SYSTEM'S POV

When Sherry opened her eyes, the view that welcomed her was a close-up of Zion, looking at her with a tender gaze. Not long later, all the sleepiness in her head disappeared like the fleeting clouds in the sky.

“I love you,” Thirteen said.

These three words made Sherry’s heart skip a beat, prompting her to bury her head on Thirteen’s chest and hug him tightly.

The young man smiled faintly as noticed the tip of the young lady’s ear turn red.

According to Vincent’s notebook, a new edition the young man handed to him yesterday, saying “I love you” to your lover as soon as they woke up would brighten their day.

Thirteen wanted to know if it was true, so he decided to test it and say it as affectionately as he could.

A few minutes later, Sherry pulled back and gave Thirteen’s lips a quick peck.

“Be honest,” Sherry said. “Did you read that in the notebook Vincent handed you yesterday?”

She had seen the flirtatious young man hand a notebook to her fiance yesterday.

She and Erica had read the notebooks he had previously given to Zion, and they had to admit—Vincent really understood how to make the ladies fall for him.

“Yes,” Thirteen replied. “Did it work?”

“… It did.” Sherry admitted. “But next time, say it to me more naturally, okay?”

“Okay,” Thirteen replied. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Sherry smiled and gave Zion another kiss.

An hour later, they left the room together and went to look for Cristopher and Colbert.

The two young men were already awake, currently busy double-checking the supplies they would take for their upcoming journey.

The soldiers of the 69th Battalion had already finished eating breakfast and were doing maintenance on their weapons.

They knew that their commander would take them to another battlefield, so the least they could do was ensure their weapons wouldn’t malfunction during the battle.

Arthur and Hans were also there, and discussing a few things.

When they saw Zion and Sherry appear, the Patriarch of the Leventis Family called him over.

“Last night, Terracotta City was attacked,” Arthur said. “The city received major damage, and according to the news, it’s no longer feasible to use it as a fortress to block the Jinn Invasion.”

The old man then glanced at Sherry and told her the news about her parents.

“Your parents and their mercenary group were hired to protect the city,” Arthur added. “But don’t worry, Sherry. I just received confirmation that they are safe and sound.

“When I told them that we will be going to Terracotta City today, they said they received orders to follow our group in our expedition.”

Sherry sighed in relief because her parents were safe.

She knew they were hired to defend the front lines, but they didn’t tell her which city they were assigned to.

Seeing how relieved she was, a faint smile appeared on Thirteen’s face. Her parents really escaped death by a hairsbreadth last night.

If Rocky hadn’t arrived on time, things might have taken a wrong turn, and his lover would have been devastated by the result.

“Also, one of the captains changed their mind, and they decided to accompany us on our journey to Terracotta City. It seems his daughter is one of the officers in the city, and he is worried about her condition.”

Thirteen nodded. “So we will have four Captains with us, with nearly five-hundred men under them. Not bad.”

Arthur smirked because he knew what his no-good-grandson was planning.

But since it would benefit him, the old man decided to just play along with his grandson’s schemes.

‘If I can poach talented individuals, then I’ll profit from this expedition,’ Arthur mused.

An hour later, Thirteen’s entourage traveled to Terracotta City, which was a six-hour drive from Runestone City.

But since he was in a hurry, he, Sherry, Arthur, and Hans traveled ahead of the group with their flying mounts.

Cristopher and Colbert stayed, tasked to lead everyone to their destination.

Thirteen was riding with Sherry on her Adamantine Falcon, while Arthur rode on his Winged Serpent.

Hans, on the other hand, rode a giant Black Hawk, defending the rear of their formation.

Since they were flying in the air, they arrived at their destination after two hours and were shocked to see how devastated Terracota City was.

Only a few buildings remained standing, while the rest had burned down due to fires.

They could still see black smoke rise into the sky when they arrived, proving how intense the battle had been back at night.

When the Commander and the Squad Captains of the city saw Arthur and Zion Leventis, they felt like they had been given a second chance at life.

Although the monsters had retreated, they were still gripped by fear and anxiety at the thought of the monsters returning to finish what they had started.

“It is an honor to see you, Sir Arthur and Sir Zion,” the Commander greeted with a smile. “Would you like to have something to drink?”

“Thank you for the offer, but I am more interested in hearing your story about everything that happened last night,” Arthur answered.

“Of course,” the Commander replied. “Please come inside our meeting room, so you can make yourselves comfortable.”

Arthur nodded and followed behind the Commander of the city.

“Go to them,” Thirteen said softly before giving Sherry a light push in the direction of her parents, who were very happy to see her.

“Mom, Dad,” Sherry reached out to hug the two people she loved very much and found herself being hugged by them.

While this was happening, Tiona sneakily crawled up Thirteen’s legs until she reached his neck.

She then flicked her tongue a few times on his cheek, as if giving the teenage boy a kiss.

“Well done, Tiona,” Thirteen said, lightly patting her head. “Thank you for everything.”

Tiona hissed happily before coiling around Zion’s neck.

She then began her report, telling her Master about the current situation of the bugs that had retreated to their nest.

“Actually, I plan to do that as well.” Thirteen nodded after hearing Tiona’s suggestion.

Right now, what he lacked was manpower.

Since he had a Brain and an Overlord Beetle that was just chilling inside his domain in the Order of the Apocalypse, it was now time to put them to good use.

A devilish smile appeared on Thirteen’s face. Soon, he would gain an army that numbered over ten thousand, and they would be following his command without fail.

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