Chapter 45: Ninth Fortress

Ide glanced at the computer device on the desk. It was a communicator that could project a virtual screen, and the screen was still glowing with a faint blue light. An He lacked the clearance to view it, so from her position, she could only see the eerie blue glow.

“Since you spared Sora’s life, I plan to use her to negotiate with the First Fortress,” Ide said. “I informed the First Fortress that Sora isn’t dead. Just now, their Holy Monarch Sekhmet sent over a negotiation proposal.”

“Negotiations? What are the terms?” An He asked.

“She wants me to release Sora back to them.” Ide let out a soft chuckle. “In exchange, they’re willing to accept one condition from us. I’m still weighing options—whether to demand supplies or sign a deterrence pact.”

An He took a few seconds to steady herself. Talk about one twist after another.

Using hostages for negotiations was a common tactic. An He had originally spared Sora’s life to give the Ninth Fortress leverage in future talks, but she hadn’t wanted Sora conscious in captivity. After weighing the power gap, she’d destroyed Sora’s Nestsoul.

Just moments ago, after hearing Ide describe Nestsoul death as turning someone into a walking corpse, An He had thought that path was closed. But Ide wasn’t one for mercy—she was still exploiting Captain Sora.

“You just said losing a Nestsoul turns someone into a walking corpse. I thought Sora had lost all value to the First Fortress.”

“Eh, that’s true for most people, but Sora’s special,” Ide said. “She’s a warrior personally chosen by Sekhmet. Sora’s been at her side since she was sixteen, and she holds high status in the First Fortress.”

“So, they’ll take her back to heal her? Or give her a nice place to recover?”

Ide’s gaze grew complex. For a split second, An He felt like her leader had just mentally tagged her as “naive and cute.”

“Your way of thinking really is different from ours,” Ide said. “Though it might just be because you don’t know much about the First Fortress’s Holy Monarch.”

“Yeah, I know nothing about her.”

“That’s not surprising.” Ide powered off the communicator and patiently explained to An He. “Their willingness to trade for Sora doesn’t mean she’ll get a happy ending. Given the First Fortress’s style, a defeated general only faces execution. A captain personally appointed by Sekhmet—if she doesn’t die on the battlefield, she’ll die by Sekhmet’s own hand.” Ide continued, “You might not know this, but before Sora, another fallen captain was killed by her personally.”

An He shivered. The First Fortress’s leader sounded cold, twisted, deformed.

“This Holy Monarch won’t let her general waste away in captivity,” Ide said with a sigh, her face twisting in disgust. “More importantly, their army places extreme emphasis on discipline and deterrence. I suspect Sekhmet wants Sora back to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.”

“What about treatment? They won’t even try to save her?”

“Sora’s Nestsoul is dead. Even the First Fortress is powerless. Embedded Spirit Bodies only emerged in the last century—the Golden Age left no such medical knowledge.”

“I see.” An He noticed that Ide always spoke of “Sekhmet” with caution. Curious, she asked, “Commander, do you deal with the First Fortress often?”

“Naturally,” Ide said. “Ever since I took this position, I’ve been on guard against Sekhmet every moment. We’ve clashed several times over resources. She’s a terrifying person.”

An He’s curiosity surged. She still didn’t know the First Fortress Holy Monarch’s face or personality, but she sounded like an extremely dangerous enemy she might soon face.

An He steadied her mind. She couldn’t let prejudice plant seeds of fear. Before heading to the First Fortress, she needed to learn more about her foe.

Given Ide’s trust in her, An He took the initiative. “Commander, can I observe the next negotiation?”

Ide eyed her. “You have something to say?”

“No.” An He shook her head. “I’m just curious about Sekhmet. I need to know my enemies. But please don’t let me appear on the comm screen—I did kill their captain, after all.”

Ide pondered for a moment. “Fine. Tomorrow afternoon at three, come to my office. Besides you, Professor Su and Asta will join.”

“Got it.”

Ide relaxed a bit. She crossed her arms and smiled at An He. “I’ve answered your questions. Now, you can finally tell me—what do you plan to do with the Holy Sword?”

An He lowered her head, quickly sorting through her thoughts with the new situation in mind. She laid out her long-prepared plan to Ide without reservation. “I want to disguise myself as Lola’s ally and infiltrate the First Fortress. Just like Lola did to us.”

Ide showed no surprise. They exchanged smiles. “You’ve had this idea for a while, haven’t you?”

“You’ve considered it too, right, Commander?” An He stood straight. “After my last solo recon mission, you had Asta train me relentlessly, compressing my timeline. You hoped I’d one day play a unique role. I’ve observed—the Thorn Lamp doesn’t emphasize stealth or stress training as core courses.”

Ide’s eyes shone with approval. She’d never voiced her intentions, but An He had keenly sensed them. “You suggested proactive strikes to gauge the First Fortress—that’s when the idea hit me. But what identity will you use to enter?”

“Some half-dead soldier. Anyone will do—they’re all dead anyway.”

Of course, that was just for Ide. For Lola and the First Fortress, she’d need another guise.

“So, you’re taking Lola with you?”

“If you won’t kill her for repenting and sending fake intel,” An He said. “Don’t worry about releasing the tiger back to the mountain. From what you described of Sekhmet, Lola might not even survive there. But without her, I’d lose my guide into the First Fortress.”

“I’m not worried about that,” Ide said. “But I still don’t see what this has to do with the Holy Sword.”

“I’ve watched Sora—she rarely used it. It’s a symbol of authority. So, I’ll take it into the First Fortress.” An He dropped the bombshell, tweaking her original plan slightly and stating firmly, “And I want to team up with Lola to snatch Sora from prison.”

Hearing such a bold declaration, Ide dropped her arms. “Sora? You sure? We’re still using her for negotiations.”

“Yes. It’s a presumptuous request.” An He pressed on. “I need achievements to quickly gain a foothold in the First Fortress. I can’t spend years rising from nothing like Lola—we don’t have time. Of course, this needs your approval and you staging a scene. For the negotiations, act as reluctant as possible to release her.”

Ide’s face showed disbelief.

An He paused, steadied herself, and went all in. “It’s a risky plan. If I fail, the Ninth Fortress loses little. But if I succeed, I’ll ensure the First Fortress can’t muster another invasion force.”

This desperate gambit was bold because An He was certain she had deep ties to the First Fortress. Whatever the reason Tina’s project hadn’t proceeded, it existed.

As long as it did, they couldn’t ignore her cluster of Nestsouls.

No longer ignorant and with some strength, An He wouldn’t painstakingly infiltrate like she did the Ninth Fortress. She aimed to land in the upper echelons’ sights from the start—only then could she halt the war and access secrets even Tina didn’t know.

The plan was perilous, riddled with impossibilities. But the more impossible, the more she’d leverage her allies to make it possible.

Deeper still, she needed answers to life’s three questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?

Whether it turned into a live game or dead end was up to fate.

This audacious speech plunged Ide into prolonged silence.

For a full hour, Ide said nothing. She neither dismissed An He nor continued talking—pacing the room at times, flipping through data on the communicator at others.

As An He sat miserably for that hour, convinced Ide disapproved, Ide finally spoke.

The commander said just three things.

“I’ve gone to great lengths to convince myself to trust you. Don’t make me regret it.”

“Protect yourself. Don’t be reckless.”

And, “What resources do you need from me?”

Strapping on the Holy Sword, An He left the office. At the end, she’d also requested to speak with Lola alone to convince her quickly.

But Ide refused.

Though imprisoned, Lola could still summon her Nestsoul. Ide feared she might lash out.

“Once Professor Su decides, we’ll go to the prison together,” Ide said.

An He didn’t push.

No matter. She couldn’t meet Lola privately, but she had a go-between.

…

Lola sat chained to a chair, heavy manacles on her wrists and ankles. The last time she’d seen someone bound like this, it had been An He.

What goes around comes around.

“Who are you?” Lola stared silently at the stranger in red across from her. The woman held a massive syringe filled with milky-white fluid.

The woman planted a foot on Lola’s stool, needle tip hovering over her eye, replying expressionlessly, “Doesn’t matter who I am. Just listen.”

This moment felt eerily familiar. Spotting the syringe, fragmented memories surged uncontrollably—that drug she’d once used to threaten An He, damaging the frontal lobe. But back then, it was fingertip-sized; now, it was elephant-tranquilizer huge.

How does this woman have this? How did she get into the prison? There’s surveillance—where are the guards?

Sensing the dead-man gaze, Lola summoned her Embedded Spirit Bush Cat with all her might.

But the red-clad woman seemed to control everything here. She effortlessly grabbed the Bushcat by the neck and kicked Lola cleanly. Looming over her, she said flatly, “I’m busy. No time for fights. Listen—I’ll make it short…”

In the woman’s brief words, Lola absorbed three messages.

One: An He had cleared her charges for “repenting and sending fake intel.”

Two: An He wanted her ready—they’d seize the chance to rescue Captain Tina and return to the First Fortress.

Three: They were full allies now, bound in life and death. Lola had to follow An He’s orders completely.

Lola had no idea how An He pulled it off. She didn’t even know what happened on the battlefield that day. Captured right after the fighting ended, she’d been jailed since. Aside from Ide’s brief visit, no one had spoken to her.

Not even Professor Su.

The needle hovered above Lola’s eyeball. When the woman vanished in place—her face and voice erased from memory—Lola still hadn’t realized it was a dream.

…

Gu Xianqing was confident. Dreamers rarely realized they were dreaming, especially under her control.

Of course, An He was the exception.

Gu Xianqing delivered the message and erased all traces of herself. Heading to An He’s dorm, she found An He sitting motionless in the chair, waiting. Gu Xianqing found it amusing.

Once An He was out of mortal danger and her wounds began healing, Gu Xianqing stopped crafting comfortable dreams for her.

She’d worried An He might die—then feared her bouncing back too lively.

But Gu Xianqing relaxed now. An He was still somewhat obedient and cute.

“Why not wait for me in bed?” Gu Xianqing arched a brow, in high spirits as she pounced onto An He’s bed and hugged the blanket. “If you don’t sleep here, I will.”

An He’s gaze quickly swept Gu Xianqing’s neck and waist. Confirming the neck was smooth and scars fading, An He asked, “Did you deliver the message?”

“Of course, how could I be careless with the task my little lamb assigned?” Gu Xianqing’s tone was light and airy as she started teasing her favored “pet” once more, making the earnest heart-to-heart she’d just shared with An He feel like nothing but a fleeting illusion.

An He paused unusually for a moment.

Gu Xianqing thought that if An He could move right now, she’d definitely be furrowing her brow—she could see the speechlessness plain as day in An He’s eyes.

An He was utterly baffled. “Did you just talk to Lola like that too?”

Gu Xianqing poked her head out from under the blanket, revealing a pair of sly, fox-like eyes. “Yeah.”

She added, “I talk to everyone like this.”

Right on cue:

“What? You gonna say you’re not the only one again?”

An He: ……