The group trotted through the Plains, looking for a specific mark.
Alright, I've got a couple of potions, the troops are in check, and I've got the Boss's gift!
Churan grinned happily, quite proud of her organizational skills.
She decided to give herself credit; she was finally growing so much that the Boss had rewarded her with another secret mission.
For once, she wasn't jealous of Wei's nonchalance about getting all those important missions; it was now her in the spotlight.
She looked down at the pretty brooch the Boss had gifted her right before the mission.
Both she and Yin Ai were given one.
Yin Ai's brooch had a vibrant green gem embedded in a more simplistic gold framing, while Churan's had a smaller, bright pink gem, tucked into a silver framing with more detail.
Churan couldn't help but stare at Yin Ai's brooch before coming back to her senses, as Yin Ai had unexpectedly said something.
"You really worked hard this time to organize this, huh?"
"Huh? Yeah! Of course I did! The Boss gave this special mission to us! I can't let him down."
The two girls walked side by side, leading the front line.
Behind them, about thirty more people followed.
Churan, kicking a rock whilst they walked, hummed happily.
But the truth was, she was a little nervous, and her way to take out that nervous energy was kicking it into the pebble.
She had worked with Yin Ai before, but... they weren't really that close.
Churan had never met up with Yin Ai after missions were over, but despite that, Churan still tried to keep a positive image of herself in front of Yin Ai.
Someone appointed by the Boss as one of the four Tians wasn't to be messed with; after all, her and Wei's powers were evidence of that statement.
Yin Ai pulled out the map the Boss had marked up.
Supposedly, they were to be looking for a Zeng Meng outbreak here.
As to how the Boss got hold of this information was very much unknown to Churan.
"Yin Ai— I-I mean, um, Yuebing... how much longer do we have to walk?"
Ahhh! I forgot about our codenames again...!
"We should be there soon."
"Ahem, that's good. It seems that our troops are also starting to slow down."
... Hm... I don't think she caught my mistake...
And after more grunts and walking, the group had finally made it to the designated location.
Just like the Boss had said, there really was a Zeng Meng outbreak here.
It was incredibly small—about the size of an average room— but an outbreak nonetheless.
"Alright, whoever brought the camera, come over here and snap a picture."
A soldier from the crowd quickly ran up, snapped a couple of pictures, and ran back into the crowd.
"Hey, wasn't that a little too quick? Did you even get all the angles?!"
"... I'm sure it's fine, Ms. Danta."
Almost like a balance, Yin Ai spoke up, calming down the situation.
"Hm... alright. Then get into your positions! We're starting the extermination."
Yin Ai's group was to go inside while Churan's group stood watch outside.
Yin Ai walked up to Churan, and using the palm of her hand to cover her mouth, Yin Ai whispered a reminder to her.
"Remember, Ms. Danta, if we're not out by thirty minutes, you should check in."
"Ah! Of course, of course!"
Oh, thank god she reminded me of that... I forgot if it was thirty or forty minutes...
Yin Ai seemingly smiled at Churan's sweaty face, something that Churan was too distracted to notice.
"My group, Formation A. Let's head in."
Yin Ai and about fifteen others went into the outbreak, their bodies slowly warping until they were out of sight.
The rest had started to set up tents and equipment, preparing for when Yin Ai's group came back from the extermination and needed rest.
Ropes were fastened, and nails were hammered into the ground.
The tents were incredibly simple in design.
They were dark green and really weren't all that big either, with each tent fitting maybe three people.
The camp was set up just about fifty feet from the Zeng Meng.
In just ten minutes, everything was set up exactly to Churan's standards. Or more so, what Churan thought Yin Ai's standards were.
She let out a sigh of relief before lying on her portable mini chair.
Chattering filled the camp as Churan oversaw the area.
Xue Plains truly was desolate.
I can't just be staring into space right now...!
Ah! I don't know what to do... usually I'm the one who fights, and Yin Ai's the one who waits...
... I guess I could check the pictures we took.
For the next couple of minutes, Churan went around, checking in on everyone, making sure everything was in check.
She tried to find every excuse to be preoccupied with some task.
From ten minutes to twenty minutes... it was now thirty minutes since Yin Ai had entered the outbreak.
One of the soldiers went up to Churan.
"Ms. Danta! Should we go in? It's been—"
"I know, I know! It's been thirty minutes..."
Yin Ai is capable... I know she is—!
So where the hell is she?!
Boss had entrusted her with this mission.
It couldn't fail.
"Just wait. Give them five more minutes."
Abiding by her orders, the soldiers quietly stood, carefully watching the Zeng Meng for any signs of their teammates.
Churan held her breath, intensely trying to analyze the state of the outbreak.
... It's not getting any smaller... the extermination...
... No...
"You five, come with me, and you two, get back to base and report this to Boss! Everyone else, watch the camp."
"Yes, Ma'am!"
In unison, everyone got into position.
Churan and the five soldiers slowly approached the outbreak.
It hadn't changed its size at all, still about the same as a small room.
With the flick of her fingers, Churan summoned a sword of dazzling light within her hand.
Its neon flames flickered in hues of bright blue, pink, and white.
Churan's hair had also changed from her normal silver to the same colors as her sword, bursting into a wild flame.
"Our weapons are charged up, Ms. Danta."
"Good. We're heading in. Remember, playing defense is better than offense, got it?"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
Although Churan said to play it safe, her stance and the spark in her eyes didn't communicate the same thing.
Just before Churan went inside, something caught her attention.
She looked down at her chest, where the brooch Boss gave her was.
The gem had lit up, and around it was some kind of light.
It wrapped around the gem as little particles started flowing around.
What? What's—
"MA'AM—!"
Churan looked up to see the horrifying sight of the Zeng Meng starting to expand rapidly.
She felt a strong tug against her wrist, waking her back into reality.
"MA'AM, WHAT SHOULD WE—"
"RUN, GET AWAY NOW!"
But it was too late.
It had already swallowed up some of the troops, and soon, it would also catch up to the rest of them.
... Shit–! W-What the fuck is happening?! Just how much is it going to expand–?!
At this rate, none of us is going to make it back to base...!
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of one of her soldiers, lying face down.
But just before the void engulfed him, Churan dashed in, picked the man up, and threw him over her shoulders.
This wasn't a normal outbreak anymore.
It would likely lead to death.
And Churan knew this: the situation had become too grave, and anyone who got caught up was going to die.
Something she hated even more than disappointing the Boss...
... was losing her subordinates.
"MS. DANTA, Y-YOU HAVE TO LET ME DOWN-! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO—"
"SHUT UP, YOU'RE NOT DYING ON MY WATCH!—huh?"
All of a sudden, the ground beneath her feet was gone.
Her body slumped forward, dropping the man in the process onto the dirt in front of her.
Both her legs were caught in the outbreak.
Ah-!
It was a feeling she had felt many times before.
Having your body and consciousness go from one place to another.
That's what she felt like.
It was like her legs were in a different dimension than the upper half of her body as she struggled to claw her way out.
"Ms. Danta!"
"JUST RUN, GO!"
The man stared in horror, but the final cries of Churan finally led him to start running.
But right before she completely fell in, she saw a figure appear before her.
It was a bit blurred, but she knew who it was before they even spoke.
Jet-black hair, a face beaded with sweat, trying to reach out to her.
Wei...?