Chương 416: Chapter : 416

"If you stay this chaotic," Ken said quietly.

"You are destined to face absolute, crushing hardship. You will face a devastating defeat at the hands of the truly ruthless factions. You must learn to cover each other's weaknesses. You must fight as one single, flawless unit. You have to be better." The quiet coastal cafe felt completely silent. The ocean breeze blew gently across the patio. A seagull chirped in the distance. Zinia sat in stunned silence. She stared at the messy boy sitting in front of her. She processed his words slowly.

She felt profound, undeniable respect bloom deep inside her chest. The realization hit her like a solid rock. Ken Eliot was not just a lazy slacker. He was not just a boy who complained about cardio. He was not a fool who only cared about snacks. He was an incredibly observant, brilliant tactician. His sleepy dark eyes missed absolutely nothing when he thought no one was watching. He watched every single battle from the backline. He understood their minds perfectly. He analyzed their magic.

He cared deeply about their survival. He wanted them to succeed. Zinia slowly leaned back in her chair. The tension completely left her strong shoulders. She recognized the deep, unspoken value he brought to their makeshift family. He was the quiet, intelligent anchor of the 13th Unit. He observed everything so they could shine. Zinia offered a warm, genuine smile. It was a smile of true friendship and absolute trust.

"You are right, Ken," Zinia said softly. She nodded her head.

"We do have flaws. We rely too much on our own individual strengths. We forget to fight as a complete unit. I will talk to Naomi. We will work on our teamwork. We will fix these problems." Ken instantly dropped his serious face. The sharp, cold look completely vanished from his eyes. He slouched his shoulders again. He put his goofy, lazy smile right back on his face. He picked up his fork and poked at a leftover french fry.

"That sounds like a great plan, Zinia," Ken mumbled cheerfully. He popped the fry into his mouth.

"You guys do the hard training. I will continue to provide excellent moral support from the safest, most comfortable chair I can find. It is a very important job." Zinia chuckled deeply. She shook her head. She loved his quick return to his goofy persona. She turned her head and looked toward the cafe entrance. She raised her hand. She called the cafe waiter over to their table.

"Excuse me," Zinia asked politely. She smiled at the waiter.

"Can I please order a tall, ice-cold glass of freshly squeezed lemonade? Please bring it for my friend here." The waiter nodded quickly. He wrote the order down on a small pad. He walked away toward the kitchen. Zinia looked back at Ken. She generously treated the exhausted boy to the drink. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"You are a very surprising person, Ken Eliot," Zinia said softly. Her voice was full of deep appreciation.

"You hide a lot behind that messy shirt. But I am very glad you are on our team." Ken beamed happily. He looked completely thrilled.

"Lemonade is the absolute best drink in the entire world. Thank you, Zinia. You are officially my favorite person today. You are much nicer than Naomi when she makes me wake up early."

"Do not tell Naomi I bought you a drink," Zinia laughed.

"She will make us both run laps around the courtyard."

"My lips are completely sealed," Ken promised. He made a locking motion over his mouth. He threw the invisible key over his shoulder.

"I will never betray a free beverage." The waiter returned a few minutes later. He carried a tall, frosty glass of freshly squeezed lemonade. Condensation dripped down the sides of the cold glass. He placed it gently on the table in front of Ken. He walked away. Ken picked up the glass. He took a large, happy sip. The cold, sweet lemonade tasted fantastic in the warm coastal sun. He let out a loud, dramatic sigh of pure relief.

"This is exactly what I needed," Ken cheered. He set the glass down.

"My energy levels are completely restored. I am ready to take a nap now." Zinia smiled warmly. She rested her arms on the table. They sat together in the sunlit coastal cafe. They did not talk about the Succession War anymore. They did not talk about the terrifying sea monster. They just enjoyed the quiet, peaceful afternoon. They completely cemented a new, deeply respectful chemistry between them. Zinia knew she could trust him. She knew he watched over them from the shadows.

The bond of their team grew even stronger. The 13th Unit was ready to face the future, guided by the brilliant, lazy boy who noticed everything.

The morning sun shined brightly over the calm coastal water. The 13th Unit stood on the wooden docks. They were busy preparing their tactical trap. Zinia placed thick stone anchors deep underwater. Sayma calculated the exact water pressure needed for their perimeter. Princess Iris watched the horizon carefully. Laxmi stretched her arms and smiled.

"We are almost done. We just need to connect the final ropes." Naomi nodded in agreement. She checked her twin silver daggers. She did not look angry or strict today. She glanced at Ken and offered a warm, friendly smile. She felt a deep, unspoken respect for him.

"The trap is perfect. When the sea serpent comes, it will get stuck easily." Ken Eliot sat on a wooden crate a few feet away. He held a tall glass of cold lemonade. He sucked the last drops through a paper straw. The straw made a loud slurping sound. Sluuuurp. He wore his navy blue suit pants. His white shirt hung completely untucked.

"This lemonade is fantastic," Ken announced cheerfully. He slouched his shoulders.

"I am totally ready to go back to the hotel. We did a great job today. By 'we', I mean you guys. I provided excellent moral support from this crate." Naomi chuckled softly. She walked over and playfully nudged his arm.

"You actually helped us figure out the mystery yesterday, Ken. You earned a break. We can leave soon." Suddenly, a loud, terrified scream echoed across the ocean. Everyone stopped talking. They looked toward the water. A small, fast motorboat zoomed across the waves. It raced frantically toward the docks. Three men stood inside the boat. They looked completely terrified. They waved their arms wildly. Sayma pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She squinted at the boat.

"Those are not local fishermen. They have large diving suits. They are carrying bags of gold coins and ancient gems." Princess Iris drew her silver rapier. Her violet eyes filled with deep concern.

"They are greedy poachers. They stole treasures from the ocean floor."

"They definitely stole from the wrong place," Ken mumbled lazily. He took a step backward. He tried to hide behind a wooden post.

"I have a very bad feeling about this. My stomach hurts." The ocean behind the small boat began to bubble violently. The water turned totally dark. A massive shadow rose from the depths. The ocean itself seemed to explode upward.