Joint... annihilation? I always feel like this word is a bit out of place in a society ruled by law," Roland twitched the corner of his mouth, "Sounds like a big deal."
"It's not as complicated as you think," Garcia seemed to see through his thoughts, "These kinds of missions have happened a few times before, it's just that the Association has enough information about Fallen Evils and decides to wipe them out in one fell swoop. Compared to hunting alone or suddenly encountering Fallen Evil attacks, missions that are prepared in advance and proactively launched are much safer."
"Have you participated before?"
"Uh—" Garcia paused slightly, "I just heard about it from my master. I wasn't qualified to accept joint annihilation missions before, this is my first time." She paused, lowering her gaze to the coffee cup in her hand, "Maybe you don't care about these things, but I still need to make it clear... the moment you obtained the Hunter's License, your position was already above mine. The reason the Association sent me to notify you is because you haven't been a member for very long, and there may be loopholes in the handover, that's all. If you feel uncomfortable with it, I'll go back and tell the Association—"
"No, this is good." Roland quickly interrupted, his initial purpose for joining the Martial Artists Association was just to understand the mysteries of erosion and natural power. Robbing Fallen Evils was also to earn money to support his family. He basically never thought about doing things like shining for the organization, let alone becoming a regional leader. "Since you're the one who introduced me to the Martial Artist profession, take responsibility for it, understand?"
Garcia was stunned, looked up at him for a while, and then chuckled, "Take responsibility for what—you're such a strange person... it's clearly a shameless excuse to be lazy, but I always feel like I'm taking advantage." Although she said that, her expression relaxed a lot.
"You know that's good," Roland shrugged, "Let's get back to business, besides you and me, who else will be joining this operation? And who are we going to deal with?"
"To avoid leaks, this information is usually only disclosed after everyone arrives." Garcia took a big gulp of coffee, "But I did hear that some Martial Artists representing the New Faction are also on the list."
It seems the Association isn't a monolith either, he nodded, "So what's the meeting time and location?"
"Tomorrow night at six o'clock, the location is in the southern suburbs, I'll send the specific location to your phone. You can go there on your own, or you can take my car together—"
"I can go alone." Roland said quickly. If he rides in the same car as her, how can he bring the witches along?
Garcia pouted, "Suit yourself." Then she waved to Phyllis and handed her a slip of paper, "I'm Roland's neighbor, I live at 0827. If you encounter trouble in this city... I mean, anything against your will, you can call the number on it... I'm happy to help."
Phyllis blinked, "Thank... thank you."
"You're welcome." She smiled and patted the other's shoulder, waved and walked towards the door, "See you tomorrow then."
With a string of crisp chimes from the wind chimes, Garcia's figure disappeared behind the door.
"She's a good person," Phyllis exclaimed, "Your Majesty, have you decided to go?"
"Since the Association has specifically named me, I definitely can't refuse, consider it paying for the Hunter's License." Roland didn't take it to heart, "Anyway, there's more than just me participating, as long as I pay a little attention, I shouldn't encounter any danger. Besides, it's nice to have activities like this once in a while." After all, beating people is also part of relieving stress, and he also has witches to help, it would be hard for something to go wrong.
"Then I will notify Pasha to replace a batch of combat witches to assist you," Phyllis bowed.
...
After a period of enthusiastic registration and simple screening, the companions were quickly determined—still the four witches who first entered the Dream World: Phyllis, Faldi, Ling, and Tonen. Their abilities combine concealment and tracking, which is perfect for this behind-the-scenes support work.
The next afternoon, Roland and his group drove a van towards the located address.
On the map, the destination was shown as a highway service area in the suburbs. There is no doubt that this was a temporary
meeting point, convenient for everyone to arrive, and would not attract attention when changing vehicles.
The Martial Artists Association had considered it quite thoroughly.
But when he went down the ramp and entered the service area, he realized he was terribly wrong.
The parking lot was full of dazzling luxury cars, and passers-by often stopped to watch and point. What's even more exaggerated is that several groups of people gathered on the side, and excited screams rose and fell, the situation was no different from chasing stars. It was obvious that celebrity Martial Artists had been recognized.
"Luo Luo, look over here!"
"Can I take a photo with you?"
"Are you here to shoot an advertisement?"
"Isn't that the runner-up of the last Tournament, Youlong Gongzi?
"Wow, he smiled at me! So handsome!"
Hey, are you guys really here to carry out a mission? Roland silently rolled his eyes, and as soon as he parked the van, he saw Garcia walking towards him.
"Be careful to conceal yourselves."
"Understood," Tonen summoned [Veil of Dark], covering the three people in the back seat together.
Roland turned off the engine and got out of the car, greeting Garcia, "As expected, you're faster."
"I'm saying, you're someone who has a Hunter's License now, why are you still driving this... piece of junk?" Garcia asked in confusion, "I know you like to keep a low profile, but... this has nothing to do with keeping a low profile, it's even being shabby."
"Really?" He spread his hands, "I don't think there's a more convenient family car than it. Whether it's going to the supermarket or the market, it can haul back several people's food for a month at a time, other cars can't do that." Of course, the more important reason is that you never know how many thugs can fit in a van.
"Okay," Garcia seemed to accept this explanation somewhat helplessly, "If you don't mind other people's eyes."
"Of course." Roland smiled nonchalantly, "Are those guys with shiny faces also Martial Artists participating in this operation?"
"That's right, but don't say such rude things to anyone other than me," Garcia glared at him, "According to the time of entry, they are all considered your seniors."
"What about according to position?"
"That's even harder to say—because in the eyes of those in the know, you are now a representative figure of the Old Faction." Garcia sighed, "If there's an opportunity for you to make a fool of yourself on the mission, I don't think they'll miss it."
"I thought Martial Artists would be like you, prioritizing saving the world." Roland muttered, "By the way, you should also belong to the New Faction, right? Is it okay for you to be so close to me?"
"Not everyone cares about the conflict between the New and Old Factions," Garcia said unhappily, "Besides, didn't you tell me to take responsibility to the end?"
"That's true," Roland couldn't help but laugh, "Then I'll have to trouble you."
"Hmph, as a senior, let me give you a brief introduction to them... but you should have seen some of them at my father's banquet, so I'll only talk about the three main ones." Garcia raised her eyebrows towards the center of the crowd, "Luo Hua, a well-established Martial Artist, a technique-type player, powerful, and has a lot of followers. Tenth place in the last Martial Arts Tournament, which is also the best result in this city. Although he debuted early, he's only twenty-two years old this year, which is already a remarkable achievement."
"Youlong Gongzi, age unknown, probably between thirty and thirty-five. Born into a family of Martial Artists, he is considered one of the representatives of the New Faction, and his nickname comes from this. All of his abilities are becoming mature, and some say that his strength is no weaker than a 'Warden'. He was the runner-up in the last tournament, and he should be ready to win this time. If nothing unexpected happens, he will become the captain of this operation."
Garcia paused here, looking around for a while, as if searching for a target, and then pointed to a gazebo on the outer circle of the parking lot, "And the last one, perhaps is the one you need to pay the most attention to."
Roland followed the direction she pointed—
"Fei Yuhan, the rising star with the shortest rise time, has entered the final of the Martial Arts Tournament twice in just five years since awakening, and the Association
is a genius that everyone knows." Garcia's tone was quite complicated, with both admiration and envy, "I didn't expect her to participate in the annihilation mission. With her here, this team can be considered a star team."
"So what should I pay attention to? Will she be detrimental to me?"
"How is that possible," Garcia rolled her eyes at him, "You're not even on the same level as her, okay? Whether it's ability or status... what I want you to pay attention to is, don't fall for her!"