Los Angeles defector

Unavoidable Meeting

At noon, about two or three miles away from Green Hill Village, it was already clearly visible from a distance, a village nestled on the hillside. Isabella halted the team; she didn't want to make a grand entrance into the village. She asked Class Nine to wait outside the village for her and prepared to go to the rendezvous point alone.

Jason understood Isabella's temperament. This stubborn woman couldn't be swayed once she set her mind on something. However, Jason also knew that Isabella was a meticulous person. If she chose to do something, she must have her reasons, not just because she didn't like him. So, he didn't object but requested that Isabella take the little girl with her. After traveling such a long distance, even though Robert Wealthy sometimes took turns carrying her, the little girl was exhausted. The wind outside was cold, so Jason suggested letting the little girl rest in the village. Isabella didn't oppose this proposal and led Emily into the village.

The village was situated on a hillside, so Jason led the three of them straight to the mountaintop. The path they had taken led into the village from the western end, crossed through the village, and extended towards the east. From the mountaintop, they could clearly overlook the paths on both sides of the village. Martin stood guard to monitor the situation, while the others found a sheltered spot on the mountaintop to have lunch.

The village was small and quiet, with few people around. Occasionally, they encountered a few idlers who cast surprised glances at the two figures in military attire—one large and one small. However, they simply looked and didn't inquire much further. On a gate, only one side had a door-god paper pasted on it, which was the specified location mentioned in the letter. Isabella looked around but didn't see anyone. She then knocked on the door. Shortly after, the door opened halfway, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. Upon seeing Isabella in military attire, the man immediately broke into a wide smile, opened the door fully, and welcomed them inside.

"Wow, that's great, you must be from the Independent Regiment! I'm Ned, I've been looking forward to you. Come on in quickly, come on in. Oh, there's a little girl behind you too, come in together."

Ned's warm and casual welcome left Isabella speechless. "I haven't even spoken yet," she thought, "and he's already identified me just by my military uniform. What if I was just asking for directions? What if I were an impostor?" Isabella didn't enter the house; she stopped in the yard and quietly asked Ned, "Do you have any relatives in Shadowvale County?"

This question serves as a special confirmation code for the underground organization in Shadowvale County. By asking this question spontaneously, Isabella aims to verify Ned's identity. The letter mentioned that the person in charge of this organization, Ned, originated from the underground organization in Shadowvale County. Therefore, he should know how to respond.

Ned was momentarily stunned by Isabella's question. "What's going on? Is this a test for me?" he thought. "This isn't an occupied area. Is it necessary to be so serious?" However, since the question was asked, he decided to respond: "I have a maternal uncle."

The courtyard was small, and the house wasn't large either, with two rooms inside. The outer room was empty, while the inner room had a shabby square table around which four men sat, filling the room with smoke from their cigarettes. As a neat and elegant female resistance fighter entered with a serious demeanor, they hurriedly stood up and stared at her.

After leading Isabella and Emily into the inner room, Ned spoke first: "This is the representative sent by the Independent Brigade to guide our meetings and future direction. Let's welcome her." Finishing his words, he pushed the person sitting at the head of the table down to a lower position, rearranged the stools, and gestured for Isabella to take a seat.

Isabella deliberately gestured with her hand, halting the impending applause from the group. Expressionless, she went straight to the top seat and carefully looked at each person by the table. Then, in a calm tone, she said, "My name is Emily, and I am a grassroots cadre of the Independent Brigade. Now, each of you, please introduce yourselves in detail and comprehensively."

Emily silently slipped over to a nondescript corner by the door, leaning against the wall and squatting down. She reached into her bag, pulled out half a piece of bread, and began nibbling on it, crumbs scattering even on her cheeks and around her mouth.

Isabella had a dim view of this organization; they lacked experience and were incapable of working safely. Therefore, Isabella was reluctant to reveal her true identity, so she casually used Emily's name as her own.

Ned is a member who emerged from the underground organization in Shadowvale County. Despite his relatively advanced age, he joined the resistance army not long ago and was sent to the rural northern areas of Shadowvale County to carry out operations. Ned is quick to act, but he is overly focused on immediate gains. Within a few days, he recruited several individuals in the surrounding areas and hastily prepared to start operations. In order to boost the prestige of his group, he even informed the Independent Brigade of his activities.

The other four individuals at the table were representatives from four nearby villages. Besides Ned, the leader of the group, they were meeting each other for the first time. They were notified of today's meeting, which was supposed to be presided over by a representative of the resistance army. They arrived early at Green Hill Village, expecting the representative sent by the resistance army to be heroic or warmly welcoming. However, to their surprise, they were met by a cold and serious young woman. She didn't even give them a chance to exchange pleasantries or shake hands; instead, she immediately assumed a leadership posture and scrutinized each of them one by one. They couldn't believe that someone so young could have such authority. They wondered how old she was when she had her child. Could she even produce milk? It was absurd that she had the audacity to bring her child to the meeting. This lack of professionalism was truly outrageous.

Several of them couldn't help but feel dissatisfied with Isabella's cold attitude. They thought to themselves, why not just introduce themselves and have Ned introduce everyone, instead of putting on airs? However, grievances had to be kept to themselves, and when it came to speaking, they had to speak up.

"I am [Name] from [Name of Village], [Age] years old, with [Family Details] at home... I joined the organization through Ned's introduction and am determined to contribute to the cause, driving the vampires out of Shadowvale County..." The other four individuals, apart from Ned, introduced themselves in a similar manner, sharing their backgrounds and commitment to the cause.

Although the introductions sounded perfunctory, they were like chewing wax—lacking substance. Isabella attentively listened and observed each person's self-introduction. She wasn't displaying authority but rather aiming to deepen her impression of these individuals, gather more details, understand if they were shy or outgoing, rough or meticulous, if there were any hesitations in their words, assess their suitability for inclusion, and determine if they were capable of the tasks at hand.

Ned also found this girl to be too nitpicky, always fussing over trivial matters. "I put you in charge to come up with ideas, not to dwell on irrelevant details. Your job is to figure out how to establish long-term communication and cooperation with our independent unit's troops. I'll take care of everything else. But since the big shot invited herself, we'll have to accommodate her."

After the four individuals by the table had finished their self-introductions, Ned quickly smiled and said, "Well, Emily, now that everyone has been introduced, I think we should get straight to the point. Let's start by discussing the issue of communication."

Isabella nodded slightly, fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Ned, have all the people who are supposed to attend the meeting today arrived? Is this everyone?"

Ned was inwardly surprised and said, "You're quite the stickler for details, aren't you? Do you really need to worry about this too? Can we still start the meeting smoothly?" However, he smiled and replied, "Oh, Larry from Green Water Village hasn't arrived. I suspect he might be unwell. It's not a big deal if he's absent. I'll go find him after the meeting and pass on the information."

Isabella's expression turned serious at this and she asked, "Was he informed before the meeting? Did he confirm that he would attend?"

"He was informed! He did say he would come. You don't need to worry about this anymore. What's important now is the meeting. Can we continue discussing the communication strategies..."

Isabella raised both hands on the table, standing upright, and solemnly interrupted Ned, saying, "I declare the meeting canceled. Evacuate now!"

"What? Everyone's jaws dropped. Is this person crazy? We've come all this way, and just because of a single sentence from this early-married, early-childbearing young woman, we're dispersing? Do you think we're here to play with your child? No one moved, just staring firmly at the serious figure of the woman standing defiantly."

Isabella used to work professionally in this field. In this kind of meeting, if someone is absent, regardless of who it is, and if the reason is known, the meeting can be considered to continue. However, if the absence is unexplained, the meeting must be immediately canceled without any ambiguity. The reason is simple: what if the absent person has been arrested? What if they have defected? In Isabella's eyes, the current group members are all inexperienced newcomers. Isabella knew they didn't understand her actions, but there was no time to explain at this moment. So she simply added, "This is for everyone's safety. Disband now and leave quickly."

Just as Isabella's voice fell silent, another voice rang out in the room, "No one can leave! Who dares to move and try!"