The Vixen's Gambit: Tonight We Hunt

Lee had wanted to spend three or four months training Hua, boosting her combat strength and maxing out her goodwill for future… resource acquisition. Sadly, Hua was only at headquarters to report on a mission with her captain and returned to the Australian branch after less than two weeks, much to Lee's disappointment.

Hua's goodwill is only at level eight…

But though Hua had left, her brief training sparked a new idea for Lee, giving her something new to occupy her time—becoming an instructor for new recruits and farming their goodwill. After all, she didn't have much else to do.

The 3rd Herrscher's attack had devastated Nagazora City and surrounding areas, resulting in countless refugees. Fire Moth recruited many capable combatants from among them. The sheer scale of the destruction also forced Fire Moth to acknowledge the true threat of the Honkai, prompting them to expand their forces.

But the number of instructors remained limited, so many combatants were forced to take on part-time teaching roles. Even Kevin, who'd joined Fire Moth less than six months ago, had begun leading his own small squad due to his exceptional abilities.

Even Lee's special operations squad had been disbanded, its members reassigned as squad leaders, including Elysia.

Lee understood the higher-ups' reasoning. As Fire Moth's combat strength rapidly increased, continuing to concentrate power in the hands of a strong and popular hero like her would lead to an uncontrollable surge in her influence.

And then, Lee would transform from a mere weapon into a potential threat.

While she understood, it didn't mean she agreed. It was absurd to focus on power struggles while facing an enemy capable of wiping out humanity.

Considering that even a genius like Mei, capable of carrying an entire civilization on her shoulders, had to cater to the whims of the higher-ups for funding, Lee sometimes felt the Previous Era's demise wasn't entirely surprising.

From this perspective, Otto's ability to control an entire civilization while conducting research, keeping even Anti-Entropy in check and minimizing internal conflict, was truly admirable. Too bad the Previous Era didn't have an Otto, and Lee didn't think she could pull off something like that.

So, facing the higher-ups' pressure, Lee readily relinquished her nominal authority. These titles meant little to her anyway.

Recently, Lee's deployment frequency had decreased. Most combat missions were assigned to others, ostensibly to give new recruits experience and opportunities to grow. Lee was happy to take a backseat, finding amusement in training rookies.

…

"Kevin, aren't you being a bit too harsh on the newbies?"

During lunch break, Lee and Kevin sat side-by-side on a bench in Fire Moth headquarters' park, leisurely sipping drinks. "I saw you make that kid cry today."

"I can't help it, Lee. If they don't train harder now, they'll die when facing the Honkai…"

Kevin sighed, slurping his instant noodles.

He was a newbie himself, and being so young, he had to be strict; otherwise, no one would listen. He'd already been on several missions, witnessing countless deaths, both civilians and Fire Moth combatants.

Not everyone possessed superhuman strength. For ordinary soldiers, a single mistake against Honkai Beasts or zombies could be fatal. Kevin would rather they complain about his harsh training than fall silent on the battlefield.

"Even so…" Lee closed her eyes for a moment, then sighed. "I'll try to do more in the future."

"Do more?" Kevin looked at Lee quizzically. "Do more of what?"

"I'll try to clear out the Honkai Beasts and zombies on the way to our objectives." Finishing her fruit tea, Lee casually tossed the empty cup into a distant trash can with pinpoint accuracy. "That way, the others will face less pressure."

"…Lee, that's pointless. You can't single-handedly wipe out all the Honkai in the world."

After a brief silence, Kevin spoke seriously. "You can't help everyone. Doing this will only burden you."

The battle against the Honkai was a constant, never-ending struggle, and so were the casualties.

No matter how hard Lee tried, she could only eliminate a small fraction of the Honkai, saving a negligible number of people compared to the overall picture.

Trying to shoulder the world's burden alone was impossible; it would only crush her eventually.

"You have to try before you know the outcome. And besides, the more I do, the less danger the others face." Lee simply smiled at Kevin's advice. "I'm strong, so I should shoulder more responsibility. Power and responsibility go hand-in-hand."

"But—"

Kevin wanted to say more, but Lee flicked his forehead, cutting him off. "Alright, lecture me when you're stronger than me. What do you say, second-place Kevin?"

"Ugh…"

Facing Lee's teasing, Kevin blushed and looked down, defeated.

But he hadn't given up. Lee wasn't a god. If she continued taking on everyone else's burdens, she would eventually break.

Lecture you when I'm stronger, huh…? Trust me, that day isn't far off, Lee.

Even if I can't change your mind, I'll at least share your burden.

"And stop eating instant noodles all the time," Lee said, looking at Kevin's noodle cup. "I'll cook for you when we're at headquarters. If I'm not around, just grab some from the Doctor's lab. I'll leave your portion in the fridge."

"Really?!"

Kevin's eyes lit up. He liked instant noodles, but compared to Lee's cooking, they were nothing!

"Won't it be too much trouble?!"

"It's fine. I'm already cooking for the Doctor, so adding your portion is no big deal." Lee waved dismissively. "I don't know why you guys like instant noodles so much. They're so unhealthy."

"Even when I'm on missions, I'll send back a few days' worth of food. Don't worry about starving."