Only someone with a hole in their brain would think Chloe was a good girl.
Bai Zuo's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he finally said:
"Qu Yan and the others have been sent on a reconnaissance mission. We were originally going to send you too..."
He paused for a moment: "But you had just finished an all-night shift, so we didn't make you go."
Chloe smiled politely.
It was a good thing they didn't make her go. If they had exploited military school students like that, Chloe would have leveled their camp to the ground that very day.
She sidestepped the topic: "May I ask why Commander Bai called me here?"
Bai Zuo reached under the desk, fumbled around for a moment, and finally pulled out the crow.
This crow looked vastly different from how it had appeared the night before.
The original crow at least had a body, but now it had been stripped down to nothing.
The exposed flesh and bones were covered with a dense network of ropes and wires, all stained bright red with blood, looking extremely horrifying.
Chloe's face showed a look of disgust: "I didn't realize Commander Bai moonlighted as a surgeon."
Bai Zuo: "..."
Since last night, he had already grown accustomed to Chloe's occasional outrageous remarks. In the end, he simply tapped the crow's bones with his curved finger without saying a word.
The sound was crisp and ethereal, unlike what a real crow's bones should sound like. It was more like some kind of synthetic metal.
Chloe was particularly sensitive to this sort of thing and noticed the oddity almost instantly:
"This crow is artificially made?"
"To be precise, it's artificially modified," Bai Zuo replied coldly. "Broadly speaking, its shell, feathers, and internal organs are all genuine. Only the bones and the parts connecting to the eyeballs have been replaced with synthetic metal."
This technology had actually been quite common in the market for a while, but such extensive modifications were still rare. If this kind of technology were to be applied to humans...
At this thought, Chloe suddenly froze: "The spy I caught!"
Bai Zuo nodded: "Yes, he has also undergone this kind of detachable modification."
As soon as he finished speaking, a soldier brought in the small, thin man.
The thin man was in a daze, his body covered in blood stains. It was evident that he had been tortured severely.
He was trembling all over, his right hand clutching his chest.
Chloe's gaze fell on him, her expression instantly changing to one of astonishment: "... A mechanical heart?"
"Yes," Bai Zuo said. "Large-scale mechanical modifications are extremely likely to cause physiological rejection in the human body, let alone replacing important organs like the heart."
"In our emergency research last night, we discovered that his modifications aren't limited to the heart. All of his internal organs throughout his body have been mechanically modified."
"Even his limbs have been connected with metal wires."
Hearing this, Chloe was completely shocked.
What kind of metal monster was this?
Chloe crouched down and reached out towards the thin man: "Did the Viper Group do this?"
Bai Zuo's expression was contemptuous: "Who else would be so bored if not them?"
Chloe composed herself a bit and began to examine the thin man's body back and forth, then said:
"He seems to be a defective product."
Not only was his entire body mechanical, but it didn't seem to have enhanced the thin man in any way.
Instead, it had drained the thin man of his vitality, possibly even driving him mad with fear.
As his wounds were being examined, the thin man panicked, clutching his clothes tightly and backing away, all while making indistinct, hoarse cries.
Chloe frowned: "He's quite pitiful, actually."
The Viper Group's purpose in doing this should be simple - to create true fighting machines.
It seemed that gene-modifying drugs were no longer enough to satisfy them, and they had even extended their reach to mechanical modifications.
Chloe's only feeling was - those heartless bastards really deserved to die!
She steadied her nerves and finally said: "I assume Commander Bai didn't call me here just to broaden my horizons?"
Bai Zuo looked at her and smiled: "Indeed, I have other tasks for you."
Saying this, Bai Zuo tossed a rolled-up map to Chloe.
Chloe caught it with her hand and opened it to take a look.
Bai Zuo's voice came from the side: "I've sent all the people from Tagar Military Academy out to scout the roads, mainly to see if they can find a route to the Viper Group's lair. As for you and your teammates..."
He paused for a moment before continuing: "I want you to search for the Viper Group's lair from the opposite direction."
Chloe's fingers tensed slightly: "The opposite direction?"
Her gaze fell on the place where Tagar Military Academy had set out from, which was marked on the map.
The opposite direction would be...
Chloe's eyes moved upward, finally landing on a completely different route.
Her expression changed immediately.
Just from looking at the map, this route appeared extremely dangerous.
Not only were there dense swamps and deep pools, but it was also marked with numerous poisonous snakes and fierce beasts. Because the area rarely received sunlight, the terrain was rugged and perilous.
In short, there wasn't a single advantage.
Chloe's lips twitched as she forcefully closed the map: "Am I right to understand that Commander Bai is deliberately making things difficult for me?"
Bai Zuo spread his hands: "Not at all. I observed yesterday that both in terms of strength and temperament, you are far superior to the students from Tagar Military Academy."
Chloe: "If that's the case, wouldn't they benefit more from going to this area for training?"
Bai Zuo: "Of course I'm sending them for training, but I've chosen a more suitable route for them."
At this point, Bai Zuo sighed: "Don't be difficult, Chloe. This is an opportunity for you."
"If you handle this well, your reputation will be even greater than before."
Chloe stared at Bai Zuo for a while, then finally snorted and tucked the map into her waist:
"Make sure to prepare our equipment."
With that, she swaggered out.
Watching the girl's retreating figure, Bai Zuo cursed her for being unruly, then waved his hand to summon his subordinates:
"Go, prepare the best equipment in the camp for the students from The No.1 Military Academy."
...
After everyone was fully equipped, Chloe holstered the ion gun at her waist, put the large knife into the space ring hanging around her neck, picked up her military pack with one hand and slung it over her shoulder, then impatiently kicked Daniel's leg:
"Get up, hurry."
Daniel responded while standing up.
At the same time, Anderson walked over and hung a water bag filled with lukewarm water on Chloe's waist.
...
As it turned out, Chloe's warnings about the perilous journey were entirely justified.
Daniel smashed a tiger's skull flat with his hammer, then wiped the blood off his face and body with a swipe of his hand. He cursed, "Damn it! We've barely entered the forest, and this is already the fifth tiger!"
Chloe, leading the way and extending her senses, replied nonchalantly, "Be grateful. Despite how dangerous it is, at least we haven't bitten the dust yet."
Daniel spat and grumbled, "What's the deal with Colonel Bai? He always saddles us with these dirty, grueling jobs."
