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Dixie's worries weren't unfounded, and the sweat pouring down the ash-blonde's forehead as she stared at the ceiling unblinkingly didn't help at all.
Fearing that Cindy would let the right moment just pass them by if she continued hesitating, the dark-haired girl couldn't help but step forward to nudge her gently.
Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that the moment she got close to the ash-blonde girl, she would be jabbed by a concealed needle in the blink of an eye. The usually formidable knight couldn't even let out a squeak as the strength in her body instantly faded away.
Even as her vision went dark, Dixie couldn't believe that she had been betrayed by Cindy. 'H-How could… Crystal… n-not…'
She didn't even have the time to wonder why the rest of the team hadn't moved in to help immediately.
The 'treacherous' ash-blonde girl gently caught the falling knight before her body hit the ground, and sighed before signaling the girl next to her to take over.
The team split in two as one half escorted the unconscious Dixie back the way they came, while the rest of the men and women stood by Cindy's side, their expressions grim and determined.
With Dixie no longer with them, their already abysmal chance of success fell even further, and there was barely any hope of being able to return alive.
But since they dared to take up this mission, everyone here had obviously been prepared to give up their life.
Cindy waited as long as she could to give the other team enough time, but once she heard movements above indicating that their targets were about to move, she knew that they couldn't let the opportunity go, and immediately motioned the rest of her team to get ready.
Whispering a silent plea to the depths of her heart, Cindy turned her sight upwards. 'Sister… help me…'
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For the people by the side of the president that day, the terror that ripped through their hearts was far worse than any nightmare that they ever dared to imagine.
Being scolded and berated by their raging president already made them feel like they were having the worst day of their lives, especially considering his usually clever and flattering nature, but who knew that things could get so much worse?
When the ground burst open with a bang and smoke filled the room, for a moment, many wondered whether something had malfunctioned. And if so, with their president's current mood, who would be unfortunate enough to lose their job?
But when the alarms kept blaring and several shadowy figures jumped out like devils from some nightmare realm, they couldn't help but wonder if they were dreaming.
If not for the soldiers giving them cover and rushing forward in time, perhaps the first volley of shots from the intruders would have already downed most of the big shots gathered in the room.
It was only when they saw their companions falling to the ground in disbelief, riddled with bullet holes that just kept on bleeding, that some of them snapped back to their senses.
Unfortunately, their sobriety didn't really help the soldiers on their side at all, as aside from panicking and screaming nonsensically, these VIPs were really no good at dealing with such a situation.
Fortunately for them, the person in charge of the security that day was a retired general who was once considered the greatest military genius of Red Dusk.
"Alpha team, escort the president away!"
The soldiers ignored the rain of bullets all around as they obeyed the general's orders like unfeeling robots, and covered for the president's escape with their own bodies like a thick coat of bullet-absorbing meat.
Mindy couldn't help but curse as she rushed after the escaping group, but even with her team doing its best to provide her cover, the opposing party still managed to intercept her in time.
"Out of my way—!"
Even though they were wearing heavy protection equipment, the five soldiers who intercepted her barely lasted a second before their heads bloomed like burst watermelons under Mindy's fire.
To be able to maintain her line of fire at exactly her opponent's eye level under such a tense situation, her accuracy was scary enough to frighten even the fiercest of soldiers.
But their lifelong discipline prevented them from abandoning their duties, and the remaining soldiers still continued shooting at and intercepting the frustrated girl.
While the smoke did give her some cover, no matter how nimble or fast she was, it was impossible for Mindy to not get hit even once.
But as if she was just a puppet operated by invisible strings, aside from making her scream in rage, the wounds seemed to have no effect on her at all.
The veteran general frowned as he watched more and more of his men perish under the assault of his enemies, but he soon calmed down. "These terrorists are clearly on a suicide mission… but fortunately, they missed the president's head."
Of course, it was shocking enough that they managed to get three clean hits on their heavily protected president even with all the countermeasures in place, but since the man was wearing bulletproof clothing underneath his suit, the ex-general didn't take it too seriously.
What bothered him more was how these terrorists managed to sneak all the way here, and who exactly sent them.
Fortunately… finding the answers to these riddles should be simple enough.
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When the president of Red Dusk woke up in a daze, he stared blankly at the white ceiling above his head for almost a full minute, and then immediately sprang up in shock. "FUCK!"
The nearby caretakers immediately rushed to placate and assure him, but it was only when he spotted the man leading his personal security team enter the room that the president calm down. "L-Louis… care to explain what happened to me?"
The pain all over his torso and the medical equipment around his bed confirmed that what he remembered was no simple nightmare.
For him to need surgery even though he'd been wearing bullet-proof clothing beneath his suit, the president didn't dare to imagine what could have happened had he not been so cautious.
The ex-general obviously knew what the president wanted to hear, and sighed. "Unfortunately, a group of terrorists managed to sneak in and caught us unprepared using a tunnel. We're still investigating how it was built—"
"That's not what I want to hear, Louis!"
Knowing that there was no way to avoid it, he sighed. "Mr. President… the attackers are almost all dead. We can't be sure where they came from yet."
The president sneered. "Almost…? Can't be sure…? Do you think I'm a fool?! If you're so reluctant to talk, I'll just have to ask someone else."
The ex-general bowed his head in shame. "Forgive me, Mr. President. The girl who led the team… we haven't found her body yet. But given that she took almost twenty shots directly, she couldn't have gotten far. We'll find her soon."
Looking at the man's still stern gaze, he continued with a sigh. "… And although we can't be sure, these people… were likely from Blue Dawn."
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Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om