1 Infiltration

A sleek, black speeder sped through the night air. It was the latest in the Federation's intra-planet vehicle technology. Once it was activated, it would take magic senses or cultivation of the fourth level and beyond to be aware of its presence. This was partly due to a coating consisting of carbon nanotubes that were engineered in such a way that they created such a dark black that eyes couldn't recognize what they were seeing. Laced within this material was a newly manufactured matter called Equalizer, which could completely negate all magic below the fourth tier.

Were someone to see through the technology and manage a glimpse inside the speeder, they would likely be shocked to see a prepubescent girl. At a little over 150 cm's and weighing roughly 44 kg's, she might seem like an average twelve-year-old girl, but the details told another story.

White hair roughly chopped into a bob style framed her face which was devoid of any emotion. Her grey eyes were focused with a sharp glint to them. They were eyes that had borne witness to and participated in hundreds of deaths.

Just one look at her would cause any ordinary person to shiver.

Indeed, SS1701 was raised for twelve years to be the Federation's killer.

Raised her whole life as the Federation's new generation super soldier, SS1701 had been subjected to various painful mind and body strengthening injections, trainings, and tortures. In a mere twelve years she had gone through more than most would suffer through in a dozen lifetimes.

The end result: despite not being a cultivator or mage, any person below the fourth level could be killed in a direct confrontation. So long as direct combat could be avoided, even those above the third level were vulnerable given SS1701 had the chance to employ her top-grade assassination techniques.

At that moment, she was focused on speeder's navigational screen as it directed her towards one of the three floating islands that towered above a sprawling city that spanned for more than a hundred kilometers. Crossing into the city's airspace, the electronic and magic lights flashed by beneath her as she steadily increased her elevation.

Less than a minute later she reached the base of the island. Turning sharply upwards, the speeder raced along the contours of the landmass, staying no more than a meter from the craggy surface. Such a close proximity was a testament to SS1701's technical control over the speeder and her reaction speed.

Despite being a couple dozen kilometers in diameter and several kilometers tall, the speeder reached the top in no time.

Sharply dropping the speed, the already quiet engine practically became silent. SS1701 engaged the sensors to scan for nearby people. Discovering no one in the half kilometer around her position, she skillfully landed the speeder at the very edge of the island – the remaining distance to her target would be on foot.

Unsealing the top of the speeder, she alighted to the ground, landing softly.

A black battle suit covered her from head to toe, leaving only a spot open for her eyes. The material was flexible, yet durable. It also had the same technology as the speeder's coating built into it, including the Equalizer.

Before setting off, SS1701 did a final inventory of her weapons. She had a plasma pistol at her hip and two push daggers sheathed on the outside of each of her calves. Behind her, on the lower part of her waist, were strapped two 25 cm knives. These two knives – though very similar to what she normally used – were actually picked up during her previous mission. Now, her orders were to use them to kill the targets.

She was also issued the latest plasma rifle, but she always left that in the speeder during her missions as she felt it was too bulky and reduced her stealth.

Everything set, she cleared her mind and brought her killing intent under her control before setting off at a jog across the grassy field. Her destination was the cluster of buildings a kilometer-and-a-half away. Specifically, she was aiming for the central building.

From her mission briefing she had learned that this whole island was owned by the Alistair family, an extremely powerful high human family. The main family naturally occupied the buildings at the center of the island. The buildings ahead of her, being so near to the edge, were owned by a branch family.

The targets were the branch head and her husband.

According to the colonel, this branch belonged to the Alistair family's militaristic faction, a fact that led to them employing a greater number of their family members as guards as a method to train them. With her enhanced vision, SS1701 could see a pair of guards – dressed in white uniforms with a red spear sigil embroidered on their left breast – guarding each building entrance and others patrolling throughout the area.

Drawing near to the perimeter where the buildings' light reached, she stood still, blending into the night, as she analyzed the guards' behaviors and patterns.

In her field of vision were seven buildings. After studying the situation for half an hour, SS1701 found that beyond the 14 building guards there were two other pairs the area. However, she felt no threat from any of these. Their attitudes were extremely lax and inattentive, seemingly only going through the motions of their job.

After all, even if it was only a branch family, who would dare attack the Alistair's?

Nevertheless, she didn't drop her guard. Experience told her that even a cornered prey could fight back.

Establishing a plan in her mind, SS1701 moved to the right along the light's perimeter. She had noticed that the third house on the right had an outside light out, providing the best opportunity for cover.

Double checking the guards' positioning and line of sight, she dashed forward, keeping her body as low as possible. The house's guards were looking the other direction as she ran past them and around to the side of the house.

Calming her barely irregular breathing, she melted into the darkness. From her vantage point she could see the entrance of the main branch house. It was no more than 50 meters away. But, before she went there to eliminate her targets, she first wanted to leave an escape route.

If their pattern held true then a pair of guards would be passing through her present location in five minutes. SS1701 would take that opportunity to eliminate them, thus leaving herself with fifteen minutes before then next pair passed through this area. To be on the safe side, SS1701 calculated she ought to get in, kill the branch head and her husband, and get out within ten minutes so that she could have a five-minute buffer.

Barring any extreme situations, she thought that timeframe was perfectly reasonable.

Five minutes and twelve seconds later, a pair of voices sounded from around the corner where she was hiding.

Adrenaline rushed through her. SS1701 love this feeling. The approaching kill. The face of danger. The thrill of a fight. Beyond her fear of pain, killing was the only thing that truly made her feel.

"The academy's ranking duels are coming up soon. Placing any bets?" asked guard A's husky voice.

"I'm thinking the Jupiter family's young master is a sure win," responded guard B. "But everyone thinks the same, so the payout won't be great even if he wins."

Thirty steps away.

"You think? I've heard about two dwarven newcomers that are way stronger than that Jupiter brat."

"What idiot told you that? There's no way a dwarf beats out a high human!"

Fifteen steps away. SS1701 unsheathed both knives from her back, their faintly red blades glinting in the starlight.

"Haha! I suppose that's true."

"I'm most looking forward to when Young Miss enters the academy and can participate."

Guard A scoffed. "Like that'll happen. I heard she's dead and the matriarch is only pretending she's alive so she can keep her position as the head."

"Quiet!" guard B reprimanded. "I've heard that too, but you can't just say that out loud."

They rounded the corner and SS1701 lunged towards them. The lax guards saw movement but couldn't react in time to the seemingly shapeless form.

With her left hand, SS1701 stabbed the knife into guard A's neck, just to the side of his larynx. She then yanked her blade sideways and cut through his carotid artery and jugular vein. With her right hand, she thrust the other knife upwards into his armpit and severed his axillary artery.

Blood gushed from his body, but before he could even lose consciousness or fall to the ground, SS1701 had already moved onto guard B.

It had to be said that his reaction time was excellent in that he was already starting to activate his magic in the moment it took for his companion to be attacked. But SS1701 would never give him the chance to finish his attack.

She flashed forward, slid behind him, and slashed the back of his knees with enough strength to cut his popliteal arteries. As he collapsed downwards, she grabbed his shoulder, yanking him backwards. His body fell back and the back of his head hit the ground. Just as it did, SS1701 stabbed downward and buried her right knife hilt deep into his throat.

Guard A was already unconscious, soon to die as his soaked the surrounding earth.

As blood gushed up around the hilt of her knife, SS1701 stared deeply into guard B's eyes, watching as their light was steadily vanquished. Only by seeing the eyes become dull could she be sure the enemy was dead.

Barring any immediate danger, SS1701 would always carry out this ritual of witnessing the life leave her enemy's eyes.

Conversely, SS1701's eyes had a bright gleam of excitement. This is what she was trained to do. Only by killing proficiently and completing her missions would all the pain, tortures, and trainings at headquarters be alleviated for a time.

The scientists and military personnel had done their jobs well in developing this new generation of super soldier. She was fast. She was strong. She was highly intelligent. She was ruthless. She was obedient.

She was codenamed White Wolf, a beast who lived for the thrill of the hunt.