Despite Sergei having mentioned this matter to Lyudmila before, it didn't mean she was going to find a way to break him out right now—especially not if the price was being discovered.
If an average Infected disappeared, the Legation guards might not care much; they would likely assume the person had simply died somewhere in the mining zone. In an environment like this, it was perfectly normal for several Infected to perish every day, and the guards had no interest in looking for them one by one.
But Alex was different. Based on how the four of them had surrounded and kicked him earlier, the boy had likely been "marked" by those bastards. If he vanished, the probability of them realizing someone had infiltrated the camp was far too high. Given the current circumstances, Lyudmila could only wish him luck—hoping he could endure until the day they launched the rescue operation to save all the Infected at once.
Since the two had traveled all the way there, it didn't take long for night to fall. They sat on the snow, eating a bit of dry rations as the sky gradually darkened. As night descended, the Infected were herded into a warehouse-like structure. The administrators tossed them some scraps that barely qualified as food and left them to their own devices.
As for Alex? His day had been miserable. Not only was he denied food for offending those men, but he was also ordered to stay right by the main gate, forbidden from leaving.
"Let's go. It's about time," Lyudmila said. She and Jeanne began to move. They planned to take advantage of the darkness to slip into the camp and see what else they could discover.
As they approached the perimeter, a structural map of the camp surfaced in Lyudmila's mind, along with the layout of the sentry posts she had memorized while watching from the tree. To her, this was merely a basic skill. Back in Siracusa, if she couldn't remember such things, she wouldn't have survived long enough to possess her current prowess. If you can't even manage rapid memorization, why be an assassin? You'd be better off finding a place to settle down and sell chocolate pasta.
Jeanne, on the other hand, hadn't memorized nearly as much. These complex details were indeed a bit difficult for her, especially since she had to observe them herself. For this reason, Lyudmila had been worried that Jeanne might cause trouble during the mission. Being a great fighter and being a great infiltrator were two very different concepts.
What Lyudmila didn't know was that Jeanne's nearly omniscient Revelation was a tool far more effective than any mnemonic technique. Even if Jeanne walked in broad daylight, Revelation would guide her through a path where no one would notice her.
Lyudmila's infiltration style was cautious. Although they didn't need to worry about footprints inside the camp itself, she still swept away tracks in areas where the snow was deep.
"That should be where they store their weapons. Should we find a way to start a fire and just burn everything inside?"
The two had reached a wide, open area where a large number of wooden crates were stacked, each stamped with specific serial numbers. Jeanne, having learned what these codes represented, noticed a series she had never seen before—distinct from the standard rifles and drones she'd spotted earlier.
As for where she'd learned these codes? Talulah still had the Black Snake in her mind; there was no way he wouldn't know what these military designations meant. Based on the numbering, this was something massive—it had been disassembled into several crates, likely intended for assembly on-site.
"Set a fire? Can you manage to sneak in there without being detected?" Jeanne pointed to the heavily monitored watchtowers ahead. It was clear this area was vital to them; the surveillance was nearly gapless.
Massive searchlights swept down from above. Jeanne grabbed Lyudmila and pulled her behind a wall, only peeking out once the light had moved on.
"You're right. I can't sneak into that specific spot. Not unless I use my Originium Arts, but if I do that, we'd be lucky not to be found," Lyudmila admitted with a trace of frustration.
It was like a hungry wolf staring at a piece of meat placed atop a highly sophisticated trap, with a dozing hunter standing right next to it. If the wolf took the meat, it would trigger the trap and wake the hunter, who would then reach for his gun. If it didn't take the meat, the wolf felt it was a wasted opportunity. They were caught in a dilemma.
"Alright, let's look elsewhere first. We'll think of a way for this place later—maybe we can figure out how to start a fire from a distance."
The two slipped away. By sheer coincidence, not five minutes after they left, a patrol squad passed through the area. Had they lingered any longer, they would have bumped right into the soldiers, turning a stealthy mission into a loud brawl.
Inside the warehouse, Alex felt his luck had hit rock bottom. He'd been beaten by the Legation guards for doing nothing, and now he was being starved. He lay on the freezing floor without even a blanket for warmth. In a winter this cold, he wouldn't be surprised if he was found dead tomorrow.
The root of all this was simply his former family status. When those men heard he was a "city boy" captured and brought to the tundra, they made him a target. Most of these guards were poor men who never had the right to live in the city, or failures who couldn't survive there. To them, children living in the city had always been objects of envy.
In a place like this, seeing a "golden child" they once looked up to become a toy under their boots provided an immense sense of twisted joy. Naturally, they wouldn't miss a chance to kick a man while he was down.
Fortunately, Alex had been a miner in the tundra for several years. Had he kept the personality he had when he first arrived, he might not have been able to endure such provocation. He was grateful he'd survived this long; during his first month, he felt like he couldn't last another day, but he had gradually become numb.
Dammit, it's so cold... The meager "slop" he'd eaten at noon had been vomited back up. He felt incredibly weak. At this rate, he really was going to die. I wonder if the soil here is edible? Should I try it?
Alex was so hungry he felt like he could he eat an entire Manglerbeast. He felt like he could try eating dirt or wall shavings; anything was better than just starving to death.
Just then, he heard a slight thud. He looked up to see several round objects on the floor. At a glance, they looked like food. Had someone secretly sent this to him? Impossible! In a place like this, anyone with food would hide it for themselves.
But he didn't care anymore. Even if it was bait, he didn't care. He grabbed one and began to eat. As for the others? He hid them in the holes of his worn-out boots.
"And you said you didn't care if he lived or died, yet you still helped?"
Sitting on a rooftop waiting for a patrol to pass, Jeanne looked at Lyudmila. The food the boy had just found had, of course, been thrown by her.
As for Lyudmila? She didn't say anything, merely turning her head away coolly. However, the twitching of her tail suggested she was a bit embarrassed at being called out.
"We knew each other once. A small favor like this is nothing. Anyway, enough about me—let's get to the place you wanted to go!"
Lyudmila had been hesitant about the area Jeanne wanted to investigate. It was the most heavily guarded zone in the entire camp, several times more secure than the weapons depot. But under Jeanne's teasing, she agreed to take a look, though this time she knew she'd have to rely on Jeanne's uncanny "intuition" to move forward.
After being guided by Jeanne this far, even someone as stoic as Lyudmila realized that the other woman possessed an ability far more effective than her own years of rigorous reconnaissance training. She had always envied those who could effortlessly surpass hard work with raw talent. Unfortunately, such things were a matter of fate.