Chapter 15.3 - At a Loss
Chapter 15.3 - At a Loss
That night, the commander didn’t sleep at all. Every single piece of information he had regarding Su was reviewed again and again, and he even studied the evaluation report of the hidden value of the intruder cell he obtained from the scientific institution. From the commander’s perspective, Su’s ability would be at most somewhere between fourth or fifth level, and the intruder cell’s value didn’t deserve the involvement of such a great force. Regarding the so-called hidden value, 90% will always remain a potential. Within the Black Dragonriders’ various laboratories, there were too many things with potential value to count.
When the sky had just brightened, the commander magnified the signature ‘Persephone’ and focused it at the center of the screen. It was as if she was currently watching him attentively. Then, he threw all thoughts of becoming the Black Dragonriders’ laughingstock to the back of his mind and drafted up an an enormous, thorough, detailed, perfect, and incredibly unpractical plan.
In this plan, apart from Julio personally conducting the operation, he assigned three lieutenant commanders to deal with Su, among them including a Combat Domain expert, a fifth level elite sniping expert, and a tracking specialist that had grown up in the wilderness. Since there were three lieutenant commanders, then it would be only logical to include eleven military officers. Adding up the subordinates, a gigantic troop consisting of over a thousand men was created. 50 battle vehicles would be transferred out, and a similar number of supplies and transport vehicles would be used. Moreover, he applied for ten days of permissions to use three fighter aircrafts.
This was simply an army, one that could easily destroy any force within several hundred kilometers, yet it was now used to track down and capture a target whose abilities did not reach the fifth level and who was equivalent to a first lieutenant at best.
The lieutenant stared at the screen. Persephone’s name gave him an inexhaustible amount of courage. He trembled as he sent this plan out. Then, the moment of the trial began.
As she walked into her office, Persephone had some sort of premonition, a premonition that Commander Julio would send the plan back. She had just sat down when the screen autonomously lit up. At the center of the screen, the follow up program was currently flickering, moreover, at the highest level of importance.
Persephone truly wanted to trample through the floor and smash the ignorant commander on the second floor to pieces. She tied her hair, and even though no one was watching, she put on the most dignified and charming appearance and even wore her special glasses. With her snow white and slender fingers, she took the black pencil with golden patterns and opened the document.
After only giving it two glances, Persephone was given a fright by this plan’s audacious and absurd contents. Using an entire army to capture a mouse, did this Julio go mad? She couldn’t help but develop a bit of curiosity towards this mouse. Exactly what kind of ability did Su have to make her own brother who always hid great arrogance within his heart to view him in such a favorable light and make a strict and highly capable commander propose this type of army to capture? Of course, she didn’t consider what kind of impact her own actions had on this plan in the slightest bit.
Her pencil circled and pointed, and the record and background relating to Su jumped out. In the photograph entry was actually the hand-drawn image O’Brien provided.
As soon as she saw Su’s appearance, Persephone’s face suddenly changed greatly. A low shout escaped her lips!
O’Brien’s image was extremely lifelike, to the point where one could even feel the hint of loneliness within Su’s calm gaze.
With a ka cha sound, the black pencil in her hands shattered into several pieces. Persephone carefully reviewed all the information regarding Su, and only then did she lightly exhale. She enlarged Su’s image until it took up most of the screen, and then she fixated her eyes on the image just like that.
After who knows how much time had passed, Persephone finally returned from her thoughts. Using her long and slender fingers, she directly began to write on the screen. In the blink of an eye, she completed her reply to the amended plan and sent it out.
When she pressed on the bell icon on the screen, the office door was gently pushed open. A tall and handsome dragonrider walked in. From his appearance and stature to his bearing and appearance, there was nothing one could criticize. Following a salute, he asked, “What is your honored self’s instructions?”
Persephone had already organized the documents on the office table. She stood up and walked towards this young dragonrider who was so handsome she could sense some cosmetic use and instructed, “I have something to take care of, and it is uncertain when I will return. During this period, all work will be transferred as authorized in advance. You should know what to do.”
A bit of surprise appeared on the young dragonrider’s face. What kind of task was it that it required Persephone to personally deal with? However, his well trained self hid all of these doubts deep within his heart, and with a deep and powerful voice, he replied, “Yes! General!”
Commander Julio finally obtained hope in the reply. This time, when he opened the document, what jumped out at him wasn’t an immediately overrule. Instead, it was replaced with a large red X that crossed out all of the personnel and equipment. In the field for plan executor, there was a new name that had been entered: Persephone.
Persephone...
Julio stared at this name until his eyes became sore. Only then did he pinch his own thigh. The sharp pain told him that even though the sky was dark, he wasn’t dreaming.
The commander sighed heavily, and a wave of fatigue overwhelmed his mind. He began to doubt whether he had grown old. According to the young women in the general headquarters building, the greatest sign of a man getting old is when they lack imagination.
The dragonriders who were falling apart under the wait finally received the new orders they had been waiting for all this time. The contents of the order was extremely simple, and it was for all members to be recalled. Headquarters was going to have other people take over this mission. Everything else was confidential, and everything regarding the operation this time was to be kept top secret and not revealed to anyone. Justin didn’t understand why he was being recalled either. He truly enjoyed the feeling of chasing after Su, and as such, he even secretly sent a message to Commander Julio, informing him about his own importance in the capture of Su.
Julio only returned two messages. The first was extremely concise with only one word: idiot. The second message was particularly complex, completely battering at him with swearing and cursing, completely unlike the style of a commander.
Su didn’t know what kind of storm he himself had caused, and also didn’t know that the greatest catastrophe was imminent.
He continued to sit on the top of the mountain, watching the scenery.
The longer it took the Black Dragonriders to show up, the more preparations they were making. The next attack would most likely contain an incredible and unstoppable force. Su knew that this time, there would be no flukes. Su’s luck was a bit better than that of normal people, after all, the level of ability he had in the Mysterious Fields was fundamental luck. This was an ability that seemed to be useful everywhere yet completely useless at the same time. To this day, Su still did not figure out what the theory behind the ability or where and how exactly could one obtain an ability like this. The greatest illustration of this ability would be during a coin toss. If Su wanted heads, then after tossing it 100 times, it would land heads roughly 51 times.
That was why Su’s luck was merely a tiny bit better than that of an ordinary person.
Through the sighting device, he still only saw the boundless grassland. He couldn’t see anything strange, nor did he sense the slightest feeling of danger.
Su suddenly heard footsteps! This was the sharp and clear sound of someone’s heels striking against concrete. It continued at a steady rhythm and arrived in an unhurried manner.
At this time, even though there was no wind, Su’s blond hair flew upwards before falling down slowly. This would happen only when the most extreme danger arrived.
The sighting device still didn’t discover anything, nor did the metal pieces covering the mountains and plains release the slightest bit of sound. However, the footsteps became louder and louder, as if each movement trampled down on his heart. Even when he focused all of his attention and strengthened his perception ability to the highest level, he still couldn’t determine the footsteps’ direction? From the bridge of Su’s nose, tiny droplets of sweat could be seen.
Without any signs, an electric shock like pain suddenly scuttled down his back and filled his entire back in a flash. The extreme danger was right behind him! At this moment, the footsteps coming from an unidentifiable direction continued to ceaselessly sound, battering against his ears.
Su lowered the sighting device, and his movements slowed. He didn’t turn around, and he didn’t touch the Barrett on his back or the Magnum at his waist. He knew that no matter what he did, it would already be too late.
This was a target he could not lock on or even sense. Su understood that the difference in strength between this individual and himself was insurmountable. He could not defend himself or escape, to the point where he couldn’t even choose death.
Su took a deep breath. He then looked at the sky, looked at the clouds, and looked at the grassland. Then, his green eye and his straight eyebrows formed a smiling expression.
Su had always been waiting for his final moments, yet he never expected them to arrive so suddenly. The Black Dragonriders’ strength was as deep as a sea after all. After suffering two defeats, the third storm was actually so impossible to defend against!
Su’s wish of taking down a dragonrider with him died just like that. Su’s wish to not become a living experimental subject also became distant and uncertain.
After thinking for a moment, Su still brought out the Magnum and pulled back the hammer. Not showing any resistance still wasn’t his style. The first five bullets in front of him were for his enemy, while the last bullet, Su saved for himself.