"The Yeti Squad?"
Upon hearing this, Talulah immediately perked up. She had been searching for this unit for a long time, but there had been no news. Their counter-reconnaissance capabilities were truly outstanding; never mind Talulah, even for the Ursus military, finding them was no simple task.
"You actually ran into them? Their ability to move like ghosts is no joke. Don't tell me there's another Infected mining area around here?" Talulah asked curiously.
At this stage, she couldn't even form a proper squad of her own, and she held a great deal of respect for a group that had protected the Infected for so many years. She desperately wanted to communicate or even cooperate with them. Her own manpower was severely lacking; if she relied solely on her current group to build a force, it might take ten years.
Furthermore, the Infected were always the weaker side. Ursus might send an army tomorrow to wipe them out like a plague. Therefore, they had to unite all surrounding forces to stand a chance against Ursus's extermination campaigns.
"What kind of people are they? I'd say they're a very kind but cautious group," Jeanne recalled the actions of Frostnova and her squad. She agreed with Talulah's plan to recruit them. "Their actions truly live up to their title as the 'Shield of the Infected.' They are an organized, disciplined force resisting Ursus's tyranny."
Jeanne believed that once such a group recognized Talulah's ideals, they would get along perfectly. "However, they are very wary. It will take quite some effort to win their trust. You can't rely on me for that part." Jeanne made a face as if to say, 'I'm really not good at winning people over with words.' To be honest, if Jeanne were to recruit them, it would probably just end in a fight.
"I'm not worried about that. As long as we share the same path, I believe that one day we will become allies or even one of our own," Talulah said with confidence. She believed that as long as she treated them with sincerity, she would eventually receive a response. After all, they were cautious, not cold-hearted.
"But why were they here? This isn't their usual area of operation. If they were just rescuing Infected, they wouldn't need to lie in ambush in the wilderness, would they?" Talulah asked, still puzzled by the guerrillas' goal. There were no mining areas nearby.
"I don't know, but I have a premonition that we will meet them again soon. It seems they've run into some trouble."
When Jeanne parted with Frostnova, her intuition told her they would meet again shortly. In Jeanne's "Revelation," the guerrillas would encounter a terrible problem. While it wouldn't be a total wipeout, they would suffer heavy losses without outside support.
This was strange. The Guerrillas were among the strongest forces in the tundra. What kind of opponent could push such battle-hardened veterans into a desperate situation?
Talulah took Jeanne's prediction to heart. She decided to accelerate the formation of her own team. Even if Jeanne hadn't predicted it, whatever could endanger the Guerrillas would likely affect them as well. It was essential to develop their strength before that happened.
"Talulah, how much Originium and Pure Originium do we have right now?"
Jeanne had the same thought, but she knew training a squad in such a short time was impossible. Therefore, she intended to use an ability she had never tested before.
"Including the batch from the warehouse, we have quite a lot. Do you need to use it?"
"Yes. I plan to use them to see exactly how far my power can go..."
Meanwhile, the members of the Yeti Squad were staring in shock at the scene before them. This was a freak occurrence the likes of which they had never seen in their lives!
Just a moment ago, their leader, the Princess of the Yetis, the Great White Rabbit Frostnova... had started glowing!
Not "glowing" in a metaphorical sense, but in a literal, physical sense! Currently, Frostnova and the Yeti Squad were hiding in a concealed cave, and their leader was lighting up the entire space like a rabbit-shaped lightbulb!
Frostnova was equally bewildered. She had no idea what was happening. Why had she suddenly turned into a light source? Today had been strange from the start. They had planned to ambush a truck, but during the process, they ran into a beautiful girl with monstrous strength. Although there was a misunderstanding, it had been cleared up. Everything after that went smoothly—the drivers were neutralized before they knew what hit them.
But that night, Frostnova remembered the "Holy Water" Jeanne had given her. It was a mysterious substance; it wouldn't even freeze in her hands! This piqued her curiosity. Given her body temperature, even boiling water would freeze instantly, yet these three bottles remained liquid. Recalling Jeanne's claim that it could suppress Oripathy—and the fact that Jeanne had drank it herself—Frostnova decided to trust her once.
However, Frostnova drank it straight. She had forgotten Jeanne's instruction to dilute it with water first.
While it wasn't literal "bathwater," it was made by Jeanne soaking her arms in it; in terms of quality, it was just as potent. The only downside was the extreme purity. If consumed without dilution, strange things would happen.
Now, having taken a large gulp, Frostnova's body began to emit light. This glow was brighter than the fluorescent halos of the Laterano people! No one near her was going to get any sleep.
"Hey, Big Bear. Do you think Big Sis is a half-blood Laterano-Catus? I heard Laterano people grow fluorescent tubes on their heads that glow just like Big Sis."
Since the light was too bright to sleep, everyone gave up and sat around to see when her "battery" would run out.
"Laterano people don't glow with their whole bodies. Is Big Sis actually a lightbulb? Where did the real Big Sis go?"
"You're full of it. By that logic, the most vicious Laterano insult would be: 'Did your parents throw away the baby and raise the lightbulb instead?'"
"Whoa, that makes sense! Is Big Sis a lightbulb that was raised as a kid?"
Frostnova ignored her subordinates' nonsensical banter. she was busy monitoring her own body. It felt like a person shivering in the depths of winter coming home to a cup of hot tea; a warm current spread through her, making every pore feel comfortable.
It was a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time. The comfort was so intense it felt like a normal person taking a hot bath. Though she wanted to drift off to sleep, she was still worried about the changes in her body and forced herself to stay awake.
Some of her team members were already wearing sunglasses. Through the blinding light, they could see the corners of Frostnova's mouth turned up slightly and her eyes squinting; she was clearly enjoying the sensation. This relieved the other Yetis. Seeing that she wasn't in danger, they went back to their rowdy chatting.
Watching her men talk and feeling the warmth flowing through her veins, Frostnova finally lost the battle against sleep and drifted into a deep, peaceful slumber.