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"Pella..."
Lingke really wanted to say that given her brother's personality and situation, maybe she could get into less trouble if she went with him.
But she was afraid that she would implicate Pera... Pera was also afraid that she would be implicated. The two good friends had sufficient reasons to convince each other.
"...Don't worry. I know Guard Officer Jeppard very well. He will never betray Beloberg."
"Yes, I believe in you too, brother. I'll wait for your good news."
So after making a difficult decision, Lingke hid back under Pera's bed.
After regaining her breath, Pella picked up the terminal, returned to the door and unfastened the safety chain. She turned back and closed it the moment she left the door, as if she was afraid someone would take the opportunity to force their way in. Then she calmly said to Asuna who was standing in the corner:
"I'm ready to return to the team. Please take me to my new station... What should I call you?"
"Call me Asuna! Ah, but we're not going to the camp right away. We need to find another girl on the way."
Asuna maintained her sunny smile, which gave Pera a false sense of security.
A girl who is so cute and always cheerful, shouldn't suddenly attack and hurt someone, right?
"Anyone else wants to rejoin the team?"
"It's a girl called Ling Ke, huh? Jeppard said it's best to protect her, too."
"...Protect?" Pella's cold expression suddenly became subtle.
"Ling is the sister of Garrison Officer Jeppard... Is she in danger?"
"I don't know if there is one... But the guard said that it would be best to bring your family with you so that you can help Bronya more easily."
"Are you working with Commander Bronya?"
"Yeah, because of a misunderstanding, Miss Bronya had a quarrel with her mother, and Jeppard and we were trying to mediate."
The big golden retriever told Pera all the messy information, using the common words of an ordinary person.
In the big golden retriever's mind, Pera, who was assigned by Kong to pick him up, was one of his own. C&C had to be on guard against their own people except for desserts, and intelligence was completely shared.
"Senior...what you said is too general. She can't possibly understand."
Hua Lin, who was monitoring the entire process, couldn't help but sigh.
"Just bring the person here. Explaining all this will only lead to misunderstandings and unnecessary complications..."
"It's okay, let her chat freely. Sincerity is the most powerful weapon."
Sora had a clear understanding of Asuna's ability to mess up every time but never mess up the mission, so he just let her do it.
"Look, it's this girl... But I went to the address provided by the garrison officer and she wasn't there..."
Asuna was not at all bothered by Jeppard's supernatural painting skills, nor did she think that showing them to others would make her even more "humorous". She took out the abstract painting from her apron and showed it to Pera.
"...Ah. It's definitely the commander's painting."
Compared to those messy keepsakes and documents... this painting is more recognizable and convincing to Pera.
It's remarkable that you were able to recognize me with this--
Somehow, the moment she saw the portrait, Pera relaxed, followed by an inexplicable feeling of shame.
Her ears turned slightly red, making her and Lingke, who were just immersed in an atmosphere of life and death, look like fools.
"…Um, excuse me, I need to go back for a while."
Pyra turned away, trying her best not to let Asuna see her increasingly red face.
"Did you forget to bring anything?"
"I forgot to bring someone..."
206. Bondage
"...Can some of the wounded whose injuries may have worsened due to the snowy climate be transferred back to the city?"
"I'm afraid not, Your Excellency the Commander. The western gate in and out of the city is now guarded by the Royal Guards, who are loyal to Castle Kerber."
"I will try to persuade them to let the Iron Guards who are not participating in the protest go home."
When Kong and his crew returned to the camp with Lingke and Pera, Bronya was discussing with Jeppard how to help the wounded get a better recovery environment.
Although the train crew helped them set up a medical tent, and Jeppard also obtained some scattered fuel from elsewhere to maintain the heating of the camp, the lack of medical equipment and medical soldiers could still cause the overall condition of the injuries to take a sharp turn for the worse.
Bronya hoped that her mother still had some humanity, while Jeppard was inclined not to gamble on whether the Great Guardian's temperamental personality would accept the wounded... The conversation seemed a bit helpless.
"elder brother!"
"Lingke! Great, you're okay!"
The moment his sister called him, Jeppard turned around immediately, and the resolute expression on his face quickly disappeared.
Lingke wanted to throw herself into Jeppard's arms at first, but under the gaze of Sora and Bronya, she resisted the urge to be "weak":
"Where's your sister? Is she with you?"
"She is investigating underground. Don't worry. Her family has been moved out."
The reunion with his sister was certainly worth celebrating, but Jeppard immediately bowed to the train crew solemnly: "Thank you very much for your help - you have worked hard, Intelligence Officer Pella. As you can see, I am now serving Commander Bronya. I transferred you back to confirm whether you are willing to work with us - to solve the problem of the Rift once and for all."
"So the rumors are true, Sir Jeppard?"
Pyrrha turned slightly to look at Sora who casually waved his hand and told him not to take it seriously.
"The First Guards have cooperated with outsiders... Commander Bronya openly questioned the orders of the Great Guardian because she opposed the exile fleet's advance guard—"
"That's right. Not only do we have to cooperate with outsiders, we also have to open the passages between the upper and lower levels and rebuild the flow of people between the ground and underground."
Jeppard knew that Pera was more concerned about data evidence, so he handed over a stack of papers with his own summary: "Through contacting the brothers of the Second and Third Garrison Regiments, I learned that the tight battle line was mostly caused by the Grand Guardian's order to attack. In the case of insufficient troops and inadequate preparation, the price of our counterattack on the Rift was the sacrifice of more urban defense lines, allowing the Rift to infiltrate faster-"
His seamless transition from personal to work made Lingke hesitate for a long time, and also made Pera feel a little sorry for her best friend: "...The various garrison regiments are constrained by the difficulty of replenishing the rift. Even if they capture it, they cannot garrison. The regular cleanup activities are restricted by the Great Guardian...Are these changes in the defense line actually compressing our living space?"
"Yes, I suspect that the Great Guardian is colluding with the creatures from the Rift."
"what!!"
Jeppard's conclusion shocked Lingke and Pera.
They both looked at Bronya at the same time... Although the commander looked painful, he didn't have the slightest intention of refutation.
This was not the evidence that the train crew helped to collect, but what she obtained after connecting with several garrison officers who had suffered heavy losses on the front lines over the years... The bloody reality had made her give up many unrealistic fantasies.
Perhaps asking her mother to let the wounded return home was just a luxury... If her goal was to destroy Beloberg's defenses, then these people who might be demobilized would also be a threat to her cause.
"...If all this is true...please allow me to continue to serve you, Lady Bronya."
After hesitating for a short while, Pella decided to board Bronya's "pirate ship".
As an intelligence officer, she had handled suspicious data and transfer letters many times, all of which came from the hands of the City Builder. As Bronya was a boss that Pera was familiar with, she knew very well that Bronya listened to her mother in almost everything. Although it was a bit too much to say that she was a puppet, she was powerless to resist Cocolia's orders.
If Kburg still puts the blame on Bronya now, it would be like killing the donkey after it has done its work...Pella has seen everything and there is no way she would let the commander take the blame.
As for the conduct of those outsiders... the fact that they were accepted by Jeppard already proved that they were trustworthy in at least one aspect.
"Thank you...Pella, I feel much more at ease with you here."
This was rare good news after the series of blows. Bronya smiled back:
"Back to the matter of the wounded...I'll go talk to Dihuo."
She closed her eyes, but the words she spoke had lost the earlier lack of confidence:
"The severe cold restricts us from setting up a medical camp... The temperature underground is always above 26 degrees. Although it is a bit hot and stuffy, the environment is relatively stable. We can supply the saved fuel to the soldiers who can maintain their combat effectiveness. All we need is... a suitable resettlement site for the underground fire."
"Good idea. Although there aren't many flat places underground, those abandoned mines far from the Rift can be used to build camps."
Sora, who joined the discussion, agreed with Bronya's judgment.
"Well, since we have decided to discuss this with Oleg, we might as well leave as soon as possible... I want to see the situation down there with my own eyes..."
"Have you figured out how to hit the weak spot of the earth's fire demand?"
"Well, in addition to the exchange of supplies, let the First Regiment help suppress the creatures in the Rift World. When the underground security is better... ask for a joint force." Bronya said lightly.
"We are also going to meet up underground, so let's go together. Asuna, Karin, a new internship mission is coming... Oh, Jeppard, this time, I suggest assigning some guards to follow your commander. Although this may irritate the lower-class residents who are very disgusted with the Iron Guards, we can't let them underestimate the Iron Guards' military power."
As he said that, Kong took Paimon out of his backpack - since he was planning to go back underground, there was no need to hide the little guy.
"How about three hundred people? There are occasional harassment from scattered Breach creatures in this camp. If we divide too many troops before the next transfer, it will be very risky."
Jeppard didn't have many mobile troops at his disposal, and this was done for Bronya's sake.
"Fifty people are enough. The main thing is to let Oleg see that your troops obey orders, are organized and disciplined, and let them learn from their small size and get a glimpse of the big picture." But Kong suggested an even smaller number of people.
"Commander, are these enough people?"
This time it was Jeppard's turn to worry -
"Since Captain Lei thinks it is enough, I trust Captain Lei's judgment."
Bronya raised her head and looked directly at Sora, her eyes filled with inquisitiveness. "But as for your true identities, I think we are now qualified to know, right? The code names you used in the psychic frequency band... are completely different from the ones you gave us."
"Well - we are the unknown guests of the Star Train... In addition to borrowing a little military background, our goal of saving Beloberg and liberating the Star Track is consistent with your interests."
Kong was unable to catch Paimon who had snatched the jerky from his belt. He could only take it back awkwardly, "...As for my alias...it can't really be considered an alias. When I was in the military, my last name was Lei in the official records..."
……
Kong returned to the underground and was picked up by Xier this time.
While the train crew was acting separately, Xier had already led people to the ground through the passage provided by the air, and built a simple cable here that could be used to lift people and light materials up and down.
With her swift agility, she had already scouted around the Iron Guard camp quickly, and returned to the entrance just as Bronya showed signs of leading a team out, ready to pick them up.
The traveler named Kong had not lied. The link, the location of the camp, and the supplies they were going to provide were all unreserved. Now, it was time for Dihuo to show more sincerity.
Looking at the team of about fifty people dragging a large amount of food towards this side, even though Xier was a cadre with relatively abundant nutritional supply in the underground fire, she swallowed her saliva.
The big piece of red meat that Sergei mentioned...actually exists.
"I was kept waiting."
Xier was just about to say something relatively decent introductory that Oleg had helped to prepare, but the moment she saw Kong's cocky face and the two flashy girls on his left and right, her words could no longer be polite.
This playboy looked so relaxed as he enjoyed resources that the lower class people couldn't have, and he was surrounded by beauties and smiled as he watched the suffering of others - after all, she still hated him!
…She couldn’t tell whether she hated Kong or the two students sitting next to him, but she was just irritated with him.