It was around 6 a.m., the day was still a bit chilly, and the sun wasn't yet bright. But hurried footsteps could already be heard in the hallway.
"Hey, be careful."
"Wait, you can't go this way!"
Dahlia, who had woken up alone in her room, was now running fast toward the courtyard.
She was panicked... scared... and sad.
When she arrived at the courtyard, she didn't see what she'd expected.
The place, which had been quite busy yesterday, was now deserted.
A sleepy-looking man in a suit approached her.
"What are you doing here?"
"Where... are they?"
"They? Oh, you mean the Entropilia Technology soldiers?"
"Entropilia?"
"They're gone."
"Gone? But... didn't they just leave in the morning?"
"Yes. But the morning I was referring to was 3 a.m.."
Dahlia was shocked, regretful, and felt disapproval.
She had initially thought she could say a few words or hug Isabella one last time. But now the person she wanted to see was gone.
The goodbye was hard, and Dahlia was afraid to face it. Even so, she would face it.
Dahlia had prepared herself, but none of that happened.
Dahlia didn't understand why Isabella had just left. At least... Dahlia wanted to say goodbye or see Isabella one last time. But none of it... was what she had hoped.
The people she had been close to were leaving one by one.
Seeing Dahlia remain silent, the man slowly walked away.
For several minutes, Dahlia stood there silently, saying nothing. Then, after a while, Dahlia finally made a sound.
But by the time she did, she had fallen to her knees, and the sound she produced was only a hoarse grunt.
Even after she had prepared herself, tears were still streaming down her face.
For a long time, Dahlia cried there alone.
About 3 hours earlier...
"Isabel, are you sure you don't want to say goodbye to him?"
"We don't have time. If we don't move now, our chances of failure will increase."
They had previously anticipated that the enemy would be on guard 24 hours a day, rotating shifts.
Daytime is the time of the day when people are most active, while nighttime is the time of the day when people are least active. However, that didn't mean their guard would be any less stringent.
Since there are fewer people on guard at night, the enemy would certainly have more men on guard at night. So, in the end, night or day, it made no difference.
However, no guard is always optimal. At 3-4 a.m., people are usually still awake. Those on guard would be sleepy by then.
They were confident that this was the best time to launch an attack.
Isabella's colleagues had already left for reconnaissance. Their equipment was also prepared. Now all that was left was for their team to depart.
"I know. It's just that it might not be good for that kid to know you're gone."
"And what about me? I still can't accept what they did to me."
"You still haven't told me what happened."
"I'll be honest. It's really hard to keep up with that kid. She's sometimes enthusiastic, but she can also make things a bit gloomy. The longer I'm with her, the more I want to get out of here and finish the mission as quickly as possible. You probably don't understand how I feel, so I won't blame you. Right now, I just want to vent all my emotions on the enemy."
"Um... Okay. I'll try not to bother you for a while."
"That's better. Now let's go."
Isabella and her two companions quickly caught up with their companions.
Their car flew at a low altitude and sped off.
About 30 minutes later, they arrived not far from the base.
"You've finally arrived. We've set up traps and surprise attacks. Several automatic weapons for support have also been set up. We're ready to attack at any moment."
"I was originally thinking of taking a short break. But it looks like you can't hold out any longer, huh?" said the team leader with a hint of resignation. "Alright. Gather everyone!"
After they had prepared everything, they formed an attack formation and immediately attacked.
There were only a dozen of them, while the enemy numbered in the tens. In this case, they were at a disadvantage. However, with their thorough preparation, they managed to create a wave in the battle.
The battle had only been going on for a minute, but they had already created a commotion that made the morning tense.
Amidst the flames and explosions, Isabella landed in front of several men she had captured earlier.
"Fire!"
The men shot at Isabella simultaneously, but Isabella managed to dodge and hide behind the wall.
The men began to chase and try to surround her. However, when they reached the wall, they couldn't find Isabella.
As they frantically searched, something that looked like it was on fire appeared above them, and a barrage of gunfire immediately rained down on them.
Each shot created a small explosion that had a huge impact.
The men looked at Isabella's seemingly burning figure.
One of them tried to attack from close range, as Isabella appeared to be a ranged attacker. But as the man attacked, Isabella's foot quickly kicked him in the chin, sending him crashing to the ground.
Others tried to grab their rifles, but by then, their arms or legs were half-severed.
They all screamed in pain as they saw blood pouring from their limbs.
"I'll ask this once. Where are the others?"
They were a little confused by Isabella's question. But one of them quickly understood and quickly answered.
"They're still in that city!"
"Where?"
"We have a new location after your attack. And we... how could we tell you, you whore!"
Right after that person said that, several men appeared and ambushed Isabella.
Dozens of shots came from various directions.
Isabella quickly dodged, launching attacks in all directions.
The men who ambushed Isabella only received minor injuries due to her attacks' disregard for accuracy.
They smiled mockingly, but before they could attack again, they saw a round object fall near them.
Their eyes widened, and they hurriedly moved away. But it was no use; just as they moved, an explosion occurred.
Their bodies were hit by the blast, flying several meters away.
"Too bad. You've been registered as criminals. Therefore, there's no mercy for you! Don't let a single one escape!"
Not far away, Isabella's two companions watched Isabella leading several of their companions.
"You said earlier that she's calmed down a bit, right? Then why do I feel like she's become more aggressive?"
"That... I don't know."
As they fought, they both couldn't help but worry about Isabella's gentle nature, which seemed to be the exact opposite in battle.