In an instant, dozens of brilliant azure exhaust plumes erupted in the low sky above the base.
The drone swarm resembled arrows of dawn, diving down the mountainside with an ear-piercing screech as they tore through the air. These "Steel Seekers" traced perfect arcs across the sky, fanning out in every direction like an airtight net cast into the unknown darkness.
Attracted by the massive commotion, the other warriors rushed out to watch.
"Brother Lawson! What are those flying things?" Emma looked up, her face full of curiosity as she pointed at the receding streaks of light.
"They look so aggressive, it's like they're going to war!"
"Is Big Bro hiding something 'good' from us again?" Victor chimed in, winking with anticipation.
"Come on, let us in on the secret."
Facing the two "newbies," Lawson's expression remained grimmer than ever. He stayed silent for a moment before replying in a low voice:
"This mission... you two aren't ready to participate yet."
"Why?!" the two protested in unison, their voices laced with frustration.
"Is there some secret we aren't allowed to know? Or do you just think we're too weak?"
Lawson explained hurriedly, waving his hands, "It's not like that! It's because it's too dangerous! Your armor levels can't handle a direct confrontation of that intensity!"
Phyllis, who had long harbored a grudge against George, finally snapped. She took a sharp step forward, her ice-cold eyes locking onto Lawson's face.
"That silver-haired guy is only wearing B-Rank armor. Why does he get to go while we're left behind? Just because he's a so-called 'Superstar'? Is it the same here as everywhere else—are we just disposable pawns to be treated differently?!"
The air froze. You could almost hear the sound of ice cracking.
As the top-tier manager who had personally built the legend of the Silver Wing, Edith's professional instincts and protective nature were instantly ignited.
She stepped forward regally, her cold, sharp gaze piercing through Phyllis like a blade.
"Little girl, you look like a high schooler at best... quite a big mouth you have there. Do you think George is the kind of opportunist who uses his celebrity status to bargain? Do you honestly believe his 'Superstar' title was just some lucky gift from the heavens?!"
Edith's voice suddenly rose, carrying a suffocating pressure.
"To save up the massive sum needed to bring his 'precious person' back, you have no idea how much blood and sweat he shed, or how many times he crawled out of desperate ruins! And when he finally gathered enough money and searched day and night for that person, all he found was the news of their mysterious disappearance! It was only then, consumed by despair, that he faded from the public eye..."
Before she could finish, Phyllis felt like she had been struck by a bolt of lightning.
She looked at George's lonely, desolate silhouette, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
It was as if a truth buried deep beneath the ruins of her memory was breaking through the soil.
Tears burst from her eyes without warning, carving two crystal trails down her pale face. George's heart wrenched; he moved to step forward, but Phyllis suddenly covered her mouth, turned, and stumbled blindly down the slope away from the high ground.
"JOANNE!!"
George didn't give a damn about the combat plan anymore. He took off, sprinting after that small figure like a falling star.
Watching the two disappear, a thought flashed through Edith's mind like a bolt of electricity. She whispered in shock, "Joanne? Could it be... that girl is George's missing sister?! No, we can't leave them!"
Without hesitation, Edith gave chase.
"Phyllis!" Emma screamed, worried that her usually mature-acting junior would do something reckless. Ignoring the jagged rocks beneath her feet, she followed them down the slope.
"Seriously... not a single one of them is easy to manage!" Katie's eyes twitched wildly as she witnessed the chaos.
As their master, she was worried about Phyllis's state and had to go retrieve the impulsive Emma. She shot Lawson a look that said "you're on your own."
"As their master, I can't just stand by!" In a flash, she transformed into an afterimage and vanished toward the town district.
The solemn, majestic atmosphere of the base collapsed within three seconds.
The scene turned into a massive family drama titled The Brother Searches for His Sister: Everyone Run Down the Mountain.
Dodge and Victor exchanged a bewildered look. Shouting "Wait for me!" they both followed suit, disappearing down the slope. Even Lawson, after standing stunned for three whole seconds, cursed under his breath and started running.
"HEY!! What kind of play is this?! The script is supposed to be The Raid on the Steel General! HEY!!"
As the clamor faded, the high ground fell into a deathly silence.
The autumn wind swept through, carrying a few withered leaves across the empty stone path. As the only "auxiliary NPC" left, Ester stood alone, still clutching the tissues she had prepared for her own tears.
She blinked her innocent eyes at the empty horizon.
"...What about me?" she muttered.
Watching the group disappear in the distance, she sighed and turned toward the base canteen to find Valerie, who was busy replenishing her energy, and Luther in the Weapon Forge.
Ester's "Base Life Simulator" mode had officially begun.
Phyllis sprinted along the rugged mountain path, her vision blurred by tears. Her toe caught on a protruding rock, her balance vanished, and she pitched forward.
At that exact moment, a pair of strong, steady hands locked onto her shoulders.
Phyllis felt the warmth on her shoulders and looked down at those hands.
They were slender and white, almost too delicate-looking. But at the knuckles and fingertips, she could see thick, old calluses—the medals of a professional eSports player's high-intensity training, and the permanent scars of overexerting one's body.
She slowly looked up and met George's cold, anxious eyes.
"Why... back then, you clearly abandoned me with your own hands..." Phyllis's voice trembled, ten years of suppressed grief finally breaking the dam.
"Why did you try so hard to get me back? Was it out of that damn guilt? Or was it..."
George didn't let go. He lowered his eyes, his voice deep as if reading from a yellowed ledger.
"Back then, our parents died in an accident, and you were diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. The surgery fees were astronomical. Our so-called relatives passed us around like a ball before shoving us into an orphanage."
He pulled the corner of his mouth into a self-deprecating, cold smile.
"Until that wealthy couple appeared. They promised to cure you, to give you the best future. But there was only one condition: they only wanted the girl. They refused to take me."
He snapped his head up, his eyes full of years of suppressed agony.
"I never wanted to abandon you! I just chose your life over my pride!"
The truth hit Phyllis like a sledgehammer, leaving her breathless.
She began to wail, screaming, "Then why did you say later that you were going to buy me back?!"
George's body stiffened slightly, then he let out a long breath as if shedding a burden. He looked at his calloused hands, his voice filled with a heartbreaking tenderness.
"Did you think I let you go so you could be a 'rich daughter' forever? Phyllis, there was a twisted clause in that adoption agreement: if I wanted to take back guardianship, I had to pay ten times the penalty fee. That's a number a normal person couldn't save in ten lifetimes."
He took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with a stubborn obsession.
"So I threw myself into that virtual world like a madman. Boosting, pro-grinding, raiding... that's where the money was fastest, and filthiest. I fought my way to the top not for the spotlight, but so I could slam that thick stack of checks in their faces and tell them—my sister is not an asset you can buy out!"
His voice turned hoarse with emotion.
"But when I finally booked my flight and contacted them one last time, all I got was the news that you were [Missing]. Joanne... I was like a man crawling through the dark for ten years who finally caught a glimpse of light, only to have it extinguished at my fingertips."
"Missing?"
Phyllis's crying stopped abruptly. She looked up in shock, her pupils shrinking.
"Brother, what are you saying? All these years, I lived in a manor abroad. They treated me like a princess, cured my illness, sent me to school... they never mentioned you coming for me. In my memory, it was you who took a huge sum of money from them and vanished without a trace! That's why I hated you!"
George felt like he had been struck by lightning, his voice shaking uncontrollably. "Then... that black-and-white investigation report... was it all a lie?"
Phyllis let out a cold laugh, mercilessly shattering the dream.
"Brother, you played too many games. You don't understand the logic of capital. As long as the money is right, 'Truth' is just a customizable [Product]."
George's gaze went blank. He couldn't accept that he had been played like a puppet for so many years.
Before he could recover, Phyllis lunged into his arms, tears falling like broken pearls.
"Brother, I'm sorry... I actually spent all this time hating the person who loved me most. From now on, I will take your resolve and become your 'Knight,' shielding you from all the storms!"
George gently pressed her shoulders, his gaze returning to a firm steady light.
"If you call yourself a 'Knight,' you can't limit your vision to just me. There are countless comrades on the battlefield who need your protection. Go, fulfill that selfless spirit! And I... I will always stand behind you, chanting the Light to drive away the darkness!"
When the others finally arrived, they were greeted by this heartwarming scene of melting ice.
Everyone looked at each other, smiles unconsciously forming on their lips.
In this apocalyptic world filled with smoke and fire, this reunited bond became the strongest solace in everyone's hearts.
The drama of The Brother Searches for His Sister finally reached its perfect conclusion.