The Resurrected Beast and a Grim Mission

“Hello? It’s me, Jiang Chen…”

“Old man Jiang? You old geezer, in the middle of the night… Never mind, out with it, what’s up?”

“Ming Yu, do you remember the mission you completed four months ago, the hunt for the mutated sea serpent, Jörmungaṇḍr?”

Jiang Chen, abandoning his usual enigmatic manner, spoke with a grave tone, getting straight to the point.

Upon hearing this, Ming Yu paused slightly. She carefully disentangled herself from Little Nightingale’s octopus-like embrace, pushed back half of her blanket, sat up, and then swung her legs out of bed.

Perhaps a painful memory had been stirred, as Ming Yu clutched her head, her hazy drowsiness gradually fading.

Barefoot, she walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, reached out to pull the curtain open just a crack, and gazed out at the neon glow of the city that never sleeps, her eyes distant and unfocused.

“Of course I remember. How could I ever forget…”

****

Ming Yu could never forget those golden eyes she had personally extinguished.

The thermal cutting blade had severed Jörmungaṇḍr’s spine, its terrifying heat melting the nerves at the incision. Within mere seconds, the colossal serpent’s body was paralyzed, unable to move.

She could no longer recall how many times her crimson blade had risen and fallen.

It was only when an uncontrollable fury had completely incinerated the enormous serpent’s form that exhaustion forced her to stop swinging the blade, leaving her to stare blankly at the deep crimson spreading across the surrounding sea.

Whether it was the sailors used as bait by Jörmungaṇḍr, or the hunter teams dispatched to hunt it…

All died.

Everyone perished, save for herself.

They returned to the deep sea, their bones vanished without a trace.

****

Plunged deep into her past, Ming Yu’s thoughts were mercilessly interrupted.

Jiang Chen asked in a low voice:

“A few hours ago, on the outskirts of the northern Pharos patrol waters, we detected signs of an S-class sea beast’s vital activity.”

“After comparison, it was confirmed to be Jörmungaṇḍr’s hunting activity.”

“This time, seventeen large vessels, laden with tens of thousands of Dresa refugees, all perished.”

“This incident shook the Pharos high command. Fujiwara Tachima unexpectedly launched an attack during an emergency interim council meeting, bringing up your dereliction of duty.”

“Ming Yu…”

Jiang Chen suddenly sighed, his aged voice filled with helplessness.

“The facts are undeniable; I have no choice…”

“You need to prove your worth to the council, to atone for your past actions…”

“That patrol mission I arranged for you previously? It needs to be put on the agenda…”

****

Her holiday abruptly ended.

Ming Yu removed her earphone, her face utterly grim.

Jörmungaṇḍr had won the resurrection match.

What kind of joke was this?

If that were true, what was the point of Viktor’s sacrifice?

She turned her head, her gaze falling upon Little Nightingale’s serene sleeping face, and a fire seemed to burn within her heart.

Little Nightingale’s birthday was in six days.

It would take at least two days to reach the outer patrol waters from here, making it four days for a round trip. Adding in time for pre-battle preparations and a target search, she would have barely two days to spare.

Ming Yu took a deep breath, steeling her resolve as she pondered the urgent matters at hand, her pacing gradually quickening.

“Cough, cough—”

She habitually raised a hand to cover her mouth and nose, ignoring the bloodstains on her palm, and put on her earphone again, dialing the communication number of a nearby gene clinic.

Perhaps due to the suspension of gene injections, Ming Yu felt her coughing wasn’t as severe lately, though she still coughed up blood every few days. However, apart from occasional chest tightness, she felt no other discomfort.

Soon, communication was established, and the AI customer service voice from the gene clinic came through her earphone.

“Esteemed Ms. Silver Kite, this is Inner City Gene Clinic No. 75. How may I assist you?”

“A gene activation inhibitor, the one you let me sample last time… Please prepare twelve micro-doses for me; I’ll pick them up later.”

“Understood. Your request has been forwarded to a human representative. Is there anything else you require?”

Ming Yu fell silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

“And a few doses of the powerful new gene strengthening injections, please.”

****

Ming Yu hurried to the Outer City Port before dawn, meeting her colleagues for this trip at the designated location.

Had it not been for the Jörmungaṇḍr incident, her subordinates might have been novices of B-rank, or even C-rank.

However, after exchanging information with those present, she couldn’t help but inwardly click her tongue in surprise.

This squad, including herself, comprised thirteen people. Among them were eleven A-rank hunters, whose ages varied widely, from middle-aged men to young lads.

In addition to these A-rank hunters, there was also an S-rank hunter in the team.

“I am Xingtian, capable of prolonged aerial suspension and specialized in heavy firepower suppression…”

The steel giant, over three meters tall, flashed its identification code. The prominent words “S-rank Hunter—Xingtian” appeared, causing all the A-rank hunters’ hearts to tremble.

What was going on?

Wasn’t this just a regular patrol mission?

It was one thing to gather so many A-rank hunters, but why was an S-rank present?

Among the observing A-rank hunters, Luo Bin and Jeston exchanged glances, both subtly sensing the peril of this mission.

After Xingtian’s brief introduction, all eyes turned to the silver-haired woman in a black mask, who had arrived late.

Luo Bin’s attention was instantly drawn to the long blade strapped to her back, and a deeply etched memory flashed in his mind.

Red and white shadows seemed to flicker before his eyes, and the sound of air being torn echoed in his ears.

“I am Silver Kite, skilled in close-quarters combat.”

Her introduction was concise.

Having finished, she also displayed her identification code.

S-rank Hunter—Silver Kite.

“What the hell???”

“Huh? Another expert?”

“No, what exactly is going on here?”

This time, someone finally couldn’t maintain their composure and exclaimed in surprise.

Luo Bin, Jeston, and even Xingtian found it somewhat unbelievable.

The standard hunter squad size ranged from five to seven individuals. While a temporary thirteen-person reorganized squad was rare, it wasn’t unheard of.

But…

Thirteen people, with eleven A-rank hunters and two S-rank hunters…

Jeston nudged Luo Bin’s newly fitted metal prosthetic limb, chuckling in a low voice.

“Haha, such a huge spectacle for a small routine patrol. Anyone who didn’t know better would think we were hunting an S-class sea beast, haha, hahahaha…”

His voice trembled slightly.

Upon hearing this, Luo Bin pondered for a moment, then responded softly:

“Jeston, I heard from a few buddies on leave that they were also forcibly required to participate in this patrol. There must be more than just our team heading out to sea…”

“Perhaps the association wants to conduct a large-scale sweep of sea beasts near the patrol waters, and we might be responsible for the tougher targets.”

Their voices were not loud, but for gene-enhanced A-rank hunters, discerning their conversation was not difficult.

Ming Yu lowered her gaze and, after her introduction, retreated to the edge of the crowd. She pressed her smart earphone, dialing a certain contact.

A soft, sleepy voice emanated from the other end, as if the speaker had just woken up.

Little Nightingale’s contact list contained only one number.

“Mm, Sister Ming Yu, good morn…”

“Good morning, Little Nightingale,” Ming Yu gently closed her eyes and spoke softly.

“I apologize, I received a sudden notification that I need to go on a business trip for a few days…”

“Qing Shui Ling Yin will come to take care of you in my stead…”

“I’ll be back soon.”