Beatrice Schwire pointed to a gentle slope on the map. To the south was a steep cliff, and she spoke with a focused intensity: "I think this place is the most likely for an attack. Look, there's a jungle to the north that is perfect for concealment, and that cliff to the south. If they ambush us here, we'll be trapped with no choice but to push forward or retreat. But ahead is that dangerously narrow valley, and behind is a winding, tortuous hill road. Whether the convoy goes forward or backward, it would have to take extremely high risks."
Everyone nodded as they looked at the map. Although Beatrice—often called the Char Siu Cat by her rival—usually seemed a bit unreliable and flighty, when she got serious, her tactical instincts were quite reassuring. Of course, the location Ch'en Huijie had highlighted earlier was also a major concern. In truth, there were dozens of such lethal chokepoints between Lungmen and Leithanien.
This was destined to be a high-stakes operation. Because of the danger, every person involved, down to the last driver, was a warrior hand-picked by Wei Yenwu. They were the kind of professionals who could guarantee that even under fire from the Ursus army, the convoy's formation would not collapse into chaos.
After confirming the route one last time and seeing that it was deep into the night, Ch'en Huijie and her group prepared to depart. "Remember to sleep early. We'll be back to see you off tomorrow morning," Beatrice said. She reached out to rub Flandre Scarlet's cheeks one last time before reluctantly walking out through the heavy warehouse doors.
Once they were gone, the warehouse became Flandre's personal playground again. She climbed to the highest point of the crates to sit, and her three clones immediately went into action. Two stood to her left and right like ancient temple guardians, while the third grabbed a copper gong and walked forward with dainty, exaggerated steps, wailing, "Your Honor, I have been wronged! I seek justice!"
The Flandre sitting on the high perch extended two fingers like a ritual sword, adopting a majestic, judge-like pose. "Who stands before this court?"
The "aggrieved" clone below suddenly shifted her tone into a high-pitched theatrical sing-song: "White Flandre at the foot of Youkai Mountain, five hundred years in the house to cultivate this body! Ah ah ah ah ah~~ Ah ah ah ah ah~"
The Flandre on the platform looked genuinely shocked. "But Sister White, I am Black Flandre! We haven't seen each other in years, why have you become a singing monk?!"
White Flandre's expression froze for a second; she hadn't expected the original body to be such a dedicated jokester. But her mind worked fast. She pointed a finger at the two clones acting as "door gods"—who had done nothing but shout "Mighty! Majestic!" since the start—and cried:
"This humble girl was seeking the Great Vehicle of Buddhism and traveling to the West for the true scriptures. But when passing this place, I encountered two bullies! One calls herself Whirlwind Flandre, and the other is the Mouse Flandre. They stole my luggage, making it impossible to continue! They are the two standing right beside you!"
The Flandre on the bench gasped. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! These two are my sworn sisters, Whirlwind Flandre and Mouse Flandre. They could never be the bandits you describe!"
Suddenly, the two "gurad dogs" let out a synchronized, villainous cackle. "I didn't expect our identities to be uncovered so soon! That's right, I am the Hall Master of the Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist Sect , Whirlwind Flandre! I heard there was a secret manual here, the 'Monster Calamity God Slayer Fist,' and I've come to take it by force!"
(Fumina: What in the One Punch Man.)
"And I am the Golden-Haired Mouse, one of the Five Rodents under the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist Sect! I heard that The Expressive Poker Face, Kokoro, was planning to go to the Palace of the Earth Spirits to forcibly marry the beauty Koishi, so I came to stop them!"
"Wait... let me sort this out..." Original Flandre Scarlet clutched her head. There were too many conflicting identities and plotlines overlapping; she needed a moment to process the chaotic story they were building.
Meanwhile, back in Gensokyo, the spectators were losing it. "Remi, I didn't expect your sister to be this hilarious!" Even Reimu Hakurei, who was just passing by the mansion, let out a rare, genuine laugh.
Yukari Yakumo watched the screen with an amused glint in her eyes. "It seems she's been reading some of those strange novels from the East."
Remilia Scarlet covered her eyes with one hand, feeling the Scarlet family's dignity evaporating. "She's my sister... she's just having fun... I can't hit her... I can't hit her!" After taking several deep breaths, she turned to Patchouli. "Patchy, when will the transport equipment be ready?!"
Patchouli Knowledge smiled. "You told me not to rush, remember? It'll be ready soon."
Flandre Scarlet had no clue that Remilia was already contemplating a "correction" for her once she returned. After playing for a while longer, she felt the fatigue set in. She drew a complex Magic circle to lock down the warehouse and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, her phone rang sharply. She grabbed it groggily. "Hello...?"
"Flandre Scarlet! Where are you?!" Beatrice's frantic voice blasted through the receiver.
"I'm... at the warehouse," she mumbled.
"Warehouse? Which warehouse? We're standing right where it should be and there's nothing here!"
That woke Flandre up instantly. "Oh no!" The spell she used last night was designed to reduce the warehouse's "presence" to zero. Anyone looking for it would subconsciously ignore it or forget it existed. She quickly canceled the Magic.
The people of Lungmen suddenly "remembered" the warehouse, leading to a brief moment of confusion and scrambling. Fortunately, it was still very early. Beatrice had only called because she went to the mansion and found Flandre missing.
Later, inside the Guard Department, Flandre stood with her head down before Wei Yenwu, accepting his lecture. "Sigh, forget it," Wei said, his voice softening. "I didn't expect your protective Magic to be quite that effective. At least no harm was done. Did you sleep well, little one?"
Flandre nodded. "It was great! There are lots of metal beams on the ceiling to hang from. I'm very satisfied." The officers looked at the warehouse's ceiling structure, trying and failing to imagine sleeping while hanging upside down from a beam.
"Alright, let's set off! Remember, the safety of the people comes first. If things get truly dangerous, save the lives of the crew first," Wei Yenwu instructed.
At the convoy, Shaw approached with a heavy bag. "Thesearenutsfrommyhome.They're verytasty!"
(These are nuts from my home. They're very tasty.)
Flandre was delighted. "So many!"
"Ifyoucan'tfinishthem,sharethemwith friends!"
(If you can't finish them, share them with friends!)
Shaw's tail wagged. Flandre reached into her pocket and handed over a piece of candy. "Shaw is also my friend. This is for you!"
After a final check by Dropper, the convoy—laden with supplies for the Reunion Movement—slowly rolled out of Lungmen. As they left, silent messages were sent across the border. In Chernobog, Ursus officers received the signal: "The voles have set out."
The Ursus plan was simple but psychological: "Startle the snake" by harassing them constantly to keep them on edge, then stop just long enough for them to relax their guard before the final, lethal ambush.
Not long after leaving Lungmen, Ch'en Huijie sent a warning: they had intercepted and decrypted radio waves. Ursus was tracking them. As they left Yan territory, spying drones began to hover over the distant forests.
Flandre looked at the flickering shadows in the sky and frowned. "I'll go handle it!"
Before Dropper could respond, she dissolved into a swarm of Blood Bats. The drone operators were stunned as the red cloud surged toward them. Since they were only there for psychological pressure, the drones were unarmed. They tried to retreat, but Flandre was too fast. The bats tore the machinery out of the sky in a rain of sparks and fire.
Then, Flandre turned her attention to the operators themselves. The harassment team, who thought they were safe miles away, suddenly found a Blood Demon closing the distance, and they desperately wished they had more than two legs to run with.