Honestly, there had been no need for Old Master Lan to ask anything—the scene before him had already answered every question.

For all General Lan’s pride in the strength of their army and their elite special forces, the battle unfolding on the screen was not one any human should have been able to fight.

At its center stood a young girl—delicate, almost doll-like, with an innocent, harmless face.

In her hand, she wielded a dagger nearly the length of a sword, carving her way through a field of corpses.

Kira’s speed was beyond comprehension. The cameras barely managed to catch the faintest trace of her shadow whenever she slowed down just enough to strike.

Yet those dark, grotesque creatures were no less formidable than she was.

Old Master Lan found himself thinking that if anyone else attempted to face those monsters, their fate would be sealed within two moves—at best. Even that was an optimistic estimate. More likely, they would die without ever understanding how.

A cold sheen of sweat spread across General Lan’s forehead. In all his years—through countless battles and the blood on his own hands—he had never known fear like this. Not even the first time he had taken a life.

Suddenly, the doors burst open. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

A man in a sharply tailored suit strode in, his expression stern and severe. Behind him followed roughly ten others, differing in age, appearance, and background.

"Minister Liang Wei," General Lan said, his tone tight. "What brings you here?"

Liang Wei’s gaze lifted to the massive screen, his eyes widening despite himself.

For a fleeting moment, unease flickered plainly across his face as he watched the young girl battling amidst the monsters.

But he had not earned his position as a shadow minister for nothing.

The expression vanished almost instantly.

"I have orders from a higher authority," he said coolly, turning to General Lan. "I’ve brought the Special Investigation Team to observe the situation and gather intelligence on what we’re facing. If—"

He paused, clearly aware of the weight of his next words.

But only for a moment.

"—If your special forces fail to contain the creatures," he continued evenly, "my team will have sufficient data to take over."

Frankly, General Lan had little interest in Liang Wei’s words—or his presence.

As commander of the Special Forces, a unit composed of individuals with extraordinary abilities, it was only natural that he would be here to witness the battle and intervene if necessary.

Of course, he had his reservations about holding the team back instead of deploying them directly against the monsters. But he wasn’t a fool.

No one reveals their trump cards without complete situational awareness, solid intelligence, and full preparation.

For now, all he could do... was hope.

Hope that Sian and Kira would succeed in killing those creatures—and rid humanity of them once and for all.

Liang Wei took a seat. The others followed.

All eyes turned to the massive screen suspended in the center of the hall.

A heavy, suffocating silence settled over the room—over thirty people, yet not a single voice dared break it.

---

Out in the desert, Kira was still weaving through the battlefield, slicing the heads off the smaller, repulsive creatures.

"Kira, take the ones on the right."

"The right, genius—your right, not the monster’s."

"Ugh, Boss, you know I can’t tell left from right. You’re doing this on purpose."

"Move. Clear them out and open a path for me. Make sure the creature focuses on you—not me."

Their coordination was flawless—so seamless it barely required words. Even Sian’s instructions were sparse and vague, but that was only because they had fought side by side through countless battles. They understood each other’s tactics and rhythm instinctively.

And yet... Kira was still Kira.

Dramatic, talkative, and utterly incapable of staying quiet in the middle of a fight.

"Boss, look! My face is covered in disgusting black blood—ugh, that’s revolting."

She wiped her cheek with her elbow and continued,

"How can you let a fragile, beautiful girl like me face such vicious monsters? Boss, look—they’re bullying me."

With a single strike, she took down two creatures, then planted herself in front of Sian, her expression shifting into exaggerated misery.

"Boss, there are too many of them... my joints are starting to ache."

Despite her constant complaining and pitiful act, the bright smile on her face never dimmed—and her movements never slowed, not even for a heartbeat, as she spun to eliminate a creature sneaking up behind Sian.

Sian almost laughed.

The scene was so familiar it bordered on nostalgic.

Kira had always talked endlessly during battles—until that brute of a bear would smack her on the head. Only then would she quiet down... and come running to him, whining about being bullied.

"Stop complaining," Sian said dryly. "Has your strength fallen so low you can’t even handle a few weak flies?"

His gaze was cool, almost indifferent—but something else flickered in his amber eyes.

If he were being honest... this was the first time in a long while that he truly felt alive.

Meeting Kira again—fighting alongside her like in the old days—had stirred both bitter and sweet memories within him.

No one truly understands the feeling of reuniting with comrades-in-arms... with brothers forged in battle... unless they’ve lived it.

A faint, almost elusive smile touched his lips as he gazed at her, a subtle expression conveying a mixture of emotions.

"If you don’t finish them off within ten minutes," he said calmly, "you’re banned from strawberry cake for a month. Understood?"

Kira’s wide, childlike eyes snapped open in horror, the edges flushing red.

"W-What?! Boss, that’s cruel! Totally unfair!"

The moment the words left her mouth, she shot forward like a missile—cutting down the creatures with renewed ferocity and overwhelming force.

What neither Sian nor Kira knew... was that their entire conversation was being transmitted live to the conference hall—

where every single person listened in silence...

watching them argue and banter like children in the middle of a battlefield.