"The so-called 'Nirvana Ceremony', also known as the 'Fire Bathing Ceremony', is a promotion ceremony unique to the Nirvana Order. The tester must accept the test, sacrifice his life to the flames of revenge and gain new life, thereby improving his personality. The crystal undergoes metamorphosis.”
Ed answered truthfully. Although this is confidential information from the Divine Bureau, since the two sides have reached a certain degree of cooperation, there is no need for him to deliberately conceal the enemy's information.
"Then do these pointy ears want to burn Silvermist City to ashes, or do they want to complete the transformation through a ritual?"
"I'm afraid it's both." Ed commented, "The Nirvana Order firmly believes that 'the more you give, the more you receive.'"
"Okay, I kinda get it."
Scar-Eyed Drake looked at his feet with his remaining eyeball, and suddenly said:
"You know, actually, as a crow, you're not that bad."
"Maybe it's because we have different understandings of the word 'good guy'." Ed replied, looking straight ahead.
Suddenly, the procession stopped. It turned out that Quinn, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped:
"I smell blood - the smell of human blood." She frowned, turned to Eaton and said.
"Understood. Hound, Three-Legged Cat, Stranger, Anvil, and Sea Monster, you guys go to the front row. Byakuya and Jellybean will guard the rear. The rest of the team will look for bunkers and spread out."
Eaton immediately made corresponding formation adjustments and put the entire team into combat mode.
In such a narrow corridor, the entire team cannot exert its due numerical advantage: intensive crossfire is very likely to cause friendly casualties, and once it encounters a weapon of mass destruction like the Blood of the Emperor, it will instantly cause death. completely annihilated.
Instead of doing this, it is better to break it into parts - arrange a team at the front that is good at medium and close assault combat to maximize combat effectiveness; the others serve as a reserve team to guard the surrounding areas to ensure that the team will not be attacked by surprise. The team advanced in echelon fashion.
Ed understood Mr. Eaton's intentions. But who exactly is 'Gummy'?
After joining the team, he carefully read the personnel roster of the East District team, but he did not remember that there was such a person. It sounds like a girl's nickname. Could it be a temporary help from another regional team?
While lowering his head and thinking about this, Ed quickly walked through the line and came to the front row.
In order to prevent them from suddenly backstabbing, the Qiaoyu Gang's team was placed alone in the middle of the team. These people have never fought side by side with the Divine Adjustment Bureau, and their cooperation efficiency is not good. It is better to let them play freely as an independent group.
"You're about to see what real fighting is, little kitten, so don't be so scared that you wet your pants."
Anvil used his arm to hammer his hammer, which was nearly a person tall. He grinned and made a look at Ed with the tip of his nose, and then put on the visor of his helmet.
"I thought I'd been involved in quite a few missions."
Ed smiled disapprovingly and moved the hammer from the safety gap to the cocking position. This orange-bearded man from the north liked to cause trouble for him as always, and he was used to it.
"It's different. What you did before was nothing more than playing dirty tricks, or sneaking into the enemy to get some intelligence. What I'm talking about is rushing into the enemy group and killing everyone like a man."
He hammered the breastplate with his huge metal iron palm, making a dull golden and iron sound:
"... Enemies are coming from all directions, and there are traps and dangers everywhere. Steel, gunpowder, and splashing plasma. Only real men can handle this kind of work."
"Yeah?"
Quinn squeezed away the anvil, dragged Ed aside and warned:
"Relax, Ed, think about the previous training. You only need to hide behind the bunker and provide the enemy's coordinate information. Prioritize your own safety, and exit the battlefield immediately if there is danger. Do you understand?"
As she said this, Quinn put her palm on Ed's shoulder. Even with her clothes and gloves on, she could still feel the warmth in her palms.
"Yes, don't be fooled by Anvil's words. He was far worse than you when he first joined the gang. He felt like he was going to die after being shot in the chest, and he thought Quinn was the Valkyrie who took him to the Hall of Valor."
The sea monster let out a gurgling laugh in the diving suit. The anvil in the distance didn't answer, and turned away in a muffled voice.
"So you are also good at using firearms?" Ed asked, looking at the double-barreled shotgun in Mr. Kraken's hand.
"What else should I take, a trident? Your prejudice against the reef people is too deep."
"Are you all ready?" The stranger, who was wrapped in bandages and a bird's beak mask, came over, his voice sounded a little leaky. He held a sickle-shaped machete in his right hand and an atomizer in his left hand.
This is a taciturn agent, and Ed only met him once when he first came to the East Division.
"Just waiting for you." The sea monster replied, shouldering the double-barreled shotgun.
"...How about we move forward first, find the source of the blood, and then confirm the next course of action with Mr. Eaton?"
After preparations were completed, the leading team searched along the source of the blood and quickly found clues——
A temporary underground shack.
A sign in marker charcoal was left in front of the door to signify "the room has been cleared." This is a special communication symbol within the Bureau of Divine Adjustment. The charcoal pen contains luminescent phosphorus, which can be retained for up to 8 hours.
Of course seeing everything is believing. Ed controlled the repaired one-eyed spider and crawled into the shack, only to see three corpses lying inside, all members of the Nirvana Order——
There were no traces of battle. The three corpses had their heads dislocated, and their expressions showed no trace of pain, as if they were not yet aware of their own deaths.
"Safe. The three headless corpses are all members of the Nirvana Order. Considering the mark on the door, it should be our people."
"Okay, let Eaton investigate the remaining clues. We must continue to move forward so that the teams at the rear can catch up."
Quinn signaled Ed to ignore the bodies in the shack. She took a breath, closed her eyes and whispered:
"There is more blood ahead, and I have a bad feeling."
More marks were discovered along the way, most of which were used to mark the route and guide the direction of the following troops.
Suddenly, the mark stopped. The smell of blood became more and more obvious, and even Ed's not very sensitive sense of smell could easily smell the disgusting smell of rust.
In the sight of the one-eyed spider climbing along the top, more than a dozen corpses fell to the ground. Apparently a fierce battle broke out here a few hours ago——
The difference from before is that this time the corpse does not have retro robes and pointed ears, and most of the faces are wearing beak masks.
