Zhongjie: Polar Camp

"You're calling her Yuki now, something happen between the both of you?" Fei observed, turning away from the paper maps hanging on the control room walls.

"Nothing happened. He just decided to because we've known each other for long enough now," I answered, shaking my head.

"What? You really are an idiot, Long. But, you've changed a bit since we first met," Fei responded, laughing afterwards.

"I'm still the same. Being here is proof of that," Zhuyu pointed out, staring at the tundra.

"Oh, didn't you volunteer to be a part of this?" Fei countered, handing him documents.

"You dragged me here after we fought your sister and included me as part of this plan," Zhuyu replied with a sigh.

"Because you're such an obedient dog, people started calling you the Servant Dragon," Fei said.

"You're sure a dragon piece is there?" Zhuyu's face turned serious.

"I've already confirmed it with my scouts. My dear sister was nice enough to collaborate it too," Fei answered.

Zhuyu, En, and I were here to support Fei's operation to storm one of the last remaining bases that the new Black Lotus built. It also doubled as a retrieval mission for another piece Zhuyu required to unlock his full powers. Kyoi already went ahead with the scouting team and was in position near the location. The three of us would serve as the main attack force while most of Fei's team infiltrated the base for information.

"Why would they build something here? Doesn't it take too many resources to constantly maintain?" I questioned.

"Yes but no one would ever think about coming up here. Besides, if our data is correct, these are all people connected to my father. And they would know how to run anything from anywhere without even thinking about resources first," Fei replied.

"Let's just get this over with," Zhuyu said, finishing reading all the documents Fei handed him.

"Someone isn't excited at all. Tell me, Long, how does it feel to work with me again?" Fei asked him in a serious tone.

"Same as always. The only difference this time is I don't have to worry about protecting you first," Zhuyu answered.

"Very direct. Okay, make preparations to head out!" she directed, departing from us for now.

'Protecting you first?' Oh, I recalled reading about Zhuyu's time as a royal guard. So that's what he meant. Was I reading too much into how she asked him that question?

"Tomo, something bothering you?" En asked as we inspected our gear.

"Nothing really. Just thinking about how Zhuyu and Fei know each other pretty well. The way they talk, it's like how he would talk to Kyoi," I observed.

"Long worked for Fei as a personal bodyguard. That might be why," En revealed.

"Yeah, read about that in the records. I'm surprised you weren't part of that," I said.

"Kyoi told Long to do it. She told me to join the guild," En responded.

Oh, were we having an actual conversation? Seemed like En was much looser today and was willing to share information. Gotta keep it up before this turned into awkward silence!

"And that's how yet met Kang, right?" I hoped this was enough to maintain the conversation.

"Yeah. Kang's special though. He works for the guild but also does stuff for President Shuyin too," En revealed and pointed out a loose strap on my pack.

"So that's why the twins were there today. Did Zhuyu do anything for Shuyin?" I wondered.

"Zhuyu does a lot of things. Hard to keep track of," En answered.

"You realize that I can hear everything you're talking about, right?" Zhuyu pulled the straps on his packs while glancing at me.

"I know you won't tell me anything, Zhuyu. It's why I have to ask En. He's much more cooperative than you or Tess. Both of you are stingy with information," I accused him.

"You got me, Yuki. But, Tess told me to keep my mouth shut. I don't want to end up doing one of her punishment courses," Zhuyu replied.

Damn it, my plan to extract information out of En was foiled now! Zhuyu pulled En aside, speaking with him about the material in the documents. His friend stared at him with a blank look. The stuff in there was super dense so that didn't surprise me. Even I had difficulty comprehending the entire thing.

"Just make it easy for me, Long," En pleaded, confusion on his face.

"Take these guys out first. We'll move up here and then let Fei's people do their thing. From there, we have to handle any enemies that come through," Zhuyu explained, tapping a red pen against a nearby desk.

"What? That's crazy!" En stared at his friend in surprise.

"Fei's plans rely on the fact Feng trained us. It would freak me out if she actually made it easy," Zhuyu said with a shrug.

"At least Tomo and Fei will be with us during that part," En responded before sipping his cup of tea.

Polar Section Beta: Near Enemy Camp

"Anyone we know in there?" Zhuyu peered through a pair of binoculars.

"None of the people you or Zhang fought at least. I'm sure there's plenty of people who want to avenge Black Lotus'destruction," Fei answered, watching steaming video from a drone one of her team members piloted.

"Fei! There are sightings of businessmen previously associated with your father's inner circle. They've taken great care to not have anyone discover that they traveled here. Most have arrived ins personal aircrafts equipped with anti-tracking measures," a uniformed woman reported before saluting.

"Thank you for the information. Remember, don't be so stiff. The enemy could find us anytime!" Fei warned, her eyes darting from the screen to her subordinate.

The former princess turned off her screen. An intense stare directed at me then followed. What was she thinking? From experience, I wasn't expecting good news.

"Long, if you feel comfortable addressing Yuki by her given name, then you must acknowledge her skills to some extent," Fei said, glancing at the man.

"Not sure why that's relevant but you're right," Zhuyu confirmed.

Why did compliments about me always come with a disclaimer? I was glad Zhuyu recognized me as a competent teammate. However, Fei's statement made it seem like I wasn't quite at the level of someone say like Ichaival. That made sense. He knew everyone else way longer than me. It was only natural he was more comfortable around them. Still, Zhuyu was pretty reserved, so it did shock me when he used my first name in the student lounge.

"Can she handle fighting a tough enemy with limited backup?" Fei pointed her finger at me.

"Yeah, she's more than capable. Hmm, okay I understand what you're trying to do," Zhuyu realized and nodded.

"Great. Tomo, we'll leave it in your hands when the time comes," Fei decided.

That wasn't reassuring at all. Not to mention, they left me out of the loop too. I sighed, used to this kind of thing by now. Five minutes later, we were all in position to carry out the operation.

Armed mechanical solider patrolled the area outside of the entrance to their base. These were powered by strong magic. I could feel the immense strength emanating from the contraptions. In addition, drones flew overhead, covering any blind spots.

"They really don't want anyone getting in," I commented.

"The drones will be easy to take care of. Zhang, you can handle those down there," Fei said, glancing upward.

The dual elemental user nodded. Fei snapped her fingers and then ordered us to head downward. The drones continued flying and didn't fire at any of us even though we were in their line of sight. Oh, that's right, she probably just blocked their vision with her powers. Although, wouldn't that immediately alert anyone inside?

"Anyone watching the feed from these guys won't see anything. We've infiltrated their systems and replaced it with a loop that looks normal," Fei said.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" I stared at her in surprise.

"The look on your face tells me everything. Zhang, your turn," Fei responded, tapping the man's right shoulder.

Zhang sped toward the enemies, a yellow blur. Electric sparks flew into the air as he jumped from one solider to another instantly. Twenty seconds later, all of them were on the ground, smoke billowing from their metal chests.

"What just happened?" I was still processing his instant takedown of over twenty enemies.

"Hmm? Oh, Zhang can do that. As long as they have something on them that conducts electricity, he can travel between all those targets super fast. Doesn't work if they have some kind of magical defense," Zhuyu explained.

"Would have been nice if you taught me that!" I exclaimed.

"That was the plan for the next training camp. Besides, we don't want to overwhelm you with everything at once. You're handling a bunch of things at once. It takes time to process, Yuki," Zhuyu revealed.

I swear, Zhuyu was as blunt as Tess sometimes. But I understood where he was coming from. His tone was sincere at least.

"What's next, Fei?" Zhuyu stepped over one of the mechanical soldiers.

"Brace for the incoming wave of enemies. We'll draw their attention and everyone else will head in," she answered.

The front gates to their base opened. One lone person exited the main entrance. He was unarmed and wore a white lab coat. He sauntered over to us at a slow pace, hands in his coat pockets.

"Lady Fei, it's been awhile since we've last met," he greeted her.

"Doctor Li, you're still alive," she responded.

"You appear to be in good health. Now, I'm not a fighter, so I wish to resolve this situation peacefully if we can," Doctor Li suggested.

"Who is he?" I whispered to Zhuyu and En.

"The one he invented those drones and these things," Zhuyu replied, motioning to the fallen mechanical soldiers.

"Doctor Li, if you're here, then I can only assume you're working with what remains of the Black Lotus," Fei said.

"Lady Fei, I served your father. I will not condone any of the actions he made during his time as our leader. However, what we have right now is something even he would not wish for," Doctor Li responded.

Fei remained silent. All of a sudden, bursts of intense light appeared behind Doctor Li and materialized into a solid beam that pierced through his body. Wait, wait! Did she just kill him in cold blood? Fuck, I wasn't ready for this at all.

"Relax. He's just a shell," she assured me, pointing at the burning lab coat.

"Hold on, is he really the guy that invented all of these?" I turned to Zhuyu.

"Yeah, these are all his designs. I fought against these things all the time when I worked for Fei," Zhuyu confirmed.

"The enemies are coming. Get ready!" Fei warned.

A swarm of mechanized enemies charged towards us, firing both magic and physical projectiles at us. The former princess whispered into my ear before firing a glowing orb of light into the air. She glanced over at Zhuyu and En, making a signal with her hands. Lightning bolts struck the dual elemental user's katana, charging his weapon. He switched it into its greatsword form before slamming the entire blade down. A massive streak of electricity cut through the horde of enemies, clearing a pathway. Zhuyu gave me an apologetic look before thrusting his left palm into my back. I was sent flying into the electric line created by En's weapon and was transported into the building interior by it. Fei's orb of light exploded, blinding everyone in its vicinity.

Oh, a portal! The main entrance wasn't even a real doorway. I passed through the shimmering light and was now in an abandoned laboratory. Broken vials, cracked screens, and canisters of various sizes were all piled in a corner. A nauseating chemical smell lingered in the air. Someone approached me, offering their hand out.

"Took you long enough, Yuki," Kyoi greeted me.

"Should have known you already be in here so fast," I commented.

"Fei was generous to let you handle everything. Don't let her down. You're the main star today and I have to make sure nothing bad happens to you," Kyoi replied and walked ahead.

"I'm surprised you're not setting the entire place on fire," I remarked, exiting the laboratory.

"You have such a low opinion of me. Besides, there's still valuable information here. No reason to destroy it without getting everything we need first. More importantly, can you handle retrieving the next dragon piece for Long?" Kyoi glanced over at me, a serious expression on her face.

"I can do it. It's about time I really show what I can do," I answered, nodding with determination.

"That's what I want to hear. Behind this door is where you'll fight the person who has it. Unlike the battles you've done before, we won't be there directly as backup. Of course if you get into trouble, I'll get to you as fast as possible," Kyoi said, leading me to my destination.

"What are you planning on doing?" I asked.

"Gathering data for Tess and helping out her team," she revealed, flashing a grin before dashing off.

I took a deep breath before placing my hand on the doorknob. Okay, Yuki, time to destroy whoever was waiting inside! I learned enough over these past few months especially during the training camp to handle most enemies. I didn't know for sure but this definitely felt like something Tess set up in advance with Fei. Let's do this!