I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

So even though Gretchen can't protect Yelena, it doesn't make much difference if Sakura can.

However, because of this incident, Sakura's originally arbitrary handling order became fixed, directly targeting the advance team.

"Well……"

Thinking about it, Gretchen gave a soft hum and then subconsciously nuzzled Alyona's shoulder.

P.S.: There will be more tonight. I'm really going to be updating like crazy today. My editors are cheering me on, which is making me a little embarrassed...

I've been wearing braces for a while now and they don't hurt anymore, but the elastic bands are painful, and the old braces rub against my mouth.

After I write another chapter, I'll start clearing the bounty. Then, after tonight's big update, I'll have to write a launch message. First subscriptions are really important. I'll be counting on you all tomorrow.

Chapter 54 Forget-Me-Not is my nickname (Bonus Chapter 2)

The wind howled, carrying snow with it, and the surrounding trees were blurred as they leaned backward. Sakura continued to move quickly toward her target without stopping or relaxing for a moment.

……

However, when Sakura arrived, she saw the two sides locked in battle and Yelena about to use her Primal Stone Arts to retaliate, with icy coldness already gathering in her hands...

However, it's clear that Sakura doesn't intend to give the white rabbit that chance.

The incredibly fast slash was unleashed, and several sharp sword energies swept through, leaving icy blue trails in the air.

In the blink of an eye, before anyone in the advance team could react...

Then, his head was moved.

"Varied…"

This time, Sakura did not hold back as before, so before the headless corpses fell, a fountain of scarlet blood gushed out in front of everyone.

"what!"

"grass!"

It wasn't until the blood gushed out and stung the eyes of the few yeti present that they quickly realized what was happening and looked at the culprit wearing a mask not far away.

Even Yelena frowned slightly, looking serious as if facing a formidable enemy, and asked, "Who are you?"

As for why Yelena reacted so strongly, it's because... it was too fast.

The pink-haired, masked woman in front of her, dressed in revealing clothing, attacked so fast that not only the Yeti, but even she herself hadn't seen it clearly.

"Me? You don't need to know right now."

Clearly, Sakura didn't want to waste too much time here with Frostnova, as there were still a large number of enemies waiting for her to deal with.

If we linger here any longer, the Patriots might run into the enemy and suffer some unnecessary losses.

So, after placing two forget-me-nots as before, Sakura planned to turn around and leave.

However, as if remembering something, she softly said, "If you really want a name for me, 'Forget-Me-Not' is my alternative name."

After that, Sakura didn't look at Yelena and the others' reactions anymore. She quickly left and headed towards her next target.

Watching the figure disappear in a few breaths, Yelena's brows furrowed even deeper. She subconsciously repeated softly, "Forget-me-not?"

"Big sister, this... should we go straight back now?"

Seeing her older sister looking a bit dazed, the yeti, having recovered, asked a question.

"Hmm... Let's go back. Although we didn't do it, the reconnaissance team was still taken care of." Hearing this, Yelena came back to her senses and nodded gently.

However, before leaving, she stepped forward, cut a piece of cloth from the corpse, and wrapped it around the two pink forget-me-not flowers that Sakura had just left on the ground.

—————————————————————

Inside the mine warehouse—

At the same time, Gretchen, who had been leaning on Alyona's shoulder, slowly sat up straight and rubbed her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Looking at the adorable Gretchen who suddenly sat up, still with sleepy eyes, Alyona asked softly in a gentle voice.

"Um...it's nothing, I'm just not used to it."

Upon hearing this, Gretchen quietly explained to Alyona.

The little girl suddenly stood up, not because she was happy to learn about Sakura's situation, but simply because she was a little unaccustomed to it.

Of course, this feeling of being unaccustomed to something doesn't refer to being unaccustomed to leaning on Alyona's shoulder. Rather, it refers to... the way he still sneaks glances at her from time to time.

Although Gretchen was neither afraid nor concerned...

However, this time the distance was too close, and the gazes were a mixture of various colors. This made her begin to feel uncomfortable, or rather, she felt she was about to be forced to become stained.

"Is it really okay?"

For some reason, Alyona felt that Gretchen seemed a little irritable at the moment, but when she looked closely, she couldn't tell anything from the little girl's expressionless face.

"Hmm...it's okay."

After giving a soft reply, Greta gently hugged her friend, resting her head lightly on her shoulder. After a moment, she continued in a muffled voice:

"Um, Alyona, could you lend me another color?"

"...Okay, you can take it."

Feeling the warmth on her ear, Alyona's mind went blank for a moment, but after she came to her senses, she answered decisively.

In her eyes, it was nothing more than a color... If Gretsch wanted to use it, she wouldn't even need to tell her again; she could just take it.

And now, Alyona has finally come to understand, to some extent, the concept of "color" that Gretsch was talking about.

Although she didn't fully understand, she drew a general conclusion by observing and combining it with the little girl's previous words.

In Alyona's view, this "color" should refer to the different qualities that each person possesses, qualities that others cannot see.

However, Gretchen seems to be special; she can not only see it, but she also seems to be affected by it. Just like before and now.

Furthermore, Alyona noticed that the little girl had both times deliberately tried to absorb her own color in order to escape the influence of other "colors"...

"call……"

After figuring it out, a hint of helplessness flashed in Alyona's large, light green eyes.

Soon, Gretchen was once again stained with her companion's colors, but this time she didn't intend to paint. She simply sat there quietly, wanting the colors to linger longer.

If the color fades and it still has such a big impact on her, she plans to go out and have some fun.

Since I'm not afraid of the cold anyway, I'll just treat it as patrolling the mine.

-------------------

Following the information provided by Gretchen, Sakura continued her journey through the frost-covered forest, and even the heavy snowfall did not hinder her progress.

This time, however, she was clearly much more vigilant than before, because she was afraid that an inner guard might actually emerge from among the enemies on this side.

Sakura wasn't actually afraid of Ursus's inner guards; in fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was.

They can be easily taken down, but the characteristics of the inner guards are really troublesome... Chun Chun is a human bomb with a wide range.

If his protective suit is destroyed, then... it will trigger an annihilation, powerful enough to level an entire manor.

In this situation, either Sakura can simply repel the enemy as the system task instructed, or she can only lure them away...

Otherwise, if Yelena and Patriots are implicated, they will regret it to death.

However, it must be said that the limitations of this mission were too great. If Gretsch could intervene, she wouldn't even need to use force; she could simply seal the person inside the painting.

That truly achieved safety and zero pollution.

P.S.: There should be two more updates tonight. This is the first time I've ever written something that's made my head buzz. And I'll speed things up tonight, as this matter is almost over.

Hurry up and urge them.

Chapter 55 Who... exactly are you? (Bonus Chapter 3)

However, just as Sakura was cautiously moving forward, the information that Gretsch provided made her pause, and her speed slowed down considerably.

Just now, the little girl told her that the enemy force that Mr. Tyrant had been keeping an eye on had abandoned the new round of probing and started to advance.

Meanwhile, the Patriots are getting closer and closer to Sakura, and the two will collide soon.

If possible, Sakura would rather not have the two sides clash. She just wants to quietly and silently eliminate the enemy, protect her friends, and collect the reward at the same time.

It's important to know that Patriots are quite difficult to deal with, in many ways.

Furthermore, it's still unknown whether any of the enemy troops are from the Imperial Guard. Logically speaking, Sakura thinks it's unlikely. After all, what Imperial Guard would be so idle as to deal with such a trivial matter?

However, since the system has already assigned this kind of task, there must be some doubts. Of course, it's also possible that she's just overthinking it.

"Ugh……"

After letting out a soft sigh, Sakura pushed off with her feet and regained her speed...

……

"Stop... there are... enemies... ahead!"

Patriot, who was walking at the very front of the group, suddenly stopped and looked at the blurry figures in the distance. In his hoarse voice, he gave the order.

At his command, the entire team halted and prepared for battle.

The shield guards behind them also stepped forward and stood with Patriot, taking the lead in the formation and entering a defensive stance.

When the Patriots spotted the enemy, the enemy also noticed the situation and immediately went into defensive mode...

For a moment, both sides quietly observed each other's identities.

However, this harmony did not last long. Suddenly, a pink figure rushed into the official team without any hesitation and began to reap lives.

Groups of people fell down in response... The team was thrown into complete chaos by Sakura's actions.

Some tried to fight back with weapons, while others used gem crafting techniques. In the end, it all turned into chaos, and no one managed to hit the attacking assassin.

However, there are two reasons why Sakura dared to be so reckless... First, through her observation, she confirmed that there should be no enemy of the level of an inner guard in the team.

Secondly, if she had waited any longer, the Patriots would have rushed in, so in order to help the Reunion Movement minimize its losses, she chose to strike first.

……

After noticing the situation on the other side, Patriot's eyes flashed red. He did not choose to act rashly, but instead remained still while analyzing the situation ahead.

In his view, the seemingly disciplined team in front of him must be the official force sent to deal with the mining incident and suppress the infected.