In the mountains near Panshan Village…
"Colonel Violet, I heard from the guys at headquarters that several other colonels have already failed in their Dragon Ball missions.
And all of them were killed by that kid named Son Goku.
The Marshal hasn't obtained a single Dragon Ball these past days. He's furious.
If we don't find one soon, we might be punished for incompetence…"
The adjutant glanced around cautiously and lowered his voice.
"It's been more than half a month already. At this rate, we probably won't find it in time.
Why don't we just run? I don't want to see all our brothers die for nothing…"
Colonel Violet took a deep breath and replied coldly:
"Obedience is a soldier's duty.
Stop thinking nonsense. The radar shows it's nearby. If we keep searching, we'll definitely find it."
The adjutant nodded gloomily.
"Yes, ma'am."
After he left, Violet still felt uneasy and went to the site herself.
Rain streamed down her short hair. Her military boots sank deep into the mud.
Looking at the muddy mountain paths and the villagers desperately digging through the sludge, her worry only deepened.
"If the Dragon Ball gets buried in mud… it'll be impossible to find…"
Just then, a subordinate came running over.
"Colonel Violet, the rain is too heavy. The villagers say they can't keep searching. Maybe we should stop for today…"
Violet knew he was right—the downpour and muddy ground made any further searching impossible.
"Alright. Suspend the search for now. Everyone return. You've all worked hard."
At that moment, Violet's phone rang.
It was Marshal Red.
She raised her hand, signaling everyone to be silent, and answered.
"Colonel Violet speaking."
"You've been searching for over half a month. Still no Dragon Ball?"
Marshal Red's voice was cold and domineering.
Violet stood straight.
"Reporting, Marshal. We're still searching. However, it has been raining heavily, so the difficulty—"
"Useless! I don't want excuses. I want Dragon Balls! Dragon Balls!"
Suddenly, a joyful scream cut through the rain.
"We found it! We found the Dragon Ball!"
"Colonel Violet! We found the Dragon Ball!"
A villager held the glowing Dragon Ball high, shouting excitedly.
All the villagers stopped and turned toward Violet.
They had helped her find it to repay her for driving out the bandits. Now she could finally return to headquarters. Everyone was happy.
Violet's eyes lit up.
Before even taking the Dragon Ball, she spoke into the phone:
"Reporting, Marshal—Dragon Ball found!"
A moment later, the Dragon Ball was placed into her hands.
After a brief silence, Marshal Red laughed on the other end.
"Hahaha… you're quite lucky, Colonel Violet.
Very good. Even though you were late, you found it—so you won't be punished.
Now eliminate all witnesses and bring the Dragon Ball back immediately."
Violet's pupils trembled.
"Marshal… the villagers cooperated willingly. There's no need to—"
"That's an order!"
The line went dead.
Violet stood frozen.
She looked at the villagers, drenched in rain.
They were muddy, exhausted—but cheering and smiling, proud that they had helped her.
They had worked so hard in the storm, not for money, but out of gratitude.
The adjutant whispered, "Colonel… should we set up a perimeter?"
Violet frowned.
She was a strict, iron-blooded officer—but that was for war.
These were unarmed civilians.
And she had lived peacefully with them for half a month. They had even helped her find the Dragon Ball.
To slaughter them now…
She couldn't do it.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Smiling faces.
Children's laughter.
Simple kindness.
All of it flashed through her mind.
When she opened her eyes again, her voice was firm.
"Assemble the troops. We're leaving immediately with the Dragon Ball."
The adjutant was shocked.
"Leaving? Just like that?"
Violet's eyes flared with authority.
"Did you not hear me?"
"But… the Marshal's orders—"
"I said, retreat!"
"I am the highest-ranking officer here. I will bear all responsibility!"
Her tone carried an unprecedented weight.
The adjutant stiffened.
"Yes, ma'am!"
The Red Ribbon troops withdrew.
The villagers waved at them.
"Goodbye, Colonel Violet!"
"Come back again!"
Red Ribbon Army Headquarters
Adjutant Black reported:
"Marshal Red, Colonel Violet has returned with a Dragon Ball."
"Bring her in!"
Marshal Red took the Dragon Ball, grinning widely.
"Excellent, Violet. You didn't disappoint me!"
Violet nodded.
"We were able to find it thanks to the villagers who knew the terrain well."
Marshal Red's eyes narrowed.
"…Villagers?"
"You didn't eliminate the people who knew about the Dragon Ball?"
Violet stood straight.
"Reporting, Marshal. The villagers cooperated willingly. I judged that silencing them was unnecessary and would harm the army's reputation—"
BANG!
Red slammed the table.
"You dare disobey a direct order?!"
Violet lowered her head.
Red roared:
"Do you know why the Red Ribbon Army stands where it does today?"
"Not because of mercy—but because of fear!"
"The whole world fears us. That is why we rule!"
"To dominate the world, everyone must fear us!"
Violet raised her head.
"Please punish me, Marshal."
"Punish you?" Red sneered.
"The punishment for disobeying orders is death!"
Then he turned his back to her.
"But since you brought back the Dragon Ball, I'll give you one chance.
Go back and kill every single villager who knows about it. If you do that, I'll forget everything."
"If you try to run… you know what the Red Ribbon Army does to traitors."
Violet clenched her fists, then relaxed them.
She finally realized it—this organization had become something twisted and monstrous.
This was no longer a place to build glory.
A wild thought crossed her mind.
Instead of dying here… why not take a fortune and disappear? Live freely for the rest of my life…
Just as she was thinking of how to act—
An emergency report came in.
"Marshal Red! Bad news!"
"It's not Mercenary Tao… it's Son Goku!"
Red and Black both jumped.
"What?!"
"He's already destroyed several of our reconnaissance planes!"
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