Fury still simmered in Xiao Yan's eyes. His body was ready to launch toward DryZone immediately, but then... like lightning flashing through his brain... some command suddenly surfaced in his thoughts.
"Master Xiao Yan, sir. Kim Min-sae is asking to see you urgently," Raven's steady, deep voice came from behind, interrupting Xiao Yan's boiling thoughts.
Xiao Yan stopped short for a moment. Some hazy memory began to clear up. Oh... right. Kim did call for us, didn't she... he thought to himself. The burning rage from moments before cooled down slightly, but his worry about the missing children remained.
"In that case... Raven," Xiao Yan turned to give orders in a voice that still carried its sharp edge. "Tell all special ops units to prepare for immediate departure to DryZone." Then he thought about Leon, the young man who'd just barely survived a brush with death. "As for Leon... let him rest first. When morning comes, he can catch up with us. By then his body should be somewhat recovered." Xiao Yan paused for a moment, his eyes showing deep concern before continuing. "Raven... take care of the kids too. Especially Leon."
"Yes sir," Raven acknowledged firmly before rushing off to check on Leon in the infirmary.
Leon was still lying weakly on the bed, his face pale but starting to show some color.
"Leon... how are you feeling?" Raven asked quietly.
"I'm... much better now," Leon replied, forcing a smile.
"Heh... you recover fast as always," Raven gave him a gentle smile before getting to the important matter. "Tomorrow morning..." He paused briefly, observing Leon's expression. "All special ops units are heading to DryZone... when morning comes... think you can handle it?"
Leon hesitated slightly. The wound was still throbbing, but his desire to prove himself... not to be a burden... was stronger than any physical pain. "Yes! Absolutely!" he answered with determination.
Raven nodded approvingly. Traffie and Mina should be back from their patrol mission soon too... probably should go find them. As for Shion... that one probably doesn't need much worrying about. After finishing that thought, Raven's figure shot out of the infirmary quickly.
The next morning...
All special ops members gathered in the training yard in front of the base, with only Leon missing.
Shion, who was standing with arms crossed waiting impatiently, finally couldn't take it anymore. She marched straight to the infirmary to fetch him herself. Her voice echoed from far away: "Hey! Leon! How long are you gonna lounge around?!"
But when she finished speaking, Shion had to stop short when she opened the door. She saw Leon had just finished getting dressed in his old, torn clothes from the last battle, with the new katana Xiao Yan had given him secured at his waist.
"Uh... all done, coming out now," Leon replied while checking that everything was in order.
The torn clothing revealed the skin and abdominal muscles that Leon had developed from his intense training. It made Shion's face flush red without her realizing it. She quickly turned away, then rushed to grab a new training outfit that was lying nearby and thrust it at Leon rapidly. "Here! Wear this instead! That outfit... it's completely inappropriate!"
"Yes!" Leon quickly acknowledged and took the new clothes to put on casually, not noticing the young woman's expression.
And finally... Special Operations Unit Four was officially assembled for the first time as a complete team: Shion, the flame-haired young woman who wielded a massive sword; Leon, the young man with a mysterious past and hidden power; Mina, the small, quiet girl skilled with various concealed weapons in the large travel bag she always carried; and Traffie, the overconfident young man whose axe skills were beyond his years. Leading this special mission team was Raven, the calm young man filled with destructive power from his steel gauntlets.
"Whoa! That new outfit looks pretty sharp, Leon!" Traffie greeted Leon with a friendly, familiar tone, even though he was several years younger than Leon.
Leon smiled sheepishly in response.
"Since everyone's ready... let's head out," Raven said quietly but with underlying firmness. "DryZone isn't too far from here. About a five-minute walk should get us there."
The five special unit members began their journey, heading toward their dark destination.
"Hey! Leon! Didn't you get stabbed yesterday? Why didn't you fight back?" Traffie asked Leon curiously as they walked side by side.
"Ah... well... I was caught off guard. Didn't have time to react," Leon answered evasively, trying to cover up the guilt that still gnawed at his heart.
Traffie nodded. "I see... Man, Master Xiao Yan must've been really disappointed in you." He was just teasing.
Leon could only laugh dryly in response. The two exchanged meaningless chatter to ease the tension.
Finally... they reached their destination... DryZone!!
Even though it was early morning with sunlight beginning to shine, the atmosphere around this area felt eerily quiet and ominously dark. The trees and grass had an unnaturally pale, sickly color, as if all life force had been drained from them. A faint, bone-chilling cold drifted in the air, along with a musty smell and faint stench of decay from unknown sources.
The entrance to DryZone was a gap between two massive boulders that looked like they'd been split apart by some kind of energy. Inside was pitch black - nothing could be seen, like the mouth of a tunnel leading to the deepest hell.
"So this is it... DryZone," Raven muttered, his eyes scanning the area carefully. "Everyone... get ready. We're going inside."
The atmosphere immediately grew tense. Every special unit member stared at that dark entrance with eyes full of both worry and determination... The DryZone operation... had begun!