So, I was with soldiers who were probably part of the Federation, which wasn't in really good terms with Arcane, the organization David, and maybe me, were in.

  But they do not need to know that.

  Still I chose an alias just to be safe because Eliza Belladone was the name of a noblewoman, or girl it doesn't really matter, who was used as a Chimera experiment. So yeah, I really didn't want to get caught, plus exposing Arcane at the same time.

  Nevertheless, right now I was planning on using them to the fullest! Since they knew more about this place than me, probably, and I was also curious about why they came here in the first place.

  However, I hope it's not because they had discovered the stolen ship inside the mountain...

  By the way, I wonder when their other squad members will arrive, Alexei told me it shouldn't take long. 'I am getting kinda bored right now', I thought, munching on a protein bar. Yes, they gave me a little bit of food, and I was grateful for that. Well, I hope that wouldn’t be the only repayment for saving their lives…

  As I was lost in thoughts, the low sound of multiple silent steps rushing our way woke me up. Turning my head, I spotted eight similarly dressed men in a black military uniform. They were probably the said 'other teams'.

  They soon arrived before us. One bulky figure, with jet black hair and eyes, walked forward; his features were pretty average to say the least, not ugly nor handsome, he was what you could call Mob A. Still, his identity was probably that of lieutenant Gaspard, the leader of their small group of twelve.

  Alexei and Ivan stood up from where they were and greeted him, whereas four soldiers, who looked like debutants, simply stood, back straight.

  "Greetings Sir! The report is simple, not a single trace of our target of investigation. Also, we have encountered a small issue during our inspection." Alexei said first, briefly glancing at me.

  Then Ivan added, with a sparkle in his eyes, "We were ambushed by a pack of shadow wolves, but the woman over there, Rebecca, almost single handedly defeated all of them!"

  Seeing that I was mentioned, I also stood up and cheerfully presented myself to Gaspard.

  "Hey, name's Rebecca Silver it's so nice to meet someone so high-ranked like you!"

  Smiling from ear to ear, I continued, "Also, I am an awakened if that is anything important."

  Gaspard's eyes shot wide open at my words, and immediately threw a glance at Alexei. Who then slowly shook his head and muttered, "I checked before you arrived, she is not in it."

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Gaspard's expression tensed at those words.

  And I? Well I had one brow raised, pondering where I wasn't.

  Isaac did tell me that awakened people were very rare, but to this extent..?

  Wait, Alexei said he checked something before Gaspard arrived, and I did see him using a cellphone-like device. Then... could it be some sort of list?

  Since there are few awakened people, making a list, or a ranking of them shouldn't be too hard for a group as big as the Federation.

  Arising from my thoughts, I noticed the insisting gazes from both Alexei and Gaspard toward me.

  "Is something the matter?" I asked innocently.

  Before Alexei could answer, Gaspard interjected in a stern voice. "Excuse me if I am being rude, but have you been staying away from human civilization? …Or are you perhaps hiding your true identity?"

  'Whoa, he got both right...'

  "Well, I was kinda living inside a mountain for quite a while so you can say it like that..." I responded awkwardly, scratching my cheek.

  But that confirms it somewhat. They have a list of all awakened people on this planet, or something close to that at least.

  I could see Alexei further squinting his eyes and Gaspard with no notable reaction whatsoever.

  However, behind him I sensed that one ashen haired soldier had a rather strange reaction, very faint but I still felt it.

  Was it compassion? Or maybe understanding? No, that felt wrong...

  Anyway it's no use thinking about it for now.

  "So what's the plan now, Gaspard?" I asked cheerfully, completely erasing my previous awkwardness.

  The answer soon came, "Since we are still in the middle of the day, we should go deeper inside the canyon for our investigation." With a brief pause, he then added. "Now that I think about it, do you know about any ancient centipede roaming around here?"

  "..."

  Huh? So their presence had something to do with this wriggling pest... at least it wasn't what I thought but it is still tightly related to us, although I did not know what an ancient centipede was, I still should think a bit more about what to say here.

  Feigning to recall something, I started thinking hard for about a minute to find the best fitting scenario.

  And then finally...

  "Centipedes, right!" I exclaimed suddenly, tapping the palm of my hand. "It happened about two weeks ago, there were like a thousand of those disgusting giant insects wreaking havoc around here." A slight pause, then I added, more theatrically. "But fortunately someone super duper strong came and wiped the floor with them all! A genocide! Truly a wonderful sight it was..." I said shaking my head with a small smile plastered on my face. You could tell quite easily I was over exaggerating things a bit, but who cared?

  And well obviously, not only Gaspard but also all the other soldiers who were overhearing our conversation had a doubtful look on their face.

  So I had to confirm it with the most trustworthy proof, "I saw it with my own two eyes!" I said full of conviction.

  After a moment, it seemed like Gaspard had abandoned thinking, so he simply sighed before turning around, eyes closed in resignation.

  "Since we haven't found much so far, we'll continue advancing together, further inside the canyon... And I have a bad feeling about the strengthened shadow wolves so let's be careful." Gaspard said seriously, a frown on his face.

  He then barked some instructions to the others, tone firm and commanding, but I stopped listening at this point. That last phrase he said made me unconsciously shiver.

  So according to him, those wolves' strength was an abnormality. I wonder what could lead a monster to become so much stronger like that... and it seemed that it wasn’t just one or two, but perhaps the whole race of shadow wolves inhabiting the canyon.

  Nonetheless, now was not the time to think about it since I did not know enough, so let's just ride the flow!

  I stretched my arms high with a grin.

  "Well then, let's go on an adventure!"

  And so, our march into the depths of the canyon began.

  ___ ___ ___