Chương 461: Chapter : 461

Zinia cracked her knuckles. The strong earth mage moved a large tree branch out of the way.

"Stay focused, everyone. We are approaching the coordinates." Sayma walked next to Princess Iris. The intelligent Vice-Captain held a glowing blue magical crystal. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She checked the readings on the crystal.

"The energy signatures are incredibly strong here," Sayma stated politely. She clicked her pen.

"The Lion King told the truth. There is a massive operational base located right under our feet." Princess Iris stopped walking. She looked at a solid rock wall covered in thick green vines. She pointed her silver rapier at the stone.

"The entrance must be hidden here. Spread out and search the area." The elite girls moved quickly. They pulled the vines away from the rock. They searched for a hidden door. Ken did not search. He found a smooth, flat rock. He sat down. He stretched his legs out. He pulled another piece of candy from his pocket.

"Let me know when you find the door," Ken mumbled lazily. He chewed his candy.

"I am going to supervise the perimeter. By supervise, I mean sit here and rest my eyes. Walking through the jungle burns too many calories. I need to conserve my energy." Naomi chuckled softly. She pulled a thick vine away from the rock wall.

"Just stay right there, slacker. Do not wander off."

"I am basically glued to this rock," Ken promised happily. Ira stood perfectly still near the rock wall. Her pale face showed zero emotion. She raised her pale hands. Water gathered around her fingers. She sent a thin stream of water over the stone surface. The water seeped into a tiny, invisible crack.

"I have located an artificial seam," Ira announced in her flat, robotic voice.

"There is a massive metal hatch concealed beneath the stone facade." Zinia stepped forward. She placed her hands flat against the rock wall. She focused her earth magic. She commanded the stone to move. The rocks crumbled and fell away. A huge, thick steel door appeared. The door had no handle. A digital, glowing red keypad sat in the center of the steel.

"Automated security protocols," Sayma observed. She walked up to the keypad.

"The door is sealed tightly. It requires a specific code." Laxmi grinned wildly. She slammed her fists together. Bright orange flames roared to life.

"I can just melt the steel! It will take two seconds!"

"No fire, Laxmi," Princess Iris commanded gently.

"We need the element of surprise. We must breach the facility quietly." Sayma pushed her glasses up. She placed her glowing blue crystal directly against the red keypad. She utilized advanced penetration magic. Her mind worked at blinding speed. She completely bypassed the complex automated security protocols. She decoded the locking mechanism in less than ten seconds. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The red light on the keypad blinked twice.

It turned a bright, cheerful green. The thick steel door hissed loudly. It slid open on smooth tracks. It revealed a dark, descending metallic tunnel.

"The outer defenses are breached," Sayma reported softly.

"We may proceed inside." The 13th Unit walked into the dark tunnel. Ken sighed loudly. He stood up from his rock. He dusted off his pants. He shuffled his feet and followed his team into the underground complex. The air inside the tunnel felt very cold. Pale fluorescent lights flickered on the ceiling. The walls were made of solid metal. It did not look like an old cave. It looked like a highly advanced military base.

"This place is huge," Naomi whispered. She spun her twin silver daggers. She kept her green eyes totally focused.

"Stay alert. There could be guards anywhere." They walked down a long corridor. They reached a large, open room. The room was packed with large metal crates. Zinia walked over to a crate. She ripped the lid off with her bare hands.

"Weapon caches," Zinia declared. She looked inside the box.

"There are hundreds of magical rifles in here. They also have explosive darts and armored vests." Laxmi peered into another crate. Her eyes widened with excitement.

"They have advanced fire-staffs too! These are military-grade weapons. This Ashura organization is preparing for a massive war." Ken slouched his shoulders. He looked around the room. He did not care about the weapons. He noticed a spinning desk chair in the corner. He walked over to the chair. He sat down. He spun around in a slow circle.

"They have a lot of guns," Ken complained casually. He spun the chair again.

"But they have zero snack machines. What kind of evil base does not have a vending machine? This is terrible planning. I give this secret lair zero out of ten stars." Naomi smiled and shook her head. She walked past his spinning chair.

"You are completely ridiculous, Ken. Stop spinning before you get dizzy." Princess Iris walked into an adjoining room. The room was filled with glowing computer screens. Large communication arrays hummed quietly. Maps covered the walls. Sayma followed the Princess inside. The Vice-Captain immediately began analyzing the documents on the desks.

"Look at this," Sayma said. She pointed at a massive, detailed map on the wall.

"These are invasion plans." The entire team gathered around the map. Ken stopped spinning in his chair. He slowly shuffled into the room. He leaned against the doorframe.

"The map shows our capital city," Princess Iris noted. Her violet eyes looked very serious.

"But it also shows the neighboring territories. Look at the red arrows." Sayma traced the red arrows with her pen.

"They are targeting multiple regions simultaneously. The Ashura forces plan to launch coordinated strikes across the entire continent. They want to completely destabilize the local governments. They are going to use the weapons from the other room to arm their mutated soldiers." Luna let out a loud yawn. The sleepy lightning user rested her head on a metal desk.

"That sounds like a lot of work. Why do bad guys always want to take over the world? Running a world seems incredibly tiring. You have to attend so many meetings."

"Because they are greedy," Zinia said firmly.

"They want absolute power. We have to stop them before they launch these attacks." Ira stood perfectly still near a large computer server. Her pale face showed zero emotion.

"Statistically speaking, an invasion of this magnitude requires thousands of active soldiers. We must locate their primary troop barracks." Sayma opened her notebook. She clicked her pen. She started downloading the encrypted communication files onto a portable magical crystal. She wanted to gather as much evidence as possible.

"I am copying their communication arrays," Sayma explained. She pushed her glasses up.

"We can decode their message history later. But we still need to find out exactly how they created the Ashura monsters. We need to find their main research laboratory." Princess Iris nodded gracefully.

"Let us keep moving. We must push deeper into the complex. Stay quiet." The elite girls walked out of the communication room. They headed down another long, sterile metal hallway. Ken dragged his cheap shoes on the floor grids. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He let out another dramatic yawn.