Gavo eyed the figure hidden beneath the cloak with suspicion.
Were underhive people really all so prone to growing huge and tall?
Then again, her own height was not exactly normal either...
"Raven used to be a labor slave in the upper hive and went through some genetic modification, so his size is unusual."
Sorik gently swirled the wine in his goblet and smiled as he explained Raven's abnormal physique.
"He has had dealings with our Tearblood Gang for many years, so this favor must be repaid."
"I have already informed the leaders of the other warbands. Five days from now, the remaining four warbands will shift from defense to offense and draw the enemy's attention for your First Warband."
"You'll take that chance, while most of the corrupted... mutated ones are being drawn away, to cross the currently weakened northern district, reach the western district, and deal with whatever is blocking Raven's trade route."
"Do not worry that you will be too badly outnumbered. The people in the southern district have received a similar mission and are already moving to strike the western district first."
"And in addition, Raven, as the commissioner and supervisor of this mission, will accompany you to the destination."
"That is all you need to know."
A strange glint passed through his eyes. The smile faded from Sorik's face, replaced by the dignity and gravity of a nobleman.
Raising his glass, Sorik gave it a gentle tilt toward Gavo.
"May the God-Emperor protect you."
Then the elegant gentleman drained the wine in one swallow.
...
Following the route she remembered from the way here, Gavo began the journey back to the front.
This time it was still a two-person party, but unlike before, the companion at her side was now the taciturn Raven.
Gavo was very curious about Raven. Her instincts told her this big man was definitely more than just some genetically modified labor slave.
But no matter how she asked or how she tried to start a conversation, this mountain-like silent brute never replied.
Not even his soul did.
Even with Emotion Visualization, Gavo found it hard to read the man before her.
The way his emotions formed was completely different from a normal person's. They almost never fluctuated, like a still pool of water.
Anything unusual usually meant something was wrong. That only made Gavo more curious about Raven, to the point that she kept staring at him to study every tiny movement.
Raven was rather helpless about this little one buzzing around him like a fly, but he did not stop her.
And so, the two of them returned to where the First Warband was stationed.
After gathering Sharkteeth and the others, Gavo laid out the concrete plan for the operation.
The day before the mission, all five warbands would leave the current eastern defensive line and advance, temporarily setting up their position at the scavenger settlement on the eastern fringe.
Then, after one night of rest, at dawn, the other four warbands would surge out of the stronghold and advance into the northern district in a figure-eight pattern, aiming to draw away the vast majority of the mutated freaks.
At noon, the First Warband would move out, begin cutting through the weakened northern district, and push into the western district.
The mission looked dangerous.
In reality, it was just as unsafe as it looked.
But they had to do it.
Because according to Raven, unless the node in the western district was destroyed, this upheaval would never end.
Once the mission was clarified, the First Warband's messengers immediately began coordinating with the other four warbands.
After the five sides confirmed the precise timing of every action point, they all set out from the defensive line they had held for two full months and moved toward the designated operation stronghold.
It was not an easy journey.
The mutated madmen had already seeped into the eastern district, and the place where Gavo had once grown up had already fallen into the hands of those monsters.
The moment the First Warband left the defensive line, they ran headfirst into multiple scattered enemy groups and began some very enthusiastic physical negotiations.
Fortunately, this time they were prepared.
And after two months of fighting, they had finally found the fatal weaknesses of these seemingly powerful freaks.
First, although these monsters did not feel pain, mechanical damage to the body still made it hard for them to move properly.
So severing limbs and blowing off heads were both effective ways to deal with them.
Second, they were driven by bloodlust. If guided in certain ways, they would become more likely to attack each other.
For example, if buckets filled with blood were prepared, and then Mir threw those buckets into the middle of them, the monsters, stimulated by all that blood, would immediately start tearing each other apart.
Using these special methods and techniques, the First Warband, under Gavo's leadership, passed through the fallen zone with danger but without disaster.
In the process, every member played their own role under her excellent command.
Gavo's command ability came from an achievement she had completed during two months of directing the defensive battles:
[Strategize within the tent, decide victory a thousand miles away. Achievement completed: Commander.]
[Talent acquired: Micro Manager. Your command ability is now strong enough to personally direct the task of every single soldier.]
But Raven's behavior greatly bothered Gavo.
He showed not the slightest trace of panic toward the attacks of those freaks.
Or rather, his heart seemed to have no ripples at all.
While that made it obvious he was completely unafraid of these mutated creatures, he also made no move whatsoever to help the First Warband fight.
Raven simply stood quietly in the middle of the formation, staying with the warband's supplies and Gavo's adoptive father.
He observed the battle performance of everyone in the warband, but never showed the slightest intent to step in.
That left Gavo dissatisfied.
With a body that large, if he joined the fight, he would definitely reduce the pressure on the warband.
But he just stood in the safest spot like some old man watching a show.
Still, there was nothing to be done.
The client was the boss.
That truth had remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years.
...
After ordering the First Warband to begin building the position and prepare to receive the other four warbands when they arrived, Gavo walked alone to the top of the garbage mountain and looked down over this land that now held no trace of human life.
"Sigh..."
She let out a long sigh.
Gavo still remembered the carefree childhood she had spent here. The days with her adoptive father and Old Bill had been so happy.
Unfortunately, Old Bill had passed away not long ago.
That old man who had once traveled among the stars had gone peacefully in his sleep.
He had had so many stories.
So many that even by the time he died, Gavo had still not heard them all.
Though she regretted that Old Bill never got to hear her own story in return, Gavo was still grateful that the old man had left before this great upheaval began.
At least, in his final memories, it had been Gavo and the others listening to his tales, not a blood-red sky above countless monsters roaring with blades in hand.
She silently gazed over the place, her eyes filled with complicated feelings.
Her life had gone through one turning point after another here.
There had been too many to count.
So many that after returning here once more, Gavo actually felt a trace of fear.
This time, would there be yet another unknown turning point waiting for her?
(End of Chapter)
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