Chapter 434: An Impossible Choice
“Cough, cough— Cough, cough—”
In an unnamed jungle along the coast, the sudden fall of a massive object created a world-shaking noise. Amidst the flying dust, figures staggered to their feet.
Shaking their heads, which still echoed with ringing in their ears, Kazumi coughed violently, surveying the surroundings with a grim expression.
The young girl never expected that André’s squad would be able to repeatedly employ such reckless tactics. Kazumi had already retracted her previous high praise for their team; she could only say that in this regard, they were not much different from the lunatics within the [Dark] Organization.
The disgusting fleshy cushion retracted bit by bit, finally merging into the tall man’s body. Using his ability as a buffer had taken a toll on the fleshy mountain man, whose face was pale, with even a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.
“Miss [Coffin], how are you feeling? Are you injured?”
Igarashi Aya’s capable voice sounded beside the girl at the opportune moment. The squad members, who had also recovered, got busy with their own tasks—checking their conditions, assisting the injured—displaying the squad’s high efficiency without a doubt.
“I’m fine, I have no problems. But what are you planning to do now?”
Shaking her head, Kazumi indicated she was mostly alright. However, compared to her current condition, Kazumi’s greater concern was what Igarashi Aya and the others planned to do next.
It seemed that under André’s bizarre escape method, everyone had left the dangerous sea and landed on shore, as if they were just one step away from rescuing the mission objective.
But Kazumi, who remained clear-headed, knew that this final step was precisely the most difficult one.
No matter how powerful and comprehensive the capabilities André’s squad had displayed, it couldn’t conceal that this was merely a rescue operation relying on a time difference.
André, who possessed the greatest strength, was currently being held back by the [Four Seasons Envoy]. While Igarashi Aya and the others had escaped danger, such a massive object falling into the jungle was like a sky target—being discovered was only a matter of time.
As for the other members of the squad, although their strength was indeed good in Kazumi’s eyes, she felt there was virtually no possibility of them resisting the already prepared Association and police force.
If the organization had no other fallback plans or support, the current situation was completely a sure death. Setting aside other matters, Kazumi was now planning to flee. She had already done what she needed to do and had no obligation to stay here and wait to die with these people.
“Miss [Coffin], there’s no need for you to worry. We don’t have a habit of putting our companions in danger. You can leave after our operation, it would be less likely to be discovered that way.”
Igarashi Aya did not feel displeased by Kazumi’s slightly distant “you guys.” Instead, she explained with understanding. The blue viscous substance that had been adhering to the metal cage gathered towards her hand, and then solidified into a large, opaque mass of viscous fluid that obscured whatever was inside.
“Operation? What is your plan?”
Igarashi Aya’s words caused Kazumi to momentarily halt her action of summoning [Black Coffin] to flee. With a trace of confusion, seeing the girl still looking confident at such a critical moment, Kazumi was willing to delay for a few minutes to hear her speak, given her demeanor and capabilities displayed earlier.
“You’ll know in a moment.” “Little Insect!”
As if using her ability at the moment was somewhat strenuous, Igarashi Aya replied briefly, took something out of her pocket, and put it on her face. Then, she called out to Little Insect beside her.
Little Insect responded and walked over, presenting a dark object to Kazumi.
“A gas mask?”
Looking at the mask, which resembled something from a movie, the young girl hesitated a bit, but still accepted the mask and put it on her face. She wanted to see what kind of plan the other party had mentioned to facilitate her escape. After all, escaping alone was indeed somewhat dangerous. It would be better to first see what their plan was.
Upon seeing Kazumi also put on the mask under her cloak, Little Insect grabbed something from his pocket, and three familiar-looking gray spotted worms gradually enlarged before them.
“This is…”
Swallowing unconsciously, Kazumi recognized the type of enlarged insects before her. She quickly reached out to secure the mask on her face, and then called out to Little Black to cover her face, fearing that the upcoming actions might trigger unpleasant memories within her.
These stink bugs, nearly as tall as the trees, indeed served the purpose Kazumi had in mind. Their large abdomens bulged high, and as several jets of air gushed out, visible yellow thick fog completely enveloped the entire forest where they were.
[This is to cover our tracks, isn’t it?]
The transparent goggles of the gas mask allowed Kazumi to see everything clearly within the thick fog. Forcing down the uncomfortable feeling within her, Kazumi turned her gaze towards Igarashi Aya’s position. In her opinion, the real plan was the action Igarashi Aya had taken earlier. While this poisonous gas fog could temporarily conceal their tracks, it was of no use in actually leaving this place, let alone needing to transport such a large metal cage.
“Phew— This is good.”
After Little Insect finished controlling the insects to release the gas, Igarashi Aya’s earlier actions were completed. The massive blue viscous substance had been neatly divided into over a dozen portions. The solidified blue viscous fluid made it impossible to see its internal structure, and its size, over a person’s height, made it appear as though a person was lying inside from the outside.
[To confuse the enemy, a good idea.]
Internally, Kazumi gave a high evaluation to Igarashi Aya, who could still come up with such a plan at this moment. But that was all. Shaking her head, the [Ghost Gate] beside her had already been raised long ago.
After all, in her view, such small tricks, though clever, still couldn’t solve the problem. As long as the transportation of the metal cage couldn’t be solved, any amount of cleverness would be useless. The young girl had lost confidence in this so-called plan and began to prepare her escape route.
[Wait, is she thinking of…? No way!]
Just as the young girl stepped one foot into the Ghost Gate, a somewhat absurd thought flashed through Kazumi’s mind. But she quickly shook her head and dismissed the idea. They were not her; the organization would not make such a choice so easily after investing so much manpower and resources.
Driven by an inexplicable impulse, the young girl still stopped in her tracks. She wanted to see what this so-called plan, which could buy her time, was actually like.
On the other side, after ensuring that everyone was secured with a “viscous fluid person,” Igarashi Aya pushed her glasses up, indifferent to Kazumi’s actions. The expression on her face remained calm, and she slowly issued the command Kazumi absolutely did not expect in her gentlest tone.
“Everyone, take your items and scatter. Shake off the pursuers and gather at Little Insect’s location.”
“We… abandon the target!”
