Chapter 19 - Sweet Traces Part 19: The Commander Encountered an Attack and Went Missing

The war at the front lines was gradually entering its most critical phase.Following the grand banquet hosted by the Ruby family, hostilities intensified across various battle zones.Luciano, as usual, personally inspected the defensive lines on several planets. However, during the final inspection of the last planet, an unexpected incident occurred.A squad of beastly assassins led by high-level sorcerers launched a surprise attack on Luciano's returning spacecraft. Just before the ship plummeted, it transmitted its last coordinates to the Zeus and subsequently vanished.From that moment on, news of Luciano was lost on that planet.Inside the command room of the Zeus, General Ning gazed somberly at several other generals. After a prolonged silence, he finally spoke."Esteemed colleagues, the news of the Commander's disappearance has been classified as top secret; aside from His Excellency the President, only the individuals present here are aware of it. To maintain morale among the troops, this matter must not be leaked to anyone outside.Furthermore, the planet where Lucho was attacked is 4-28, its coordinates locating the demonic energy field of the Beast Legion, a place rife with mutated monsters. The ground conditions are exceedingly complex, and various magnetic fields can disrupt sorcerers' teleportation arrays. I believe our best course of action would be to dispatch an elite small squad to form a temporary rescue team for a ground search.Do you have any objections?"General Ning's words resonated in the air as he looked around at the others.General Lin and General Di exchanged meaningful glances, reaching a silent agreement before both nodded in unison."This plan is feasible, but we should keep the team small. Let Cole lead the way, and Di, please select a few skilled operatives.""Very well," General Di replied."Then it's settled. We will make immediate arrangements," General Lin declared, standing to leave, but was called back by General Ning."Young Lin, allow me to recommend someone: Athena from Alpha. She would be an asset.""Understood."Having received the order, Generals Lin and Di exited the command room together.General Ning gazed at the holographic projection of planet 4-28, silently praying for Luciano's safety. The most outstanding commander in the history of the Star Alliance must not fall so easily.Ten minutes later, a special task force consisting of only ten individuals, aside from the pilot, departed from the Zeus.Filia walked in bewilderment. She had been abruptly awakened from sleep and informed only that she was to execute a confidential mission.Upon seeing the other nine aboard the ship, she started to regain her composure. Excluding Cole, the remaining eight were elite soldiers from the Vampire Legion and the Joint Forces—individuals who consistently dominated the leaderboard.What sort of crucial mission were they embarking on, handling such distinguished personnel?"Cole, what exactly are we doing?" Filia whispered, feeling the heavy atmosphere."We're here to rescue someone. The mission's classified tier states we can only discuss when we land," Cole replied, maintaining an appropriate boundary despite his growing affection for Filia."Rescue someone?" Filia echoed in surprise, sensing an underlying unease within her.After two swift jumps, the small spacecraft reached planet 4-28 in just over ten minutes.From above, the planet appeared dark green, its vast areas of demonic energy-contaminated swamps exuding a sinister aura. Mutated creatures lurked, poised in the shadows, awaiting their next move.Following the last received coordinates, the spacecraft finally descended.As the hatch opened, the team gazed at the wreckage of the downed ship, their hearts sinking."Isn't this 001?" an observant crew member exclaimed, eyes widened as he recognized the number etched in the debris.Confused, Filia watched her teammates' growing anxiety, her heart beginning to race."Yes, this is the 001 cruiser—the Commander's ship.""What?" Filia's heart dropped, disbelief washing over her as she turned to Cole."Four hours ago, the Commander's cruiser was ambushed and crashed here. The recon drone arrived promptly but found no trace of the Commander. Therefore, the command center believes he is still alive, possibly injured. Our mission is to search for the Commander within this area."As Cole spoke, a wave of dizziness hit Filia. Her husband, her air force commander, the love of her life, could potentially be lost in this wretched place!Just yesterday, he had called, assuring her he would be busy for only a short while longer—perhaps no more than a month before he could return home victorious.And now, he was in such peril.The enemy had already taken her mother's life; she could not afford to lose him as well."I'll delegate the tasks. We have three areas to cover: here, here, and over there," Cole indicated three directions with his hand, calling out the names of a few people, with Filia paired alongside him.Once assignments were made, Cole, adopting a grave tone, said, "This mission is extremely dangerous. We are not only up against the ever-present beastly assassins but also various mutated monsters. Moreover, we have five hours for this search; we must reach the designated rendezvous point by 9 PM. Is that clear?""What if we can't find the Commander in five hours?" Filia's voice cracked as she stifled the enormous grief swelling within her."If we cannot find him, we must leave, as this is a hub of demonic energy, which our bodies can only withstand for a maximum of five hours.""So, the Commander only has an hour left?""Athena, the Commander is a werewolf; his physical limits are far superior to ours."As Cole concluded, he glanced at his watch."Alright, let's move out."With the command given, the three small squads ventured into their respective search areas, yet Filia stood still, pondering the thick, labyrinthine swampland behind them, her curiosity piqued."Athena? We're moving out.""Why is no one going in this direction?" Filia asked, lifting a hand to point toward the dense thicket ahead."The command center analyzed that the Commander is least likely to have escaped in that direction due to the presence of many mutated dragons, so it is not included in our search area."Cole patiently explained, but when Filia gazed toward the thicket, an intuition nagged at her heart; perhaps Lucho had chosen the most difficult path."Cole, I will go this way alone. I will take full responsibility for any issues that arise."