Chapter 147. Ten captains and a private

Southern Continent.

Eldorath Empire.

Frontlines.

Sector 3.

Somewhere at the edge of base c322.

In a large open garage.

Under the cool morning breeze, an aircraft rested on the ground.

Ten operatives were currently standing before the aircraft.

Five men and five women. They were all advanced rank 3 warriors.

They were captains of various powerful units from Sector 3. That’s right. Sector 3. Each one of them was selected from one of the ten bases of Sector 3 for this mission.

This went a long way to show how important Operation Frozen Canopy was.

"When is Aiden Vhorn arriving?" one of them said.

"Why was a legendary rank 2 operative added to the team? Won’t he just be dead weight?" another added.

"Indeed. Aiden Vhorn is a monster, no doubt. I don’t even give a crap about him being blacklisted. He’s extremely competent. None of us were as powerful as he is now, when we were legendary rank 2 warriors. And his accomplishments are something to respect. But this mission will definitely get him killed. He’s a legendary rank 2 warrior after all."

"Indeed. According to the briefing, Zone Zero is a very dangerous place. The environment is so harsh that our worldly energy reserves can give out quickly if we are not careful. Also, the rank 3 and rank 2 chaotic beasts there have had a century of growth and rest without any human interference. He can handle the rank 2 chaotic beasts, but the rank 3 chaotic beasts there will be very difficult for him to handle. Is Command trying to get him killed?"

"Maybe Command sees his tactical capabilities to be advantageous to the mission. He’s not someone to be underestimated even though he’s weaker than all of us."

"You have a point. According to his profile, he has excellent scouting abilities. His vision is very sharp and enhanced."

"Well, whatever the reason should be, we should not look down on the Crimson Reaper. We need to treat him well. And I don’t think we should spell it out for someone like him that he can’t afford to be dead weight or else he will get himself killed."

"You are right. Although the possibility of him dying is very high, we can’t be focusing on that. Whether he dies or lives, we have a mission to complete."

As the advanced rank 3 captains spoke to each other, a brown-haired figure with black eyes, dressed in military jackets, jeans, and sneakers appeared from the distance.

He looked extremely ordinary and casual.

Apart from his good looks, there didn’t seem to be anything special about him.

But if one looked into his eyes carefully, they’d notice that he had a very predatory, calm gaze.

Naturally, not many had the time to pay attention to the look in one’s eyes.

The ten captains saw him approaching from afar.

"Who’s that?"

"Has he lost his way?"

"No... That’s Aiden Vhorn."

"That’s him. Damn, it is pretty easy to think it’s a different person."

"I know, right? Although he looks exactly the same as he does in footages, he seems completely different in person."

"Yeah... he looks like an ordinary person. And he doesn’t have any worldly energy undulations around him. He must be wearing some aura-masking artifact handed to him by some rank 3 powerhouse he knows."

Aiden’s sight, smell, and hearing were operating at full throttle.

He was not one to let his guard down. For all he knew, these ten operatives could be tasked to ambush him during the ride and kill him.

He had been listening to their conversation from before he even appeared in their range of sight.

Through that, he had been able to confirm from their conversation that they didn’t harbor any intentions to kill him or ambush him, nor had they received any orders from anyone to get rid of him.

"Makes perfect sense," he thought. "The mission is too important to the higher-ups of Sector 3. They are all captains from different bases in Sector 3. Each of them were selected from a different base and briefed for the mission just like I have. DeepSea does not have any power over them. So, there’s no way he could have instructed them to kill me. The assassination plot is the mission itself. DeepSea only used his influence to add me to the mission to get me killed.

I gotta say DeepSea is very sly. Even though it’s obvious he’s trying to get me killed, not even these captains are realizing it. They are theorising I was added to the mission because of my tactical and scouting abilities.

Had I not chanced on DeepSea’s conversation with the Emperor and discovered that DeepSea belongs to the Paranormal Liberation Order, I would have sincerely thought that he, and the other three admirals of c322, were simply trying to get rid of me, either because they were involved with the industries I offended, or because their fragile egos were bruised because I rejected their offers to be their disciples. They really know how to stage situations to covertly hide their actual intentions.

That Emperor Leonis, the brain behind all this, is the most dangerous. The older, the schemier. Even the sharpest operatives at the base can only come to a conclusion that I’m being sent on these daunting missions because of my capabilities, or because I disrespected the four admirals and they want me dead simply because of that. But because of the kind image these powerhouses have built in front of the operatives, rarely will someone think they are sending me on these missions to get me killed."

Aiden shook his head and snapped out of his thoughts.

He finally arrived before the ten captains.

Because they were higher up than him in the military, he performed a standard military salute to them.

"At ease, Private Vhorn," one of them said.

"Welcome on board."

Aiden nodded politely. "Thank you."

"Since our final team member is here, we should depart, right?" one of the ladies said.

"Sure. Let’s leave. There’s no need for introductions. I’m sure you’ve read our profiles," another added as he spoke politely to Aiden.

Aiden simply nodded politely.

Everyone took that as a yes.

"It will be a long flight. Get in and buckle up," one of them, who specialized in piloting, said.

They entered the aircraft. The door slid with a hiss and closed.

It lifted from the ground, then shot through the clouds, leaving trails in its wake.