The young woman's face was delicate and sweet, even prettier than Vane's, and she would undoubtedly have been considered a campus beauty back home at any university.Her gaze was fixed on Vane, bright with hope and expectation.When she mentioned the words "Chief Instructor," Boomer, Brute, Skyler, and Torre all reacted instantly, their expressions shifting to one of profound respect.Boomer, known for his volatile temper, spoke up first."Ms. Rainer, we're not pulling your leg our Chief Instructor is practically a deity! His skills and capabilities are beyond anything you can imagine. If he were here, he could definitely get us out of this mess alive!"Brute chimed in with firm agreement. "He's right. With the Chief Instructor's power, this situation would be nothing but a cakewalk for him!"Though Leander had left the Southern Wyvern Blade nearly three months ago, the veteran members of the unit still held him in divine regard. He was their peerless standard, the benchmark they held in their hearts.Whenever Leander's name came up, they spoke with utmost reverence. Any disrespectful word heard from a clueless newcomer about him would earn the rookie a harsh and unforgettable dressing-down."He's that amazing? Well, where is he? Can't you contact him and tell him to hurry up and save us?" the young woman asked, her expression innocent and earnest, appealing to Torre and the others."Well..."Torre was immediately struck dumb. Leander's whereabouts were always a mystery. After the battle at Stormcairn River, he had left the Southern Wyvern Blade and hadn't contacted any member of the unit. They had absolutely no way of tracking him down.Furthermore, Leander had only served as the Southern Wyvern Blade's Chief Instructor for a single month. In his eyes, the unit probably hadn't registered as a serious commitment, much less worth a rescue mission across a thousand miles.In truth, even if they could reach Leander, by the time he arrived from Astria, they would likely be reduced to ash by the armed militants surrounding them."Tch!"The young woman was about to press the matter further when the young man beside her let out a cold, cynical laugh."Gisela, quit being so naive, alright? Forget this 'Chief Instructor' nonsense; don't listen to their wild tales!"The man's voice dripped with mockery. "They're all Southern Wyvern Blade members, the elite of the military, yet they're helpless against these gunmen, only able to drag our family into this godforsaken dust-up."How powerful could their so-called Chief Instructor really be? Can he fight tanks, armored vehicles, and rocket launchers? That's pure fantasy!"The young man had the air of a scholar, clearly highly educated, and his words carried an inherent arrogance, as if he believed himself naturally superior.At his words, the expressions of Torre and the others darkened. Boomer's eyes became stormy, simmering with rage, and he snapped directly at the young man. "Watch your tone! Our Chief Instructor is a genuine powerhouse, and you won't slander him freely here!"The young man didn't seem intimidated by Boomer at all. He sneered, "What, can't handle the truth? Did I hit a nerve?"He stood up, looking directly at the soldiers, and challenged them."You were ordered to escort my family-the three of us-out of the Sahar Wastes. But look at us now! We haven't even left the Sahar Wastes, and we're cornered in this dump by unknown gunmen, running low on food and water! You keep rambling about being the Southern Wyvern Blade, Astria's best soldiers... You're nothing but a bunch of braggarts!"Boomer was silenced by the young man's furious retort. Unable to formulate a reply, he could only grind his teeth in frustration and slump against the wall.Skyler, who had remained silentthrough the whole exchange, stepped forward to defuse the tension Hold on, everyone. Let' keep our voices down. We're all ing the same boat now; we need to stick together. If we start fighting amongst ourselves, our situation will get much worse than it already is." The young man merely waved a dismissive hand, unconvinced, and stood to the side, clearly unwilling to associate with Torre and the others.The young woman looked at Vane, who subtly shook her head. Gisela realized the severity of the situation, and her eyes filled with disappointment.In the end, nothing had changed. She quietly sat down nearby, though a tiny sparkof hope still flickered in her heart, waiting for the Chief Instructor that Vane and the others spoke of to suddenly appear and lead them out of danger.Silence fell heavily upon the room. After a long while, Skyler abruptly broke it."Don't you guys think something is strange?"He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and continued, "This group of militants appeared out of nowhere, and while they've been keeping us pinned down, the truth is we've only suffered minor injuries at most. There have been no serious casualties."The abandoned town we're hiding in isn't huge. With the kind of weapons they have, if they wanted to wipe us out, they could just launch a saturation bombardment. We'd be blown to pieces."But they haven't made a decisive move yet. They've just been sitting on the perimeter. I get the distinct feeling they're deliberately waiting for something."Torre and the others had been so focused on the pressure of the immediate danger and frantically trying to find a way out that they hadn't considered the larger picture. Now that Skyler brought it up, they all suddenly realized his point."You're right, thought it was odd too," Brute muttered, his voice grim. "Our movement was goingsmoothly, we were almost at then etSahar Wastes border. But then that armed unit seemed to know exactlywhere we were cute escaproute, and chased us right into this dead end. "I didn't notice it before, but listening to Skyler now, it seems like there is something off. It's almost as if they were doing this on purpose, forcing us to retreat right to this spot. Could they really have some hidden motive?"Torre and the others furrowed their brows, deep in thought. The young scholar, however, let out another cold laugh nearby.noveldrama"Is the enemy's motive really what you should be worrying about right now? The priority is figuring out how to get out of here and escape this siege! What good is your knowledge of the stars and the earth going to do you otherwise?"Vane and the others froze, their collective dissatisfaction growing toward the learned yetself-important young man. Torre's eyes were dark and he was about to fire back when a high-pitched, piercing sonic boom suddenly tore across the sky. The seven Southern Wyvern Blade members instantly went on high alert, leapingout the door to assess the surrounding situation.The moment they stepped outside, a powerful gale slammed into their faces.They all looked up, and in the next second, their expressions froze solid.Jonathan was fast asleep from exhaustion, while the young man and woman noticed the unusual behavior of the seven soldiers. Curious, they too walked out and gazed up at the heavens.That single glance rooted the two civilians to the spot.They saw an arresting blue light, like a comet plunging toward Earth, streaking downdirectly from high altitude.A figure was faintly visible within the brilliant, blinding blue glow.