"From this moment on, Selina and Liana will be added to your group." Gareth looked at them quietly and said.
Silence.
A few seconds passed with no one saying anything.
"Wait... what?" Then Liana almost jumped.
Selina also raised her eyebrows.
Why? Who? How? They had not even declared their consent! They were even thinking about leaving this place tonight if possible.
But before the discussion could continue, Cassian stepped forward, his voice firm.
"No."
"Reason?" Even Gareth was surprised for a moment.
"They are both level seven. The previous mission almost killed all of us. Two of us died, and Claire and I were near death too."
"Sending two level seven students to that city is stupid. We are enough on our own. They don’t need to come."
No one objected. Even Marcus just quietly nodded. He felt the same way.
Gareth’s expression did not change.
But before he could answer, Liana stepped forward herself.
"I don’t agree either."
"Why?" This time, Gareth really frowned.
Liana looked down at the ground.
"Because I don’t want to be a burden."
Her voice was quiet, but serious. She was not scared. Her concern was not death. She just did not want to be a burden.
Or maybe she was just making excuses...
"I’m not stupid. I heard all the news. That city is no joke. If I go in and cause someone else to die trying to save me... I would rather not go at all."
A few moments of silence passed. Even Cassian looked at her with a different look for the first time.
But Selina was different. She was quiet for a few seconds, then shrugged.
"I have no problem."
All eyes turned to her.
Selina continued.
"But if I’m going into that city, I don’t want to just be someone hiding behind others. If I’m going, I’ll do my part."
Liana looked at her in disbelief.
"She’s crazy..." Marcus also muttered under his breath.
Selina just gave a faint smile.
At that moment, Lian, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke.
"I have a question."
"Ask." Gareth looked at him.
"Why?" Lian said directly. He wanted to know why the commander had decided to send these two girls with them when they were only level seven.
The question was simple and exactly what everyone wanted to know.
Gareth thought for a few seconds, then let out a quiet sigh.
"Because I don’t want the group to fall apart. Two of you died." Then his gaze fixed on Selina and Liana.
"And because these two are among the few students who are still willing to enter that city. You yourselves told me this yesterday, right? That you want to go into the city."
No one answered.
It was a bitter truth. Many students, after hearing about what happened yesterday, were no longer willing to even go near the city walls.
"But we said that before we knew two people had died!" Liana added.
"So you don’t want to? If you don’t want to, you can leave tonight."
The two girls immediately said nothing and looked at each other, as if they did not know what decision to make.
Gareth walked to the command table. A large hologram lit up. An image of the fallen city appeared in the air.
Abandoned buildings, dark streets, the commercial sector, the residential sector, and in the distance... the city center.
"This time, the goal is not to hunt monsters. The goal is to gather information. Rescue possible survivors. Observe the city center from a safe distance. And engage only if forced."
"No one moves alone. The maximum distance between members is ten meters. If more than fifty monsters are spotted, immediate retreat. Prolonged engagement is forbidden."
"And no one plays the hero."
"That’s why two level sevens won’t be a burden. Besides, I will provide you with equipment that will increase your safety."
"Well, what do you think?" And then he looked at the two girls again.
"We accept." Liana and Selina said at the same time. When the commander went this far, they could not say anything either.
But they felt they would definitely regret their decision.
"Good."
"But can I ask why you agreed to go back to that hell?" Liana’s gaze fell on the team leader.
"Commander Gareth came to see us last night and talked to us and told us the truth. If we withdraw before three days, millions of people could die in the future." Cassian thought for a moment and said.
"Huh?" Selina and Liana were confused. They did not know anything.
Gareth began to explain the truth to them. When they heard it, their faces slowly changed, and fear became more apparent on their faces.
But they became more sure of their decision...
Lian also stared at the group indifferently. His reason for accepting was different. His main goal was to kill monsters and become stronger.
Besides, unlike these five, he doubted there was any threat to him in that city. If something went wrong and he wanted to escape, no one... no one could stop him.
No monster in that city had such ability. Not even the Dreadmaw Sovereign could stop him.
After the meeting ended, Gareth took them to another part of the base. At the end of the military hallways, a massive gate stood.
Several armed soldiers stood next to it. When Gareth arrived, the metal doors slowly opened. Everyone unconsciously held their breath.
Inside the wide hall, dozens of advanced armors were placed on special platforms. Matte black metal, blue glowing lines, runes carved on the armor’s surface.
And an aura of mana flowing around them.
"These..." Even Cassian was surprised.
"A-rank armors." Gareth nodded.
A few people unconsciously took a deep breath. Such equipment was not for students. Even many professional Awakened never owned such armor.
And such armors could not even be found in normal markets.
Gareth continued.
"High physical resistance, magical resistance, danger alert system, and limited endurance and speed enhancement." Then his gaze became more serious.
"The government doesn’t want to underestimate anything this time."
Everyone received their armors. Even Lian tested the weight of the new armor for a moment. It was lighter than he expected.
But very powerful.
When everyone was ready to leave, Gareth called them one last time.
"I have one more request."
Everyone stopped.
"Any monster you kill... either bring its body back or completely destroy it."
The space fell silent.
"Don’t let them fall into the hands of other monsters." Gareth continued more quietly.
"You really don’t know why they’re collecting them?" Marcus frowned.
"No, but we’re sure it matters to them. Very much."
No one said anything. Because if the monsters valued bodies that much... then there was probably a terrible reason behind it.
Then they nodded and walked toward the entrance gates.
The sky was covered with gray clouds. A cold wind blew from the city’s direction. The base’s massive gate slowly opened.
The sound of metal echoed in the air. The group members stood in front of the gate in their new armors.
Cassian in front, Marcus next to him, Selina and Liana slightly behind, Claire beside them, and Lian at the back of the line.
Everyone was looking at the city. At the silent walls. At the abandoned buildings. At the place where two of their friends had been killed.
No one was speaking. No one was smiling.
Just silence.
"Move." The group stepped forward, passed through the gate, and started walking again toward the fallen city.