Chapter 3: The Cautious and Precise Elite Operators

Crouching down, Kanna lightly wiped her hand on the rocks that still carried the scent of blood. She then placed her hand under her nose and gently sniffed.

"It's not human blood! It's from some kind of wild beast. Based on what I've seen walking along the river, it looks like someone has processed a wild beast here. Could it be those Sakkaz mercenaries?" The Sakkota spoke up, and from her voice, it was clear she was female. Though there was a certain weariness in her tone, it was still strong.

"It shouldn't be them. Not to mention, the battlefield was quite far from here during the day, and this location isn't along the path those two mercenary teams would have taken. Someone else must be around here. But our mission is complete. Should we just withdraw, or check out who is nearby?"

The male Sakkaz shook his head and glanced at the direction where Kanna had left.

"Let's go check it out. The ships will pass through this line. We need to be sure that whoever it is won't affect our fleet."

The Sakkota quickly made her decision.

"You're still so cautious, Outcast."

"Same to you, Misery."

Clearly, these two were the leaders of the team. After they made their decision, the squad adjusted their course and moved towards Kanna's resting cave.

Before long, they arrived at Kanna's location. Seeing the flickering light from the fire inside the cave, the team became alert and circled around the entrance.

"The person should be inside here."

"I've looked around the area, and there's no sign of beasts, not even insects. It seems they've been here for quite a while. But something's odd. I didn't see any scouts or traps. If it weren't for that fire, I would have thought this was just an ordinary animal den."

"That's indeed strange. Even a regular scavenger should have some precautions in such a wild place. This isn't normal!" Outcast stared at the cave entrance, her expression filled with confusion.

"I'll sneak in and take a look. With my Source Stone skills, I can slip in easily unless they're top-level sorcerers." After thinking for a moment, Misery prepared to take the risk and investigate.

"Alright, we'll be ready at the entrance. If there's any danger, retreat immediately," Outcast didn't stop her, as she trusted Misery, an elite operator, to handle the situation.

Under the watchful eyes of the squad, Misery slipped into the cave with swift and agile movements.

However, after entering the cave, Misery didn't send any messages through the squad's communication channel.

Just as the silence in the channel started to make the squad anxious, Misery's voice suddenly came through the headset.

"Come in, there's no threat inside."

For some reason, Misery's voice sounded a bit odd, like she had discovered something incomprehensible.

Although Outcast didn't know what was going on inside, she confirmed that the voice in the channel was indeed Misery's. She believed no one could take control of Misery so silently and quickly. But for safety, she decided to lead the team inside. If there was trouble, she could buy time for the other operators to retreat.

Upon entering, they were greeted by a large, almost complete wild boar skeleton and a roaring fire nearby.

Further in, Misery stood in shock, her expression one of disbelief. At her feet, Outcast could clearly see a young girl lying on a bear skin, quietly sleeping.