Chapter 285 - 255: Might Have Brought a Genuine Female
Chapter 285: Chapter 255: Might Have Brought a Genuine Female
Late at night, Zone 15 was pitch-black and silent.
To save power, the streetlights in Zone 15 were all sound-activated.
Only the security booths scattered throughout the zone glowed with a faint light.
Tall, cold-hardy trees stood in the dim light, like loyal sentinels guarding the city.
In a tree diagonally across the street from where Vine’s team was staying, Wanai was feigning sleep with his eyes closed. His breathing was so shallow it could hardly stir the snowflakes landing on the tip of his nose.
After he’d fired that shot, the military team had begun a sweeping search of the surrounding streets. They had even found the rooftop he’d been on, forcing him to relocate.
Now, he wore an outer robe the color of the tree bark. He was nestled in the crook of two thick branches, perfectly situated in a blind spot from the street below.
He had remained motionless in this spot for five or six hours. Snowflakes had covered him completely, making him almost one with the tree.
Just then, a noise came from the direction of his target.
Wanai slowly opened his eyes, dislodging snowflakes from his lashes.
He perked his ears, listening for a few seconds while sniffing the scents carried on the wind. He keenly sensed something unusual. Gently, he rolled over, put one eye to the scope of the sniper rifle propped beside him, and carefully observed the activity in the building within his sights.
The two leading captains came out of the building and gathered their respective squads, apparently giving important orders. A moment later, the squads all shifted into their beast forms and scattered in different directions... ’To mark their territory?’
The sound-activated streetlight at the base of the building went out. The team moved with extreme quiet, carrying out their mission in the dark.
The lack of light didn’t hinder Wanai’s vision. He watched the wolf-like canids in their beast forms urinate to mark their territory every few feet. They would also roll around to spread their glandular scent, as if desperate to saturate every inch of the area with their smell.
The air grew pungent and aggressively territorial.
This wasn’t just ordinary territory marking. It was a large number of wolf and dog packs issuing a warning: this land was theirs, and anyone who got close would get a beating.
Any ordinary Beastman would have caught a whiff of this from a distance, cursed, and run for the hills.
But to Wanai, this behavior was clearly a front to hide something.
’Still, something feels off.’
First of all, if this Military Department squad was only escorting a Mimic Mixed Species, they wouldn’t need to go to such lengths.
This squad was an elite military unit. In his experience, that meant their mission was also extremely high-level.
After all, the mission he’d received from his client was to confirm if they were escorting a "true female."
The details of the mission puzzled him.
His client had specifically stressed a *"true"* female, explaining that there was also a Mimic Mixed Species in the squad and that he must be sure to tell them apart.
He already knew who the Mimic Mixed Species was.
He had set up a stakeout in Zone 15 as soon as he’d accepted the job.
He’d been observing them from the shadows ever since the squad entered Zone 15, and he’d spotted a few familiar faces.
’What a coincidence.’ He really seemed to be fated to cross paths with those three Mixed Breeds. Both big contracts he’d landed this winter had to do with them. This one, especially, was far more generous than the last.
And all he had to do was confirm whether there was a true female in the squad.
Watching the dogs’ obvious attempts to hide something, Wanai didn’t jump to conclusions.
If they really wanted to mask a female’s scent, there were far simpler and easier methods. They wouldn’t be making such a scene, practically screaming, ’We have something very important here! Stay away!’
Wanai mulled over the mission. ’It’s probably some internal struggle within the Military Department.’
The squad was an elite unit; they had to know they were being tracked. ’They might be deliberately sending out a false signal for their rivals to see.’
’But it’s also possible they really do have a true female with them.’
’But why would a true female need to be hidden away?’
This was the strangest part of the job. From what he could gather, his client was from the Military Department and wanted to use the presence of a female to gain leverage over this squad.
’But even if the squad has a female with them, what kind of leverage is that?’
’Unless... they’re traveling through a dangerous region with a female who isn’t of age.’
Forget females—even underage male Beastmen weren’t allowed in the border regions where Mutant Species roamed. If they were discovered, their guardians would be held fully responsible.
With that thought, the mission started to make sense to Wanai.
The smell in the air grew increasingly foul, so much so that Wanai’s mask couldn’t block it. He pulled his scarf up over his nose and mouth.
Just then, the sound of beating wings came from the sky.
Wanai glanced up, quickly retracted his rifle, held his breath, and shifted back behind the tree trunk.
Behind him, several Bird Clan Orcs were patrolling, spread out across the sky.
Wanai listened carefully to the birds’ movements, judging their distance to see if he needed to find a new hiding spot.
This Bird Clan squad was his biggest headache. They were an elite unit, too, which made his mission exponentially more difficult.
Just then, a Bird Clan figure appeared in his peripheral vision.
It was the leader of the Bird Clan squad.
Wanai’s back went ramrod straight, and he prepared to flee at a moment’s notice.
To his surprise, however, the Bird Clan captain didn’t spot him. Instead, he flew straight ahead and to the side without a single backward glance.
Wanai watched the bird’s silhouette shrink in the night sky. After flying no more than seven or eight hundred meters, it descended.
Wanai raised his rifle, using the scope to get a look at where the bird had landed.
’That’s... the direction of the hospital.’
’Strange. With their squad’s loadout, they shouldn’t be short on medical supplies.’
’Even if one of them was injured, the hospital’s healing potions can’t compare to what the military has on hand.’
’Unless it was a severe injury requiring the hospital’s heavy equipment. But from what I’ve seen, only the lead dog is slightly hurt, and it’s not bad enough to immobilize him. And this bird is going alone...’
Wanai had just settled on a logical explanation for the mission, but now he felt that nagging sense of wrongness again.
.
Philinos landed lightly, retracted his wings, and glanced up at the illuminated hospital sign.
This was the best central hospital in Zone 15. At this hour, aside from the doctor and security guard on night duty in the lobby, there were no other Beastmen seeking treatment.
Philinos went straight to the emergency department and asked the doctor for painkillers.
"Painkillers?" The doctor looked him up and down, asking as he started a medical file, "Where are you injured?"
Philinos said, "Internal injuries. I’ve been coughing up blood."
The doctor paused his writing. His gaze swept over the Beastman before him, identifying him as a soldier from the Military Department by his uniform and the knife at his waist.
The central area of Zone 15 had a weapons ban. The only ones still allowed to carry them were the Security Department and the Military Department.
’Zone 19 isn’t far from here,’ the doctor thought. ’This guy must be from there.’
’The Military Department’s healing potions are much better than the medicine we have here in the Middle Lower District. So why is a military man coming here for meds? Are they short on supplies?’
"Where exactly are you injured?" the doctor asked again, patiently. "I need to know the source of the bleeding to assess your condition and prescribe the right medication."
"It’s not..."
Under the doctor’s steady gaze, Philinos stopped himself from blurting out the truth. He changed his answer. "My stomach."