Chapter Fourteen: The Black Dog

Only after meeting the members of "Black Dog" did Feren understand why "the Butcher" had said he would certainly enjoy himself here. The reason was simple: all four members of Black Dog were girls.

Oh—now, three people and a corpse.

Or rather, two living people, one on the verge of death, and a corpse.

Before meeting the members of Black Dog, Feren had already learned some general information about the squad from their ID cards: they were a four-person team, primarily responsible for reconnaissance, sniping, and infiltration. This time, Blackstone Group had recalled them mainly to support the frontline troops and conduct preliminary scouting. Unfortunately, their luck had run out. In today's battle, they had chosen a seemingly safe high ground as an observation post, only to discover it was the nest of a mutant. Though all four of them managed to escape, their leader, "Rose," was killed, and "Narcissus" was gravely wounded and teetering on the brink of death, currently receiving emergency battlefield treatment. As for her fate, only heaven could say.

When Feren arrived at the forward position, all he saw were two faces filled with dejection and worry.

"You are the members of Black Dog Squad?"

"Who are you?!"

At the sound of Feren’s voice, the girl leaning in the corner with an AK rifle immediately stood up, raised her weapon, and aimed at Feren with wary eyes. Behind her, another girl shrank back, uneasily hiding behind the first, clutching her sister’s clothes with both hands and gazing at Feren with fear and anxiety.

Seeing the gun raised, Derlin, who stood beside Feren, instinctively stepped forward, intending to shield him. But Feren stopped her with a raised hand. Narrowing his eyes with a faint smile, he spoke.

"I am your new commander. I believe you’ve already been informed."

"New... commander?"

The girl with the AK frowned, scrutinizing Feren from head to toe, obviously unconvinced by his claim. Feren, however, had no interest in arguing. He simply pulled the ID card from his pocket, waved it before them, and continued.

"You should recognize this. Blackstone Group has already completed the verification. As of now, I am your official commander. You will follow my orders from now on—no exceptions. Understood?"

"But..."

The leading girl bit her lip, glaring at him as if she wanted to protest. But in the end, she lowered her weapon in defeat and bowed her head.

"Yes... Commander, we will obey your orders."

"Good."

Feren paid no mind to her attitude. This was the wasteland, not the peaceful world before the "Cataclysm." Human rights, freedom, and dignity held little value here—power and hierarchy ruled all. If the girl before him dared to attack him recklessly, Feren would ensure she tasted a pain she would never forget. But since she had already yielded, there was no need to dwell on it. He quickly moved on.

"Now, tell me the current situation of Black Dog Squad."

"Yes, Commander..."

The girl hesitated briefly, then pressed on.

"Our eldest sister, 'Rose' Lucia, was bitten by that damned mutant during the earlier skirmish. She died of blood loss half an hour ago. Our second sister, 'Narcissus' Chris, was badly wounded while covering our retreat and is currently undergoing resuscitation. I am 'Tulip,' Eluka, and this is my younger sister, 'Lily,' Clorona. We are unharmed and fit for combat at any time."

"You’re blood sisters?"

At this, Feren’s interest was piqued. He studied the two girls before him—though both were grimy and streaked with battle stains, their facial features and hair color were remarkably similar. Both had the rarest white hair, though now dull and dirty. Eluka wore her hair in twin ponytails, while Clorona behind her had a neat, short bob.

"Yes..."

Though unsure why Feren asked, the twin-tailed girl answered honestly.

How intriguing...

At her reply, Feren’s pupils narrowed. Perhaps Eluka hadn’t realized, but Feren had noticed an interesting pattern. According to the records, all four members of this squad had awakened special abilities. Eluka before him had a Tier 2 "Fierce Firepower" ability, while the girl behind her, Clorona, had a Tier 1 "Psychic Sensing." The wounded "Narcissus" and the deceased "Rose" had their own unique abilities as well. Before seeing them in person, Feren had assumed Blackstone Group had deliberately assembled this team. After all, ability users who had awakened their powers were not easy to find. But now, discovering these four were all blood-related sisters, the situation seemed quite different.

"Where’s 'Narcissus'? Take me to her."

"Yes, Commander."

Though unsure of Feren’s intentions, Eluka nodded, then took her sister by the hand, gripping her weapon with the other, and led the way to a white tent nearby.

Though it was deep into the night, the area was ablaze with lights and filled with the groans and cries of the wounded. Feren and the Seven Giants had purged most lurking threats from the region, but the vanguard was always in the greatest danger. According to "Tulip," the unit had encountered a horde of mutants, even sighting energy leeches. Though prepared, the sheer number of enemies had resulted in heavy casualties. The dead had already been cremated; the wounded were treated here—if "treatment" could be called a few bandages and a dose of painkillers.

After all, most here still needed to keep fighting; as long as they could fire a gun while lying down, survival was a secondary concern.

As they approached the tent, the flap was suddenly thrown open, and two men in white coats carried a woman out. At the sight, Eluka’s eyes widened; dragging her sister, she rushed over.

"Doctor, how is my sister?"

Hearing her, the two men exchanged a glance and shrugged.

"Sorry, kid. Her injuries are too severe—she’s beyond saving. We’ve done everything we can, but most of the damage is internal. If we were in District Nine, maybe there’d be hope. But here, there’s nothing more we can do."

"How could this happen..."

The twin-tailed girl’s face turned deathly pale; she swayed, nearly collapsing, but then gripped the man’s coat desperately.

"Please, I’m begging you—save her! She’s a Tier 3 sniper! She’s valuable!"

"Hey, we know she’s valuable, but there’s nothing we can do!"

The lead medic’s face darkened; he shook her off and dumped the wounded woman on a shabby cot.

"This is a battlefield, not District Nine. We’ve done all we can! She’s got one breath left. We gave her morphine to ease the pain. If you have any last words, say them now! We’re busy—don’t bother us again. There are too many wounded, and if you keep pestering us, we’ll call the guards!"

"How could this..."

At his words, Eluka slumped to the ground, staring helplessly at her sister as tears welled in her eyes. Just then, a voice sounded nearby.

"No need to trouble yourselves. Leave the rest to me."

At these words, everyone—Eluka and the two men included—turned to see Feren and Derlin approaching.

At Feren’s appearance, the two men immediately turned ashen. They trembled uncontrollably, sweat beading on their foreheads and trickling down their cheeks. Even so, they remained frozen in terror, like men who’d just seen Death itself.

"D-Doctor... what are you doing here?"

Doctor?

At the address, Eluka looked at Feren in confusion—wasn’t he their commander? Why was he suddenly a doctor?

"That’s not something you need to know," Feren replied, his expression unchanged, eyes narrowed in a friendly smile.

"You only need to know I’m taking over this patient now. Bring her back into the tent. Derlin and I will handle things from here. Any questions?"