Chapter 216: Rescue Mission [1]

Liam arrived at the training room of the Ace of Spades Guild shortly after finishing his meeting with James.

His squad had already received orders to report there, although they still didn’t know the details of the mission. Some were chatting near the walls, while others checked their equipment.

Chuck was the first to notice him entering.

"Boss! I hope you didn’t gather us for another training session. My arms still hurt from the last one."

Lena, sitting on a crate, giggled.

"That’s because you spent the entire session complaining instead of training, old man."

"I was supervising the training from a strategic perspective, little girl!"

Liam smiled briefly before raising a hand to ask for silence.

"This time, it’s not training. We have a rescue mission."

The jokes gradually died down.

Liam activated the room’s screen and displayed an image of a dark tower. Beneath it was its classification: SS-rank.

Zayn ran a hand through his black hair as he examined the photograph.

"An SS-rank dungeon? Aren’t the other squads busy with missions of that level?"

"They are. That’s why we’ve been assigned this mission. An eight-year-old girl has gone missing, and there are reasons to believe she entered the tower. Our objective is to find her and get her out."

Jordan crossed his arms over his massive chest.

"An eight-year-old girl entered a dungeon of that rank alone?"

"We don’t know exactly what happened. What matters is that she might still be inside, and we don’t have time to waste."

Emily clenched her fists.

"Then let’s go find her."

"That’s what we’ll do. But I want to make one thing clear: we’re not going to clear the entire dungeon or fight every monster we encounter. If we can avoid a battle, we will. The girl is our priority."

Ray nodded with a serious expression.

"Find her, protect her, and get out. Understood."

"Exactly."

Liam looked over his team. Although they had all participated in dangerous missions, an SS-rank dungeon wasn’t something they could afford to take lightly.

His squad was relatively small for an expedition of that caliber, and he didn’t want to risk entering with less support than necessary.

"I’m going to request two hunters to join us for this mission."

Chuck raised an eyebrow.

"Reinforcements? Sounds good. Will they be people capable of recognizing my talent and admiring my skills?"

"They’ll be people I expect to work as a team," Liam replied.

"Well, that’ll do, too."

Lena chuckled under her breath.

Liam took out his phone and sent a message. He had already thought of two candidates who might prove useful: Lucas and Eve. Both had recently advanced to Emerald-rank and were familiar with his way of working.

They weren’t strangers he’d have to teach to trust him from scratch.

Shortly afterward, he received a reply confirming that both were available and would be temporarily assigned to the mission.

"Good. Check your equipment and prepare whatever you need for a prolonged expedition. Our reinforcements will be here shortly."

◇◆◇

Lucas and Eve arrived about ten minutes later.

Lucas had his enormous combat gauntlets secured to his forearms.

Eve, meanwhile, greeted Liam with a smile before glancing at the assembled hunters.

"So this is the famous sub-captain Davis’s squad. I’ve been curious to meet you all."

"And we’ve been curious to meet our reinforcements," Lena replied, approaching with a mischievous smile.

"Are you any good?"

Lucas raised one of his gauntlets.

"If it’s about breaking things, I can guarantee I’m excellent at it."

Eve gave him a light tap on the shoulder.

"Don’t listen to him. He’s also good at taking hits."

Laughter spread through the group.

Liam shook his head, amused.

"Before you start telling each other about all your defeats, I’d like us to focus on the mission. Lucas, Eve, thanks for accepting the assignment."

"No problem," Lucas replied.

"It’s been a while since we last worked together. Besides, a rescue mission seems like a good reason to break out of our routine."

Eve nodded.

"And if someone’s trapped inside, we can’t leave her waiting there."

Liam acknowledged her answer with a glance. That was exactly the attitude he expected from them.

He then began explaining the main abilities of his squad.

Nora could use her shadow creatures to explore areas without directly exposing her teammates to danger.

Zayn was fast and could move ahead to scout the terrain.

Ray could alter the density of objects he touched, while Chloe could temporarily link her allies to redistribute energy among them.

Jordan would take the frontline role, withstanding attacks they couldn’t avoid.

Carol and Emily would work together when necessary, combining the properties of the materials Carol could transform into with Emily’s electricity.

Chuck and Lena would provide direct attacks, while Liam would direct the group’s movements and adapt to whatever threats they encountered.

Lucas listened attentively.

"Wow, you’ve got a good variety of abilities."

"That’s why it’s important not to act on your own," Liam replied.

"We don’t know this dungeon’s characteristics. Our usual abilities might not work the way we expect them to."

Eve crossed her arms.

"Then if anyone finds something strange, they report it before doing anything stupid."

Lena raised her hand.

"Does that apply to Chuck, too?"

"Especially Chuck," Liam answered.

"Hey! I’m right here!"

The laughter eased the tension a little, but Liam quickly returned to the subject.

"And remember one more thing. If we find the girl, our formation will change. We can’t let her be exposed to danger while we look for an exit."

Jordan nodded firmly.

"I’ll protect her if necessary."

"Me too," Emily added.

"We all will," Ray concluded.

Liam looked over the group. He couldn’t guarantee the mission would be easy, but at least everyone understood what was expected of them.

Lucas approached him while the others finished preparing their gear.

"Your squad seems pretty close-knit."

"They’ve been through some tough situations together," Liam replied.

"And they still have a lot to learn."

"That’s true for all of us."

Eve moved to Lucas’s other side.

"By the way, does this mean we’re officially part of your squad?"

"Not yet. For now, you’re only assigned to this mission. I want to see how we work together before making any decisions."

"Fair enough," Lucas replied without showing any disappointment.

"Then let’s do a good job."

Liam nodded.

Although he hadn’t decided whether he wanted to recruit them permanently, he liked the idea of working with his former teammates again.

Both were capable hunters, and they seemed to understand that completing a mission was more important than proving who was the strongest.

That would be essential inside an SS-rank dungeon.

◇◆◇

Once everyone was ready, Liam received confirmation that their transport was waiting outside.

He put away the report and took one last look at Emma’s photograph on his phone.

Liam thought about Lionel and Liana, who were probably spending the day with Lydia’s copy. He wondered what his children would do if they ever found themselves in a similar situation, and his resolve hardened.

He didn’t want any parent to have to endure the anguish he’d seen on the news.

"Everything ready, Boss?" Zayn asked.

Liam put away his phone and turned toward his squad.

"Everything’s ready. Maintain formation, report any threats, and don’t split up without authorization. If we find Emma, we get her out of there. We’re not going to risk anyone’s life out of pride."

Chuck gave him a thumbs-up.

"Understood. Quick rescue, safe return, and no heroic deaths."

"For once, you’ve said something sensible," Lena commented.

"I’m going to start charging for my advice!"

Liam smiled briefly and opened the door.

"Let’s go. There’s a little girl waiting for someone to find her."