Chapter 264: Live Stream, Deployment

Chapter 264: Chapter 264: Live Stream, Deployment

The four Players from Central Base arrived and, dispensing with pleasantries, immediately entered mission mode.

To Seraphina Sullivan’s surprise, the leader of this support team was Gordon Chandler—the one whose Talent was [Camera] and who looked to have no combat ability whatsoever.

"Captain Brooks! If everyone is ready, let’s move out."

Gordon Chandler’s tone was crisp, reflecting his swift and decisive manner.

From the intel provided by Vorlag City’s leadership, he already understood the Monster Rabbit’s terrifying destructive power.

He knew time was of the essence—every minute of delay could introduce more uncertainties.

He was worried that this unknown type of monster might have the ability to spread.

If it were allowed to spread throughout Arkadia, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Justin Brooks understood the gravity of the situation and wasted no time.

"Alright! All units, proceed according to the plan. Move out!"

The massive contingent began to move, with the Players boarding armored transport vehicles specially modified to withstand the extreme cold and a certain degree of impact.

The vehicles were spacious inside, but the atmosphere remained heavy.

Heath Summers’s appearance caused quite a stir among the Players, and whispers echoed through the cabin.

"Look! It’s really Heath Summers! I can’t believe Central Base even sent her!"

"With her here, maybe she can even do something about this god-awful weather?"

"You’re dreaming. She’s human, not a God! I heard changing the weather on a large scale is incredibly draining, and besides, the root cause of this extreme cold disaster might not even be a normal meteorological problem."

"Fair point. Still, having her here makes me feel a lot safer."

Dexter Luther also remarked in a low voice to his teammate, "I never expected the ’Child of Weather’ herself to come to the front lines. I just wonder... how strong are the other three Players?"

Dexter Luther’s gaze lingered for a few extra seconds on Brandon Barton, who was cradling a long saber with his eyes closed in meditation.

Seraphina Sullivan’s gaze also fell upon Brandon Barton.

He sat alone in a corner, cradling an ancient-looking long saber. His eyes were partially closed, his breathing deep and steady, as if he were completely cut off from the surrounding clamor.

His entire being was like a piece of tempered cold iron, conserving every ounce of his Power for the battle to come.

Meanwhile, Victor Sharp seemed extremely anxious. He deliberately stayed far away from Heath Summers, practically pressing himself against the wall of the vehicle as he squeezed in beside the two male leaders, Justin Brooks and Gordon Chandler. His eyes darted about evasively; clearly, his [Gynophobia] was kicking in.

In stark contrast to the quiet focus and nervous tension of the two men was Heath Summers, the youngest member of the team.

After boarding, she looked left and right with wide-eyed curiosity.

She gave the other Players in the vehicle an undisguised, probing look, paying special attention to the other women.

After all, Heath Summers was only a girl of junior high school age.

She possessed an incredibly powerful Talent, but after becoming a Player, she had been kept under the state’s strict protection. This experience left her with a sense of novelty and curiosity about the "outside" world and its people.

Female Players were rare to begin with, and in the entire armored vehicle, there were only four: Heath Summers, Seraphina Sullivan, Crystal Lynn, and the more recent addition, Chloe Lewis.

Soon, Heath Summers’s bright eyes found and locked onto the trio of Seraphina Sullivan, Crystal Lynn, and Chloe Lewis sitting on the other side of the cabin.

She blinked, apparently taking a keen interest in this small, all-female group.

The vehicle rumbled and jolted forward on a road buried under a thick layer of snow.

Justin Brooks and Gordon Chandler were bent over a spread-out map, discussing tactical details in low voices.

"Philip Jensen’s scout team has been monitoring the outskirts of Kaelen. They’ll rendezvous with us here."

Justin Brooks tapped a point marked on the map.

"Once we’ve linked up, we can use their latest intel to immediately initiate our attack deployment."

Gordon Chandler nodded, his expression grave. "According to current intel, the Monster Rabbit’s Ability is beyond anything conventional, and its destructive power is immense. We must concentrate all our elite combatants for a single, decisive strike. The goal is to end this fight in the shortest time possible, minimizing unnecessary casualties and variables.

On our side, Brandon Barton is one of the primary offensive assets.

But on your side, Captain Brooks, apart from yourself and Jasper Drake, who are your other standout Players that can act as a main force?"

As he spoke, an imperceptible stream of data seemed to flash in Gordon Chandler’s eyes. Everything he was seeing was being transmitted in real-time via his [Camera] Talent back to a massive conference hall in the distant Central Base.

Justin Brooks considered for a moment before answering, "Of course, Jasper Drake and I will be on the front line. In addition..."

His gaze traveled over the others and landed on Sean Chandler, who was sitting quietly at the rear of the vehicle.

"That man, Sean Chandler—he’s usually quiet, but he’s incredibly strong. He can absolutely serve as one of our core combatants."

Gordon Chandler followed Justin Brooks’s gaze to look at Sean Chandler, preparing to size him up.

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away at Central Base, high-level officials and experts were gathered in a command conference hall equipped with a massive screen. They were closely monitoring every move of the Vorlag City expedition team via Gordon Chandler’s "live feed."

As the feed swept over Sean Chandler’s calm, impassive face, a young man in the corner of the conference hall, who had been leaning back lazily in his chair, shot to his feet and cried out involuntarily:

"Sean Chandler?!"

The exclamation was jarring in the quiet conference hall.

All eyes in the room instantly fell on him.

The young man, realizing his loss of composure, quickly sat back down. His face was tinged with embarrassment, but the astonishment in his eyes had yet to fade.

A middle-aged man beside him, whose epaulets indicated a high rank, leaned over and asked in a low voice, "Nicholas, do you know this man?"

Nicholas Jensen nodded emphatically, his voice holding both certainty and a hint of barely perceptible admiration. "I do! Sean Chandler... he’s a... very powerful Player. I never expected him to be in Vorlag City!"

Hearing this, the few people nearby who were familiar with Nicholas Jensen’s own power looked at each other in surprise.

Nicholas Jensen’s Talent and Ability were considered top-tier at Central Base.

Had his Talent not been so crucial to the construction of Central Base’s core zone, he would have undoubtedly been on the roster for the Vorlag City mission.

For him to describe someone as "very powerful," their strength must be truly exceptional.

"A shame," Nicholas Jensen sighed regretfully. "I can’t go on the expedition against the Monster Rabbit, otherwise I could have teamed up with him again."

As he spoke, another figure involuntarily surfaced in his mind—an ordinary-looking female Player who always managed to work miracles.

’I wonder what city that Sullivan is in now...’

Back in the armored vehicle in Vorlag City, a short message came through Gordon Chandler’s miniature earpiece from the Central Base command center, informing him that Sean Chandler had been designated a "high-value combat asset."

Gordon Chandler shot Sean Chandler a surprised glance and silently filed the information away.

After several hours of travel, the convoy finally reached the outskirts of Kaelen.

The city’s former silhouette was barely visible through the ice and snow, and the dead silence carried a heart-stopping sense of oppression.

Justin Brooks stood up and faced all the Players in the vehicle, who were poised for battle. His voice, steady and powerful, carried throughout the cabin:

"Alright everyone, we’ve reached the target area! Steel yourselves, check your equipment, and prepare for battle!"