"So our mission is to kill all the hounds and mercenary and then saving this person called Lirin?"
Hinagiku confirmed the content once more with Wu Yan.
"Yeah, the mission said they're nearby so that makes the job all the more expedient."
He looked at the surroundings while grinning and fiddling with Nietono no Shana.
"Kill.. all the people…"
Mikoto frowned turning her pretty little face into those wrinkles found on guava, it appears she's conflicted on something.
"Killing people… wouldn't that be a bit too…"
Hinagiku is also feeling a bit uncomfortable, the two is still very reluctant to kill anyone.
He knows as well that asking them to kill people might be asking too much, if they could do it without any qualms they wouldn't be the Hinagiku and Mikoto he knows. He tapped the two's head with his sword hilt.
"I am not telling you girls to kill, I will worry about that part!"
He stretched out his hand to stroke their forehead, the two glared at him before nodding albeit they are still a bitter.
He sighed at their response.
"I say, you wouldn't perhaps have any sympathy on these douchebag mercenaries who kidnaps people right?"
Not giving them the chance to response he continued.
"This world is not as beautiful as you imagined, in a world of might makes right, there are bound to be assholes who use their relatively stronger power to oppress others, this kind of people do not serve sympathy!"
Hinagiku and Mikoto slightly flinced before dimming down.
The two bright girl could understand the phenomena he said should exist on this world.
"I'm not asking you to do the stuff you don't like, if it came to that, then you're not being you, but I will say this, redundant mercy should not be brought into this world, it's not realistic to do so!"
Not only is it unrealistic, a slight misstep and it could harm others and oneself!
He didn't reveal the more sinister latter part, not in front of the two girls of course…
"Jeez I understand…"
She gave him a cold hmph out of being a little upset before muttering.
"At most, I would close my eyes to the thing that's about to happen later."
Mikoto pulled herself together and hoisted her face. She's a reasonable person, after hearing about the circumstances surrounding the sisters, she accept that there's a darker side to the world, accept doesn't mean she's okay with it, it's only the extent of acknowledging the reality, if it's the darker side…
Looking at Wu Yan's back she murmured.
"He… is he handling it for my sake?."
It's Hinagiku who managed to looked at the broader aspect of the matter, since they did wrong, it's collective accountability, this is what the upright Kaichou-sama thought.
He's standing there waiting for the two to be done with their mental preparations, he hasn't killed any person before as well but deep inside he won't have much remorse, he's not as soft and naive as before, otherwise Slime wouldn't have got his hand chopped off.
"If it's like that, Yan you take the mercenaries, while the hounds."
Straightening the sword in front of her she slid her finger across it while grinning.
"Leave them to us!"
"Leave the hounds to you girls?"
He looked at her, not sure what to say to her, those hounds are level 20 wouldn't it be a tad bit inappropriate to leave them to the level 19 her.
"Don't underestimate me!"
His eyes told her all she needed to hear, using a bit of a forceful tone.
"Even if they're higher level than me I still won't lose!"
Yet he hesitated.
"I know levels don't say everything about abilities but your opponents is not just one but a whole pack of them."
"Hey, don't you go forgetting about me!"
Mikoto stood on her toes while looking like she's rearing to go.
"The dogs are low in level and as disgusting as they come but Misaka Mikoto has no plans to let them go unharmed!"
"Very well!"
It seems they would not be satisfied without letting them help out, he could only nod his head to their request.
"Leave the mercenaries to me and the hounds to you girls, after that's settled it's rescueing the target person, Lirin!"
"Let's find out the location of the enemy beforehand!"
She lifted her hand.
"The mission did say they are in the vicinity…"
She looked around but all she could see were bushes after bushes!
"Their numbers plus the vice captain should total up to 21 and with 19 additional hounds, plus a guy to look after them, this kind of scale would definitely leave a trace trail. It's up to us to find it, with Mikoto and my ability of detecting electromagnetism if the area isn't too big it ought be possible to find said trace!"
He closed his eye and a static flowed between his hair, Mikoto did the same and blue white light flashed across her forehead.
Hinagiku already heard about his ability that is obtianed from Mikoto so she's not that astonished by it. Only that, right now there's not much she could contribute so she stood there on the side with a helpless look in an attempt to stop any ambush.
"Found it!"
Mikoto opened her eyes, Wu Yan and Hinagiku turned to her.
Pointing at one direction she directed them.
"This direction, I can feel reactions coming from here, it seems to be of the static kind, and the number is numerous, it should be this direction!"
"You can detect even static electricity?"
She's a bit surprised, static electricity is electricity but is that even something a human could detect?
"Due to the distance not being too far, no electric stations nearby, no electrical devices, wires and the like that conducts electricity to disrupt, I could more or less sense them."
She did a chin rub while smiling at her.
"This direction is it?"
Looking into the distance he turned back to the girls.
"Then we best hurry, we don't know if they will do something harmful to Lirin, so it's in our best interest to make haste!"
The two girls nodded and dashed into the forest in formation making their way towards the mission targets.
In just a bit, minor movements transmitted into their ears, he knows this is conclusive proof of their presence, he slowed down and gestured to Hinagiku and Mikoto as the trio killed their footstep sounds while approaching.
A bunch of armor wearing mercenaries were either standing, or sitting near the bonfire, they held weapons and were keeping vigilance on sight. Some is patrolling the area while there's a bunch of sharp fang hound strolling nearby, each hound had malevolent faces, that coupled with their annoying drooling made them look very revolting.
The dogs are level 20s while the mercenaries are spread in the range of level 20 to level 30, basically tier 3 warriors.
Tier 3 may look trashy but they aren't cabbages waiting to be farmed, recall that back when Lulu came to do some training, by her side was thirty tier 3 warriors, even if Fei Fei's there so they were kinda redundant but not everyone can have this kind of escort.
And now, inside a mercenary band there's 20 tier 3 warriors and twenty of those tamed demonic beast, this mercenary means business!
He's attention is mainly focused on the middle aged dude guzzling booze near the bonfire.
Tie Li: Level 40
That's right this dude called Tie Li has himTier 5 strength and a position of vice captain, so to say there's a captain that's stronger than him.
A vice captain, a bunch of people to assist in the kidnapping of one people. That and the fact that the system said there's some special event, it feels like he's getting roiled into a hidden conflict of some sorts.
An elbow tapped him at the side of his waist, it's Hinagiku's, she's trying to get him to look in the direciton she's pointing and so he did before he blanched at the sight.
In front of a tree, a ten year old-ish little blonde girl is tied by ropes and laid upon the ground. Her delicate countenance even if compared to mini version Misaka Misaka wouldn't lose by much, there's tears in the corner of her eyes as she looked utterly terrified by the mercenary around her.
If after observing all this Wu Yan still could not figure out that the rescue ops target is this girl before him then he might as well sign himself into a senile home. He didn't expect the kidnapped person to be a loli, and a super cute one at that.
As a veteran lolicon, Wu Yan… no no, I'm not a lolicon!
Starting to go out of frequency again he retorted at himself to deny being a lolicon, he's completely unaware that by his side is two that just past their expiry dates and qualifies as half loli.
"Vice captain, when will we be able to exit the giant beast forest?"
A senior looking mercenary came to Tie Li's side while whispering to him.
He chugged a big gulp before exhaling his satisfaction, he then turned to look at the mercenary and nonchalantly blew him off.
"Ah, soon, maybe a little bit more time, wait until news come from big bro, then we can go out of here!"
"That would be so nice, staying here for so long it feels like my hair is overgrowing."
Tie Li turned his face to the other side before continuing while drinking booze.
"You're just missing a woman's touch, you can't hide that intention of yours from me!"
Seen through by him, the subordinate is not ashamed at all he only smirked.
"But of course, how can my thoughts escape the vice captain, I can't help it, not in this forest without any woman…"
"By your abilities…"
Throwing the empty bottle he picked up another one and sent the cork flying with a light twist he guzzled once more before laughing out loud at the mercenary.
"Even if you did go out you can't find any good stuff, you would even stoop so low as to waste your energy on those kind of stuff, pathetic!"
"Vice captain, my standards cannot be compared to yours, what's more if I can get laid it's pretty good already, what if I can't!"
Sir buttkiss looked like a dog's leg with his servile attitude.
"If it's a woman you want then it's easy!"
Tie lie looked at Lirin the loli with a crooked smile and lewd face.
"Once big bro is done with this midget, I will play with her fot a bit and when I'm done with her she's all yours!"
Elated at this the mercenary gave him a look.
"Thanks a bunch, vice captain!"
Then the two guffawed.
"The two low lifes!"
The three heard everything, Mikoto grudgingly uttered at the two scum who would lay their hands upon a little girl, she's definitely pissed now.
"Let's stir fry those mother fuckers later!"
Wu Yan snapped as well, a loli is meant to be loved and teh scum would eat her up! And to such a small loli, for the sake of all lolicons he must castrate them!
Mikoto and Hinagiku nodded, the conversation between the mook and Tie Li, they are infuriated quite simply, they were a bit hesitant to kill for a mission but now those feelings all went down the gutters.
It's as he said, on this world, there's a group of people who must die! Mercy and sympathy be damned!