Wild Zone 12, 18 figures walked towards the gates of Marble City, dragging their wounded bodies.

A truck stood near the entrance of Marble City, whirring into life upon spotting the team.

It hovered one metre above the ground, speeding towards the team, traversing three kilometres before stopping. The team of 18 soldiers heaved sighs of reliefs, plopping on the ground upon sighting the truck. Even though they ought to exercise caution due to the danger present everywhere around the Wilds, they no longer had the capacity to do so.

Three Ground Controllers flew out from the Truck, making a sweep of the surroundings, their auras scaring away any lurking predators. They then seeped their psychic arms through the 18 soldiers, checking for any injuries and also taking caution for any hidden dangers.

Once all precautionary measures had been taken, they allowed the 18 soldiers to board the truck. The truck zoomed past the deserted land, heading towards Marble City.

Seated within the truck, the soldier that seemed to be the leader of the team removed her helmet, revealing her beautiful face. She took in a deep breath, allowing her body to relax. Her tensed nerves had been stretched taut all along, only beginning to relax now as witnessed the walls of Marble City come into view.

"They are hard to catch," She sighed, shaking her head as she looked at her team, feeling sad, "We lost two soldiers this time. Their attacks are really hard to guard against."

"We can only press on, Miss Bone." One of the three Ground Controllers sighed, "Madam has already classified the threat level of the Ethereal Tailed Frenzy Beasts to be above the Floating Spiders."

Another Ground Controller chimed in, "We can only try to nip them in the bud before they develop to the extent of posing a threat to Marble City."

"But, it is easier said than done. From our missions so far, we haven't managed to kill even a single Ethereal Tailed Frenzy Beast, not to mention capturing one of them." The leader, Heima Bone said, her expression forlorn.

"If only they didn't possess such accurate danger sense that is almost like precognition. We can only throw our Tier 3 soldiers at their Tier 4 selves." The Ground Controller in charge of the truck transmitted his voice, keeping watch of the surroundings through his unleashed domain.

He then lamented, "Till today, we have only managed to witness their Shifters. Apart from them, we haven't seen any other being, whether Warrior or Esper."

"They are being incredibly cautious. The fact that they have migrated to our Wild Zones and managed to survive within our radar shows their cunning and intellect. They plan to develop while imitating us first-hand." A lady next to Heima Bone sighed. She was the vice leader of their team, a Wave Controller.

"Is there any news from the remaining teams that had been dispatched to this mission?" Heima stood up, watching the truck come to a halt next to the city walls. It stopped 100 metres before the gate, to go through a round of inspection.

An inverted 'U' shaped structure protruded from the walls, with its two sides sporting a gate each, spanning 200 metres wide and a hundred metres high. After a round of inspection concluded, the truck passed through the gate on the left, facing two gates upon entry.

The gate opposite it was the other entrance while the gate to its left was the entrance into Marble City. This inverted 'U' shaped structure had been built to prevent any Frenzy Beast from ramming into the gates with a charge.

The 200-metre high city wall was their pillar of safety and comfort as the truck they had boarded entered the city, treading along the 200-metre wide main road. The truck branched out after some distance, following a path in the right.

"Your team fared the best among them all. The rest, especially the team led by Ravis Macht suffered the worst. It seems he had sniffed in the right direction and suffered the brunt of the Ethereal Tailed Frenzy Beasts' retaliation." The Ground Controller in charge of the truck replied.

He then shook his head, "The moment we received the information, we hurriedly dispatched two Sky Controllers and three Transformers to the scene. But, by the time they reached, all they discovered was Ravis Macht and two of his team members barely clinging to life. The Ethereal Tailed Frenzy Beasts had already vacated the spot."

The door opened as they exited the truck, watching a massive skyscraper come into view. It was a branch of Grapple Force, situated in the centre of Sector 12, 10th Ring. They entered the building, walking into a massive hall, spanning the area of the building, the height equivalent to three floors.

"You guys get treated before assembling in our team hall." Heima turned around to instruct her teammates, "I'll finish my report in the meantime. Once I get my injuries treated, we will brief through our next plan before calling it a day."

Her teammates saluted as they were led by the three Ground Controllers through an open section at the end where a large lift was situated. Heima took a different path, walking to a reception situated in the centre.

It was circular in shape, constructed in steps, with each step conforming to a ring, spanning ten in total. There was a path of access for each ring, with abundant space for each, and with varying inclinations, preventing any feeling of congestion.

Each ring spanned a wide area, with almost 20 personnel seated being their respective counters. Heima spotted an empty counter along the second ring, lacking any queue. She jumped onto the respective path as she trod forth, her footsteps lithe.

She arrived before the counter, speaking briskly, "Leader Heima Bone of Team 136 reporting her mission."

Heima mentioned the details of the mission, requesting to report to her supervisor. The personnel behind the counter noted everything, pulling up her information from the database to verify her identity before permitting her.

Heima gave a perfunctory nod before proceeding to the location she reported to every time. Taking a lift that headed to the 20th floor, she arrived before a room, gently knocking on the door once.

"Come in, Heima." A voice travelled out, mellow but carrying dignity underneath.

Heima pushed the door open, cautiously taking a step inside, witnessing a fist hover before her face, gently touching her forehead.

"And bang, you're out." The feminine voice had a hint of cheerful playfulness, but the action pointed at the ruthlessness that could happen anytime, "You must always be alert. If I was a Frenzy Beast hiding within the city, you would have been dead by now."

"If I was on the edge every second, I would lose control with a week." Heima sighed, closing the door behind her as she looked at the woman standing before. The lady had her hair tied into a bun, the size of which signified the length of hair she possessed, which was a lot.

Wearing a long gown that reached her ankle and holding a thin stick in one hand, she looked like a gentle lady. The gown seemed difficult to move around, one that hindered the individual's movements every second due to the fabric it was made from and the excessive number of folds it possessed.

'I wonder how many weapons she concealed within it.' Heima didn't comment on the choice of dress of her superior, saluting once before reporting, "This mission too was a failure. When the Ethereal Tailed Frenzy Beasts are injured to a certain extent, they turn ethereal and escape into the ground. When they turn ethereal, none of our detecting methods were capable of spotting them."

"As a result, we couldn't guard against their attacks in time and lost two members. We also had to face against three Shifter Ethereal Tails, which further added to the chaos." Heima then went into the details of the operation, recounting everything from the moment she stepped foot outside Marble City to her return.

After listening to everything, her superior massaged her brows, "I had some hope for your team to achieve something this time. After all, your team has encountered them the most in the past eight months."

She then continued, "It seems Ravis Macht's team managed to close in on the Ethereal Tails' home. There were only three survivors from his team, including him when our reinforcements arrived. Unfortunately, the Ethereal Tailed Frenzy Beasts had all managed to vacate the area."

She then smiled a little, "The good news is that they had made a haphazard retreat, leaving many things in their home. We have already laid a perimeter around the area, with two Sky Controllers and three Transformers. Now, they had requested for further reinforcements from Grapple Force to explore the region."

"Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will be undefeated for hundred battles. Wouldn't this quote be apt for our current situation? We can finally learn something about the Ethereal Tailed Frenzy Beasts."

"I pray for our success," Heima saluted, about to exit the room when her superior stopped her.

"You will also be accompanying us. You may be a Developer but you are capable of going against a Shifter without trouble, even if the Shifter is from our Grapple Force. This will be a valuable experience for you. Get nursed back to full health and meet me here in 15 minutes."

"We will depart to the home of the Ethereal Tailed Frenzy Beasts. Even my father and grandmother will accompany us." She glanced at the side of the room, smiling as she relished in the beauty of her armour affixed on a stand, concealing a terrifying aura within.

"Even Madam and Ancestor Strongest are accompanying us?" Heima was surprised for a second before smiling, "Then I shouldn't miss such an opportunity. Thank you, Anusha."

"Call me leader, junior."

"Unless on duty, I won't; I am off-duty for 15 minutes."