Free Web NovelChapter 262: Past Memories (GT Bonus)
A huge thank you to DarkMagicMage, ToriSanderon, Doec, Trever_Gordon, and NengYang for the Golden Tickets! Your support truly means a lot and keeps me motivated to continue writing and improving the story.
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After Isha finally agreed to assist Team 10, both squads immediately began preparing for the A-Rank mission. Unlike ordinary operations, Bloodfang Stronghold was genuinely dangerous, so even Team 11 remained serious this time.
Soon afterward, multiple armored Hunter vehicles departed from Cameron City together.
However, before departure, Carol made a strange request. "Sis, I want to ride with you."
Isha looked slightly confused. Normally, Carol preferred staying with her own team members. Still, without thinking too much, she agreed.
As a result, the convoy arrangement became somewhat unusual. Most members of Team 10 and Team 11 traveled in the vehicles behind them.
Inside the front armored vehicle, only three people remained:
Vikram, Isha, and Carol.
Vikram sat calmly in the driver’s seat, guiding the vehicle across the ruined highways. The atmosphere inside was quiet at first.
Then, Carol suddenly spoke softly, "Sis... Do you remember when we were children?"
Isha glanced at her in mild surprise.
Carol smiled faintly while leaning against the window. "We used to play together every day. We ate together... slept together... And you always protected me whenever I caused trouble." Her voice grew softer. "Honestly... those were probably the happiest days of my life."
Isha became slightly nostalgic. Ever since they became Hunters, their lives had grown increasingly harsh and dangerous.
Carol laughed softly. "You know... I did so many bad things back then. I tore your dolls. I broke your favorite decorations. I even framed you several times. Yet somehow... you always forgave me."
Isha smiled helplessly. "That’s because you were still a child."
However, Carol’s eyes slowly deepened. She suddenly asked in a quiet voice, "Sis... If one day... I made another mistake again... Will you still forgive me?"
The atmosphere inside the vehicle subtly shifted. Even Isha looked slightly confused. For some reason, Carol’s tone sounded strangely serious.
Still, after recalling their childhood memories, Isha became emotional as well. She replied softly, "Carol... I’ve always loved you. And I’ve never truly held any resentment toward you."
Hearing those words, a bright smile appeared on Carol’s face. "I love you too, sister... Very much."
Meanwhile, Vikram continued driving silently from the front seat. However, as he listened to Carol’s words, a strange suspicion slowly rose in his mind.
Carol’s behavior today felt too emotional. Too intentional. Almost like someone preparing in advance for something troublesome.
Vikram silently narrowed his eyes.
During this mission, he decided he would keep a close eye on Carol and absolutely not allow her to do anything dangerous or foolish.
---
Inside the lead vehicle, the emotional atmosphere from Carol’s earlier conversation gradually faded. However, instead of falling silent, Carol suddenly became even more energetic.
She began talking nonstop about old memories with Isha. "How many times did we skip training together? And remember when you secretly cooked at midnight because I was hungry? Dad punished both of us afterward!"
Even Isha started laughing softly as the memories resurfaced. Compared to their current dangerous lives as Hunters, those childhood days felt peaceful and warm.
Vikram continued driving silently, occasionally listening to their conversation. However, the more naturally Carol acted, the more suspicious he became. Her behavior felt too deliberate.
At that moment, Carol suddenly leaned forward between the seats and looked at Vikram mischievously.
"Vikram. Do you know something funny?"
Vikram replied calmly, "What?"
Carol grinned. "When you were little... you used to cry whenever I stole your snacks."
Isha immediately laughed softly. Vikram, on the other hand, looked somewhat speechless. Although he possessed the original Vikram’s memories, he didn’t remember such details clearly.
Carol continued teasing him happily, "You were especially protective about sweets. And whenever you cried... Sis would immediately come to comfort you."
Isha shook her head helplessly. "You bullied him too much back then."
Carol dramatically defended herself, "I was helping him build character!"
Vikram glanced at her briefly before replying calmly, "From your personality... I can imagine you were probably even worse than you’re describing."
The moment those words left his mouth, Isha burst into laughter. Carol pouted slightly. "Hmph. I’m being nice to you now, yet you still attack me."
However, despite her complaint, her eyes visibly brightened. For the first time in a long while, Vikram was actually joking with her naturally instead of arguing or ignoring her.
---
After several more hours of travel, the convoy finally approached the Northern Ruined Sector.
At this point, even ordinary roads had completely vanished. The surroundings were filled with abandoned military bunkers, collapsed industrial zones, and endless ruined structures.
The sky itself had turned a deep crimson-gray, a natural phenomenon caused by the dense blood energy radiating from Vampire territories.
Inside the communication system, Rohit’s voice suddenly sounded, "We’re nearing Bloodfang territory."
Instantly, all casual conversation inside the convoy stopped. Even Carol’s playful expression faded. Everyone became serious once again.
Soon, the lead vehicles slowed down near a destroyed checkpoint.
Everyone’s attention focused forward.
Far ahead, a gigantic fortress-like structure slowly emerged between the ruined mountains. Massive black walls surrounded the entire area. Blood-red lights flickered atop defensive towers, and numerous ruined buildings around the stronghold had been converted into outer defensive zones.
The atmosphere around the fortress felt overwhelmingly oppressive — almost suffocating.
---
After seeing Bloodfang Stronghold appear fully before them, both Carol and Isha calmly reopened the mission file. The surrounding Hunters grew serious immediately.
Isha spoke calmly, "Our main objective inside Bloodfang Stronghold is simple: infiltrate, retrieve the intelligence archives, and leave alive."
Carol added seriously, "This is not a frontal assault mission. Not required unnecessary battles. We prioritize stealth and information recovery."
Several team members nodded.
Carol pointed toward the distant fortress. "The intelligence vault should be underground. According to Federation reports, Bloodfang stores important records beneath the central fortress."
Deepak frowned slightly. "Meaning we’ll need infiltration specialists."
Almost instantly, everyone’s eyes turned toward Vikram. At this point, no one questioned his battlefield judgment anymore.
Isha looked at him directly. "Vikram. How should we handle this?"
Everyone listened seriously. Whether Team 10 admitted it or not, Vikram had become the core strategist of Team 11, and his plans almost always worked.
Vikram observed the fortress in the distance for a moment before speaking calmly, "We split the operation."
He pointed forward. "Large groups entering together will be noticed immediately. So: an infiltration group will enter inside, a support group will remain outside, and an extraction team will prepare the escape route."
The others listened carefully, waiting for him to continue.
At this moment, Carol asked, "What about the Vampires inside?"
Hearing that, Vikram silently activated his summoning ability. Two summoning circles instantly appeared beside him.
The next moment, Shade emerged first. The Phantom Treekin followed immediately afterward.
The surrounding Hunters were already familiar with Shade. However, the moment they saw Phantom Treekin, many expressions changed drastically.
Unlike ordinary plant summons, Phanty looked almost completely human. Its body carried dark shadow energy, and its humanoid form felt unnaturally realistic.
Even the members of Team 10 looked visibly shocked.
"What kind of summon is that?"
"That thing feels dangerous..."
Meanwhile, Phanty stood silently beside Vikram like an elite assassin bodyguard.
Vikram replied calmly, "Your safety will be handled by them. So don’t focus on the Vampires. Focus only on retrieving the information."
The surrounding Hunters immediately relaxed. Everyone had already witnessed how terrifying Vikram’s summons truly were.
Soon afterward, the operation groups were carefully divided. Support-type Awakeners remained outside with the vehicles and communication systems. Combat-type Hunters paired with defensive Hunters, while scouting and information retrieval specialists were assigned separately.
In the end, Vikram unexpectedly paired himself with Carol.
Seeing this, even Isha looked slightly confused. "Why are you going with her?"
Vikram quietly leaned closer and whispered directly into Isha’s ear so no one else could hear, "I feel suspicious about Carol. I think she’s planning something. So I’m keeping an eye on her."
Isha was briefly stunned. After the emotional conversation in the vehicle earlier, she had subconsciously lowered her guard toward Carol again. But thinking about it now, Carol’s strange behavior truly felt unusual, especially her overly emotional talk earlier.
After a few seconds, Isha slowly nodded. At least if Vikram stayed near her, she would feel more reassured.
Meanwhile, Carol smiled brightly when she saw Vikram joining her group. She looked extremely satisfied with this arrangement.
---
As soon as the infiltration teams entered Bloodfang Stronghold, everyone immediately realized something was wrong.
The interior was nothing like an ordinary fortress. They had stepped into a gigantic underground maze. Dark stone corridors stretched endlessly in multiple directions, with blood-red markings pulsing faintly across the walls like living veins. The atmosphere inside felt unnaturally cold and oppressively silent.
At first, the teams advanced carefully according to the original formation. However, as they moved deeper, the maze quickly separated them through different pathways and branching corridors. Since this was an infiltration mission, no one panicked or called out. Each group continued moving quietly while searching for clues leading to the underground intelligence vault.
Meanwhile, Vikram and Carol advanced together through one of the darker stone corridors. The deeper they went, the stranger the maze became. Many pathways ended in dead walls, some looped back to previous locations, and others were covered in mysterious symbols carved into the floor and walls.
Suddenly, both of them stopped before a gigantic stone gate blocking the path ahead. The gate had no handle. Instead, three circular stone mechanisms were embedded in the wall beside it.
Above them, ancient Vampire language was deeply carved into the stone, "Truth opens the way. Falsehood seals the grave."
Below the sentence were three symbols: a blood moon, a chained eye, and a burning crown. Beneath the symbols rested three stone levers. Only one could be pulled. free𝑤ebnovel.com
Carol narrowed her eyes as she read the inscription carefully. "It says: ’Truth opens the way. Falsehood seals the grave.’"
Vikram observed the carvings silently. Carol crouched down beside the symbols, studying them for several seconds before smiling slightly.
"The answer is the chained eye," she said confidently.
Vikram looked at her. "Reason?"
Carol explained calmly, "Bloodfang Stronghold stores secrets and hidden knowledge. In a place like this, truth isn’t represented by rulers or blood rituals, it’s represented by observation. The chained eye symbolizes hidden knowledge."
Vikram thought for a moment, then nodded. "...Makes sense."
Without hesitation, Carol stepped forward and pulled the chained eye lever.
For a brief second, nothing happened.
"RUMBLE..."
The giant stone gate slowly began to open. At the same time, sharp spikes suddenly erupted beneath the other two unused levers. Choosing incorrectly would have triggered a deadly trap.
Carol lightly brushed the dust off her hands and looked at Vikram with a hint of pride. "Well?"
Vikram replied calmly, "You solved it faster than expected."
Carol smiled brightly. "Of course. I’m not just a pretty face."
Vikram continued observing her silently afterward. The more time he spent near Carol, the more he realized she was far more intelligent than she usually let others see.
