Seeing that Chief Captain Sakura had sent Nakata away, Tengyun, who was standing nearby, wore a puzzled expression.
He immediately asked Sakura, "Why did you send him away, Chief Captain? Wouldn't it be better to keep him here and ask for more information about that Liu Yang so we can plan better? After all, they've actually fought Liu Yang. Even if they didn't force him to use his true strength, they've at least seen his abilities, right?"
Sakura flashed a cold smirk. "Hehe, I'm the Chief Captain. I know the ins and outs of every member in every team like the back of my hand. Nakata's strength isn't much to write home about, but he does have one exceptionally stubborn heart."
"Oh? A stubborn heart?" Tengyun looked even more confused.
What did sending him away have to do with being stubborn?
Sakura continued, "He has a fiercely loyal simp heart. His pathetic crush on Taozi is an open secret among their whole team-how could I not know? As a devout simp, do you really think he'd come scurrying back to report to us after Taozi was killed by Liu Yang?"
Looking bewildered, Tengyun asked, "But didn't he cry his eyes out just a minute ago?"
Sakura shook her head. "If I were killed by Liu Yang, what would you do?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Tengyun blurted out angrily, "I'd be his sworn enemy and tear him to bloody pieces!"
Sakura smiled. "See? Case closed. A simp! How could a simp ever have a brain?"
Looking thoroughly embarrassed, Tengyun stammered, "Chief Captain Sakura is right. I'm just too stupid."
Sakura shook her head. "I despise simps more than anything in this life! Don't you ever go simping around, understand?"
"Hai!" Tengyun snapped to attention. "A valuable lesson from Chief Captain Sakura! From now on, I will only simp in secret! I'll strive to ensure Chief Captain Sakura never even gets a hint of being simped at!"
"Sigh," Sakura sighed helplessly before continuing, "Given a simp's nature, he'd never come back to report. Instead, completely ignoring the gap in power, he'd charge straight at Liu Yang to avenge his goddess!"
Rubbing the back of his head, Tengyun muttered, "Chief Captain Sakura is spot on."
As one of Sakura's own devoted simps, how could he not understand what was running through Nakata's mind? It was just a classic case of being too close to see the forest for the trees.
Once Sakura spelled it out, he finally realized how completely abnormal Nakata's behavior had been.
It completely defied all laws of simp behavior!
Since when do simps lack brains this much?
How could he possibly have come back to report? Clearly, he wasn't even a qualified simp anymore!
He had utterly disgraced the entire simp community!
Another Heaven Ranking ability user chimed in, "Chief Captain Sakura, if what you're saying is true, does that mean Nakata has already flipped and joined the enemy?"
Sakura shook her head again. "Defection isn't guaranteed, but they probably used Taozi as leverage to force his compliance. Given how far a simp will go just to win over a woman, betraying the empire is definitely within his wheelhouse. What do you think, Tengyun?"
Nodding eagerly, Tengyun replied, "Yes, absolutely! Chief Captain is brilliant! Your insight is truly unmatched, Chief Captain!"
Another Heaven Ranking expert asked with a frown, "Wait, that doesn't quite add up. Even if Liu Yang managed to use Taozi to blackmail Nakata into betraying the empire, what about his two teammates? They surely aren't head-over-heels simping for Taozi, right?"
Looking annoyed, Tengyun snapped, "Why are you questioning Chief Captain Sakura? Do you honestly take our Chief Captain for a fool who wouldn't think of that? You really..."
Before Tengyun could finish, Sakura interrupted him.
"Actually, I did overlook that... Put that way, it does sound a bit off. Even if Nakata is a simp for Taozi, the other two probably aren't. Liu Yang wouldn't be able to use that leverage on them..."
"Ah..." Tengyun froze in place, utterly mortified.
The ability user he had just chewed out shot him a look that clearly said he was watching a circus clown.
After lingering in thought for a moment, Sakura shook her head. "Never mind, let's not overthink it. One thing is certain: Nakata definitely has issues, and the intel he brought back is sketchy at best. He might very well be leading us straight into a trap!"
Hearing this, Tengyun looked genuinely alarmed. "Then what should we do? Should we just skip it? Knowing it's a trap, are we really going to walk right into the lions' den?"
Sakura replied, "Opportunities like this don't come around often. Turning three Little Sun Empire ability users at once is something only Heaven Ranking Number One Liu Yang could pull off. Even I couldn't manage that. This might be our closest shot at getting to him. We can't just back down."
Visibly nervous, Tengyun pressed, "But it's a trap! What if Chief Captain Sakura gets hurt..."
Sakura cut him off. "Cut the simping. I'm the strongest one in this room. Do I look like I need you to worry about me?"
Quickly bowing his head, Tengyun said, "Understood! Chief Captain Sakura is right! I spoke out of turn!"
Sakura shook her head and shifted gears. "Let's adjust our strategy. We formulate our plan under the absolute assumption that it's a trap! That way, our win rate actually goes up. Plus, we still have thirteen search teams on standby. They can act as cannon fodder to test the enemy's traps and probe their combat strength. With our overwhelming numbers, we won't necessarily lose!"
"I'll outline the combat plan now, and everyone can pitch in with useful suggestions..."
With that, Sakura and her elite comrades hunkered down to map out their strategy.
...
Meanwhile, back in their own room, Nakata and his two teammates were holding a quiet strategy session. Nakata spoke first.
"That wretched bitch Sakura actually dismissed us in the end! She must suspect us already. Damn it all!"
Another teammate muttered, "I had a bad feeling about it too! We can't afford to fail Lord Liu Yang's mission!"
"Should we report this to Lord Liu Yang?" the third one asked.
Liu Yang had dispatched a Level 3 zombie to shadow them, currently lurking in a derelict building less than two kilometers away. He could monitor everything happening here through its senses. If Nakata wanted to pass information along, all he had to do was speak near the creature.
Nakata shook his head. "It's late. Lord Liu Yang is probably enjoying a tender moment with Captain Taozi right now! We shouldn't disturb him over mere suspicions that haven't been confirmed yet. Let's wait and see how things develop!"
Bound by the Soul Chain, Nakata's every thought revolved around serving Liu Yang's interests. Even though Taozi used to be his ultimate goddess, seeing her with Liu Yang now didn't trigger any jealousy-his only lingering concern was whether her skills were up to par to keep Liu Yang properly satisfied.
His two teammates agreed it made sense and nodded in unison.
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