Chapter 209: Strike Force—Planned Eradication

Exactly three days later, Auren, accompanied by Neffi, enters the largest container building at the port, while the others wait outside in front of it.A little larger than last time—and seemingly completed over the last months since he first entered it after arriving at Landing Site A—Auren can’t help but be astounded by the transformation.

Gone are the dirt, dust, and the workers, replaced by an almost futuristic metallic structure, created out of old containers, transformed into a metallic tower, crudely reinforced from the outside, appearing sturdy and reliable.

“Doesn’t look so bad anymore,” Neffi notes, smiling. “You know, I didn’t mention it, but the Elders visited the airship almost daily. Lately, that frequency has dropped quite a bit. No wonder—this place is beginning to look really good.”

It’s true... it’s quite impressive. Living up here wouldn’t be so bad. I like this design.

“Yes,” Auren replies, “but this place has reached its limit. It’s decent now, but sooner or later, the Elders, along with the administration staff, will move on.” He looks around as they walk. “As far as I can tell, this is only a temporary city. In the long run, it’ll be transformed into the port district, while the real city will be built where all those tents are now.”

He gestures vaguely toward the direction of the camp. “Construction has already started, as you know. Lately, all they’re building here are warehouses.”

“Yeah,” Neffi says with a nod, “with an endless amount of high-quality lumber, that’s only natural. This container city gave them a head start and temporary shelter, and later they can turn it into a port district. So there won’t be any waste.”

They quickly make their way up to one of the upper floors.

Immediately, they see the three Elders standing in the middle of the floor, speaking in low voices. Auren notices right away that all three look worried—uneasy, even.

“Ah, Vice-Leader Auren,” Elder Kirda calls out, waving at them. “It’s nice to see you as well, Neffi.”

“Are you prepared, Vice-Leader?” one of the male Elders asks. “Admittedly, I don’t feel comfortable with you participating in this operation—much less leading it personally.”

“Indeed,” the other male Elder says at once, backing him up. “If something were to happen to you, how could we explain that to Lady Rakshala? How could we explain it to the people?” His voice lowers. “They are viewing you as a god—rightly so. If you were to fall, morale would plummet.... Simply put, whatever the cost to keep you out of the operation, it’s worth paying it to guarantee your safety.”

“Elders...” Auren says, drawing Eternity and activating Ren. “Do you think some mere beasts are capable of threatening my safety?”

“I...”

“No...”

Both male Elders stammer, clearly shaken by his Aura.

“Of course not, Vice-Leader,” Elder Kirda says, gulping once. “But you never know... a stray bullet, or the explosives we’re carrying with us.”

A stray bullet... these Elders might be loyal and skilled in leadership, but they are certainly not experienced when it comes to combat and war.

“Bullets can’t even penetrate my armour,” Auren replies. “Even without Nen, I could handle them just fine.” His tone hardens. “That will be all regarding my participation. Is that clear?”

He lets a beat pass, then continues as if nothing happened. “In any case... is there anything I should know? Has anything changed? Give me a last-minute briefing.”

“No new information,” Elder Kirda relays. “But we have secured the area from all directions. Whatever is in there is smart, and this will probably be far more difficult than we estimated. That’s why I didn’t want you participating. Forest worms, giant bears, beavers, wolves, foxes, dangerous plants, diseases... the forest is full of dangers. Yet whatever is in the heart of it seems to be even more dangerous and frankly, more intelligent.”

“Our soldiers are not only skilled and well-trained, but extremely heavily armoured,” one of the male Elders explains. “They are all carrying heavy rifles, and we have a full troop equipped with rocket launchers and even flamethrowers. Every single soldier is also carrying grenades. They are specifically equipped to kill whatever beasts are hiding there. We are even prepared to burn down the entire forest if things are too dangerous otherwise.”

The other Elder immediately adds, “All troops will gather at Outpost 7.” He pulls out a map and points toward the northern end of the forest, near its centre.

“As you know, we have outposts on the northern and southern parts of the forest, while our main settlement, Landing Point A, is in the east near the bay,” he continues. “The northern and southern route is already connected by road—that’s what we have been working on so hard for with our heavy machinery, which we paid a fortune to ship here. We already started to construct another road in the west, connecting the northern and southern forest routes, and preparing the foundation for a large city there.” He taps the area west of the forest. “West of the forest are plains. We think they make for exemplary farmland, suitable for raising crops and animals. So you see, we essentially have the forest surrounded from all sides.” He pauses, then finishes the point. “We wanted one more outpost in the centre of the forest, and wanted to connect it with another road, adding one more road leading from north to south. That’s where our scouts went missing.”

“Okay,” Auren says slowly. “So we’re approaching from Outpost 7, which is in the north. Is that a smart idea? What if whatever is inside flees to another side? Worst case, the southern outposts will be overrun.”

“All sides have been surrounded,” Elder Kirda answers. “We have set defensive barriers, and there are hundreds of soldiers stationed on each side. Only the strike force will approach from the north.”

“I see,” Auren says with a nod. “You thought this through. I guess all that’s left is to cleanse whatever is inside.”

“Cleanse?” Neffi asks, sounding a little doubtful. “I mean... is that really necessary? Aren’t we talking about beasts... or animals here?”

“We are essentially invaders to this ecosystem here,” Auren replies, his eyes growing cold. “As such, we can’t be half-assed. Whatever is inside will be exterminated... for our future. We are not NGL who try to live in peace with nature. Franky, we are hostile invaders. Surely later down the road, we’ll try to retain some parts of the forest, but for now, we don’t have that luxury.”

“Exactly,” one of the male Elders says. “The Vice-Leader is correct, little Neffi. Surely you don’t want to put some beasts—mere animals—above us?”

“Yeah, yeah, save your speech,” Neffi says, pouting. “I just think it’s rather cruel... these animals are just defending their own home.”

“Sacrifices are necessary,” Auren announces. “It’s our job to make sure it’s not us who have to make them.” He looks at her directly. “Neffi, there is no need to participate if you don’t want to, whatever is in there... it will end in a slaughter.”

“No... I know it needs to be done,” Neffi says. “Forget I said anything.”

“Good,” Auren replies, nodding once. “We’ll take off then. I suppose you prepared a car for us?”

“Of course,” Elder Kirda replies. “Please be careful, Au—Vice-Leader. All supplies are already ready at Outpost 7. You’ll assume full command. The others will brief you and obey your orders.”

“Expect good news soon,” Auren says, turning around.

“Are you sure about this, Auren?” Neffi asks him quietly as they walk away. “You’re taking command?”

“Might as well,” Auren responds. “I should be able to judge the situation accurately, especially with Leira at my side. More importantly, with me at the forefront, I can personally intervene should anything unexpected show up.”

Joining up with the others, Auren briefly explains the situation as the group heads toward a garage on the docks.

Entering the large garage filled with different vehicles, one of the employees immediately escorts them to a suitable off-road vehicle, its sides reinforced with metal sheets.

“Damn, that thing looks sweet,” Vanessa says, immediately taking the driver’s seat.

“You can drive, Vanessa,” Auren says, sitting next to her. “If you keep your... enthusiasm in check.”

“Of course,” she replies.

“I swear, if we crash...” Neffi mutters from behind, sulking a little.

“So what is the plan, Auren?” Vanessa asks as she immediately speeds up, drives out of the garage, and onto the dirt roads, heading straight for the forest.

“We meet up with the main team at Outpost 7... just take the Northern Forest Road until we arrive there. It’s the third outpost,” Auren explains, directing Vanessa where to drive.

“I guess... the Northern Forest Road is this one?” Vanessa asks, driving to the right.

“You know where north is. Congratulations...” Neffi mutters.

“Neffi, stop it,” Auren says, slightly annoyed. “In any case, we have armed men everywhere—on the northern road, the southern road, every outpost along the routes, and even in the west.” He says, trying to reassure them. “The east, where the landing point is, is guarded by tall watchtowers and massive wooden palisades. We enter from Outpost 7, the closest point to the centre of the forest, and we eradicate whatever is inside.”

“Eradicate...” Leira repeats slowly.

“Yes,” Auren repeats. “We eradicate whatever is inside. You can analyse whatever we find after it stops moving.” He pauses before his voice grows cold. “Worst case, we burn down the forest.”

“Hell yeah, that’s cool!” Vanessa says, grinning as she speeds up in celebration.

Leaving Landing Point A behind, she drives into the forest. The road is freshly created and in surprisingly good condition, carved through the wilderness by heavy machinery, as the earth has been tightly compressed into a sturdy, drivable road.

“It’s a dirt road, Vanessa,” Auren warns. “Don’t crash the damn car. There isn’t a gas station or a mechanic nearby. If we crash, we’ll have to wait until help arrives, and our whole plan is in danger. Hundreds of people waiting... surely you don’t want to be responsible for that?”

“I... I’ll be careful,” Vanessa replies, a drop of sweat rolling down her forehead.

“Hehe,” Neffi snickers in the back.

After driving for a while, the group finally spots a large outpost in the distance, surrounded by huge wooden palisades.

Even before they get close, a wide wooden gate opens for them. They drive over what resembles a moat, then pass through into the outpost.

Large wooden buildings fill the place. Construction is happening everywhere, and at least five different sawmills, staffed with dozens of workers each, are working hard to produce usable lumber.

Vanessa mostly ignores the camp and keeps driving, aiming straight for the exit on the opposite side of the entrance.

“Don’t run someone over,” Neffi warns, since Vanessa is still driving fast.

“I swear, you two, if you bicker one more time, I’m leaving you behind... both!” Auren says, now louder, his patience at its limits.

“Fine...” they both say in unison.

Continuing on, the group passes more and more outposts. Finally, they arrive at their destination.

They don’t even need to enter the outpost itself. Auren already sees hundreds of heavily armed soldiers gathering outside, forming up in front of it.

“This is so cool... and to think we’ll be in charge of them,” Vanessa mutters.

“I’ll be in charge,” Auren corrects her immediately. “I need you to obey orders. This is not a joke. Can you do that?”

“Of course,” Vanessa replies, grinning.

“I wish I had your mental strength, Vanessa,” Eren admits, sounding a little defeated.

“Don’t,” Neffi whispers to him. “She is just crazy.”

Auren, who manages to pick up Neffi’s whisper, turns around and glares at her, who pretends she didn’t say anything and closes her eyes.

Parking the car beside several others, the group exits and approaches the large band of soldiers.

As they draw near, everyone immediately stills and salutes, then says in unison, “Welcome, Vice-Leader Auren.”