Jeanne watched the men who looked ready to drop to their knees, weeping and begging for mercy, but her expression remained completely detached. She stared coldly at this squadron of misfits, inwardly questioning if something had gone drastically wrong with her guidance over the past year.
Seeing that Jeanne remained unmoved, a few of the men actually considered lunging forward to grab her ankles and beg. Yet, glancing down at her boots and then looking at themselves, a terrifying thought crossed their minds: if they dared to touch her, would she beat them to a pulp on the spot?
They would without a doubt be thrashed, and no one in the world would be able to save them. The other guys might even join in to help Jeanne throw a few extra punches for good measure.
"By the way, Boss, how did you manage to get those two youths out?" one of them asked, desperately trying to divert her focus. If Jeanne became distracted and forgot about the file business, they would be completely in the clear.
"How did I bring them back? Just walked in and walked out! I located the target, waited for a gap in the guard shifts, and escorted them out. It was that simple."
Jeanne spoke with complete indifference. The surrounding men fell into a stunned silence. If they hadn't known her true capabilities, they would have assumed she was standing here spinning wild tales.
Based on the way she described it, the rescue sounded about as simple as putting an elephant inside a refrigerator—just a few basic steps, nothing difficult at all, right?
Simple, my foot! If it were truly that easy, why would they have begged their leader to intervene? And if she hadn't stepped in, they wouldn't have gone to such humiliating lengths to deceive the patrolmen, which meant they wouldn't have...
The men stared blankly ahead, their minds trapped in a chaotic loop. Meanwhile, the two infected students caught in the middle dared not even breathe loudly. They huddled their heads low like frightened quails, warily observing these adults who suddenly seemed completely unfamiliar.
"Forget it, I don't have the energy to deal with you lot. First, escort these students safely to the Azazel Clinic. As for the rest of you, make sure you keep a low profile over the coming days and don't get caught!"
Jeanne offered a few final words of caution and prepared to take her leave. Yet, even now, the men still hadn't forgotten their primary source of anxiety. They turned to her and called out loudly:
"Boss! About that... that little issue... can you please keep it a secret for us?"
"That depends entirely on your performance!" Jeanne's voice drifted back from the distance. Those words filled the men with sudden excitement, and they scrambled to get back to their duties with utmost obedience.
It never crossed their minds that Jeanne was highly unlikely to make such an announcement public. Even if these men didn't care about their own dignity, Jeanne still had to protect her own reputation.
Besides, that whole display was just a cover story to trick the patrolmen... wait a moment! Why on earth did those idiots actually have a bunch of optical discs hidden inside their coats? Had she overlooked something important?
By this time, Jeanne had already departed Chernobog. She rode upon the back of a flying wyvern high in the sky, pondering these matters, but the more she thought about it, the more bizarre the situation felt.
It seemed that once this operation concluded, she would definitely need to return and strictly address the discipline within her ranks. Having one group like the Yeti Squadron was already more than enough; allowing too many squads to turn into clowns would severely damage Reunion's public image.
Thinking of this, Jeanne couldn't help but feel a profound wave of admiration for FrostNova. She had only managed this group for a little over a year and already felt thoroughly exhausted. FrostNova had been leading the far more notorious Yeti Squadron for winters on end; how had she managed to endure it?
"I feel like the way you are looking at me today is a bit strange. If you have something on your mind, just speak plainly, all right? Staring at me like that makes me feel like I did something wrong."
FrostNova had crossed paths with the returning Jeanne while out on a patrol route. Rather than flying all the way back, Jeanne decided to dismiss her wyvern, and the two walked side by side toward the mobile city.
Ordinarily, a casual stroll and some light banter would be nothing unusual. However, FrostNova could distinctly feel a complex emotion lurking within Jeanne's gaze today. Had a blunder occurred on her end?
Recalling the pranksters under her command, and knowing that the woman walking beside her was the commander of the original Yeti virus, Jeanne's gaze naturally grew even more conflicted.
"FrostNova, you must stay strong! The future image of Reunion relies entirely upon your iron discipline. Keep up the good work!"
Jeanne delivered this completely random words of encouragement, leaving FrostNova utterly bewildered. What on earth did Jeanne mean by that sudden outburst?
Could it be that the switchbacks in her Yeti Squadron had stirred up trouble again, and somehow managed to keep her in the dark? That was the only explanation FrostNova could fathom. She instantly resolved to interrogate her fighters the moment she returned, demanding to know what shameful deeds they had committed lately.
Meanwhile, the Yeti fighters—who were currently enjoying fried pine nuts with condensed milk as a snack—suddenly felt a phantom chill pierce their spines. They raised their heads to scan the area, but their commander was nowhere to be found. They figured it was just a draft from a loose window pane.
The men turned back to the roasting pan, debating what they should do with their upcoming free days, and wondering if they should forage for some fresh vegetables to supplement their commander's meals. They all felt she had grown a bit too slender lately.
The poor fighters had no idea that the coming night would be one they would never forget—an ordeal so intense that their training regimen for the foreseeable future would be multiplied tenfold.
When the time came, the Yeti soldiers wouldn't even know what crime they had committed. Under FrostNova's terrifying glare, they would end up confessing every single minor misdeed they had ever done, nearly driving their commander to a fit of high blood pressure.
Unaware of the impending chaos, the two leaders arrived back within the city walls. They immediately gathered the leadership to deliberate over the specific plans Jeanne had retrieved, striving to ensure the upcoming takeover would proceed without a single flaw.
Whether it was extensive destruction to the infrastructure or widespread civilian casualties, any severe damage would bring disastrous consequences. It wasn't merely a matter of a tarnished reputation; it would deepen the outside world's prejudices against the infected to an incurable degree.
"General, this is the layout of the school district. I will leave this sector entirely in your hands." Jeanne handed the drafted maps over to Hellagur. The old general had remained deeply anxious about the schools, making him the perfect person to handle the task.
Hellagur nodded in agreement as he accepted the papers. He studied the detailed layouts of the various campuses in silence for a long time before finally sharing his strategy with the group.
"I intend to gather all the university students into a single location, securing them within the large warehouses. Once the situation settles down, we can release them. This will save us an immense amount of trouble."
Hellagur detailed his plan, which was the simplest solution he could devise after careful thought. Surely those students wouldn't run into any major disasters within the span of a few days?
Furthermore, the warehouses were fully stocked with ample provisions, food, and daily necessities. It would provide them with everything they needed to keep themselves safe amidst the chaos.
"It is indeed a sound approach, but what happens if conflicts erupt among the students themselves? From what I gather, the atmosphere within those schools is far from harmonious," Jeanne pointed out. She agreed with Hellagur's thinking, but she also recognized that these youths weren't innocent children who did nothing but read books. Gathering them all together without friction would be a miracle.
"No matter how severe their arguments become, they won't resort to slaughtering one another. Locking them away together is far better than leaving them to wander the streets, where they might perish in an accident. We simply do not possess the manpower to watch over them individually," Hellagur countered, shaking his head. He truly did not believe the friction among students could ever escalate to lethal violence. In a crisis, their survival instincts would force them to unite.
"That is true. So long as our movements remain swift, we can assume total control of the city before the student body completely loses stability. My only concern is how cooperative the citizens of Chernobog will be," Talulah murmured, conceding that this was the best path available. They couldn't afford to leave an entire detachment behind purely to play guard duty; those soldiers were desperately needed for other operations.
"Let's not be too pessimistic. When all is said and done, our takeover of this city is entirely legitimate. While there will certainly be individuals who resist our authority, the numbers won't be as overwhelming as you think," Jeanne remarked cheerfully. After all, their transition into power was backed by a formal agreement with the crown, making it a fully lawful action within the empire.
"True enough, but I still worry that those people will harbor deep resentment simply because we bear the infection, and refuse to recognize us as the rightful authorities of the city."
"They will recognize us. And even if they refuse, we will make them understand."