As Amber hesitated, grappling with the moral implications of Erik's suggestion, Mira looked at them. Amber understood they were in a war, but using her power on so many people didn't sit right with her. These might have been enemies, but they were still people.

"Wait, Erik. I think we should hold off on any immediate action." The older woman wanted to give Amber some help.

Erik, his brow furrowed, turned to face Mira with a questioning look. He was confused by their hesitation.

He knew Amber had a gentle and caring nature, which made her uncomfortable in using her powers on so many people. However, Erik struggled to understand why they didn't grasp the urgency of their situation.

This was a war, and sometimes harsh decisions had to be made quickly. He found it perplexing that they couldn't see the necessity of taking immediate action. However, Mira wasn't stupid, and for sure, wasn't that compassionate. If she said it would be better to wait, there was a reason.

"These people could give us information. We could learn about their plans, steal important documents, or even sabotage their operations from within."

She paused. "Besides, we're even unsure if they've loaded everything yet or if this is the shipment we've been waiting for. It would be better to observe them for a while, gather intel, and then make our move, and that move, I suggest, would be to call the Chimaeric Demons and make them take care of all of this."

Erik considered Mira's words. It wasn't like he didn't think about this, but simply wiping out these people would have been faster.

It would have made the Chimaeric Demons less busy, and it would have made the front lines shift north.

After a moment, he nodded. "All right." He turned to look at Amber. "Sorry, I will try to avoid asking you this unless necessary."

Amber said nothing, but it was clear there was relief in her look. It wasn't like she wasn't willing to fight, or to kill, but to do so much wasn't easy, at least for her.

"What now?" Emily asked. They all turned to look at Erik. "I will go give a look inside, see if I can find some useful information for us, then come back and call the Chimaeric Demons. I will make them some new eggs, so that they might be able to work more efficiently."

With a deep breath, Erik channelled mana through his neural links, his body beginning to shift and change. In a matter of seconds, he had transformed into a tiny, unassuming fly, his clothes falling to the ground in a heap.

<Take care of my stuff for me,> Erik told to June.

<Yes, Master.>

The others watched in amazement as the fly took flight, buzzing towards the cave entrance. Erik went through the bushes surrounding the cave entrance. Then he wove between leaves and branches.

As it approached the cave entrance, Erik observed the soldiers loading more crates.

<I'm pretty sure this is the cargo the Chimaeric Demons were waiting for...>

Erik went past these men, getting closer to the cave's entrance.

The air grew cooler and damper there. Erik entered, disappearing into the cave's depths. The rocky tunnel sloped downward, leading further into the heart of the gigantic rock formation.

To Erik's surprise, the path ahead was not entirely shrouded in darkness.

Lining the walls and ceiling of the tunnel were artificial light, spaced at regular intervals.

<Well, at least I won't risk literally hitting walls this way.> Though Erik was having the urge to go see those lights closer.

The young man followed the trail of light, and as he got closer, the sound of people talking and machines working grew louder.

After a few minutes of flying, Erik approached what appeared to be an entrance to a larger chamber, or better, to the base itself.

In fact, in front of him, there was a metal grid, closing the area and acting like a wall.

There were guards and personnel milling about, their voices echoing off the cave walls. They didn't have to bother playing it silently here, because they were far below the ground at that point.

The crates he had seen earlier were being carried inside by the soldiers, and passing through a small passage where they were likely scanned.

That wasn't all, though. The entire area was protected by a barrier that seemed to be manned by a single individual on the other side of the grid.

<This guy must likely be the one responsible for creating and maintaining the barrier.>

Erik felt mana coming from him, so that was a pretty reasonable assumption.

The man flew closer to the barrier and landed on one of the crates as it got scanned. That was the only way to enter. Once inside the area, Erik's eyes widened at the sight before him.

<Talk about effort...>

The cave had been transformed tremendously. From a natural formation to a manmade one. There were various sections and rooms branching off from the main area.

Soldiers and personnel hurried about their duties, lights got placed everywhere. Holographic computers were ever present, and there was even a hangar with some military vehicles. Erik really wanted to know how the hell those could be brought out of this place.

<Well, we will find out sooner or later.>

Crates and boxes were stacked along the walls. There were labels and markings which Erik couldn't read from his position, but that were likely supplies and equipment.

<Let's see if you are the babies the Chimaeric Demons were talking about. Erik buzzed closer and looked at the labels.

<That's indeed good stuff, but not what I was hoping for.>

The crates had been placed there, but among them were not only those belonging to today's shipment, there were also some from older ones. Though not all of them contained brain crystal weapons, most contained provisions and other stuff.

At that point, Erik left the area to search around. Lengthy tunnels and chambers cut into the mountain's heart formed at the base.

Erik found smaller rooms branching off the main chamber as he explored the base. Spartan bunks and belongings littered some living quarters.

Some rooms were for specific purposes, like armories full of weapons and ammunition or transmission centres, from which this place communicated with the other sectors.

One room caught Erik's eye. The central table was covered in maps and documents and was far larger than the others he had come across until now.

There were two people in that room, two blackguards at that, and they were having an interesting conversation.

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