them and waiting for the right opportunity to strike.
...
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