"We have long intended to rescue them."
Natasha forced a bitter smile and said, "But with the current manpower of Vagrant, we'd likely become their prisoners before we could even break in."
"A direct assault is definitely not feasible." Dan Heng said, "However, if some major event could occur on Vagrant's side to draw their attention, and we take advantage of their lowered vigilance to sneak in, rescuing them isn't an impossible task."
"A major event? You mean..."
"From the perspective of the upper city's leadership, with war between the upper and lower cities imminent, the Supreme Guardian is assassinated at this critical juncture. What do you think their first reaction would be?"
"The sky has fallen." Stelle chimed in.
"Correct. Losing a key decision-maker, they would completely lose the courage for a direct confrontation. So what would they want to do then?"
Stelle spread her hands. "Avoid conflict if at all possible."
"Then what about their planned peace talks scheduled for today?"
Stelle grinned. "They would actually proceed as normal."
"...But we don't have much intelligence on this matter." Natasha raised another problem.
"It can't be considered too little, actually." Bronya fiddled with the old-fashioned phone-like device in her hand and said, "My mother sent me the specific time and location. She is also a member of the peace delegation."
"Perfect!" Stelle clapped her hands. "Then the plan is set. The four of us will disguise ourselves first, then take advantage of their focus being on the peace delegation to sneak in, find Seele and the others, and rescue them. Natasha, your group will be responsible for receiving us once we get out. Plan approved!"
"Doesn't this seem a bit too simplistic?" March 7th pondered for a moment before asking, "Never mind the rest, just the first step of 'disguise'—how are we supposed to disguise ourselves to get in?"
Stelle thought for a moment, then revealed a mischievous smile. "I have a way."
Meanwhile, beside a row of trash cans.
"Dammit, what rotten luck today, kicking an iron plate!"
The Vagrant squad leader cursed as he climbed up from the ground. The colorful ice that had restrained their legs was surprisingly hard; not only could it not be smashed, but it also remained frozen for a long time without melting.
It trapped all of them for over an hour before it finally thawed!
"Brothers, when we report back to the boss this time, make it sound really bad so the boss sends more people to teach those bastards a proper lesson!" the Vagrant squad leader said indignantly.
To his surprise, the surrounding underlings acted out of character. Not only did they not agree with him, but they also righteously criticized him:
"Boss! We were in the wrong bullying those kids earlier. Getting taught a lesson was deserved!"
"Boss! That lady was actually pretty kind, okay? She didn't even hit us, just made us stand here and reflect on our actions."
"Who's your brother? I don't know you. Go away, go away. I need to continue repenting for my mistakes."
"Buddy, if you keep badmouthing that universally super invincibly cute, kind, beautiful, and moving pink angel, I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson, alright!"
"..."
"Hey, you...!" The Vagrant squad leader was so angry he glared with fury. "Are you trying to rebel?!"
"I think your brains must have frozen solid! How can you side with that pink-haired girl from before?"
"If that pink-haired girl and the gray-haired one fall into my hands, I'll definitely..."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The Vagrant squad leader's voice cut off abruptly. He suddenly realized why his underlings were acting so out of character.
Stelle walked out from behind him, smiling and holding a baseball bat, followed by three others. "Go on, finish your sentence. You'll definitely what?"
"You... stay away from me!!"
The Vagrant leader turned and tried to run, but was knocked out cold by a strike from March 7th's Cloud Piercer.
"Borrowing your clothes. I hope you wash them regularly." Stelle said, while stripping the Vagrant squad leader of his clothes.
On the other side, the other Vagrant members didn't fare any better. A few minutes later, there were four new "Vagrant" members beside the trash cans, and a group of naked Vagrant members.
---
Cocolia sat in the peace delegation convoy, steadily keeping her eyes closed and conserving her energy. Serval had stayed in the upper city to help that Outerworlder with their appeal, canceling her originally scheduled trip. In this convoy, there was no one worth making small talk with.
They were all just a bunch of cowards.
Wildfire's headquarters was different from what she had imagined. It was a large manor, with drone soldiers stationed everywhere. Standing at the entrance of the ancient castle within the manor was a humanoid robot at least three meters tall.
"Hello, we are the peace delegation, representing the upper city to engage in friendly communication with Mr. Root."
An older, bald man tremblingly got out of the vehicle and bowed slightly towards the humanoid robot.
"Upper city peace delegation. Confirmed on the invitation list." The humanoid robot turned its head. "Hello. I am Mr. Root's current steward. I am Svarog. As you are about to enter Mr. Root's private residence, please surrender all weapons to me for safekeeping."
"This..." The bald man looked troubled. "Could you please report to Mr. Root, and ask if these Silvermane Guards can keep their sidearms? It's part of their duty."
"Proposal: Based on my calculations, the probability of Mr. Root agreeing is zero point six percent."
"This... sigh... alright then."
The bald man turned and ordered the Silvermane Guards in the convoy, "Leave your weapons behind. We'll just go in ourselves."
Cocolia didn't hesitate at all, because she herself never carried weapons. Whenever she wished, sharp ice spears could be summoned for her use.
"Hmm?"
Just as the peace delegation was about to enter the ancient castle, Cocolia's sharp combat intuition made her notice something slightly amiss within the manor grounds—did those trash cans over there just move?
No, Cocolia was certain those trash cans did move.
She looked questioningly at Svarog, but found that the intelligent robot showed no reaction. A moment later, Cocolia seemed to understand something. The corner of her lips lifted slightly, and she walked straight into the ancient castle.
"Stelle, you're pushing against me again!"
Inside the cramped space, March 7th's breathing was a bit rapid, and she said somewhat annoyed.
"I can't help it, I can't see anything."
Stelle also looked innocent. Moving while hiding inside a trash can wasn't easy to begin with. To manage it, they had specifically removed the bottom of the trash cans. But the problem was, the trash cans were really a bit small!
Thump!
A strong force came from behind, almost knocking Stelle over.
"Bronya! Not so hard!"
Stelle lowered her voice. "Your movements are too big! Don't get us discovered!"
"Tch, I've never done this kind of thing before. How was I supposed to know this posture would be so hard to move in?"
Bronya was curled up into a ball, her long legs only able to shuffle forward with minimal movement.
Dan Heng, at the very front, was exasperated. What kind of outrageous lines were these...
"Eh? Buddy, do those trash cans seem a bit off to you?"
Just then, a voice came from outside the trash cans, causing all four of them to freeze in place.