Steel steam and flame

"They should have been allowed to evacuate together." There was this voice echoing in her heart. When Isa saw Cassia's harmless face in the crowd, this feeling became stronger. Originally, I wanted to use this mission to train the newly transferred adjutant and give him the ability to apply as an adjutant as soon as possible. However, based on the current situation, the unknown things happening in the border forest will be very serious for the team and myself. Danger.

Although she didn't know the situation at all, through the information given by another team, Isa also guessed some trends that would happen in the future. None of the speculations carry good news, except for the safe zone, which is currently the only unknown variable in Isa's thinking.

Without wasting any more time, Isa called Toynby and Muriel, and went dozens of meters away with the captain of the other team to have a simple exchange of information. Although their faces remained normal when they came back, they could feel that something had changed in their bodies.

Reaching some kind of agreement, or Isa and another team understanding the current size of the team will be a little positive help. The two teams were less than a few dozen meters apart and rushed towards the nearest safe area together.

The team also changed under Isa's order. It was divided into five squares as a whole and kept moving forward in the five-pointed star formation. Toynby and the three captains all left the team and went to Isa's side. They were on guard behind the team while discussing important matters. Cassia was at the corner of the five-pointed star. While looking at the surrounding members, she also observed the team that was traveling together.

It is very important for Cassia to get more detailed information about the team's strength and when it is the team's last line of defense when encountering danger.

At half past five in the afternoon, the light in the forest began to fade, and the surrounding darkness eroded everyone with their breathing. Something was wrong with the atmosphere, and some people began to worry. From time to time, there were small voices of conversation among the team. What everyone expected at this moment was probably that evening would come later, at least before they could successfully reach a safe area.

But within just ten minutes, several sharp bird calls came from afar, with full intimidation, as if announcing the scope of their territory to all surrounding creatures. Birdsong sounded one after another, getting louder and louder. At this time, Isa had to order the team to stop. Half a minute later, all the members went to the ancient tree. While leaning against the trunk, they randomly grabbed a few dead leaves to cover their bodies.

The branches and leaves blocked the view from the sky to the bottom, but Isa and the others knew that the source of the sound was adult hunting birds. To a certain extent, hunting birds have the sonic positioning ability of bats. Staying close to a tree trunk has a certain chance of avoiding detection by hunting birds. Half a minute later, a hunting bird flew past the sky above the team with a faint sound of wind, leaving behind several eardrum-shaking shrill cries that quickly disappeared into the distance.

"There are four patrollers in total, they seem to be looking for something." After the team moved on, Isa went with Toynby, Muriel and others, "Something happened at the border that we don't know yet. , the patrol team is definitely not just this one team, there are more in other places. This time, perhaps we can only rely on the protection provided by the safe area."

"Adjutant, there is one thing that you may need to think about in advance." Toynby's tone was very serious. He decided to say these words after thinking for a long time. "Assuming that there are special circumstances in the future, the safe area and payment The high cost cannot guarantee our safety, so... you have to know that even if the patrol team takes the money, if the number of the other party is enough to match one team, I think the final result will not be good. I have this conjecture , because we and another team encountered corpses on the route. As the other team said, both the quantity and the processing time are abnormal. "

There were a few words left unsaid, but Isa and Muriel knew what Toyinby wanted to express.

The sound of regular breathing occupied several people for a short period of time. Soon after, Isa took a gentle breath and said, "After reaching the safe area, all members will be notified to allow attacks on patrol personnel under certain circumstances."

Not knowing what Isa and the others were talking about, Cassia kept thinking about what she saw in the sound wave pulses after the hunting bird passed by. The four hunting birds are much larger than those seen in Larsa, but the focus is on what is mounted on the hunting birds. Each hunting bird hanger contained three bombs. The thing was similar to an aerial bomb, but larger in size. Each one weighed more than half a ton. Because there is no propulsion device, Cassia judged that it should be a weapon used for direct throwing, detonating by the tactile switch in front of the warhead, or it might be detonated by a time switch. A very dangerous bombing bomb that causes absolutely fatal damage when dropped in the middle of a crowd.

Cassia believed that the people on the hunting bird just now did not notice the team below. Judging from their movements, the four of them seemed relaxed and did not look like they were looking for something at all. At the same time, they did not look like they were chasing the target or supporting them.

It was as if they were spreading in their own territory, and they were not sure why they were making noises, but Cassia felt like she was being driven away. From the roars of the thirty or so places that formed the encirclement, to the calls of hunting birds at this moment, combined with Toynby's description of the patrollers, and the response methods of most of the smuggling teams, Cassia had some conjecture.

These sounds seemed to be intentional. In the forest, when the field of vision is restricted, the sounds should be the means for all teams to obtain first-hand information. The other party obviously knew this and took advantage of it. One very important factor is that the smuggling teams in the forest are all independent individuals. They are all in the unknown darkness and do not know how many people from other forces are around them. Unless they are very close together, in this huge forest, a team of fifty people is really small and difficult to meet other teams.

Cassia is roughly sure that the other party may have taken advantage of this factor, using sound as a medium of information, similar to how hounds drive sheep, gradually driving the scattered teams in the forest to a specific area.

When choosing these areas, being a safe area that everyone knows about naturally becomes the first choice.

And Cassia also believes that this will be a very dangerous idea - assuming this is a planned action, choosing a safe area that can provide safe protection for smugglers as his target can only show that no matter in terms of strength, status and In terms of power behind them, the other party is stronger than the owner of the safe area.

"What should be the best choice in this situation?" Cassia thought. If it were him, he would definitely choose to turn around and leave the trap created by the enemy. But this choice will definitely cause the death of most of the members, and Isa will definitely not give up on these people. At present, the safe area seems to be the only option, even if it is a trap, but when the capacity of the trap is not enough to hold all the prey, it will be another situation.

Evening began to fall, and the field of vision, which was not broad enough, narrowed again. At this time, the third team appeared aside. After a simple conversation, this team of about forty people became fellow travelers. It's not something to be happy about, everyone's face is full of seriousness.

Soon after, less than ten minutes away from the safe area, the number of companions increased again. Until they finally went to the approximate location of the safe area to take a brief rest, the number of teams reached thirteen, which made everyone feel that something was wrong. This is only the number combined in one general direction. The number in other directions may be less, but the total is still an unpleasant number.

Dusk had completely fallen at this time, and nearly a hundred bright flashlights were lit everywhere. The nearly 700 people around them all remained silent, each walking slowly forward with their own team.

Soon, a fire appeared in front, which was a large ball of grease burning flames, and you could even smell a little fragrance around it.

"Hello, friends of Larsa, welcome to safe area No. 5. This place can provide you with a place to rest, hot food, and more importantly, it can provide you with the necessary safety!" At this time, a loud voice sounded around the fire, and a fat figure was only a thin black shadow in the reflection of the fire. "Please line up in teams. Don't crowd or panic. There are still empty seats." Many, many. Here is a reminder that according to the current situation in the border forest, the fee is 1.5 million Flame Alliance currency per person! Thank you in advance for your care today!"

I had long known that this would be the case, but Cassia in the crowd listened to these words with a sales pitch, and always felt an indescribable sense of familiarity.

"I don't know if it's a good memory or a bad memory." Cassia exhaled and said. The look in her eyes that looked at the man changed for a few moments because she remembered many bad things.