Chapter 116: Crescent Moon

Garrison No. 17 stood close to the northern edge of a safe zone far from Silver Moon. It was not large, consisting of only three low buildings, a supply warehouse, an observation tower, and a metal wall less than ten meters high surrounding the area. Beyond the wall stretched a wasteland that reached all the way to the foothills. At night, the roars of monsters could occasionally be heard from far away.

It was nearly two in the morning when the final patrol team returned. The metal gate opened, and thirteen Succubi entered, most of their armor stained with blood. One woman with an injury to her right thigh had to lean on a teammate’s shoulder. Her face grew paler with every step, but the person in charge of inspections at the gate merely glanced at her and recorded her name in a device.

"Three Wolf Beasts and one Armored Insect." The female captain placed four monster cores on the table.

The person in charge nodded. "All right."

The female captain looked at her, trying to keep her voice calm. "Lira is injured. I want to request that she be allowed to rest from tonight’s shift."

The person in charge hesitated slightly before looking toward the brightly lit building in the center of the garrison. "You’ll have to ask the two managers about that."

The female captain clenched her jaw, but in the end, she still helped her teammate toward the building.

On the second floor, the largest room was still lit.

Two men sat at the dining table.

One was a fat man in his thirties, sprawled across a wide chair with his legs resting on the thighs of a Succubus kneeling on the floor. Before him sat a plate of meat cut into bite-sized pieces. He could not even be bothered to hold a knife or fork. He only had to part his lips slightly, and the Succubus standing beside him would immediately bring the meat to his mouth with a fork. If a piece was too hot, she even had to blow on it to cool it down before daring to feed him.

The other man was younger. He wore silk pajamas, held a glass of wine in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other. He did not need to pour his own wine either, because a Succubus behind him had to keep watch on the level in his glass. The moment it dropped even slightly, she had to bend down and refill it.

The young man took a drag, then slowly exhaled smoke directly into the face of the Succubus kneeling beside him.

"Come here."

The Succubus trembled slightly but crawled over at once. He did not even look at her. He merely lazily held out the cigarette.

"Open your mouth."

The woman pressed her lips together for a moment.

The young man immediately frowned, his voice turning cold. "I told you to open it."

She hurriedly opened her mouth.

He calmly tapped the cigarette, letting ash fall straight into her mouth. Some of the hot ash stuck to her tongue, making the Succubus’s body tense slightly, but she did not dare spit it out. She only lowered her head and endured it.

The young man watched her reaction and laughed. "You’ve been here so long, and you’re still not used to it?"

The Succubus did not answer.

He took another drag, then continued using her mouth as an ashtray as though it were the most normal thing in the world.

The fat man being fed glanced over, chewing as he sneered. "These ones are getting more fragile by the day."

He did not even look at the Succubus kneeling by his feet. He merely lifted one leg slightly and pressed it against her shoulder to adjust himself into a more comfortable position.

"They used to know how to serve obediently. Now they get scratched by a few monsters and already want to rest."

The Succubus feeding him meat tightened her fingers around the fork.

The fat man noticed immediately, and his gaze turned cold. "Do you have something to say?"

She immediately lowered her head. "No."

"Then smile."

The woman froze.

His voice grew colder. "I’m eating. Don’t make that face as if someone died in front of me."

The Succubus forced the corners of her lips upward. The smile was so stiff that it did not look like one at all, but only then was the fat man satisfied. He raised his chin slightly, allowing her to continue feeding him.

Inside that room, not a single man cut his own meat or poured his own wine. Even someone held a napkin ready beside them, waiting to wipe their mouths.

To them, the women serving them were not people.

They were only hands that did everything for them.

The female captain stood outside the door and knocked twice.

"Come in." The fat man only glanced at her before continuing to eat. "What is it?"

The female captain helped Lira forward. "Her leg is injured. I want to request that she be excused from tonight’s guard duty."

The young man looked down at the blood that had seeped through the bandages around Lira’s thigh, then raised his eyes again.

"Broken leg?"

"No."

"Unable to fight?"

The female captain fell silent.

The young man took a sip of wine. "Then she can still stand guard."

Lira gently tightened her grip on the woman supporting her.

The female captain tried to keep her voice calm. "If the wound tears open..."

"Then go to the infirmary." The fat man impatiently set down his knife. "The garrison is short on people today. You hunted a few monsters and already want to rest?"

He pointed at the tray of meat in front of him.

"We support this entire garrison. We distribute the cultivation resources too. It’s only a minor injury, and you still come here asking for leave. What are you going to do if a large monster wave comes in the future?"

The female captain looked at him.

The hand at her side had clenched so tightly that her fingertips had turned white, but in the end, she still lowered her head.

"I understand."

The young man waved a hand. "Get out."

The female captain helped Lira turn away.

Just before the door closed, the fat man added casually, "Oh, right. Take inventory of the cores again tomorrow. This month’s output is too low. Cut the patrol team’s crystal rations by ten percent."

The female captain’s steps paused, but she did not turn around.

The door slowly closed.

After the two women left, the young man curled his lips. "They’ve been getting lazier lately."

The fat man laughed. "Let them starve for a few days, and they’ll become obedient again."

The four Succubi serving them all lowered their heads further.

No one said anything, because they were used to it.

...

Less than three hundred meters from the garrison, twelve figures hid in the darkness on the roof of an abandoned building.

All of them were Succubi, dressed in dark clothing and carrying weapons covered in a layer of magic power to reduce reflections. None wore recognizable symbols on the outside. Only upon close inspection could one see a thin crescent-shaped piece of metal showing beneath the collars of several of them.

At the front of the group sat a blonde Succubus.

Karin sat on the edge of the roof, one leg drawn up while the other swung over empty space. Two small black horns curved back through her blonde hair, and her demonic wings had been almost completely folded away. She looked toward the brightly lit building and clicked her tongue.

"Only two men."

No one answered.

Karin turned around and frowned. "I’m talking."

A Succubus standing behind her immediately reported, "Confirmed. There are two men and thirty-seven Succubi in the entire garrison. Twenty-one are resting, nine are at guard posts, and the remaining seven are in the administrative area and warehouse."

Karin nodded. "Control Devices?"

"Not confirmed."

"Emergency connection?"

"There is one transmission line leading to the southern city."

Karin curled her lips. "Cut it."

"It’s prepared."

Karin was about to stand when a calm female voice sounded beside her.

"Wait."

She immediately turned around.

Velyss stood not far away. Her long pink hair stirred gently behind her in the night wind. The black combat suit hugging her body made her mature curves even more pronounced, but the indifferent aura around her made it difficult for anyone to look at her for long. Two slender black horns curved from her head, and her violet-pink eyes calmly observed the entire garrison.

Karin frowned. "What are we waiting for?"

Velyss did not look at her. "The second warehouse door."

Karin turned back. "What about it?"

"There are people there."

One member of the team immediately checked the surveillance device. A few seconds later, her expression changed slightly.

"Three life signals."

Karin fell silent.

Velyss asked, "How many people did the report say were in the warehouse?"

"Seven."

"And now?"

"Ten."

Karin snorted softly. "They could have just changed shifts."

"They could have." Velyss answered gently. "Or the three people could be locked in there."

Karin tilted her head. "Don’t you get tired from thinking so much all the time?"

Only then did Velyss turn toward her. Her gaze swept over Karin from head to toe, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly.

"That’s why I’m still alive."

Karin immediately placed her hands on her hips. "I’m still alive too."

"By luck."

"You..."

Several Succubi behind them instinctively lowered their heads to hide their smiles.

Karin turned around at once. "What are you laughing at?"

Everyone immediately turned serious. "Nothing, Captain."

Karin huffed softly.

She was the one directly commanding this operation, and all eleven Succubi behind her followed her orders. Velyss had only joined the team for the past few missions. No one knew exactly which branch she belonged to, and no one was foolish enough to ask. Even Karin rarely brought it up.

The strange part was that whenever Velyss truly spoke up to stop her, Karin usually listened, even if she was guaranteed to complain afterward.

Velyss looked toward the garrison. "Check the warehouse first."

Karin sighed. "Fine."

She turned to her team, and her lazy expression vanished immediately.

"Team Two, go around the west side and cut the communications first. Team Three, secure the observation tower. Don’t kill any Succubi. If they resist, restrain them and take their weapons."

One woman asked, "What about the two men?"

Karin smiled. "Leave them."

The woman looked slightly surprised. "Captain, you’re not going to deal with them?"

Karin pointed at herself. "I mean, leave them for me."

Velyss, standing beside her, let out a soft breath. "Do you like killing people that much?"

Karin immediately retorted, "I’m just dedicated to the mission."

"Mm." Velyss nodded. "Very dedicated."

Karin caught the teasing in her tone, and her cheeks grew slightly warm. "Don’t talk to me in that voice."

Velyss did not reply. She only raised two fingers.

A Succubus in charge of communications immediately counted in a low voice.

"Three... Two... One."

Every light in the garrison went out.