Chapter 3: A Lost Dog
The piercing roar of engines shattered the silence at Eisenburg’s outskirts.
A battered off-road war vehicle, like an enraged beast, burst through the gray mist, charging toward the distant iron fortress.
The vehicle’s body was riddled with bullet holes and blackened scorch marks, a testament to the brutal battle it had endured not long ago.
Lin Lan drove alone, her foot slammed on the accelerator, her eyes blazing with reckless fury.
Dust kicked up by the wheels drifted slowly, and in the distance, several equally scarred vehicles followed in a tight formation.
—Those were the remnants of [Oasis]’s guard, some still bandaged and wounded, seated in the passenger and gunner positions.
They refused to let their commander venture into danger alone.
Yet, as Lin Lan’s vehicle neared—almost crashing into—Eisenburg’s cold, massive steel gate, the expected barrage of gunfire or resistance never came…
Instead, the seemingly eternal gate creaked open with a teeth-grinding screech of metal, revealing a narrow gap just wide enough for a single vehicle, like the maw of a beast ready to devour.
A cold voice crackled through a loudspeaker from the wall, echoing across the wasteland: “The Queen commands that only Lin Lan may enter.”
The surviving soldiers of [Oasis] gripped their weapons tightly, anger and helplessness etched on their bloodstained faces.
In the end, they could only watch as Lin Lan drove her vehicle resolutely into the dark slit of the gate, disappearing into the shadow of the steel walls in the blink of an eye.
Amid the palace-like cluster of buildings, the atmosphere was suffocatingly oppressive.
Before the museum, Lin Lan’s war vehicle was surrounded by a fleet of far larger armored trucks.
She had no choice but to cut the engine, stepping out of the half-broken door, “escorted” politely by two expressionless guards who flanked her.
After winding through several turns, they arrived at a brightly lit meeting room.
The moment she stepped inside, her eyes locked onto the figure seated calmly at the far end of the long conference table, surrounded by a retinue of guards—the White Night Queen, the true ruler of [Eisenburg].
Seraphina von Kallen.
Her waist-length silver hair flowed like moonlight, cascading carelessly over her shoulders.
A few strands slipped forward or draped lightly over the chair’s backrest, shimmering coldly in the light, accentuating the almost translucent paleness of her flawless face, exuding an otherworldly, icy allure.
Her deep, refined features lacked conventional softness; her narrow, almond-shaped eyes carried a piercing sharpness, their aggressive beauty intimidating to behold.
Her perpetually tight lips held no trace of a smile, her expression radiating a soul-chilling indifference and detachment.
Her elite guards, each impeccably equipped, stood with razor-sharp gazes, like a pack of coiled hunting dogs, silently fanning out to block every possible escape route.
But days of deadly combat and burning rage had long since incinerated Lin Lan’s reason.
She charged toward Seraphina, her voice hoarse with unrestrained fury:
“Seraphina! Give me Mili! Now!!!”
The silver-haired woman lounged in her cushioned chair, casually clutching a bag of washed potato chips, not even sparing her a glance.
“You damned bastard! How dare you!” Lin Lan shoved aside the guards shielding Seraphina, striding forward to berate her.
Slap!
A crisp sound rang out in the empty meeting room.
Seraphina’s hand moved so fast Lin Lan didn’t even see it, the slap sending her staggering, blood trickling from her lips.
Before she could steady herself, the two nearest guards sprang into action.
One swung a baton with a whistling force, striking her already injured leg.
The other slammed the butt of his rifle into her crudely bandaged, blood-soaked left arm.
“Urgh!!”
Agony seared through her, radiating from her bones to every limb.
Unable to hold herself up, Lin Lan collapsed to her knees, her body trembling uncontrollably with spasms.
Only then did Seraphina leisurely draw a pristine white silk handkerchief from her pocket, delicately wiping the fingers that had struck Lin Lan’s cheek, as if her skin had been sullied by something filthy…
Her heterochromatic eyes—one ice-blue, one blazing gold—showed no flicker of emotion, her voice as cold as frost:
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Mili? I’ve never seen this person you speak of… sounds like a little girl?”
She paused, a mocking curl forming at the corner of her lips:
“But you, Lin.”
“To think you’d dare trespass into my [Eisenburg]’s territory with your ragtag crew.
I’ve already shown you more than enough mercy.”
“Bastard…” Lin Lan forced herself to look up, blood from her lips dripping onto the floor, her eyes bloodshot with rage.
“It was your people… the ones who took Mili! Their insignia was Eisenburg’s!”
“Oh? Mine?”
Seraphina tossed the handkerchief aside, letting it slide across the gleaming table.
“Lin, feel free to investigate. Not a single one of my Eisenburg squads has left their designated patrol zones recently…”
“If it wasn’t you, then who?!”
“You dare touch her! I’ll make you pay with your life! I’ll make all of Eisenburg pay for her!”
Seraphina seemed mildly irritated by Lin Lan’s desperate threats.
Suddenly, she drew an energy pistol from her waist, the barrel slamming past Lin Lan’s lips and jamming into her mouth…
The cold metal silenced all her unspoken accusations.
Click…
“You’re nothing but a stray dog now.”
“So fond of playing house with those lowly creatures, and now that your little farm’s been burned to ashes, you come barking at me?”
Seraphina loomed over her, her gaze brimming with unmasked contempt and disgust.
“Tch. I’d hate for your brains to dirty my floor…”
“Spouting accusations with no proof, splashing your filth all over me…”
“I’m not in the mood to argue with you today… you owe me another life.”
With that, she withdrew the pistol and gave a subtle glance to her guards.
“Go fix your pathetic little field.”
“Don’t make me come collecting debts only to find you’ve got nothing but scraps even pigs wouldn’t touch…”
Before Lin Lan could unleash a final roar of defiance, a heavy blow struck the back of her neck, and her vision went black, consciousness slipping away.
Seraphina sank back into her chair, glancing at Lin Lan being dragged away like a dead dog, her gaze devoid of emotion.
Even she hadn’t anticipated the fall of [Oasis]; the circumstances were suspicious…
This mad dog, Lin Lan, still had some use for now
Perfect.
She’d make an ideal pawn to probe the vultures lurking in the shadows, watching with hungry eyes.
As for that girl…
“—Mili, was it?”
“Hmph…”
Her so-called “miracle” was something she indeed needed to “study” closely.