Crossing the Sea of Fire and the Worst Misfortune of Mission Failure

"Serena Feng!" Felix Fuller shouted, startling Serena so much that she nearly pressed the release key instead of the retract key for the cable.

"What is it?" Serena really disliked Felix's jumpy, panicked behavior.

At first, Serena thought Felix was mature and composed, someone with real depth. But after spending more time together, she realized he was only occasionally shrewd or cunning—most of the time, he was just straightforward, almost naive. Clearly, he was another kid who’d been protected too well by his family.

"Your cable—won't it get burned through by the fire?" Felix pointed at the raging flames and the line Little Gray was dragging toward the blaze.

"You’re only thinking about that now? Isn’t it a little late?" Serena shot Felix an annoyed look.

Seriously, at a time like this, how can he still worry about such pointless things?

Felix coughed awkwardly, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Neither of them spoke again. All their focus was on waiting for Little Gray to find a way out.

Crackle, crackle... Everything around them was starting to burn, the temperature rising fast. The blast suits Serena and Felix wore were already stifling, and now both of them were drenched in sweat.

Felix was losing patience. "Serena, Little Gray might not find an exit. We should just fight our way out. If we wait any longer, even if we don’t burn to death, this heat will roast us alive."

Serena pulled on the steel cable; it was stretched taut, straight as an arrow.

"Felix, hurry up—we need to go." Serena urged him again, her voice tense.

If they didn’t leave now, they’d end up buried here with the Prefect’s Manor.

"Sorry!" Felix apologized as he wrapped his arm around Serena’s waist, just as a powerful force yanked them forward.

"Felix, put up your hood. Gather your energy." Serena instructed, noticing the Tiger Claw was straining to carry two people.

"Okay..." Felix replied, bracing himself.

With a whoosh, Serena pressed the retract key; it was like a sudden gust of wind, and both were instantly swept up, flying toward the sea of fire.

Wind and flames rushed at them; Serena felt herself engulfed in scorching heat. The temperature could roast someone alive. She felt a warm liquid running down her inner thigh.

Don’t get the wrong idea—she wasn’t so scared she wet herself. It was probably the ointment on her wound being washed away by sweat. Looks like she’ll suffer again tomorrow.

The two of them, in their strange outfits, flew straight out of the sea of fire, seemingly untouched by the flames. The people waiting outside to collect bodies after the fire were stunned by the sight.

"Sir, sir... a phoenix? Is that a phoenix?" A child who believed in legends saw Serena and Felix burst from the flames and immediately thought of a phoenix reborn from fire.

"Idiot, that's just a myth. They're the ones we're supposed to kill! Archers, ready, loose arrows!" The prefect broke out in a cold sweat. Just a moment ago he'd worried the fire would burn the bodies to ash and he'd have no corpse to deliver, but the next moment...

What the hell? The ones who should have died just flew out like gods descended. What is this?

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... A dense volley of arrows shot into the air. Felix held Serena one-armed, sword guarding their sides, but realized—they were moving too fast and too high. The arrows couldn't touch them.

"Serena Feng, this gadget of yours is amazing. How about giving me one? I'll trade you a hunting hawk." Felix was clever, knowing how to tempt Serena.

Too bad, Serena refused without hesitation.

Training a hawk takes ages, and with her animal-repelling fate, any hawk might just fly off at first sight. She'd rather spend that time treating more patients, earning Medical Ethics Points, and finally redeeming her coveted AK-74 assault rifle.

"Pursue! Quick, pursue! They're heading north—we can't let them get away!" The prefect barked orders and soldiers surged north like ants.

Inside the city, commoners shut their doors tight, terrified they'd be swept up and killed by the soldiers.

The prefect, drenched in sweat, kept shouting orders to pursue, dragging his pampered body at a speed he'd never managed before, rushing to the official hall.

He’d thought it was a sure thing, but at the critical moment it failed. If he couldn’t catch those two, not only his future, but even his life might be forfeit...

"Sir..." The prefect called out anxiously when he saw the man.

"What? Where are the bodies? Burned up?" The man stood up, furious, firing off a series of cold, sharp questions.

Outside the city, with all that noise, how could he not know?

"Sir, they—they escaped." The prefect was nearly in tears.

"Escaped? I gave you thirty thousand men, and you couldn’t even kill one woman. Tell me, what use are you to me?"

With a swish, the man drew his sword and, before the prefect could react, sliced off his head. Blood splattered across the man’s face, but he wiped it away indifferently and stared coldly northward.

Serena Feng, I really underestimated you. Surrounded on all sides, trapped in a sea of fire, you still managed to fly out. No wonder the master insists you must die.

Serena Feng, I don’t believe your luck will always hold. The road back to the Capital is long—I want to see just how tough you really are...