At some point the buzzing of the aliens barely reached Michael's ears.

"Must be safe outside..." He reasoned. "Want to leave the box?"

"N—No!" She blurted out wanting to prolong the moment.

"I—I mean, must we risk our safety needlessly? It would be smarter to wait here for our team to find us!"

Michael saw some merit to her words. Going out now could disturb the plans of their unit.

"I don't mind it, but judging the color of your face, you must find it difficult to breathe." He chuckled, pointing out her charming face.

"I assure you, I have never felt better!" She pouted slightly.

Several minutes faded, passing faster than seconds in Ava's mind. Eventually they heard the sound of whistling.

"Boss? Are you here?" Richard said casually, pacing around the building with hands in pockets.

As if awakened from a trance, Ava realized she had let her emotions cloud her judgment.

Thud!

Instantly she lifted the lid of the ammo box, coming out. Due to the cramped-up space, her hair looked messy. That, coupled with her flushed face and ragged breathing as if running a marathon, painted a specific picture…

"Ugh..." Michael groaned as he pushed himself to his feet. In moments like this, he cursed his tall frame for barely fitting into the cramped box.

"..." Richard stared at the two in bewilderment.

"No fucking way… In the middle of the enemy ranks, surrounded by aliens!" He whispered, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.

Who knew that his Boss was this daring?

Approaching Michael, Richard patted him on the shoulder.

"I wonder what the other two would think if they saw this scene? HAHAHA!" The Master erupted into laughter, amused by his own joke. Naturally, he was talking about Victoria and Claire.

With a chuckle, Michael shook his head. He knew what the Master was implying. He just thought it would be funnier if he didn't correct the misunderstanding.

"Shall we see the others?" He turned to Ava.

"Y—Yea!" She said sheepishly, quickly fixing her appearance.

Outside, the small military base had turned quiet. With the buzzing of the herd nowhere to be heard.

Before the protective walls, countless bodies of the little creatures lay scattered on the ground. Some burned to a crisp, others hacked into pieces, and some crushed beyond recognition.

After Michael and Ava had exterminated the queen, the herd had spread out randomly, and the unit had capitalized on the havoc, killing them all.

"Any injuries?" Michael assessed the damage.

Evelyn waved her hand dismissively. "A few light ones. Nothing that a bit of sleep and cultivation wouldn't fix."

"Good." Michael grinned. Their first mission had been a success. If they could keep up the momentum, pushing far into Neptune's dark side wasn't out of the question.

"Nice job with making the aliens go into a frenzy." Victoria praised. "How did you two do it?"

Ava instantly flushed red, causing Victoria to arch an eyebrow in suspicion.

Michael shrugged. "Killed their leader. That is all it took."

With little to no injuries, the unit sprang into action. First and foremost, they had to ensure that there weren't lingering threats that had remained hidden around the base.

Once the settlement was judged to be worthy to serve as their base of operation, Azure's troops contacted their ruler, as did the soldiers from Vespera.

"With that I conclude my report." Grandmaster Alice saluted towards the holographic image of the Lord.

Surprisingly, the man had deemed it pointless to hide his appearance. Now his childlike figure was on full display.

Of course, no one dared to laugh like Richard originally had when he learned how the man looked.

"Good work." With a nod, the ruler turned to Noah. "What about Vespera's troops?"

Noah's eyes glimmered with admiration.

"From my observation there are a few individuals that tend to cause unnecessary trouble, not that we don't have a few such individuals ourselves…" The Grandmaster threw a discreet glance towards Richard before continuing.

"Nevertheless, they are capable soldiers. They can hold their own in combat and deserve our respect."

With an expressionless face, the Lord nodded, his thoughts unknown.

"I see…"

After a few silent seconds, the ruler's lips parted once more.

"Aside from your original mission, you now have two additional objectives. They aren't directly tied to the liberation of Neptune, as they do not involve conquering its dark side. However, these matters hold personal importance to me… As such, I expect you to carry out your duties without fail..."

The soldiers performed a collective salute to show their eagerness.

Showing defiance here and now could only lead to trouble.

"First, my personal investigation has uncovered who the Lord that attacks us is and where to find him. All you have to do is confirm if my theory is true. Do not engage with the individual. Just confirm his location. I will handle the rest."

Tasking the soldiers with finding the whereabouts of a Lord was a daunting task. The only reason Azure's ruler had given them the job was because they were the most capable units of his city, not to mention that they were the closest.

Apart from a few twitched brows, the troops didn't display any kind of disobedience, allowing the Lord to take a sigh of relief.

'If they aren't fazed by such a mission, then this shouldn't terrify them either.'

Abruptly the Lord's expression turned cold, starting to emit an aura so powerful that it caused goosebumps to rise on the backs of the soldiers.

"As for your second additional objective, by the end of the mission, I expect every soldier from Vespera who has joined your unit to be eliminated. No exceptions."

"..."

Instantly, the tension in the air thickened. Sensing that the soldiers would need a bit more motivation, the Lord added.

"I command you to cast aside any hesitation in your hearts, for Vespera's forces are likely being given a similar order at this very moment... Like it or not, by the end it will be either you or them."

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