Looking at the traces of battle left behind, Kolin frowned in deep thought.
From the analysis of the marks, the duration of the fight was very short, ending almost in an instant. The local Special Incident Handling Squad had been swiftly and completely dealt with by the Half-Faced Girl after encountering her. This could only mean that the Half-Faced Girl was absolutely powerful, far stronger than the initial estimate of Level 65 to 70. She was likely Level 75 or above.
Thinking this, Kolin couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. Although he and the others had experienced many high-risk incidents, situations where they directly faced an enemy above Level 75 were still very rare.
And now, their team was even missing an expert mage like Hifny, making this already high-risk event even more difficult to handle.
Kolin began to consider whether to call for reinforcements, asking Special Incident Handling Squads from nearby areas to come and assist. But by the time they arrived, Laura and Xiaolan would likely have no chance of survival.
They had to race against time now. Kolin thought with frustration.
Liyami stood to the side, her gaze fixed intently on Kolin. She knew he was troubled, agonizing over the various challenges ahead. Yet, she couldn’t be of much help. After all, she was just an Assassin, not the Squad Leader. She didn’t have Kolin’s high Level and couldn’t accomplish as many impressive feats. All she could do was quietly stay by his side.
Lavinia remained on guard nearby, not letting her vigilance slip. Eleanor, meanwhile, attempted to continue praying, hoping to receive the “Holy Light’s” guidance once more.
Kolin looked around the group and finally made up his mind. He first turned to Liyami and slowly opened his mouth. “Liyami, can you go back first and fetch our equipment? We left in too much of a hurry. I didn’t even have time to put on the Temple Armor. Could you go back and get it for us?”
Hearing Kolin’s words, Liyami had no thought of refusing. Although his request gave the impression of sending her away to keep her out of the upcoming fight, Liyami knew that while Kolin would worry about her, his protective instincts weren’t so strong as to go that far. If he asked her to go back for the equipment, that was probably the real reason.
Moreover, she truly was the most stealthy person present, and her speed wasn’t slow either, making her well-suited for this task.
With that thought, Liyami didn’t delay any longer. She immediately melted into the shadows and headed towards the villa at her fastest speed. This left Kolin, who had been about to say something more, momentarily stunned. He awkwardly opened his mouth, ultimately missing the chance to finish what he was going to say.
He had originally intended to ask Liyami to take Laine back with her, as there was no real use for him staying here anyway.
However, upon second thought, Kolin considered that Laine might still be of some use. The known culprit was that Half-Faced Girl; everything that happened on Sunlight Island was her doing. Kolin and the others would undoubtedly face her directly soon, and it was unlikely they could resolve the situation quickly.
During that time, Laura and Xiaolan’s fate remained unknown. Laine could be tasked with searching for them while they were engaged with the Half-Faced Girl. Although this plan also carried significant risk, sending Laine all the way back to the villa now would be a waste of precious time. At worst, they could have Laine hide in a safe corner and stay out of the fight.
Thinking this, Kolin nodded, feeling the idea was workable. He turned to look at Laine and waved him over.
Seeing this, Laine walked towards him. Kolin immediately explained the plan. After listening, Laine hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding in agreement.
Seeing this, Kolin said no more and turned to check on Eleanor’s prayer progress.
Laine stood silently where he was, lost in thought for a moment. He wasn’t pondering what to do next, but rather why he had just agreed to Kolin’s plan. Shouldn’t he, who was supposed to be afraid of death, have refused?
As he thought, Xiaolan’s face suddenly popped into his mind, and he recalled some of her recent actions. Like inexplicably giving him flowers, even though he had never kept plants like that. Or frequently inviting him out, despite not even having her own work in order. Or always trying to please him, giving him strange little things or doing favors, making him simultaneously annoyed yet unable to bring himself to scold her.
This series of memories instantly stunned Laine mid-thought.
What… was this situation? Could it be that I agreed because of her? No, that’s impossible, right? How could I possibly…? Never mind. I’ve already agreed to Leader Kolin’s plan. There’s no use thinking about this now. I should focus on what to do if I encounter danger later.
Although the sudden thought of Xiaolan’s face complicated his emotions, Laine quickly adjusted his state of mind. He pushed aside the messy thoughts and focused on the potential situations ahead, considering what countermeasures might be effective.
Meanwhile, Eleanor completed her prayer once more. The Scepter once again emitted a faint glow, pointing in a specific direction. Kolin briefly explained the plan regarding Laine and suggested the team slow their pace slightly to wait for Liyami’s return.
Lavinia and Eleanor had no objections, so Kolin led them and Laine forward.
Following the direction indicated by the faint glow from the Scepter, Kolin’s group advanced slowly. This was not only to wait for Liyami but also because the further they went, the more likely they were to encounter the Half-Faced Girl. It was hard for everyone in the squad not to grow tense.
Their gazes became more vigilant as they scanned their surroundings, and their movements grew more cautious, afraid of attracting unnecessary attention. Under such conditions, the team’s progress could hardly be called fast. Yet, they hadn’t traveled far before encountering a situation that left everyone slightly astonished.
Guided by the faint light, Kolin and the others pressed forward, finally passing through the not-too-large woods. But the path laid out before them left everyone somewhat surprised. Laine even began to wonder if Miss Eleanor’s guidance had gone wrong.
But Eleanor showed no particular reaction, as if she had seen similar situations many times before. Kolin was the same; after a brief moment of initial surprise, he quickly returned to normal.
What appeared before them after passing through the woods was not a house or a road, but an ordinary cliff. The sea breeze swept over the cliff top, bringing a slight chill to their lightly clothed bodies. The faint glow from Eleanor’s Scepter, upon reaching this place, ceased to shine further and gradually dimmed. It seemed they had reached the destination of the guidance.
Kolin slowly moved to the edge of the cliff. After confirming that the surroundings were indeed empty except for this cliff, he turned his gaze downward.
Below the cliff, aside from the sea, there was only a cluster of reefs being battered by the waves. Although the weather wasn’t great, fortunately, the waves weren’t fierce, merely lapping gently among the rocks, washing over them from time to time.
Kolin looked down over the cliff edge for a while, and the corners of his mouth gradually began to curl upward.
He turned back to look at the group and said with a hint of satisfaction, “It seems we’ve found her hiding place.”
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