V2 Chapter 25 - Scouting Mission
Madana's group quietly sneaked out of their assigned rooms. Sophia advised everyone to bring along the rascal.
"Even though we're backed by Suvarna, the Imperial Palace is under international scrutiny now. If there's any unusual movement, the Mutant Science Organization will notice. Therefore, the Imperial Army won't be able to act."
They couldn't forget that the Mutant Science Organization was just as powerful and had connections worldwide. By the time Madana finished her speech, ambassadors from various countries were arriving in droves. Their enemies, the Xia family from the Chinese side, would also be attending.
"This guy may be a backup hero, but his tracking ability is the best among us. So we need to use him."
Madana, Fralita, and Sophia knocked on the boy's door. A strange voice came from inside.
"Who brought dinner?"
Madana called out to the boy, Dipa. "Siblings have come in." Without waiting for a response, she pushed the door open.
"Hey, No. Why did you come in when I'm without a blanket?" The boy was only wearing a bath towel, and the three women looked quite embarrassed. He quickly darted behind the couch.
"Why did you come in without waiting I open the door? Don't you understand politeness?" The boy peered out from behind the seat and shouted.
Medana turned to Fralita and asked, "Do good people have that kind of custom?"
"Actually, it's the same for normal people," Fralita shrugged. It's rude to enter someone's room uninvited.
After tossing a silver metal box onto the floor, Medana folded her arms and addressed the boy.
"This big sister is looking for a local hero to assist with a mission in Suvarna. Can you help?"
After they explained everything, the boy, now dressed, agreed without hesitation.
"Are you saying that a group of world-famous villains has infiltrated Suvarna and wants to steal the metals?"
Fralita added, "And they might have something even more valuable they want."
"Well, as a hero of Suvarna, I agree."
They boarded an ordinary boat from the royal palace island and headed into the city. Fralita shared information from her phone.
"The Qin Shi Order will be waiting for us in the city." After the international ambassadors arrived at the palace, the Qianxi Order had moved out to prevent information leaks.
In the middle of the night, they crossed the lake in an ordinary boat, with the cold wind biting at their faces. Madana looked up at the overcast sky, so dark that she couldn't see the stars. The crescent moon offered little warmth.
"The clouds cover the moon. It's beautiful here. The Lamin Samda Lake is stunning on a clear night."
When the full moon shines down, reflecting off the lake, the scenery becomes breathtaking. Madana remembered the first time she saw it with her father, who was now gone, leaving her to row for three strange women. A small motorboat brought them to a deserted beach.
As they neared the shore, they saw the light of a campfire and some shadows.
"Hooray! My lady has come! We thought we'd have to sleep on the beach tonight," Mac exclaimed. Sophia ordered the three stewards to join the Qin Shi Order, and they were excited to see her.
The campsite was next to a small area where Suvarna had accommodated war refugees. Hong Weilin, the beggar archbishop, was roasting chicken for everyone, while chef uncle looked on, eager to eat.
"Hahaha! I'm finally going to try the famous beggar chicken roast from the books!" Fatty Wang exclaimed, pulling a chicken drumstick from the fire and adding spices.
"What's with that delicious face? It's just plain grilled chicken! Is it as good as KFC?" Fu Tuhai asked, unimpressed.
Uncle Fatty, unable to contain himself, retorted, "Idiot! You're insulting good food! Don't 45-day-old chickens taste better than naturally strong ones?"
Fu Tuhai scoffed, "Isn't it just grilled in mud instead of with lead? It's just weird." He was ready to swipe a wing when Hong Weilin slapped his hand away.
"What? You think you can eat the food I made after blaming me? I will not let you eat it..."
Fu Tuhai glared at her but eventually turned away. Fatty Wang laughed and drank from a coconut cup, juice dripping from his mouth.
"Hahahaha! Fu Tu Hai, you're the weakest of the three of us because of this."
After Fralita snorted at them all, Medana asked, "Are they beggar gangs?"
Hon Weilin laughed and clarified, "Some of them are my people, but many are Suvarna Army members in disguise. They'll help us scout."
Soon, the moon reached the roof of the imperial palace, indicating it was eleven o'clock at night. Sofia gathered everyone for a mission briefing.
"Currently, there are two phases to our mission. The first phase is scouting to confirm the enemy's location. Remember, it's not an attack. Don't forget that there's an S rank on the enemy side. After confirmation, we will regroup and attack. We'll meet again before dawn."
Sofia then divided them into four groups, ensuring at least one A rank member was in each team for timely reporting. Madana found herself in the same group as the rascal. With three B rank members— Fu Tuhai, Larry, and DP—she felt like she was in a situation she wanted to escape. Just as they were about to disperse, she noticed Sofia wink at her, and she knew it was intentional.
With the others slowly leaving, Madana wasted no time opening her suitcase and changing into her suit. Before she donned her hood, the boy looked at her, seemingly wanting to say something.
"You brat... what can't you tell me?" After a moment, the boy shyly stepped back.
"Ah... this... thank you for helping me that day and for speaking up for me."
Madana, no longer angry about the boy's earlier behavior, replied firmly after putting on her hood, "Don't worry, it's this brother's duty. We're family. Would a warrior abandon a dying man?"
The boy scratched his head at her manly tone.
"When you wear a suit, you look like a real hero."
"It's not that I want to be a girl; it's just that I have no choice," Madana replied, taken aback by the boy's open conversation.
"I'm sorry for calling you a fake woman. I wouldn't have said it if I knew you didn't like it. As you know, I was a lone rat before, so I don't know how to treat a sister."
Madana nodded at the boy's words and patted him on the shoulder. "Well... if I'm in a suit, I'm your brother. Treat me like a big brother, and I'll treat you like a little brother."
Even Madana's mother, Sita, loved him like a son. There was no reason for her not to reciprocate.
"But we should go now, shouldn't we?"
The boy nodded and whistled. Soon, two ants with shiny silver wings flew towards him.
"The silver moon ants, and they're the twins I contracted with. It's rare for ants to have twins."
Both ants were the size of motorcycles, their shiny metal-like shells and sharp fangs impressive. Madana's eyes widened in awe.
"Are their shells really made of metal?"
The boy, now seated on an ant, replied, "That's right. They're a unique species among titans—advanced warrior ants, not worker ants. When they grow up, they eat zect metals and develop a cell-switched zect shell. I became B rank because of them."
Suvarna's soldiers in disguise were also on their ants. Even Phu Tuhai sat behind a handsome soldier ant. If the United States was the land of cowboys on horses, Suvarna was the land of ant-riders. The boy turned to Madana and asked, "Does big sister have a ride? If not, I can lend you my other silver one."
"If I'm in a suit, call me big brother, and I have another surprise," Madana said, opening a large black box. The big hell dog, Sebastian, appeared before them, now upgraded with a full arsenal of weapons. The silver warrior climbed onto the dog.
"Let's go..."
A flock of Suvarna warriors, led by the silver ants, began their journey under the dark, cloudy sky.
The speed of the ants was astounding. As the moon descended, they approached the northeast where the terrain began to change.
Suddenly, Sebastian sank slightly into the soft ground. Madana asked the boy, now familiar with the area, "What's wrong with the cold winter?"
"The Wild Beast Forest is one of the four suspicious places. When it rains, it floods like a swamp. Now it's winter, so it's just sticky mud."
"Beasts? I'm already sensing danger. I can only pray they don't feast on cockroaches," Larry joked, clearly unfazed, even after having assassinated an Omega-level Imperial Queen.
Madana connected to her suit's system to look up information about the beasts.
**[Beast (S-Rank)**
An ancient mist snake that inhabits lakes and swampy areas. They may have descended from Titanoboa sixty million years ago, existing before the meteorites fell on Suvarna. They're difficult to kill in swamp areas, and even S ranks can be fatal.]
"How do people manage to survive alongside such powerful beasts in Suvarna?" Madana wondered aloud.
"If humans don't bother them, they don't attack. They eat elephants and buffaloes, but they usually hibernate. The queen ant is much more powerful than them," the boy explained.
Suvarna's protective beasts were more formidable than Madana had thought. Curious, she asked, "Little brother, are the beasts from the other three regions as tough as the dragons?"
"In Suvarna, there are five locations where powerful mutant beasts dwell. The ant queen, who made a contract with the duke, resides in hidden mountain caves. The far north is where the mines are. The other four live in the northeast. The magical butterfly valley is home to giant poisonous butterflies. If you're poisoned, you'll lose your memory and become like a one-year-old child. If you're unlucky, you may fall into a coma and never wake up."
"The next place is the Turin Cliffs, where many bananas grow. Although the monkeys are of low level, they formed a group and went on a rampage, so the people of Suvarna were ordered not to touch their bananas to maintain peace." Madana nearly fell off Sebastian at this revelation.
"Hang on... there's no fruit water cave there," she realized, contemplating the implications of Master Wugong's monkey clan. The boy seemed to sense her thoughts.
"These monkeys are ordinary monkey that drink water from the crystal stones to gain strength. They're not related to Wugong."
After explaining the wasp and the terrifying pack of foxes, the boy fell silent. Madana's mind raced with what Fralita had hinted about "something more precious."
"It must have something to do with the crystals."