After the women briefly resupplied, they decided to head to the stables first, using them as a base to monitor the movements around the motel. Of course, this time it would be impossible to kill Ajax without anyone noticing. Ethel understood that while the leader might be a vegetarian, his subordinates certainly weren't.
However, unexpected developments always catch people off guard.
"What? Alright, yeah, I got it, we're heading back right now," Ariel said.
"What's wrong?" Lyle asked.
"The plan's changed. Let's go, we'll talk back at base. We'll let Ajax jump around for a few more days," Ariel replied.
Back at the TV Station:
"Can you tell us now? What on earth is going on?" Lyle asked.
"The plan's changed. Higher-ups sent someone named Hecate to go toe-to-toe with Ajax, so they're ordering us to pull back," Ariel explained.
"Huh? I've heard of this Hecate. Back at the Frontline Fortress, she apparently fought Ajax for three months when he occupied the place, before finally having to retreat. She must be looking to wash away that shame this time," Lyle said.
"Pack up your things, we're heading to the Northern Mountains," Ariel ordered.
"What the hell? What, does Randall want us to help her wash away the shame?" Lyle asked.
"No, Randall himself got chased out of Beishan by Fred. The bigger issue is that many of our Black Gold Operatives are still trapped in Beishan and can't leave. Keira's orders this time are for us to go to Beishan and evacuate as many of the remaining Black Gold Operatives as possible," Ariel said.
Right at that moment, Mia suddenly booted up again.
"Mission update: Proceed to the Northern Mountains and capture the Wastewater Treatment Plant as a stronghold. Reward: 400,000 Columbia coins, 6 fully-equipped gift boxes," 000895 announced.
"Damn it, you scared the hell out of me," Ariel said.
"Hehe, sorry, master. The author's been binge-watching *Gushing Over Magical Girls* and kept the updates paused until now," 000895 said.
"How does this reward distribution system even work?" Ariel asked.
"It's simple. Once you complete the mission, it will appear in the nearest container to you."
"Mission accepted successfully. Hidden challenge triggered: Have Muse use a sniper rifle alone to eliminate ten enemies. Reward: Full set of Black Gold Commander camouflage, full set of Black Gold Operative camouflage (I forgot what that camouflage is called), 3,000 Columbia coins," 000895 continued.
"You really didn't need to include that 3,000-coin reward at the end, it's pathetic," Ariel remarked.
"Well, that was the last slot left and the budget was tight, so that's all I could fit," 000895 replied.
"Just drop it into the account then. We probably won't be needing any of this for a long time anyway," Ariel said.
"True. After all, you and your team are going to be stuck in the Northern Mountains for at least the next two months. Even if you and the girls manage to take down Fred within a month, you'll still have to head over to the Mining Area to deal with Borrero," 000895 pointed out.
"True enough, we'll most likely end up in the Mining Area since Borrero's still breathing. The problem is that newbie Steven is completely useless. Intelligence reports say the McDougal Gang has completely vanished without a trace, and they haven't caused any real damage to Borrero down in the mines at all. The most they've managed is killing or wounding a few Task Force members who wandered into the Mining Area," Ariel said.
"The six of us are already in enough danger just being in Beishan. Going to the Mining Area would just be offering ourselves up on a silver platter," Ariel added.