“I think Red’s analysis is very accurate.”
Mason nodded.
“The other party is likely already on their way to the Twenty-Fourth Floor, so we naturally cannot afford to be idle. Let us take this path. When we in Judgment Holy Night originally conquered the Twenty-Fourth Floor, this was the way we went.”
As someone who had clashed with that Blonde Man, Mason was far more excited at this moment than usual.
Although he looked quite refined on the outside, in reality, Mason always craved battle against the strong.
And based on that previous encounter, Mason knew that the Blond Man’s strength was not inferior to his own; he might even be stronger.
However, unlike the somewhat excited Mason, Red was quite calm at this time.
His brow was furrowed, and his fingertips hovered over the Map, carefully examining every mark he had personally drawn.
A key issue was slowly surfacing.
According to the main road Mason chose, they would likely be unable to reach the entrance of the Hidden Area before the Blond Man.
His gaze involuntarily shifted toward an inconspicuous fork at the edge of the Map, marked with a dashed line.
That was a secret passage he had accidentally discovered while planning the 24th Floor conquest for Letia.
More importantly… if Dawnblade was currently advancing strictly according to the Plan he had provided, then they were very likely on this small path as well.
Now, a problem lay before Red.
Should they go this way?
But if they didn’t go this way, they would need to take a long detour, and the consumption of time would increase.
“I know a shortcut,” Red said, ultimately leaving the choice to the team’s strongest combatant, Mason.
He pointed at the Map and continued, “But if we take this road, we will likely run into the Dawnblade team. How do you want to choose?”
“A shortcut?”
Mason was slightly taken aback, keenly catching the abnormality in Red’s tone.
He raised an eyebrow and looked at Red.
“You… don’t want to run into Liz?”
“Correct.”
Red answered crisply and decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
It wasn’t that he feared Liz herself, but he knew that once they met on a narrow path, based on past experience, the other party would never let them pass easily.
Explanations, arguments, and even conflict… every second of such ‘meaningless’ consumption could be the key to the Blond Man’s Plan succeeding.
“Ha! What’s there to be afraid of?”
Hearing this, Satania immediately put her hands on her hips, assuming a ‘no big deal’ expression.
“Just ignore them and swagger right past, wouldn’t that work? Just act like you didn’t see them!”
As she spoke, she habitually reached out toward the plate of Baguettes on the table intended for dry rations, preparing to replenish some energy.
However, her hand felt nothing but empty space on the tabletop.
“Eh?”
Satania blinked in confusion and looked down to search carefully.
The Bread crumbs were still on the table, but where was the Bread that was supposed to be on top?
How did such a large pile of Bread vanish into thin air?!
“Are you… looking for the Bread?”
Tos’s slow and deliberate voice came from the side, carrying a tone of asking something he already knew, seemingly holding back a laugh.
“Yeah! Where’s my Bread?”
Satania looked left and right, nearly flipping the table over to find it.
But no matter how she searched, she couldn’t find it, and in the end, she could only question her own life with a face full of bewilderment.
“Why don’t you…”
Tos slowly raised a finger and pointed behind her.
“Take a look over there?”
Hearing Tos’s reminder, Satania turned around suspiciously.
She saw a Cerberus as sturdy as a calf that had sneaked in at some point, crouching sneakily in the corner.
Its saliva-covered mouths were currently clamped onto the piece of Bread that should have belonged to her, crunching away happily.
Bread crumbs were scattered on the ground nearby; clearly, the rest was already in its stomach.
“You stupid dog!! Give me back my Bread!”
“Woof!”
Unfortunately, with her short legs, how could she possibly outrun a Cerberus?
In the end, she could only sit back at the table with teary eyes.
“You didn’t get enough to eat?”
Seeing Satania’s despondent look, Red pushed his bowl of noodles over.
“I haven’t eaten this, you have it.”
“Ah… aren’t you hungry?”
“I’m not hungry.”
Red shook his head.
He had a bad habit where, when he was handling matters, he basically had no appetite.
It was also possible that once he got busy, he didn’t want to be distracted at all.
Therefore, even though the noodles had grown cold, he hadn’t touched them once.
“Sniff… uuuu…”
Satania was so moved that her eyes welled with tears, and a snot bubble nearly popped out.
But in the next second, the expression on her face suddenly froze for a moment, and she abruptly lifted her chin, letting out a burst of her signature, slightly neurotic queen-like laughter.
“Ohohoho~! Since you have so sincerely offered food to the Great Satania!”
She put her hands on her hips, assuming an overbearing posture.
“Then this Great One shall show great mercy and accompany you on this trip!”
“Mhm. Remember to bring that dog behind you.”
Red didn’t even lift his eyelids, his voice flat.
His gaze then passed over the still-boasting Satania and landed on Mason’s face.
“So, Mason, your decision? The shortcut that is closer but might encounter Dawnblade? Or the longer, more secure but time-consuming main road?”
Mason’s gaze swept back and forth between the two paths, his knuckles unconsciously tapping on the table.
A brief silence weighed down like something physical.
Finally, he took a deep breath, and his eyes became sharp and firm as if he had made a certain decision.
“We take the shortcut. We cannot afford to delay our time. If we encounter Liz, leave it to me to handle.”
“Good.”
Red nodded crisply without any hesitation, and his gaze immediately turned to Tos, who had been observing in silence.
“Tos, I’m counting on you to monitor any movements from the Black Church and the White Church. If there is any abnormal activity, notify us immediately.”
“You can put your heart at ease on that point.”
Tos waved his hand gracefully, speaking in a very certain tone.
“Leave it to me. I guarantee nothing will go wrong.”
After receiving a positive answer from Tos, Red stood up.
His gaze swept over Mason and the wolfing-down Satania—more precisely, the dog crouching by her feet.
“For this operation, it will be me, you, and Satania’s dog… and she herself moving together.”
“Only three people?”
Mason’s brow immediately furrowed, his face full of worry and confusion.
“While the density of Monsters on the Twenty-Fourth Floor is relatively low, if we happen to encounter a pack of Spiny Hyenas and get entangled…”
He didn’t continue, but the meaning was clear: there were too few people, the margin for error was too low, and it was extremely easy to be delayed or even fall into danger, which might instead ruin the matter.
“Regarding that, you don’t need to worry.”
Red’s tone didn’t waver in the slightest.
He calmly rolled up the Map and put it away, his movements clean and efficient, while he spoke:
“I have the means and the confidence to reach the destination without alerting them.”