With that, they got into the helicopters and vehicles and returned home.

“Welcome back!” Fernanda said, waiting with the other scientists.

“What’s that smell? Have you been drinking?” Takemichi exclaimed, smelling a faint scent of alcohol in the air.

“Drinks? Of course not, Captain! Where would we find that here at the base?” Fernanda replied, holding back a laugh.

“Anyway, we have work tomorrow. Get some rest, you’re dismissed now!” Takemichi said, turning to leave.

“And Kay?” Mira exclaimed, worried.

“He fell asleep as soon as you left. He hasn’t woken up yet!” Fernanda said, in an amused tone.

“He has the audacity to sleep while we’re working? Is this a reward or a punishment?” Takemichi said, irritated.

The soldiers returned to their rooms and prepared for dinner. In the mess hall, the atmosphere was light and relaxed.

— Eating after working is a relief! — Raven said, with a smile.

— So even you think so? I didn't expect it! — Kratos commented, surprised.

— Keep to yourself! — Raven replied, with a sharp look.

— But it's really good to eat after a hard day like that! — Thais intervened, trying to calm things down.

— Are you worried about Kay? Why don't you ask the captain to let you talk to him? — Sarah suggested, with a sparkle in her eyes.

— My father forbade me from going near there. He won't change his mind! — Mira replied, discouraged.

— Look over there! Yan is bringing him food! Kay will be fine, we're the ones who are going to be overwhelmed! — said Thais, trying to comfort her.

At that moment, Mira received a call.

— I just ate, I'm going back to my room! — said Mira, quickly leaving.

— She's acting strange too! — commented Viviane, watching her friend walk away.

— What could be going on? — exclaimed Sky, intrigued.

In Mira's room.

— Hello! — she answered when she answered.

— Good job recovering Mineford! — said the prince on the call.

— Thank you! — replied Mira, with a smile, I can't say it was Kay!

— Are you okay? — asked the prince, worried.

— Yes! Today was a tough day, but no one got hurt! — said Mira, relieved.

The scene changes to the next morning.

— She's still sleeping! — said Thais, looking at Mira's bed.

— She was on that call for a long time! — Sarah commented, curiously.

— Who was she talking to? — Viviane exclaimed, trying to guess.

— I don't know, but she seemed happy. It must have been her mother! — Thais said, believing in her hypothesis.

— Shall we wake her up? — Viviane suggested, excitedly.

— After breakfast, we need to go to Mineford. She better be fed in case there are ghouls there! — Sarah said, determined.

— You're right! — Thais agreed.

Minutes later, in the cafeteria...

Why are they staring at me? Mira thought, startled, as she noticed her friends' stares.

— They're discouraged because you didn't make coffee today! — Lena said, with a sad smile. — And, by the way, I am too!

— I woke up late today! I'm sorry, it was my job! — Mira replied, trying to justify her absence.

— There's no need for that. The cooks made it, it tastes the same, but it lacks that difference in texture that you sometimes make! — Lena continued, with a touch of nostalgia in her voice.

Mirei thought that it was only Kay who noticed this; they also like my coffee! Mira thought, feeling happy with the recognition.

— Anyway, you better eat soon. We're leaving! — Lena warned, looking at her watch.

“I have to do Kay’s!” — Mira insisted, worried.

“There won’t be time. One of the soldiers is taking his coffee, they’re already waiting in the courtyard. Let’s finish it quickly and come!” — Lena said, urging her friends.

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“Okay!” — they agreed.

After breakfast, the rest of the soldiers gathered in the courtyard. Everyone was already equipped and ready for the mission.

“The same ones who went in the helicopters yesterday, follow me. The others go in the trucks! We’re leaving!” — Takemichi ordered, his voice firm and clear.

“Okay!” — the soldiers said, saluting with determination.

As soon as they got into the vehicles, they left. Upon arriving in Mineford, the helicopters began to fly over the area, checking for movement.

“It looks like it’s empty. Let’s get off!” — Takemichi announced, looking closely at the kingdom.

The helicopters, keeping their distance, landed on the territory. The soldiers quickly left, but others remained on board. Those who remained flew toward the anti-aircraft guns positioned on the walls. They descended the ladders, and the soldier who would be at the gun climbed down it until he reached the top of the wall. Once he was in position, the helicopter took another soldier to another gun, following the same procedure until all the guns were operational.

Takemichi then ordered the soldiers to start walking around the city to check if they saw any suspicious movement.

"Form pairs and stay alert for any signs. We don't want any surprises!" he instructed, as he walked alongside Mira and her friends.

As they walked through the empty streets, Mira couldn't help but feel a tension in the air. The city, once bustling with activity, was now enveloped in an unsettling silence.

"I hope we don't find anything bad here," Thais commented, her voice low.

"If there are ghouls nearby, we'll be ready to face them," Takemichi replied, his expression serious.

The team continued their patrol, their eyes alert for any movement.

After a few minutes of moving around the kingdom, the soldiers reported no movement in that region.

"We're going to move on to another region. Wait for the ride," Takemichi said, signaling for everyone to get ready.

The scene changes to the army barracks, where the atmosphere was quite different.

“My head hurts!” Fernanda exclaimed, drinking water.

“After so long without drinking, I think we’re weaker for drinking!” commented one of the scientists, in a sleepy tone of voice.

“Kay woke up!” said one of the scientists, looking at the screen that showed the solitary woman.

“He must have smelled the coffee!” said Fernanda, approaching the screen.

Kay disappeared from the camera’s view, leaving everyone in suspense.

“Did he go to the toilet? I thought he was going straight to the coffee!” exclaimed Fernanda.

Soon, Kay reappeared on camera, but to everyone's disappointment, he went back to the carpet, going back to sleep.

"He's back to sleep! He won't have breakfast, and he didn't have dinner yesterday either!" Fernanda lamented, her headache becoming more evident with each word.

The scientists exchanged worried glances.

"He needs to eat! If he keeps up like this, he'll get weak, especially now that things are so tense out there," one of the scientists said, sounding worried.

Meanwhile, in Mineford, the soldiers waited in silence, anticipation hanging in the air.

"I hope the next sector is as calm as this one," one of the soldiers commented, trying to break the tension.

"Only time will tell," Takemichi replied, watching the helicopters around him closely. "Stay vigilant. This calm can be deceiving."

After walking all over Mineford, the tension began to dissipate.

"And there's nothing there!" — said Takemichi, observing the deserted city.

— That's good! — replied Mira, relieved by the tranquility that reigned.

— Yes! Let's go back and wait for the others. I'll inform the kingdom! — said Takemichi, taking out his cell phone.

He sent a message to the head of the guard, an act that could change the course of the day.

— Takemichi sent a message, let's see what he said! — commented the head of the guard, looking at the screen of the device.

— A thumbs up? — exclaimed the head of the guard, confused.

— It must be that we are cleared to go! — suggested one of the guards, hopefully.

— It could also be that they found ghouls — said another soldier, with a worried expression.

— What does this mean? Can we go? — the head guard questioned in the message, his impatience growing.

Takemichi quickly responded with another thumbs up.

— Then let's go! — decided the head guard, already standing up.

— I told you we were supposed to go! — joked one of the guards.

— He only sent a thumbs up, how would he know? — complained the other guard, with a sarcasm tone.

— Let's go! Don't waste time arguing! — shouted the head guard, quickly getting into the helicopter.

— You heard the boss, let's go! — encouraged the guard, hurrying to follow the leader.

Three more helicopters arrived at Mineford, descending with a powerful roar of their engines.

— Now there is not much risk of being caught by surprise. I brought more electricians and mechanics than soldiers! We're going to fix the city's lights! — announced the head of the guard, looking at the team that was preparing for the task.

“I'm counting on you!” said Takemichi

The men began to disperse, while the engineers and mechanics gathered to plan the repair of the electrical system, a vital step in ensuring the safety of the city and its inhabitants.

“In the meantime, we must remain alert,” added Takemichi, his gaze fixed on the surroundings.

With the plan in motion and determination in the air, Takemichi's team prepared for a day full of work and surveillance.

The scene changes to the castle.

— It's very busy here! — Emilia said, returning from her training in the garden and noticing the unusual movement.

— Princess? Good morning! — greeted a maid, bowing slightly.

— Good morning! What's going on? Everything seems very busy since yesterday! — Emilia asked, curious.

— Didn't they tell you? The sixth division recovered Mineford! — the maid replied, excited.

— They recovered it? — Emilia exclaimed, surprised, and ran towards the hall where her father was in a meeting.

Upon arriving, she interrupted the conversation of the leaders present.

— Why are you running? — asked the king, surprised.

— Father, is it true that Mineford was recovered? — Emilia asked, trying to contain her excitement.

— It's true. It's very busy here because of that, and I couldn't tell you before. I thought your brother would tell you — the king replied, with a slight smile.

— I ended up forgetting! — said the prince, embarrassed.

— When was it? — asked Emilia, still surprised.

— Yesterday morning — said the king.

— Yesterday? Wasn't the captain going to take a day off? — Emilia asked, surprised.

— Good thing he didn't! — commented one of the leaders.

— I gave him three days off, but he decided not to use them. Anyway, we're working on deciding how we're going to proceed! — explained the king.

— Oh, yes. Forgive me for interrupting! — said Emilia, bowing and leaving.

— Where were we? — the king resumed, returning to the meeting.

In the hallway, Emilia smiled to herself, thinking.

— They did it. I'll ask Kay about it! — she thought excitedly.

The scene changes to the barracks.

— A cell phone is ringing! — commented Fernanda, still recovering from her hangover.

— It's coming from your desk! — warned one of the scientists.

— I have my cell phone with me! — said Fernanda, walking to the desk.

She found Kay's cell phone there.

— Oh, that's right! The captain had taken Kay's cell phone, and I took it to remove the bug — Fernanda remembered.

— Aren't you going to answer it? — asked one of the scientists, curious.

— It's an unknown number. It must be a scam! — Fernanda replied.

The cell phone stopped ringing, but soon started ringing again.

— Answer it to see who it is! — insisted the scientist.

Fernanda sighed and answered.