Lanton, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up:
"Actually, there’s no need for all of us to go in."
Bena turned to Lanton:
"What do you mean?"
Lanton gestured toward the three bionoids.
"The bionoids are weaker. They won’t be much help if they come inside with us."
"Instead of wasting Simon’s ability on them, we’d be better off leaving them outside as backup."
"They can cover our retreat, or even create a diversion near the factory if needed. Drawing some of the Blood Saber Gang’s attention away would take a lot of pressure off us."
Everyone’s eyes lit up at Lanton’s idea.
Bena mulled it over for a moment and decided Lanton’s proposal was very reasonable.
He turned to Simon. "Simon, what do you think? If your ability only has to cover a few of us, can you handle getting us in and out?"
Simon considered it carefully, his expression conflicted.
"Three people should be fine, but four... my body might not be able to handle it. Especially since we’ll have my brother with us on the way out."
After a moment’s thought, Bena quickly came to a decision:
"Three it is, then. Me, Zhou Mei, Lanton, and you will go in and find him."
"Zhou Yiming, you and the three bionoids will stay outside as backup. You may need to handle unexpected situations on your own."
The three bionoids responded almost in unison: "We will follow orders. No matter where we are, we will do our best to complete the mission."
Zhou Yiming nodded as well.
"No problem."
Bena clapped Zhou Yiming on the shoulder.
"Then you’re in command of these three for now."
Simon also nodded, agreeing with Bena’s plan.
"Alright, it’s settled then," Bena concluded. "Simon will lead. The four of us will infiltrate the factory, find Xisuo, and get him out.
Zhou Yiming and the bionoids will get ready to provide backup from the outside.
As soon as we have him, we pull out immediately. Zhou Yiming, you and your team need to be ready to provide support at a moment’s notice."
"It’ll be dark in a little over an hour."
"We’ll move after nightfall."
Everyone understood and began their final preparations.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye. The sky had grown completely dark. As if on cue, the heavens were cooperating—the sky was thick with dark clouds.
While not quite pitch-black, it was close.
The four of them soon made their way in the darkness to the eastern gate, which was blocked by a pile of junk.
Simon took a few deep breaths, centering himself to make sure he could use his ability properly.
"Ready?" Bena asked Simon.
"Ready," Simon replied.
"Then let’s go." With a wave of his hand, Bena led Zhou Mei, Lanton, and Simon silently toward the perimeter wall of the abandoned factory.
Under the effect of Simon’s ability, their four bodies gradually grew transparent. In the end, they became like ghosts, passing straight through the wall and successfully entering the factory grounds.
After phasing the three of them through the wall, Simon’s face instantly turned pale.
The radiation levels in his body spiked, and the ugly radiation spots that had just faded crept back onto his skin.
Bena immediately noticed something was wrong with Simon.
He asked with concern:
"Are you okay?"
Simon shook his head firmly.
"I can still manage."
Bena knew Simon’s ability took a heavy toll on him, but this was no time to hesitate.
He patted Simon’s shoulder, signaling for him to stay alert, then led the team deeper into the factory.
The factory interior was dim and eerily quiet, the dead silence broken only by the occasional sound of a patrol’s footsteps.
The patrol was set up just like the one outside: a two-man team.
And from the sound of their footsteps, it seemed they were the only patrol inside the entire factory.
Zhou Mei sidled up to Bena and whispered:
"How about I just beastify and take them out?"
"It’s nighttime, so I can stay transformed for a long time."
Bena was tempted by the idea. He knew exactly how fast Zhou Mei was after transforming.
With the cover of darkness, taking them both out before they could raise an alarm would be almost effortless.
In the end, however, he shook his head.
They were here to rescue someone, not to assault the entire abandoned factory.
They didn’t know much about the Blood Saber Gang, let alone their patrol routes or rotation schedules.
’If we kill them and their relief shows up right after, we’ll be in deep trouble.’
"Don’t cause unnecessary trouble. There are only two of them. We just need to be careful."
Seeing Bena reject her idea, Zhou Mei felt a little reluctant, but she didn’t press the issue.
After all, she knew he had a point.
Using the darkness and the cover of debris, the four of them silently approached the location where Xisuo was being held.
Simon was relatively familiar with the area, expertly leading the team as they weaved between abandoned machinery and materials.
Twenty minutes later, the four of them arrived at the place where Xisuo and Simon had originally been held captive.
It was a warehouse that had been converted into a makeshift prison.
Specks of light shone from within the warehouse, leaking through cracks in the walls.
Simon lowered his voice.
"There was only one guard inside before I escaped. I don’t know if they’ve added more since I got out."
Bena nodded in understanding.
He scanned the surroundings. The warehouse was in a relatively isolated spot, with no other buildings nearby—just some haphazardly stacked shipping containers and derelict machinery.
Zhou Mei spoke up again.
"Should I go take a look?"
Bena nodded.
"Be careful. Don’t engage unless you absolutely have to."
Zhou Mei immediately gave him an "OK" sign.
She then took a single step, and in an instant, a fine coat of fur sprouted from her skin.
In the blink of an eye, Zhou Mei’s transformation was complete.
Zhou Mei’s form became lithe and agile. Her movements were swift and light, like a panther in the night, as she silently approached the warehouse.
She pressed her body flat against the wall, her ears twitching slightly as she took in every sound around her.
After confirming there were no other guards nearby, Zhou Mei carefully approached a crack in the warehouse wall and peeked inside with one eye.
She saw there was indeed only one guard inside, sitting on a chair. Though his back was to her, the way his head kept nodding made it clear he was dozing off.
Seeing the situation inside, Zhou Mei didn’t act rashly. Instead, she silently returned to Bena’s side.
"No problem. Still just one guard, and it looks like he’s about to fall asleep."
"But besides Xisuo, there are other prisoners in there."
Bena nodded.
"Simon, you and Lanton stay here."
"Zhou Mei and I will go in. If anything seems off, retreat immediately."