Each bullet fired into the heads of those goblins caused each of them to quickly fall before the surprise of those around. With every passing second, another one lay down. In the face of the unfolding events, they could only be confused and flee in panic, emitting cries in some language they could not understand.

  As they noticed the goblins scattering further away, beyond his reaction range, the others also acted. Shots were aimed at the panicking goblins, and gradually their numbers dwindled to an alarming level, until all were eliminated. More than forty goblins were swiftly taken down.

  What they were supposed to do was infiltrate the major cities and observe the situation, especially to reach the capital, Estaurant, which they had identified as their destination according to plan. After eliminating all the goblins, the others also stepped out from their hiding spots.

  Currently, they were carrying out missions to build their reputation, from which they could gather information. Fortunately, they had a local guide with them, but in the past ten days, all they had done was to increase their rank within the guild, resulting in no information from the girl named Lise.

  "Quick, cut off their ears," Vorosimorsk ordered. "Then hurry back; we've fallen behind schedule these past ten days."

  The three of them took out their daggers and swiftly cut off the goblins' ears. While cutting, Kamarov began to complain: "Switching from close-range weapons to this type is really frustrating."

  Petrov responded to Kamarov's complaint: "At least they've been extended to avoid risks against swordsmen."

  "It's useless," Kamarov retorted. "Do you really think this will protect us from those guys?"

  Then Kamarov burst out laughing: "Those swords will chop them all to pieces."

  "Alright, I don't know how you plan to confront them directly," Petrov said. "But I won't be foolish enough to do that, at least not in a tight space."

  "If you think these daggers will save us in critical situations, think again," Kamarov said. "In many situations, handguns would be more useful."

  "Oh really, Kamar?" Petrov began to mock. "You might actually do something useful... Like back in As Sukhnah, when the leader of that troop escaped and made us chase him for a whole month just to hunt him down."

  "Shut up, Petya. I will never repeat my mistakes," Kamarov asserted. "Everything I do is always to learn, even if it may lead to undesirable consequences."

  "Hey," Rompev interjected. "Don't you two think you've talked enough? What about cutting off the ears?"

  At Rompev's words, the two remembered what they were doing. Quickly, both Kamarov and Petrov resumed cutting off the goblins' ears. They didn't really want to do this, but it also affected their main task, so they couldn't neglect it.

  "Sigh... Do you think this country is not what its name suggests?" Vorosimorsk suddenly spoke up, drawing the attention of the others.

  "What do you mean?" Rompev asked. Vorosimorsk turned to them, his face looking quite tired, which made him concerned about what had happened while they were chatting. He replied nonchalantly: "Papaldia is still exerting pressure on the country, along with the Central Asian nations."

  "Is that significant?" Rompev asked. "It's strange. Why do they maintain relations with Papaldia?"

  "Because the entire civilized area of the third world is an extremely lucrative target; the key is to deal with the web known as the Papaldia Empire," Vorosimorsk explained. "This empire has proven that it is not as strong as we think."

  "Why?" Kamarov asked.

  "Because the security system here is truly terrible," Petrov explained to Kamarov. "Do you think a country capable of producing firearms at such a high level would have no armed forces to maintain local security?"

  "Are you talking about the police?" Rompev was somewhat at a loss for words. "But even so, would they protect places outside the original Papaldia area?"

  Kamarov thought, and he also believed that this was not very realistic. "Maybe, like what other colonial empires in the past did, focusing only on important areas for development, thus helping the motherland achieve the highest benefits. From that, it can be seen that Papaldia is no different, except that it has magic to add a bit of color to that brutality, which doesn't make it any better."

  "You have a point. I wonder if we could break this country into smaller nations?" Petrov pondered. "I mean, what would happen with a monarchy controlling such a continuous land area, if the most favorable scenario for us is Papaldia collapsing; the government controlling the newly established nations?"

  "Sounds great." Kamarov agreed, stroking his chin and smiling.

  Vorosimorsk didn't say much, just provided information and watched the others discuss it. He didn't care much, and he quickly spoke up to prevent the conversation from going too far.

  ...

  Ashvale Town.

  When they returned to the town, they were greeted by the guard soldier of the place. Although it was a town, it also had walls surrounding it, despite evidence showing that it had been attacked before. It was a fierce attack.

  "Hello, you four are back quickly. Got anything for me?"

  "Hey kid, just a simple task," Kamarov said with a smile. "Here, buy a little food for yourself."

  Kamarov took out some coins and handed them to the boy. They had only been here for four days, not far from the border, and he had also helped them during those first four days, taking them to the best place to rest.

  "Thanks, but you four seem to have hunted a lot, huh?" he said lightly. "Must be a lot of money."

  "Not much," Kamarov replied. "Just enough to get by, and it's not a stable and safe job."

  "Why not? Traveling around is so exciting!" the boy questioned.

  Kamarov lazily replied: "If traveling around didn't cost money, it would be better, but it's very expensive, and we're also very tired with our personal matters."

  The boy fell silent, unsure how to respond. Kamarov placed a hand on his shoulder and said: "Just keep trying to get stronger, and later you can do whatever you want, kid."

  Stolen story; please report.

  After saying that, Kamarov turned and hurried after the others. He caught up and spoke up: "So what are we going to do?"

  "Pick up one more person," Vorosimorsk said.

  "Who?" Kamarov asked. "Is there anyone else?"

  Vorosimorsk, annoyed, turned to Kamarov and scolded: "Are you kidding me? You don't even remember the person."

  "Remember who?" Kamarov replied irritably, unable to recall who he was supposed to remember. But it seemed the other three were not joking, so he tried to think of who it was... But he couldn't remember anyone, so he shamelessly asked: "Who is it?"

  As Kamarov put on a fake gentle smile, the three looked past him. While he was still puzzled, a voice startled him from behind: "I've bought the necessary items."

  Kamarov turned around in surprise. He saw and then remembered: "Oh right," he said. "Lise, what did you buy?"

  "Just some potions," she said.

  "What are they?" he asked. "Honestly, I have no idea what they are."

  "Whatever, barbaric stuff," Lise looked at Kamarov with disdain. "These potions are used to enhance combat; some are for boosting stamina, others can heal wounds. In general, they all have the ability to affect the bodies of all living beings, but it depends on the dosage and whether that being can absorb them."

  "Sounds like playing with drugs," Kamarov scoffed. "I hope they're not addictive?"

  "They are," she confirmed, a bit smug. "They can be relatively addictive, but not as serious as 'white powder.'"

  "White powder?" Petrov asked. "Could it be..."

  "You guys get it," she said.

  Today was quite sunny, even though it was December, there was no snow. This made sense as they were still in the subtropical zone, but it didn't mean there was no snow. Somehow, it rarely snowed clearly. But as far as he knew, going further south, that is, crossing Papaldia, would lead to a more distinct change in snow. In general, winter here operates widely but is very weak in the equatorial region.

  'Seeing them chat happily is good,' Vorosimorsk thought, looking up at the sky and then at Rompev. 'He has managed to integrate into the rhythm of those two, but still tries to maintain seriousness. He really needs to be brought under Vasha's wing for stability.'

  He thought, smiling lightly as he watched the youth enjoy each other's company. He was getting older, three years older than Vasha, meaning he was currently 44 years old, while Vasha was 41. Although he wasn't sure if that person could do anything for the upcoming war, he hoped Vasha would accept Rompev and help him; at just 32 years old, he had already become a highly regarded sniper, which was quite impressive.

  As he was about to call to bring the pile of ears, something blew into his face, a red light continuously shining into his eyes, making him uncomfortable. He turned away to find the source and saw that it was coming from an upper floor of a house.

  "What is that?" he whispered, trying to determine what it was. As he tried to look closer, a gun was brought out, an SVD. This surprised him greatly, as the higher-ups hadn't mentioned any other units operating here alongside them. He understood that it was a signal, so he turned to the others and said: "We have friends."

  "Friends?" Rompev looked at Vorosimorsk, asking. "What kind of friends?"

  "Allies," he replied, then walked away. "Let's go meet them."

  "What's going on?" Lise asked, confused; she didn't know what had just happened. Just a moment ago, they were having a lively conversation, but with one sentence from the older man, the other three stopped talking and left immediately, which left her feeling helpless but unable to do anything but complain: "Those jerks."

  Vorosimorsk led the team to a house and knocked on the door, but no one answered. He tried to push it and realized it was unlocked.

  "Remember to lower your weapons, and you don't do anything provocative," he warned, staring at Lise. "Anyone will be cautious of outsiders."

  "I understand, don't remind me," she grimaced.

  "Good," he replied, then stepped inside. There was nothing of value except for some furniture. Notably, there were corpses scattered throughout the room, all wearing armor, so it could be guessed what had happened.

  Vorosimorsk commented: "They are quite aggressive."

  "Who?" Lise asked, this time she couldn't hold back anymore. Anyone looking at the scene before them would be terrified, yet these people were very calm, making her wonder if they truly had any emotions.

  Petrov stepped forward to check a corpse; he noticed many bullet wounds, all very fresh, but no one had heard anything. However, since the entire town of Ashvale didn't have many people, and the clothing of these individuals was quite shabby, it could be seen that they were all adventurers. What led him to that conclusion was the badge this person had in their pocket. He didn't care about that but was concerned about which team was here; he looked at the captain and nodded.

  "Let's go," Vorosimorsk said. "Upstairs."

  The five of them went up the stairs, and although their footsteps were interspersed, Vorosimorsk could still hear other sounds, albeit faintly. When they reached the floor, there was only one door, and still a corpse, belonging to an archer, which made him think sarcastically: 'What a brilliant idea.'

  He knocked on the door and received a question: "Who will be the one to die?"

  "A shot to the head," he replied.

  There was no sound from the other side, but the door was unlocked. He pushed the door open and stepped in to see another group of soldiers here; a quick glance at their insignia showed they were also GRU Spetsnaz. Seeing this, he spoke up: "Colonel Solomon, Voro-12 team of the 22nd Special Brigade, and these are my members."

  "Lieutenant Kavkaz, from the Rys- unit, 10th Special Brigade, and I can confirm that anyone, except for her," Kavkaz said.

  "It was a forced situation, as this world still has a slave system, and that system itself is quite special," Vorosimorsk explained. "I hope you understand, and I'm also curious about what happened?"

  "Nothing much," Kavkaz replied. "It's not important. We are just trying to infiltrate Papaldia."

  Hearing this, he also made a suggestion: "How about this? You and we cooperate, so we can infiltrate deeper into Papaldia."

  "How can that be done?" Kavkaz asked, doubting it. "Do you have anything to carry that out?"

  "Yes, and it's quite simple," he affirmed. "It's about becoming adventurers; it can help us gain some reputation, and if we become famous enough, we might be hired by those above, just like mercenaries."

  "Is it practical?" Kavkaz was genuinely skeptical. "Because it sounds wrong, like a kind of paradox. But, I will take note of it."

  "Good, I hope both sides will keep in touch," Vorosimorsk asked further. "So when did you arrive?"

  Kavkaz answered very briefly: "A few days ago, and I still need to know who that woman is?" Kavkaz didn't hesitate in his words; he stared at Lise with great caution. This made Kamarov step up to protect the woman: "Hey, if you act recklessly, I'll have to push back hard."

  "Whether you answer or not doesn't matter," Kavkaz shrugged. "I just want to know what kind of outfit that is; it seems quite distinctive, although it doesn't quite fit this weather."

  At this moment, Lise understood what the man was asking. She didn't hesitate to respond: "My personal preference, and I know it's cold, but as a mage, I don't have to worry too much about that."

  This made the entire Rys unit nod, indicating their interest in Lise's words. One of Kavkaz's team stepped forward and asked: "So can you tell us about yourself? I think that would help a lot with the relationship between the two sides."

  She stroked her chin, smiled lightly, and looked unreservedly at the faceless figures in front of her, who also had green-tinted glasses looking straight at her. She had no reason to fear these people; she could kill them, but not her "teammates." But anyway, it directly related to her interests, so she had to cooperate, and she began to speak slowly.

  "I am Lisa Allerian, 26 years old and a mage. I studied at the Edinburg Academy in the Holy Milishial Empire, and I dropped out to seek a more colorful life. As for family? I don't want to mention it," she said, pausing to observe the reactions of the others.

  Kavkaz nodded slightly, stepping closer to her and saying: "Nice to meet you, Ms. Allerian. I hope we will have a good relationship. But based on your words, you must know what kind of equipment we have, right?"

  "Of course, they have a lot of things, but I don't pay much attention to that," she said, disappointing Kavkaz. "Anyway, you guys seem stronger than these people, right?"

  Kavkaz retorted: "Don't joke. The 22nd Special Brigade is an old force, and very few are brought into it. Even I showed my talent but wasn't selected, so you need to respect them more."

  Kamarov, who had been listening, was quite surprised by this counterpart; he stepped up to chat: "I never thought the Rys unit could speak so well. I thought Rys had to be more ruthless than that?"

  "Not necessarily," Kavkaz said. "Only in forced situations must it be so, like down there."

  "Then, Lieutenant, what do you think?" Vorosimorsk said, smiling. "I'm sure both sides will become good teammates."

  Kavkaz saw Vorosimorsk's hand extended. He had to admit that the rumors about the 22nd Special Brigade having a team considered the most open and friendly were no longer just rumors; there was indeed such a team. This surprised him, but they were also very flexible. Now, as long as they could adapt with them, the mission would be completed excellently.

  Kavkaz shook hands with Vorosimorsk, saying: "I believe so."