Wasteland Echoer.

"Rewards...conditions, these are not words that should come from the mouth of a battle-hardened Federal officer who is willing to die for the Crusaders," "Xianyan" thought to himself, chuckling as he patted Dark on the shoulder.

“Of course, Federation officers don’t pursue personal gain, because our moral education forbids us from using force for profit. But, since I’ve disrupted the ‘Radiance of the Heart’ ritual and made the ‘Andres Wish’ to the ‘Net Hunter Shrine,’ a wish unacceptable to the Federation, I’m no longer a soldier of the Federation.” Dark stared at the two dilapidated elevators before him, which were gradually being powered on with the help of the Lost Ones, and said, slightly lost in thought:
"I believe the order to remove me from my post and rank will be issued soon. Now that Shaneva has launched 'The Curtain Falls on Atlas,' I am certain that she will personally go to the battlefield. Vovya has told me a lot about the city of Novayask. It can be said that without Shaneva's repeated personal visits to the battlefield, there would be no 'City of Ashes' standing amidst yellow sand, flames, and desolation."

"So, in principle, I can no longer hold myself to the standards of a Federation officer. And I am still a member of the Novayask Adventurers' Guild. In other words, 'Flame Offering,' you are not communicating with a Federation officer who is as pure as a white lotus with an iron will, but negotiating with an 'adventurer,' a 'mercenary.'"

“Alright, then, what do you need, ‘adventurer’? ‘mercenary’? Wright.” “Flame Offering” revealed a slightly hostile smile and lowered the hand that was resting on Dark’s shoulder.

"I have only one request: help me find Light Socrates and protect him during the 'Fall of Atlas' campaign. I can tell you that if humanity and the Lost Ones have a future, Light Socrates will be an extremely important human being to you and me, and even to everyone involved in the workings of this world." Dark looked at "Flame Offering" with a serious expression and continued:

“He is the Order, the only Order verified by the Order cards, while I am the Chaosbrooder. Wright and I established a connection long ago in the Gray Dream. The gods and the Creator have already written a chapter beyond life and death for our destinies. I hope he lives so that he can come with me to Khitanris.”

"Light Socrates, the inheritor of the 'Red Magic Source Power' you've been mentioning repeatedly, right?" "Flame Offering" confirmed further.

Dak nodded slightly, acknowledging "Xianyan's" judgment.

“Then…” Before Dark could continue, “Xianyan” preemptively agreed:

“I can grant your request, but you need to guarantee that when we find him, he will no longer be hostile to our [Dedication Group]. A powerful individual like him, possessing absolute extraordinary strength and being a Rank 3 expert, could very well be swayed by the Federation and become their servant.”

“That’s simple. If your… uh… communication methods are convenient enough, take me to the front lines of the battlefield when you find him. I think I can persuade him to leave here with me. After all, we made a promise after I rescued him from the ‘Crimson Illusion Ruins’ to leave here together with that dragon boy.” Dark accepted “Offering Flame’s” conditions.

He then looked around "Earthline 21" curiously, searching for an exit, and said, "However, there's a lot of disorienting yellow sand outside right now. How should we leave here and get to Belogersk?"

"An elevator. Although this elevator is old, it's made of an alloy of rare metals. When these elevators, which extend dozens of meters underground to serve various 'ground wires,' were built, the Crusad Empire completely abandoned the use of magic source ore to avoid malfunctions caused by the depletion of magic source energy in nature." "Flame Offering" led Dark to the elevator, which had been temporarily repaired, and, shining a "Perpetual Light" flashlight, explained to him:
"When Ivan XIX and Ivan XII were building these 'underground lines,' they stipulated that 'even if divine fire were to descend, it should not affect the underground in the slightest.' Therefore, in accordance with the 'Imperial Underground Facilities Construction Regulations,' all the facilities here can be used for war for a long time, even after a thousand years."

"This is also why we chose to close off the 'ground wire' and 'core area' and not use them in this war. Of course, these lost 'wolf' lads brought plenty of repair tools and some backup power when they came in. These elevators are still usable, and this power supply is enough to support us going up and down four or five times. Let's go. Once we get up there, we'll reach the 'Former 01' military outpost. It was only abandoned a week ago, so staying there for a few days shouldn't be a problem. Once the sandstorm subsides a bit, we can walk into Belogersk."

“Okay,” Darke reluctantly agreed.

……

Meanwhile, at the "Former 08" military outpost, on the first basement level.

At this moment, facing the "Blood Wolf," whose entire body was surging with dark magical energy, whose claws belonging to the wolf clan were fully extended, whose face was ferocious, and whose mouth was slightly oozing blood, Shaneva and Wright gradually felt more at ease.

Just now, the "Crimson Dragon Roar" that Wright uttered, which made the entire military fortress tremble slightly, completely shattered the remaining power of the "Wolf Moon" skill used by "Blood Wolf".

In the next clash, Blood Wolf's half-meter-long claws not only failed to pierce the tough skin of Dark Touch, but his body was also struck in the chest by other tentacles, sending him flying and crashing heavily to the ground.

"Pfft!" A mouthful of bright red blood, still slightly warm, gushed out of the "Blood Wolf's" mouth once more. As his adrenaline subsided, his chest and abdomen began to ache intensely.

The simple attack just now seemed to have severely damaged his internal organs. Even though he was a Lost One, and a powerful being of Order 2: Abandoning Level, his power focused on destruction rather than healing.

The Loser's instinctive healing ability can only prevent his internal organs from deteriorating further. If he suffers another severe blow, his chances of leaving this place alive will be slim.

"I underestimated you... Shaneva. You are a truly unfathomable, yet incredibly cunning woman. Woman, ha, I miscalculated, I underestimated you. I thought you women were no different from cargo in the wasteland, but it was precisely this foolish thinking that led me into... into this predicament." Blood Wolf said, half self-reproaching and half hostile.

“‘Blood Wolf,’ do you know why the Federal Council has been able to control the Crusad region for centuries without disintegrating? Let me tell you, it’s because we can access resources that you Lost Ones can hardly imagine.” Shaneva crossed her arms, head held high, and spoke with a triumphant air:

"Even though we've temporarily lost Icebound Province, the resources left to us by the old empire are immense, along with those sufficiently mysterious technological artifacts, enough to give us hope of turning the tide in any crisis. Moreover, you underestimated Light Socrates. His 'Red Magic Source Power' is an extraordinary force beyond the comprehension of you Lost Ones; it's the ultimate power of the Creator, the 'ancient' power that Cthulhu and Depthère once possessed and infused with. Since Light can withstand and perfectly utilize this power, it proves that Order 3 can perfectly suppress Order 2. 'Blood Wolf,' you're too confident."

“Heh. Shaneva, don’t be too happy yet. Once Nebrius and our Lost Children decipher the [Core of Khitania], transfer his power, and destroy it, the war will end immediately. In my eyes, Nebrius is a leader good enough to replace you in the near future,” “Blood Wolf” threatened.

"Then I'll wait for that day to come. However, I'm still willing to give you a chance." Shaneva revealed a sinister smile, but her tone remained as composed as a leader. "Our Federation's great scientist, Mr. Igor Constantine, has been researching the [Core of the Kingdom of Khitanria] for a full six months. Under the influence of the cosmic dark energy output by the 'Silver Universe Illusion Wood,' and nourished by the blood of the experimental-level Lost Ones we captured, it is already indestructible." After Shaneva finished speaking, she tilted her head back, let her hair down, and laughed wildly.

Seeing this, "Blood Wolf's" face turned ashen. He clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling, and he was so unaware that the bone blade had cut his palms and blood was gushing out.

A few seconds later, "Blood Wolf" angrily spat out a few words: "Despicable."

"Whether it's despicable or righteous, it's merely a means to success. Many past administrators failed to grasp this principle. They either succumbed to extreme despicableness or pursued extreme righteousness, leading to failure. But I won't. I'm always a pragmatist. I don't mind using those worthless losers as expendable resources. And for those losers who can cooperate, I don't mind giving them important positions in the Federation. Of course, all they need to do is acknowledge their 'superpower' status." Shaneva smiled and pointed behind "Blood Wolf," further threatening:

"Did you hear that, 'Blood Wolf'? The Federation's [Warriors] have reacted. They're slowly gathering from the fifth basement level. Perhaps their comrades' bodies are hindering their progress. I think in less than fifteen minutes, they'll be behind you with rocket launchers."

“I have always believed that ‘decapitation strikes’ are foolish acts. Even if such a difficult task is to be carried out, it should not be done by the leader of an organization. ‘Blood Wolf,’ sending yourself to the enemy is not courage, but foolishness.”

"Blood Wolf" did not respond to Shaneva immediately. Instead, he raised the corners of his mouth, revealing sharp fangs stained with sticky blood. His eyes quickly turned from pitch black to green, emitting a faint green glow that belonged to wolves, even in bright light.

"What are you so smug about?" Shaneva asked irritably, glancing warily at "Blood Wolf," but her feet unconsciously retreated, landing right behind Wright's eight open and writhing "Dark Touches."

Two or three minutes later, "Blood Wolf" slowly responded to Shaneva in a deep voice:

"I'm gloating over your stupidity. When it comes to stupidity, you and I aren't much different."

“It’s just a death throes,” Shaneva said dismissively.

"As the leader of the Federal Council and the head of the entire Federation, you should know that to deal with us 'Forsaken Ones' who have suffered so much, and us 'Devoted Group' children who have been used and deceived time and time again but still believe in humanity, you have already mobilized more than 150,000 troops to be stationed nearby." "Blood Wolf" gave Shaneva a breakdown of the costs and benefits:

"The Federation Council's elite forces had already fallen in the 'Battle of the Gnaj Line' and the 'Battle of Icefall City,' with approximately one million soldiers and more than ten thousand lost souls either dying or becoming 'heartless.' Although, after the withdrawal of Federation forces, the 'Chaos Group' and independent armed groups in the west began a new war."

"Although Kuka, who is stationed east of Choigler, still has more than 50,000 troops under his command, he has to guard the new border and cannot and is unwilling to support you through the 'Great Railroad.' After all, you have taken away his power."

"So what?" Shaneva glanced at "Blood Wolf" dismissively.

"When Novayask's soldiers have the upper hand, he will submit to you; but when you become mired in the quagmire of war and your army suffers heavy losses, your rule will crumble in an instant." "Blood Wolf" sneered, shaking his head.
"Our 'Dedication Group' has at least 30,000 lost and semi-lost individuals, as well as many 'worthless children' abandoned by your city. Nebrius has over 30,000 well-equipped 'New Eastern Legion' troops, plus the local Nebusk Legion. The disparity in strength between us is not as great as you imagine."

"We... will only accept an unconditional end to the war, and the immediate departure of Nabrius from the Transnabua Mountains, along with the [Core of Khitania], to destroy it. Otherwise, we will fight you to the bitter end, even to the death."

“'Blood Wolf,' even if you wanted to fight like a cornered beast now, it's too late. Look behind you, the Federation's elite [Warriors] have already blocked your retreat. Now, you have no other option but to accept our terms.” Shaneva hardened her stance as she saw the soldiers arrive.

But "Blood Wolf" only glanced at the fallen "wolf clan" members behind him, sighed slightly, and then suddenly pushed off the ground and charged towards Wright.

when!
The crisp metallic clang of the tentacles striking the wolf's claws echoed through the underground space. To everyone's surprise, the "Blood Wolf" used the force of the impact to leap into the air, smashing through the slightly fragile wall near the skylight and disappearing into the dark yellow sand.

"No need to chase after them," Shaneva commanded, gazing at the broken wall.
"The 'Blood Wolves' will most likely lose their way in the yellow sand. What we should do now is quickly break through the 'ground lines' left over from the old empire and launch a surprise attack on them from below the core fortress." (End of Chapter)