SSS-RANK: Super Extraction System-Chapter 33: [33] Reforming Wraith Squad

Chapter 33: [33] Reforming Wraith Squad
The blast doors to The Crypt ground open with a heavy, industrial groan.
Leon stepped inside. The air was colder than usual, recycled and sterile. It smelled of gun oil and the faint, metallic tang of cybernetics.
Commander Rostova stood at the head of the briefing table, her back straight, her face a mask of professional detachment.
"You’re late," Rostova said, though her tone lacked heat.
"I had to make a stop," Leon replied. He didn’t elaborate. The memory of Elara in the garden, her warmth, her scent, the promise of her touch was in his mind.
He walked toward the table.
Sitting in the corner, polishing a massive, matte-black shotgun, was a mountain of a man.
Rhino looked up.
He was different. The boisterous, beer-loving brawler was gone. In his place sat a grim statue of violence. His face was scarred from the acid burns in the cathedral, the skin mottled and pink. But the most striking change was his left arm.
It was gone.
In its place was a bulky, military-grade cybernetic prosthetic. It hummed with a low, menacing whine as the servos adjusted. The metal was painted a dull grey, scratched and purely functional.
"Hey, kid," Rhino grunted. His voice was rougher, like he had swallowed gravel.
"Rhino," Leon nodded. "The arm looks... heavy."
Rhino flexed the metal fingers. They moved with a whir-click sound. "It punches harder. That’s all that matters."
He looked at Leon, his eyes devoid of their old humor.
"Jinx and Justin aren’t here to crack jokes anymore. So let’s skip the reunion tears."
"Agreed," Leon said.
Rostova tapped the holographic table. A map of the eastern wasteland flickered to life.
"We don’t have time for sentiment," Rostova cut in. "Malakor’s Bloodhound is tracking Leon. Every hour we waste is an hour he gets closer. We need to accelerate Leon’s evolution."
She gestured to the two strangers standing on the other side of the room.
"This is the new Wraith Squad. Handpicked for high-risk, high-casualty operations."
The first stranger stepped forward. She was a young woman with silver hair cut in a severe bob. She wore a pristine white combat suit that seemed to repel dirt. Her eyes were a pale, unnerving grey.
"Seraph," the woman said. Her voice was cool and precise. "Rank B. Concept-Type: Light Manipulation."
[ ANALYSIS: ACTIVE ]
[ TARGET: SERAPH ]
[ CLASS: SNIPER / STEALTH ]
[ ABILITY: PHOTON BENDING ]
[ THREAT: HIGH PRECISION. LOW EMOTIONAL RESPONSE. ]
"I’ve read your file, Leon," Seraph continued, looking him up and down like he was a piece of equipment. "Your stealth capabilities are impressive for an anomaly. I look forward to seeing if you can keep up."
"And this," Rostova pointed to the man next to her, "is Gideon."
Gideon was older, in his late thirties, with a weary face and a combat medic’s insignia on his shoulder. He wore heavy armor and carried a specialized pack that hummed with magical energy.
"Gideon," the man sighed, extending a hand. "Rank C. Concept-Type: Cellular Regeneration. I fix the holes you idiots poke in yourselves."
[ TARGET: GIDEON ]
[ CLASS: SUPPORT / MEDIC ]
[ ABILITY: ACCELERATED BIO-REGEN ]
[ THREAT: LOW COMBAT. HIGH UTILITY. ]
Leon shook his hand. Gideon’s grip was firm but tired.
"Try not to die," Gideon muttered. "Paperwork for casualties is a nightmare."
"I’ll do my best," Leon said.
Rostova cleared her throat. The hologram zoomed in on a specific sector of the wasteland, a dense, petrified forest shrouded in thick fog.
"This is the target," Rostova announced. "The Arachne Queen’s Labyrinth. It surfaced twelve hours ago. It’s an A-Rank Eclipse Zone."
Rhino stiffened. "Arachne? Like the ones that killed Jinx?"
"Yes," Rostova said, her eyes softening for a fraction of a second. "But worse. This isn’t a nest; it’s a kingdom. The Queen is a Royal Shadow. She’s currently in hibernation, recovering from the surfacing event."
She looked at Leon.
"Your mission is assassination. Infiltrate the labyrinth. Bypass the swarm. Locate the Queen while she sleeps. And execute her."
"Why?" Leon asked. "Why provoke an A-Rank zone now?"
"Because you need the juice," Rostova said bluntly. "Kain pushed you to Level 15. A Queen will push you higher. You need to be strong enough to face a Bloodhound, Leon. And right now? You’re prey."
Leon looked at the map. The Labyrinth was massive, a tangled web of tunnels and chambers. It was a death trap.
"It’s a suicide mission," Seraph noted calmly. "The swarm density will be astronomical."
"That’s why we’re sending you," Rostova replied. "Seraph, your light manipulation can cloak the squad. Gideon, you keep them alive. Rhino, you’re the shield. And Leon..."
She looked at him.
"You’re the blade. You strike the heart."
Leon nodded. He felt the hunger in his core—the Monarch’s legacy stirring at the mention of a Royal Shadow.
[ QUEST UPDATED ]
[ NEW QUEST: DEVOUR THE WEAVER’S HEART ]
[ TARGET: ARACHNE QUEEN (ROYAL SHADOW - DORMANT) ]
[ REWARD: MONARCH’S KEY FRAGMENT (2/3) ]
"We leave in twenty," Rostova ordered. "Gear up."
The squad dispersed. Rhino went to the weapons locker, loading heavy slugs into a new, oversized shotgun designed for his cybernetic hand. Seraph began calibrating a long, sleek sniper rifle made of white polymer. Gideon checked his med-pack.
Leon walked over to Rhino.
"You okay with this?" Leon asked quietly. "Going back to fight spiders?"
Rhino stopped loading his gun. He looked down at his metal hand. He clenched it into a fist, the servos whining.
"It’s not about being okay, kid," Rhino growled. "It’s about finishing the job. Jinx died fighting these things. If I can kill their Queen... maybe it balances the ledger."
He looked at Leon. His eyes were hard.
"Just promise me one thing."
"What?"
"When we find her," Rhino said, racking the shotgun slide with a violent clack. "Make sure she screams."
"I will," Leon promised.
Gideon walked past them, adjusting his straps. "I found trace amounts of Arachne toxin in your bloodwork from the last mission, Leon," the medic said casually. "Your body metabolized it. That shouldn’t be possible. Most people would have dissolved."
"I have a strong stomach," Leon said.
Gideon gave him a skeptical look. "Right. Just... let me know if you start growing extra legs."
Seraph joined them, her rifle slung over her shoulder. She moved with an eerie silence, her white suit almost glowing in the dim light.
"Transport is ready," she said. "The fog in the zone is thick. Visibility will be near zero. I’ll take point with optical camouflage."
"No," Leon said.
Seraph paused, raising an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"You take the rear," Leon said. "Your light manipulation is good for stealth, but it attracts attention in the dark. I take point."
Seraph frowned. "I am the senior officer here, rank-wise."
"Rank doesn’t matter in the dark," Leon said. His voice dropped, vibrating with a subtle dominance. [ Dominion of the Prince ] leaked out, just a fraction. "I can see in the dark. I can smell them. I know where they are before they know we’re there."
Seraph stared at him. For a moment, she looked like she wanted to argue. Then, she flinched, a subtle instinctive reaction to his aura.
"Fine," she said coolly. "You lead. If you walk us into an ambush, I’ll shoot you myself."
"Fair enough."
Rostova walked them to the VTOL. The wind on the landing pad whipped her hair across her face.
"Leon," she shouted over the engines. "One last thing."
She handed him a small, sealed vial. It glowed with a faint blue light.
"High-grade mana stimulant. Use it only if your core is empty. It’ll hurt like hell, but it’ll keep you fighting."
Leon took it. "Thanks."
"Bring them back," Rostova said, gripping his arm. "All of them. I’m tired of writing eulogies."
Leon looked at the new squad. Rhino, grim and broken. Seraph, cold and distant. Gideon, weary.
They were a mess. A collection of damaged goods.
But they were his squad.
"We’re coming back," Leon said.
He boarded the transport. Rhino followed, the metal of his arm clanking against the hull.
As the VTOL lifted off, heading toward the petrified forest, Leon felt the familiar cold settle into his chest.
The hunt was on again.
But this time, he wasn’t hunting a lord in a suit. He was hunting a monster in her nest.
[ SYSTEM STATUS ]
[ SHADOW SERVANTS: 2/3 ]
[ CORRUPTION: 8% ]
[ OBJECTIVE: KILL THE QUEEN ]
Leon closed his eyes. In the darkness of his mind, he could already hear the skittering of a million legs.
And he smiled.