Chapter 48: Ninth Fortress

Lola desperately wanted to see Su Ling.

Especially after Ide came alone and mentioned that Professor Su had suffered severe injuries, Lola’s desire to see Su Ling reached its peak.

Locked in prison these past few days, Lola had imagined what she should say if Su Ling agreed to meet her.

After racking her brains, she still came up with nothing to talk about.

She had no defense to offer, nor did she want one. Just thinking of the way Su Ling had looked at her that night made Lola’s chest ache in waves, sharper than the wound on her waist that refused to heal.

She finally realized that she had fallen for her, stepping willingly into a terrifying “abyss.”

She should repent, apologize, and maybe defend herself a bit to keep Su Ling from being completely disillusioned with her.

But she might end up seeing utter disappointment in Su Ling’s eyes.

This torment had plagued Lola for so long that she found herself with a thousand words she wanted to pour out to Su Ling.

Now, Su Ling stood right in front of her.

Lola opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Su Ling’s injuries hadn’t healed yet. Bandages of various sizes hid beneath her sleeves, and she walked with a slight stagger. Scratches from the explosion blast marked her face. Seeing these wounds made Lola’s chest throb with sour pain, like it had been hammered.

When she looked away and saw Ide beside Su Ling, that sourness turned bitter.

This commander, who killed without blinking, reached out the moment Lola raised her head, steadying the unsteady Su Ling with careful motions that avoided the injuries on her arms—just like that day at the defense base. After Ide had fought to the death exterminating all the intruders, this brilliant commander had clutched the barely breathing Su Ling tight, charging out of the mine through seas of flames while still minding Professor Su’s wounds.

They match perfectly.

Lola felt she didn’t belong here—she should crawl under the chair instead.

The thousand words in her chest suddenly clogged her throat and dissipated on their own.

Lola could only look away, past the gap between them, toward An He behind Ide. That woman hadn’t been exposed yet, but now she had stepped in the blood on the floor. She examined the sole of her foot with a complicated expression, pulling a sour grimace—what, is my blood too dirty for her feet?

Lola vented her frustration on An He, glaring back viciously.

She had nothing left to say.

Especially after the three messages An He had passed her, which made her realize she couldn’t spill everything to Su Ling.

So when Su Ling sat across from her, Lola lacked the courage to meet her eyes. She stared at the ground and said as sincerely as she could, “I’m sorry.”

Su Ling’s expression was deeply complex. “Tell me, then—what are you sorry for?”

Su Ling’s tone remained gentle, just like during their daily work together. But beneath that gentleness simmered tangled emotions: hatred, disappointment, heartache, and a hint of forbidden hope that made her voice tremble slightly.

Lola thought Su Ling probably wanted a promise from her, or some reflection.

Lola had little reflection to offer. Her “sorry” wasn’t for what she’d done to the Ninth Fortress—it was for getting Su Ling badly hurt.

Su Ling wouldn’t want to hear that, so Lola didn’t respond. Instead, she continued on her own: “I might never work for you again. Before your new assistant takes over, Professor Su, please take care of yourself. Don’t overwork.”

“You…” Su Ling was thoroughly pissed.

Lola thought, Better pissed than nothing. Hate is as stubborn as love—at least from now on, when Su Ling thinks of me, there’ll be some emotional ripple.

Realizing her feelings had nowhere to go, nowhere to see the light, Lola resolutely swung to the opposite extreme.

Ide was a bit surprised too. She lowered her eyes and asked, “All that effort to see Professor Su, and that’s all you have to say?”

“Yeah, nothing more.” Lola was utterly calm.

Ide hesitated, words on the tip of her tongue. She’d worried over this for a while, thinking Lola might spill intel or… bare her soul. Ide had even prepared to interrupt if Su Ling got swayed. After all, these two had worked side by side every day—Ide wasn’t sure what Su Ling truly thought of Lola.

But then Ide reconsidered: Lola and Su Ling were a decade apart, with national grudges between them. Nothing to worry about. Ide’s shoulders quietly relaxed.

An He, off to the side, had recovered her composure. She stood by Ide, her eyes darting across Lola, Su Ling, and Ide’s faces—now showing pity, now watching the drama.

Besides Su Ling, the other two noticed An He’s gaze and turned to her, both with warning looks in their eyes.

Ide asked, “An He, didn’t you want to see Lola? Got something to say?”

An He nearly refused outright.

Her wanting to see Lola was old news—Gu Xianqing had handled that trouble for her. And with so many people here, plus surveillance, how could she say anything private?

But she was already here, so An He could use the chance to prepare.

“Just checking on Lola’s condition. She lost a ton of blood—worried she’d die here before interrogation.”

“Go ahead.” Ide didn’t stop her. She knew An He planned to take Lola, but wasn’t sure if Lola knew.

Four people, four expressions—like everyone carried different secrets. Only Su Ling remained in the dark about Lola’s fate, still quietly heartbroken beside them.

An He stepped in front of Lola, turning her back to Ide and Su Ling. “How’s the wound?”

Lola didn’t catch the meaning but answered honestly. “Pus-filled.”

“Can’t walk, then?”

“I can.”

An He glanced down at the blood on the floor and sucked in a cold breath. Are First Fortress people made of iron?

She winked at Lola, then pressed the button on her jacket with the hand in front of her, curling two fingers like she was casually tugging her collar.

This wasn’t An He’s usual habit, so Lola quickly realized it was a signal. Easy to decode: the action An He mentioned would start in either two hours or two days.

By then, they’d leave the Ninth Fortress.

Lola thought she might never return, so she finally raised her head and met Professor Su’s eyes in a silent farewell.

…

Two days later, the fortresses negotiated again, but no deal was finalized.

As dusk fell, An He visited Ide’s office one last time. She nodded slightly. “Sorry, Commander. Because of my mission, the Bionic Limb Technology trade probably won’t happen.”

Ide stayed calm. “Honestly, I never expected it to succeed.”

“I’ll keep an eye out for that tech. If I get a chance, I’ll bring it back for Asta.” An He thought of her teacher and paused before making the promise.

Besides Gu Xianqing, Asta was the first person An He had connected with here—teaching her so much that she could stand on this land. But to prevent surprises, An He hadn’t told Asta about the plan. Today, she wouldn’t say goodbye either.

Who knew when they’d meet again.

“That’s not the point.” Ide was cool-headed, reminding her subordinate. “My goal is leverage to check the First Fortress—ideally their defense layouts. Anything else, do your best.”

“Got it.”

“Here—the hilt’s modded by Heidi. There’s a mini communicator inside.” Ide handed the army knife back to An He. “I had her prep what you asked for, so she’s in the loop now.”

Heidi stood in the office just then, hands behind her back, silently listening to the exchange.

She looked thrilled and even boldly volunteered to go undercover with An He—only for Ide to shut it down flat.

Sending Heidi? The plan would fail before she reached the door.

An He took the knife. “Won’t they find it in a search?”

“Machines won’t detect it.” Heidi jumped in to explain her work. “See? No seams at the interface, and the communicator’s disguised. Even if someone opens it, they’ll think it’s just a hunk of metal in the hilt.”

The communicator worked like Lola’s chip—instant intel to the Ninth Fortress.

“But if the First Fortress has jammers, you’ll have to get outside to transmit. Can’t fix that.” Heidi warned.

“Yeah, no issue.” An He stowed the knife. She didn’t mind—even if it failed, Gu Xianqing could relay for her. Just wonder how that woman plans to mess with me this time.

“Here—your meds, white phosphorus rounds, and other weapons.” Ide passed a palm-sized pack, easy to carry. “Sure about this? You can’t smuggle these into the First Fortress.”

“It’s fine. I won’t show myself right away.” An He said. “I’ll use them before they catch me.”

She checked the pack—Ide had prepared thoroughly.

“Oh, and this.” Heidi clenched her fist over An He’s palm. An He felt several cold metal bits touch her skin.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“Ta-da!” Heidi opened her hand. Ten tiny Little Ravens made of wire lay there, each peanut-shell sized but uniquely shaped—some with wings spread, others pecking food. Clearly handcrafted with care, lifelike.

“The display pieces you asked for—I finished them. Was gonna give ’em later, but heard you’re heading out on mission.” Heidi grinned. “If it flops and you die out there, no chance to hand ’em over. So, here now.”

Ide cut in. “Can that mouth of yours say something nice for once?”

“Yes, Commander.” Heidi stuck out her tongue, then turned to An He. “Risky carrying these, though. I can stash ’em in your dorm.”

“No need.” An He fiddled with the pieces in her palm. “I like them. Wanna carry one.”

She picked a Raven and held it up. This one had presence—wings flared for flight, red eyes vivid and cute yet bold and forward-charging.

“Rest go to my dorm.”

“You got it. See you back.” Heidi spread her arms for a frank hug. True to form, optimistic and warmly affectionate.

An He froze a beat, then smiled. “I’ll live. Don’t plan my funeral.”

“Gotcha!”

…

To avoid attention, An He specifically told Ide to keep prison security routine—no special breaks for her.

But when An He extracted Lola, then struggled to snatch Tina too, she couldn’t help grumbling: Told Ide no mercy, and she really didn’t hold back.

They alerted a few Thorn Lamps and had to use Innate Talent to sneak Tina out. Tiny her and tiny Lola, lugging the tall Tina on their backs—they fled like two scurrying minions under the moonlight, ragged and desperate.

“Move! Patrol shift’s opening the gate soon—miss it, we’re done.” An He shoved Tina into the beat-up car’s back seat. Following Heidi’s instructions, she sparked the wires to hotwire it and floored the gas out of the lot.

Patrols were swapping, cracking the fortress gate. An He barreled through heedless. This set off the wall sentries—they fired without restraint, someone yelling as they charged down.

Another explosion erupted.

Under pursuit, they raced at breakneck speed from the flames. In fleeing gaps, An He even summoned a Raven to scout the chasers behind.

The trailing vehicles pursued a kilometer before falling back completely. Gunfire finally ceased.

Lola in the passenger seat sweated buckets from pain—her wound had torn open. Clutching her waist, she teased, “Thought you’d have some foolproof plan, sneaking us out unseen. Instead, it’s a hard break?”

“Hard break’s not shameful. If it works, it works.” An He flashed a faint smile and tossed Lola a roll of gauze and painkillers. “Quit toughing it out. Take the meds.”

Lola paused mid-catch. “That day you asked about my wound… to prep these?”

“Yeah.”

“……You’ve thought this through pretty thoroughly.” Lola clutched the medicine bottle, falling silent and saying no more.

An He glanced at the rearview mirror, seemingly focused on driving, but in reality, she was distracted, receiving the message relayed back by the Raven.

She saw Ide standing alone at the edge of the tallest outpost, gazing in the direction they had left. Spotting the Raven in the sky, Ide broke into a smile and pressed a hand to her shoulder in a gesture.

An He had learned this gesture from Asta—it was the ceremonial salute a general gave to warriors heading out on a mission, symbolizing a triumphant return.

In response, the Raven flapped its wings and hovered, circling twice in place as a farewell to Ide.

Now, she had truly become a Raven that hunted alongside the Wolf King.

Once the car had traveled twenty kilometers and the Iron Wall was no longer visible, the passengers finally relaxed.

An He glanced back at the people in the rear seat. Captain Tina sat quietly, head tilted back against the seat, staring blankly into space, lost in who-knows-what thoughts.

She looked a bit like An He back when she’d felt utterly lost the will to live.

After tending to her wounds, Lola finally remembered to ask An He about what had happened before: “That night when the First Fortress attacked, where were you?”

“I was fulfilling our promise.”

“What?”

“Saving Professor Su,” An He said. “See? Su Ling’s still alive right now—that proves just how hard I worked. I nearly lost my life in the process.”

“I didn’t see you.”

“I was working hard in places you couldn’t see. If I hadn’t drawn away most of the enemies, what would’ve shown up in front of Su Ling would’ve been an entire army.”

Lola: “……Are you serious, or just messing with me?”

“Dead serious,” An He replied earnestly. “No matter what, Su Ling’s still alive, right?”

Lola shrank back into her seat, unwilling to debate the matter with An He any further. She fell silent, suddenly feeling like nothing mattered anymore.

An He smiled, noticing how downcast Lola seemed, and offered some well-meaning consolation: “Is this what heartbreak feels like for you? Listen, crushing on your big sis is a terminal illness—no cure.”

“Shut up.”

“Oh.”