The vehicle raced across the wilderness, its black steel exterior giving it a sturdy and secure appearance. In the passenger seat, Thilan leaned against the window, feeling the wind brush past her ears. Her soft, long hair danced freely in the wind, flowing unrestrained.
It was rare for her not to nap in the car, read, or practice her skills. Instead, she propped her head up with her fair wrist, gazing out at the endless scenery outside.
If she had once been an orchid blooming alone in a secluded valley, today she was a large black rose flourishing in the bright wind. The aura she exuded was especially palpable to the companion sitting in the driver's seat.
The president is unusually different today. No one dared to tease her as they had in the past. Many members now held this thought.
"Where are we heading?" the girl asked, her voice as clear as a wind chime.
"That's Block 1824, one of our sampling locations."
"How far are we from the ruins of the former Thousand Towers City?"
"Only about 50 kilometers."
"After sampling, let's head there."
"Yes, President."
Life returned to its usual routine. They traveled through the deserts of the Northern 2nd District, collecting samples at various target points, gradually approaching the ruins of Thousand Towers City.
A day later, the black steel vehicle drove across the wilderness. Ahead, abandoned tall buildings stood, narrating the glory of the past.
Looking at the familiar Thousand Sails Towers, a sense of nostalgia unconsciously rose in the girl's heart. Although she hadn't spent much time here, perhaps because of her mother, she felt a certain closeness to the place.
However, the area was far from peaceful now.
With the former forces of Thousand Towers City gone, the area had briefly become a vacuum. Some wandering factions from Northern 2nd District had begun to settle here.
Ahead on the road, several large rocks were deliberately placed in the middle, with impassable ruins on either side. From the tall buildings not far away, faint figures could be seen secretly watching.
After consulting with the group, the black steel vehicle stopped in the middle of the road, refusing to advance further. Seeing this, a group of people quickly emerged from both sides of the road, holding various makeshift weapons aimed at the vehicle.
"You, get out now, or we'll open fire!"
"Hurry up! Did you hear me?"
The leader, a man with a bulky grenade launcher, had a green viper tattoo on his dark arm.
The car door opened, and a black-haired, black-dressed girl leaped out gracefully. Her attractive figure and appearance immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Oh, quite pretty. Hehe, if you can spend a few nights with us, we might let you go, hehe."
The surrounding men leered with vulgar expressions.
The girl shook her head, completely unfazed by the guns pointed at her. Instead, she looked toward the ruins in the distance, wondering who might still be inside.
Seeing her lack of reaction, the leader grew angry and gestured for one of his lackeys to step forward and grab the beautiful girl.
Bang–bang–
Two short gunshots rang out, and the lackey's arm was pierced, causing him to drop his submachine gun and curl up on the ground.
"Who's there!" they shouted, scanning the area until they spotted two figures standing back-to-back on the roof of the vehicle, guns in hand.
A barrage of gunfire erupted, and within seconds, bullets rained down on the vehicle's body and roof. The surrounding men were hit, some falling to the ground.
Half a minute later, all the men blocking the road were on the ground, groaning in pain. The girl in front of the vehicle seemed completely unaffected, gracefully leaping over the obstructing rocks and standing atop them to gaze at the scene ahead.
Whoosh—
From a distant building, a special sniper bullet shot out, aiming for the standing girl. Just as it seemed she would be hit, the bullet passed through her body and exploded in the dirt beside her, leaving her unharmed.
"Phasing?" the sniper in the distant building muttered, then rolled to prepare to leave his position. A good sniper knows to relocate after a missed shot.
However, before he could jump into the nearby passage, a blue-purple spark shot through the window and into the room. In an instant, blue flames erupted, freezing him in place, turning him into an ice statue.
At night, the vehicle parked in a deserted courtyard by the roadside, where Thilan and her group rested.
"Have we contacted the authorities about those people from today?"
Thilan descended from a tall building and landed lightly by the campfire, shaking her messy long hair to let it fall back into place.
"Yes, a train should arrive tomorrow afternoon."
With the relocation of Thousand Towers City, the only train station here had gradually fallen into disuse, but it would now serve a purpose again.
"The department in charge of Northern 2nd District's security has mobilized personnel. They're sending quite a few people," Alen recalled the information they had received during the day.
"Oh, are we going big this time?" Jinzerk asked, eating roasted ham with one foot propped on a rock.
"Yes, since they've gathered together, we might as well clean them up properly," Thilan said, smoothing the hair by her ears and tying it up with a ribbon.
"Let me help you," Dolores said, watching Thilan gather her hair. She walked over, had Thilan sit down, and then neatly combed and tied her hair into a large bow, adding a touch of cuteness to the girl's otherwise composed and capable demeanor.
"The president looks much better like this," Phyllis commented softly, earning a glare from Iyepher beside him. Both were elves and childhood friends, always close.
After entering the ruins of the city, the group encountered several instances of roadblocks, threats, and lust-driven bandits within just half a day. Eventually, they decided to stop midway to deal with these issues.
"Why can't these people ever learn to behave?" Ruby stood up after finishing her makeup and walked to the courtyard, looking at the frozen statues as if they were museum exhibits.
"Speaking of which, I only realized today how strong Thilan really is. I always thought everyone was just joking or exaggerating before," she said to Evony, who stood beside her.
In the distance, Guro and Valk could be seen patrolling.
"Haha, I told you, the president is super strong," Guro said, sitting on the roof, leaning back in his chair and gazing at the crescent moon above, gently swaying.
"It's just that her usual personality is so gentle that it gives you the wrong impression."
"Even if we all attacked her together, we might not win."
"Really? Even Valk?" Ruby was slightly surprised. In her eyes, Valk, though often silent, was the strongest among the freshmen at Edess Academy and quite famous within the school.
"Yes," Valk nodded honestly. There was no shame in admitting it.
"Well, that's..." Ruby could only revise her understanding once again.
"Thilan is indeed special," Evony murmured softly, watching the orange fireball in her palm and wondering when she could catch up to that sapphire figure.
Soon, she dissipated the orange fireball and leaped lightly onto the roof, her dress flowing like a fish in the evening breeze.
Though she hadn't advanced yet, after these experiences, she no longer feared failure as she once had. It was as if life had become more accepting.
How strange this feeling is, she thought, opening her palm, looking at it, and then slowly closing it.
The world seems broader than I imagined. Thank you for helping me understand this.