Chapter 2 Return To Clusia

• She was curious to see who exactly had the audacity and skill to break into the base headquarters!
• ...
• Half an hour later, in the office of the head instructor of Zone 21, at the base headquarters.
• A few instructors walked in, visibly anxious and unsettled.
• “We... failed to find him, ma'am.”
• “What?”
• Larissa furrowed her brows. With a click, she set the bullet casing she'd been absently stroking for a while onto the table.
• This was a shell from a Dum-dum bullet, its tip already blown open.
• After being struck by one of these bullets, even if it didn't result in immediate death, it would still render one incapacitated on the spot.
• How is it possible they failed to find him?
• The instructor said with his head lowered, “He must have arranged for someone to be on standby for support.”
• Upon hearing this, Larissa took a deep breath.
• Yet, she understood in her heart that anyone who could infiltrate the headquarters must have made thorough preparations.
• “What did we lose?”
• The man had dashed out from the headquarters, which meant he had likely obtained what he was after.
• “It's SSS-level file no. CL140431.”
• The filing system within the headquarters was organized based on location and time.
• The “C” represented Clusia, “L” for the city of Lofbury, and the numbers that followed indicated the year, month, and day.
• That's the file on the 4/31 Bombing Incident!
• Larissa's pupils constricted, a surge of hostility shimmering in her eyes.
• She had to retrieve the file before its encryption was broken!
• “When Black Wolf returns tomorrow, have him take over the rookies in Zone 21. I'm off to Clusia.”
• “Clusia?”
• The instructors were taken aback, looking at Larissa in disbelief.
• Everyone knew that Clusia was a no-go zone for all mercenaries and special agents worldwide.
• Even the most skilled expert couldn't stand against the formidable enforcement power of that nation.
• A couple of years ago, Black Wolf, the head instructor of Zone 15 and one of the top five international assassins, was detained for half a month in Clusia due to drunk driving...
• “What are you thinking about?”
• At this point, Larissa had regained her composure. She bent her head and rummaged through the drawer, pulling out an old, long-forgotten ID card.
• The validity was for five years, and now only half a year was left.
• She let out a soft snort.
• “As a law-abiding citizen, I can enter the country on a regular flight. Is there a problem?”
• “N-No...”
• Larissa leaned back in her office chair, her eyes slowly narrowing as if she was recalling some distant memories.
• “Speaking of which, I have a few relatives back in Clusia...”
• The following day, at Lofbury Airport.
• Larissa was seated on a public bench, a lollipop in her mouth, engrossed in playing a phone game with her head bowed down.
• At that moment, she resembled an ordinary female student. She was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, her long hair tied back into a ponytail.
• Without the camouflage paint to hide behind, her exquisite and superior features were revealed in all their glory, attracting more than a few admiring glances.
• “Rissa?”
• A middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes hurried over, his face bearing a rather unpleasant expression.
• “Didn't I tell you to stay put abroad? Why have you come back? Is it because you can't bear to see—”
• “Shut up!”
• Larissa interrupted him, bowing her head once more, her voice cold and detached.
• “Wait until I'm done with this round.”
• “You!”
• Philip Stenz glared at Larissa, his eyes filled with rage.
• “Look at you! What have you become? All these years we sent you abroad to study, and what? Did all your learning get tossed in the trash?”
• Victory!
• The sound of victory from the game rang out.
• Only then did Larissa leisurely tuck her phone into her pocket, acting as if she hadn't heard what Philip had just said.
• “I have some matters to attend to, so I'll be staying at home for a few days.”
• “You know full well that Anais—”
• “I said, I'm going home for a few days. Don't you understand?”
• Larissa scoffed, rising to her feet and dragging her suitcase as she made her way out.
• “How Anais fares is none of my business, but I need to stay at home for a few days. Just pretend I'm not there.”
• It wasn't that she wanted to reunite with her so-called family.
• All she needed was a plausible and impeccable identity to remain in Lofbury, nothing more.
• “Because of you, Anais has been seeing a psychologist for the past few years. She's just started to stabilize, so you can't stay at our house!”
• Upon hearing this, Larissa paused, squinting her eyes as she let out a chuckle.
• “I'm giving you respect by calling you 'Dad'. If you utter another word, I swear, Anais won't survive this time! Understand?”
• Recalling what Larissa had done in the past, Philip was unable to utter a single word, his lips trembling.
• Larissa didn't mind; she just kept on walking.
• When she was very young, she was kidnapped by human traffickers. She had been a child soldier in a war-torn country and fought in illicit underground fighting rings.
• When she was ten, she caught her future mentor's eye and was taken under his wing. That was how she became the head instructor of Zone 21 at the International Mercenary Training Base.
• Four years ago, when she was just fourteen, she discovered the truth about her origins.
• Driven by a longing for familial bonds, Larissa eagerly returned to her homeland.
• That was when she discovered that in the second year after she was kidnapped by human traffickers, her parents found a girl of the same age and similar appearance. Believing her to be their biological daughter, they raised her to adulthood.