I Can Copy And Evolve Talents

Chapter 1440: The Threat Of The Forest Hunters

The soldier blinked several times.

"This makes no sense... Was Commander distracted?"

If he were to be honest, he didn’t see how mere distraction would make their Commander lose. She was someone who was born of the Heritage of Flames, the greatest to exist not just within the Empire, but arguably the entire world. She had an impregnable defense of fire.

And this man had seen it destroy the opponent’s assault even when Commander Vanessa wasn’t serious about them.

So the concept of being caught off guard was not one that Commander Vanessa obeyed. She was an unfair, atrocious monster.

And yet... that monster that was molded out of fire was there... lying on the ground, unconscious.

Northern said with a kind smile,

"I think she needs to rest a bit. Just to be sure, I’m going to be a Squad Leader, right?"

The soldier stayed silent for a long while before he eventually gulped.

"I will speak to the Commander about it. In the meantime, you should rest."

He hurried over to his Commander and lifted her onto his shoulder. However, he was suddenly grabbed.

The soldier went stiff as the Commander grabbed his butt from behind.

"C0-C0m—mander, th-that’s pretty inappropriate, ma’am."

Vanessa growled and flipped him over. She landed on the ground and sent him flying overhead. The poor guy slammed against a tree and plummeted down.

Vanessa shook her head. Her hair was messy and scattered in spikes. Certain areas of her face had been blackened with burn marks.

But from Northern’s observation, it didn’t seem to have left any concerning injuries on the Commander.

Which meant she had very tough skin.

"You lost."

Northern said with a small smile playing over his lips.

Vanessa was silent for a beat. She sucked in air and combed her hand through her hair with a heavy exhalation.

"I did, huh? I did..."

Northern kept an even expression, his eyes peering straight into hers.

"We had a deal."

Vanessa exhaled again.

"True, true, we did, didn’t we?"

Northern nodded, though his eyes were very calculative. He had been through situations like this several times over. Strong people faced against him usually found it very hard to swallow that they had lost. So they would always want to try again, at all costs, and prove to themselves that there was no way they could be defeated by a kid.

Vanessa exhaled again, and her shoulders dropped. Her countenance switched from frustration to defeat.

"Oh well, then. I’ll have this fool show you to your abode. Peaker!"

The soldier, Peaker, shot up like a spring.

"Yes, Commander!"

"Show... uhm... what did you say your name was again?"

Northern responded with a kind smile.

"Rian. I’m Rian."

He pointed to his subordinates.

"This is Nyssira, and that’s Pam."

He turned to Mr. Fluffy.

"And that’s Mr. Fluffy."

Vanessa’s eyes went wide and she gasped.

"Oh! Mr. Fluffy! What a beautiful name for an adorable and cute creature like you."

She scurried over to him. Mr. Fluffy snarled as she approached, but the lady did not mind and simply grabbed him, snuggling her cheek and face all over his fur.

Since after the surgery, Mr. Fluffy had been staying in a smaller size, so right now, he was very pickable, as sizable as a tamed wolf beast.

Even though he had found being picked up unpleasant for some reason, he was completely silent and wide-eyed as Vanessa rubbed her face all over his fur.

When she stopped, he growled and snapped his head at her.

"Oh? You want me to do it again?"

Vanessa went ahead and repeated it a second time. This time, Mr. Fluffy’s eyes were closed, his neck stretching, and his hind limbs kept kicking. The beast seemed almost confused and amazed, like he was witnessing the birth of some magic.

Peaker stepped forward and looked Northern in the eyes. Then he bowed.

"I will escort you."

Vanessa glanced over to the side, still cradling the beast.

"You know what, how about Peaker being the assistant squad captain? You still need to learn the ropes, after all, and understand the threat we’re up against."

Northern looked at the tall, gaunt man with freckles on his cheeks, tousled brown hair, and green eyes. He looked unimpressive in every regard, but his eyes shimmered with a very dangerous determination.

He nodded.

"Alright. Thank you."

"A squad usually consists of ten squad members..."

He glanced at the others.

"You will need seven more people."

Northern nodded with a kind smile.

"Thank you, Peaker."

Peaker smiled, revealing his proper brown set of teeth.

Northern then fixed his gaze on Mr. Fluffy at the same time Commander Vanessa was talking.

"I will send the file of some promising individuals to you. They’ve served from different angles in the Empire’s military and are probably here for one thing or another, just like you. You can go through them and decide for yourself which of them would be useful to this expedition."

She paused, smiling at Mr. Fluffy as she kept brushing his fur. Then she looked at Northern.

"As for the threat we face, they are a series of threats, actually. But the most problematic of them are the Forest Hunters. Those pieces of shit have been around for two hundred years. They’re like pests. No matter how much they are eradicated, they retreat, slowly fester and grow, then come back even stronger. So right now, we are pushing for permanent extermination. Whatever it takes to discover all their lairs and raid everything is what we are pushing for."

She sighed, and her voice dropped.

"At the same time, the Empire cann0t spare the manpower that would’ve made this look like a walk in the park, since they’re busy with greater matters."

Northern tilted his head in a little confusion.

Before he asked anything, Vanessa added,

"And if this threat were to be left alone, if they entered the outskirts city, their threat level would advance, and they would stop being a threat. The Empire might even decide to deploy a Legion. But before that happens, many will die."

She gave Northern a poignant look.

"Although many soldiers have sacrificed their lives in this battle, we have protected the civilians at the cost of our lives. Not even one civilian has been lost to those bastards."

Her gaze hardened.

"And I’d like to keep it like that."