The morning breeze carried a hint of chill, and as Little Wu and Charlotte stepped out of the shuttle, they found themselves rubbing their hands together for warmth while looking around to realize they had already arrived at Mardis... The falling leaves blanketed the valley, creating a world that seemed to shimmer with gold.

This place had been the site of many battles for the Revenge Shadow Rider and was originally where the elite special forces congealed the resistance into the Blazing Legion. As Charlotte gazed upon the vast land, she felt an inexplicable surge of emotion... a fierce and unspeakable pride! Although she was a girl, for some unknown reason, perhaps because she was in the thick of it all, she felt as if she too could sense her blood burning with passion...

Indeed, Mardis, which had been newly conquered by the Blazing Legion, would soon become part of the Federation, and the Blazing Legion would not linger here. Charlotte knew that a vast new world awaited the Federation, awaited everyone's elite special missions.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps crunching through fallen leaves broke the silence... Hans's arrival disrupted this beautiful scene as he waved to them, signaling them to snap out of it and get ready to work.

The two of them had been more or less strong-armed by Hans to come here; anyone who made it got double the bonus. But for Charlotte and Little Wu, the bonus was of little significance. More than the money, they were keen to see the Revenge Shadow Rider in person. With this blind adoration, the two clueless girls had followed Hans onto the black ship.

In fact, anyone with a bit of caution would never dare to venture this way, even the space pirates rarely took this route, let alone a civilian black ship? It was like a freshly cleared mud pond; on the surface, Saudi might have withdrawn, but who knew if they would return? It seemed not to occur to anyone what kind of place Mardis was, a war-torn planet where battles broke out every two or three days. You could very well lose your life here, and if your shuttle broke down, there'd be nowhere to fix it. The local militia would not extend humanitarian privileges to foreign visitors.

Luckily, these federal countrymen weren't fools and demonstrated remarkable survival instincts, choosing to dock their ships either near the Blazing Legion or in nearby towns for protection throughout the night.

The sentries constantly shared data about shuttle numbers over the intelligence network, "Radio radio, the shuttle count at coordinates 493 is still increasing, no suspicious activity detected."

"Radio received, how many shuttles are there now?"

"Approximately 300 small shuttles, 12 medium shuttles, no large shuttles, and the number is still rising..."

Even Feng Yi found this news headache-inducing; it was like a damn small fleet forming, and the risk of missed threats remained high. They would show up here of all places, when he knew that a military site like his was far from absolutely safe. On the contrary, cities were safer as no power would dare attack them—because of strategic goals or otherwise—without provoking public outrage. Meanwhile, the wilderness could be marked by unexpected dangers.

On the morning of the charity performance, the arriving crowd grew by the minute... Only a handful were locals, while the majority—from nearby regions to outsiders—had come from afar, heard the news, and converged here, including TK and a group led by Bella from the Casadin faction. But this had nothing to do with personal grievances; they were all drawn by Athena.

Indeed, the charity performance was far more than a mere show. It also included official expressions of sympathy and the comprehensive distribution of relief materials, which had already started a few days ago... Although the earlier period was more about promotion, the actual performance was scheduled to open on the fourth day, today.

As a senior member and ambassador of love for the Red Cross, Athena's contributions contained much of her personal wishes. It has to be said that Athena's influence was no less than that of the Revenge Shadow Rider. If the Revenge Shadow Rider was compared to a warrior personifying justice, then Athena was certainly an angel with a caring heart for the world. Both were equally adored in certain ways, yet they represented two distinctly different facets.

The Revenge Shadow Rider tended towards coolness and reticence, a bastion of spiritual dependence for people, while Athena radiated warmth and comfort like a gentle breeze on a summer's day. She could be called the most down-to-earth goddess of love, having built countless schools with her own money. Her success was certainly not due to her singing talent alone. Naturally, talent matters, but determination and choices still define one's success. Evidently, Athena's comeback touched the hearts of many.

Politicians from various countries tended to focus solely on Athena's political influence, but who remembered the efforts and contributions she made for her philanthropic endeavors? When Athena truly arrived in Mardis that day, whether they knew her or not, nearly ninety-nine percent of the locals, upon hearing the news, flocked in this direction...

However, Athena had come by official invitation, making the protection of her personal safety the officials' biggest challenge. Fortunately, with Feng Yi in attendance, much trouble could be avoided. Merely the mention of his presence was enough to prompt any would-be schemers to weigh their odds of success carefully.

The world might not be very familiar with the identity of this Federation super special agent. But Sadra, the organization? That name struck a chord with many as a shadowy and fearsome force that even sovereign nations dreaded, one best not trifled with lightly.

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