The projection above Rachel’s wristwatch shifted, replacing the special squad message with Cher’s image.

"Mine would support me with everything he has. Yours would sacrifice you the moment it benefits him."

Rachel stared at the image for a while.

She did not know the details behind the conflict between Cher and her father, nor did she care enough to investigate. Even so, she couldn’t help feeling that Cher had been remarkably unlucky.

For a brief moment, a trace of sympathy surfaced in her heart.

"I shouldn’t waste empathy on my prey."

She shook her head firmly, dismissing the thought.

"My luck is my strength. Whether the world treats you fairly or not has nothing to do with me."

Her attention returned to the tactical map hovering before her. Countless signals moved across it, representing different factions and individuals scattered throughout the region.

Comparing the two maps together, hers were more detailed than Leopard’s.

"Leopard is advancing toward the Iron Wall more slowly than before. The dragon’s sudden change has clearly made him cautious."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Which means he’s definitely planning something involving the dragon."

She entertained the thought for a while before a knowing smile appeared on her face.

"There isn’t anything more valuable about a dragon than its blood. I know exactly what you’re after, spoiled brat."

Then she paused, as a dangerous and quite daring thought flashed through her mind.

"If such a prize is within reach, then it should belong to whoever is the most prepared and the most capable."

A faint gleam appeared in her eyes. She didn’t just imagine benefitting from the blood herself; she thought far beyond that. The mere possibilities of using the dragon blood as a temptation to lure more forces to her side were quite irresistible.

Even her dream of forming her separate force wouldn’t be far-fetched or even accomplishable before graduation from the academy.

"Which happens to be me."

Despite her excitement, she did not laugh.

The opportunity was enormous, but so were the risks. If she truly intended to claim the dragon’s blood for herself, she would have to revise all of her plans from the ground up.

Still, one variable continued to bother her.

"I know what Leopard wants. But what about you?"

Her gaze returned to Cher’s image.

Moments later, she switched back to the tactical map and spent several minutes searching through the available data before finally letting out a disappointed sigh.

"And you can’t even be found."

She leaned back in her seat, staring thoughtfully at the projection.

"Where are you, my dear prey? And what exactly are you doing right now?"

***

"The dragon is drawing closer to the Iron Wall."

Inside a heavily fortified command post that Silas would have considered a huge fortress in its own right, a massive tactical map hovered above the centre of a spacious meeting hall.

This was nothing like the maps Leopard, Rachel, and Cher used. The projection covered the entire mining region in astonishing detail, displaying terrain features, troop movements, patrol routes, and even the positions of many individual combatants scattered across the area.

Ten B-Enhancers stood around the map, led by Chaz Avaron. Amid the tense atmosphere, he seemed as immovable as a mountain, his expression calm, stern, and utterly dependable.

Chaz turned toward the B-Enhancer who had spoken and gave him a small nod.

"You have either the sharpest eyes among us or the loudest mouth, so you’ll lead the force assigned to deal with the dragon."

The remark did not offend any Enhancer. Everyone present understood Chaz’s peculiar way of assigning important responsibilities. Instead of anger, the chosen Enhancer felt a surge of determination, mixed with a healthy amount of apprehension toward the deadly dragon he was about to face.

"Don’t concern yourself with the dragon too much," Chaz said, reading the man’s thoughts with ease. "It won’t be as troublesome as you think. To ease your worries further, I’ll assign four of the officers present here to assist you, along with eighty percent of our forces stationed in the mine."

The announcement immediately sparked murmurs and surprised glances throughout the room. And yet, Chaz ignored them.

"The army won’t be deployed solely for the dragon," he clarified, dispelling the misunderstanding before it could spread further. "There are also a few flies attempting to slip through our net."

He gestured toward a section of the map where the Dark Hunters had gathered near the Iron Wall.

"They intend to take advantage of the chaos created by the dragon," he said with a cold smile. "Make sure reality wakes them from that illusion."

The appointed B-Enhancer immediately rose and bowed.

"I won’t disappoint you."

His confidence had already grown with the promise of reinforcements, and the additional objective only strengthened his resolve. With two targets to pursue, success in one area could compensate for setbacks in the other.

Afterwards, Chaz named the B-Enhancers who would accompany the expedition, and the meeting shifted toward discussing strategies for dealing with the dragon.

As his subordinates debated tactics, Chaz paid little attention to the conversation. His thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.

He knew most of them lacked confidence because they were unaware of one crucial fact about safe havens.

’I can’t wait to see their faces when they realise that dragon will be suppressed to B-rank the moment it enters the safe haven’s influence.’

The thought nearly made him laugh.

The continued survival of humanity’s safe havens was no accident. Every safe haven imposed strict limitations on power, capping combat strength at A-rank while placing additional restrictions on outsiders who entered their territory.

That was why Chaz viewed the dragon as little more than a temporary nuisance. Even if his men somehow failed to deal with it, he could simply intervene personally and put an end to the creature himself.

Only one worry still gnawed at him, which was related to the legendary fall of the Ashbornes. Dragons found a way to crush the safe haven around their newly built kingdom. Even if it was still new established safe haven, no one knew how it fell till this very day.