Franka never thought she would crash and burn so quickly.
Although she knew that choosing the life of a mercenary meant less than 30% made it to retirement, Franka was extremely confident in her own abilities. She enjoyed the process of battle, and as long as she was with Liskarm, she could smile and fight her way out of any dangerous situation.
This mission seemed perilous, but for the vastly experienced Franka, it was just another day at the office.
As a member of B.P.R.S, who knows how many missions involving Oripathy contamination she had undertaken. Although the contamination from the Active Originium Crystal had turned a six-kilometer radius into a barren wasteland—roughly the size of a small town or village—Franka was still very confident she could successfully contain the radiation source.
However.
Upon arriving in Siracusa, they discovered the mission was not as simple as mere containment.
The Syracusan family that hired them had withheld intelligence.
It turned out that more than one faction had their eyes on this rare Active Originium Crystal.
After she and the other members of B.P.R.S successfully contained the crystal, they were immediately ambushed by one of Siracusa's powerful mafia families. The family that had originally hired Blacksteel Worldwide had been quietly wiped out by the besieging mafia while they were busy containing the crystal.
Even with personnel on guard duty outside.
The sudden attack still resulted in the immediate sacrifice of two B.P.R.S members.
Obviously.
The enemy's target was the now-contained Active Originium Crystal.
Now.
With the client family annihilated, there was naturally no one left to pay the remainder of the commission. Theoretically, they could abandon the mission. After all, they were in it for the money.
However.
Although one of the elite Operators suggested abandoning the mission, that group of Syracusan mafia families was relentless. Even after Franka and the others handed over the Active Originium Crystal, they still tried to hunt them down and eliminate them completely.
And...
The 'killers' cultivated by these powerful Syracusan families were all incredibly formidable. While an individual's strength might not match an elite Operator like Franka, their strength was in numbers. Moreover, they seemed devoid of emotion, incapable of fear. Even with a severed arm, they wouldn't make a sound, continuing their fearless, death-defying charge towards Franka.
This cold, fierce, and reckless approach made even Franka, despite her superior strength, suffer considerable injuries.
They were like a pack of wolves that did not fear death.
Even the fiercest lion would shy away from such a sharp-edged assault.
What in the world had these Syracusan mafia families cultivated?!
They weren't human!
They were true weapons, engineered for the sole purpose of killing, devoid of any emotion.
Faced with the siege of this 'wolf pack,' even formidable mercenaries from Blacksteel Worldwide were powerless.
The other mercenaries, including the two elite Operators from the other team, were also sacrificed under the 'wolf pack's' assault. Even though they killed many enemies, it was futile.
The other side was, after all, a powerful mafia family in Siracusa.
Even if Siracusa was a weak nation.
It was still a nation.
And a mafia family with real power was not something a group of mercenaries could compare to. Dozens of 'wolves' and several hundred mafia members pursued Franka and Liskarm for a very, very long time. These people were not comparable to the gangsters in Lungmen.
As a ruling mafia, they only bore the name of a gang. In reality, the daily training of these members was in no way inferior to a country's regular army, plus there were dozens of 'wolves' whose individual strength was only slightly weaker than Franka's.
They had not a shred of hope for victory.
If they hadn't luckily entered a wilderness mountain forest with slightly complex terrain, they probably wouldn't have even had a chance to escape on a vast, open plain. Like the other two elite Operators, they would have died early under the claws of the 'wolf pack.'
There was no signal in the mountain forest; it seemed a special jammer had been set up nearby, preventing even Blacksteel Worldwide's special distress signal from being sent. Moreover, since both Franka and Liskarm were injured, the scent of blood constantly flowing from their wounds and lingering in the air was incredibly alluring to the 'wolf pack.'
They continuously followed the trail of blood, succeeding multiple times in finding the duo's tracks in sufficiently hidden places.
Even though Franka and Liskarm desperately tried other methods to stop the bleeding from their wounds, the scent of blood, imperceptible to a normal person's nose, still clearly stimulated the 'wolves'' bloodthirsty genes.
And when Franka risked sending a distress signal to Blacksteel Worldwide from the only place that might have a sliver of a signal, at the very moment the message was sent, a sharp crossbow bolt pierced through her chest.
And as she tried to escape.
An Originium demolition bomb exploded at her feet. Despite Liskarm helping to block the blast, sharp Originium shrapnel still easily pierced Franka's thigh. To be directly contaminated by Originium... even if she didn't die, she would almost certainly contract Oripathy.
Having lost her ability to resist, Franka was forcibly carried on Liskarm's shoulder as she fled frantically. However, two hours later, they still fell into the final trap, truly cornered with no way out.
The 'wolf pack' surrounded Franka and Liskarm. The sky had gradually turned overcast, and the eyes of these 'wolves' turned a bloodthirsty scarlet under the dimming light.
These 'wolves' didn't look very old.
The oldest was perhaps barely eighteen, while the youngest looked to be only fourteen or fifteen.
These boys and girls, who should have been in the prime of their youth, had their humanity stripped away by the cruel mafia family, turned into 'wolves' who only knew how to kill.
Franka lay on the ground, not daring to pull out the crossbow bolt piercing her chest. Her legs were filled with a burning pain, and it seemed that Originium crystals were already beginning to grow around the wounds on her legs.
Faced with prey that was gradually losing its ability to resist,
these 'wolves' should have immediately rushed forward to tear the two of them to pieces.
However.
The sound of a bell rang out.
These originally savage 'wolves' suddenly became docile at the sound of the bell, and for the first time, a different emotion flickered in their cold eyes.
Fear...
Fear of the sound of the bell?
"You two can really run..."
The other mafia members surrounding the 'wolf pack' stepped aside as a cadre, who seemed to hold a position of some importance, swaggered forward.
"It would have been much better if you had just died and found release earlier like those other damn mercenaries. A quick death, a quick rebirth... making us chase you for so long, a complete waste of my precious time..."
The mafia cadre's voice was flippant, as if he was in no hurry to send Franka and Liskarm to their deaths.
Like a cat that doesn't rush to kill a mouse, his eyes held only mockery.
Under these circumstances.
They had no chance of escape.
Absolutely none.
"If it were a little earlier, I might have mercifully given you a quick death, just like your companions, reporting to heaven without any pain. But now... because of your escape, I had to spend time chasing you!! My patience is limited, and unfortunately, it has now run out. You two are good-looking, but it's a pity I'm not interested in women. Another man might have cherished your beauty and been reluctant to kill you, but with me, you can only become food for the 'wolves'..."
"My 'wolves' haven't eaten human flesh for half a month..."
When these words were spoken,
Franka finally noticed that the gazes these 'wolves' directed at her and Liskarm were like those of starving ordinary people looking at food.
Franka forced herself to endure the piercing pain in her lungs, trying to buy time through conversation.
She had sent the distress signal two hours ago.
The company would definitely dispatch a rescue team immediately, and... Jessica would surely find out too.
Although Columbia was quite far from here, it would only take about two hours by aircraft...
Phew...
A little over two hours had already passed.
She just needed to stall for a little more time... stall until the rescue team arrived...
Hopefully...
They understood her coded message and sent more people. If it was just a few, they might just be coming to die with them.
"We already gave you what you wanted, why do you have to hunt us to the last! We're just working stiffs trying to make a living."
Franka began to stall for time.
And Liskarm was also looking for an opportunity.
"Do you think we need a reason to kill you damn mercenaries?"
The mafia cadre's face twisted into a cruel smile.
"Don't think I don't know you're stalling for time. You sent a distress message earlier, didn't you? You don't really think we'd be afraid of a security company, do you? So what if you're Blacksteel Worldwide..."
"Besides... so what if I let you stall for a while? Do you really think someone will come to save you?"
Liskarm's expression was incredibly grim, and Franka sighed, leaning weakly against a tree, gazing up at the gloomy sky.
Suddenly...
Her earpiece, which had been without a signal for a long time, suddenly crackled with a faint static sound.
"Senior!"
A familiar voice!
Jessica!!
This voice was like a sound from heaven, instantly bringing a glimmer of hope to the already despairing Franka.
Finally.
Franka's tense nerves relaxed. Since Jessica was here, then Lucas must be here too.
Are we saved?
Phew....
Seeing Franka suddenly relax, even looking like she wanted to laugh, a bad premonition seemed to surface in the mafia cadre's heart.
"What are you laughing at?!!"
"I'm laughing at you..."
Franka's smile grew wider, while Liskarm was a bit confused, as her earpiece had been lost long ago.
"I'm laughing at you for not giving me so much... opportunity to talk... Your only mistake was not killing us immediately.."
With that said.
Franka weakly raised her right hand, formed a pistol gesture with her fingers, and pointed her index finger at the leading mafia cadre.
Biu~
"You're about to die."
"?"
The mafia cadre was first confused, then burst into laughter.
"You must have been scared silly... This childish game... only you would..."
BOOM!!
Before the mafia cadre could finish.
A piercing sound of something breaking the air rang out clearly.
Like the sound of a cannonball exploding, behind him.
Only miserable screams and wails could be heard.
He froze for a moment.
He reached back to touch his own back....
Sticky.
On his palm was a slimy, extremely bloody mess of minced flesh.
Could it be!!
Liskarm immediately understood why Franka had just relaxed. She, too, jerked her head up.
An aircraft instantly streaked across the sky above them.
"Target hit..."
In the cockpit.
Zumama looked at the ground she had just hit through the screen and said coldly.
She hadn't aimed for the leader, as he was too close to Lord Lucas Reeve's two friends. With the large caliber of a sniper rifle bullet, it might have caused collateral damage to them.
"Little Cart! The shuttle is yours!!"
"OK~"
Lucas Reeve, occupying Jessica's body, didn't even put on a parachute. He opened the shuttle's cabin door and jumped straight out.
And Zumama and the High Priest, who had already entered the cockpit, had the cart release the launch mechanism securing the Titan.
SWOOSH!!
The Titan dropped rapidly from the aircraft, then carefully caught the falling Lucas Reeve.
"Whoo-hoo!!! The Titan's first real battle!! Let's begin!!"
In the cockpit, the High Priest stood excitedly on Zumama's shoulder, flapping his wings continuously, then pointed to a spot and said.
"Aim there!! Let's give them something fierce!!"
With that.
His wing pressed a button.
Instantly.
The armor on the back of the Titan soaring through the sky suddenly split open.
Revealing rows of small Originium missiles.
With a series of whooshing sounds.
An unknown number of small Originium missiles descended upon the disbelieving eyes of the mafia family members.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
Flames shot into the sky, and the violent shockwave sent all the surrounding mafia members tumbling to the ground. Liskarm immediately rushed in front of Franka, shielding her from the impact.
This time.
There weren't even any screams of agony.
Because.
Under the might of the powerful Originium missiles, these people didn't even have a chance to scream.
Flesh and blood flew everywhere, and those at the epicenter of the explosion were directly vaporized.
Of the several hundred densely packed mafia members, more than half were killed in this single blast... the rest were lucky enough not to have been clustered together.
"What!!! What is this thing!!"
The mafia cadre, who had been so arrogant just moments before, was now completely speechless. He was dumbfounded, his eyes staring fixedly at the crimson mech plummeting from the sky.
Liskarm lowered her shield, gazing at the 'crimson meteor' rapidly falling from the sky.
"What... is that...."
Franka shook her head: "Who knows. It's probably something Lucas cooked up again. After all, Lucas is omnipotent. I'm going to sleep first, I'm dead tired..."
Slap..
Liskarm quickly slapped Franka across the face.
"Don't sleep, Fat Fox. We were just saved. If you fall asleep now, you might never wake up..."
The next second.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone.
A crimson mech, standing over five meters tall, descended from the sky like a god, its heavy body smashing a huge crater in the ground.
And on the mech's shoulder.
Jessica's petite figure stood there.
However.
Though her body seemed small and cute, her eyes were incredibly cold.
"Lucas...? You're finally here?"
Franka, leaning weakly against the tree, asked tentatively.
"Yes, we're here."