The conversation between them ended, Gideon and Luke came to a conclusion about what the elders wanted. However, he was hesitant to carry out the mission.
He wasn't part of the wolfkin race—he was only here because this village had offered them a place to stay. That was it. But now they were asking for too much.
Evacuate other wolfkin tribes from the mountains? Come on! Did they think Gideon's team was the Avengers?
"What did you think about all that?" Luke asked.
Sigh!
"They're asking too much," Gideon replied.
"I thought so too. Maybe they're relying on us too much because we helped solve this village's problem?" Luke asked.
"They probably think that," Gideon responded.
"Still, we can't act recklessly. An evacuation would take time and energy—including ammunition and logistics," Gideon said.
He believed the team needed to conserve ammunition since there were no factories or anyone who could make bullets.
They had arrived in this world with limited supplies, and whether they liked it or not, they had to prioritize things that gave them long-term benefits.
"The only threat, according to them, is an attack from humans," Gideon continued.
"Do you think Operation Black Crown could be the solution to their problem?" Luke asked.
"I don't know. I'll scout the northeast area, but I can't confirm yet if there's another soldier camp in the southwest."
"So, what's your plan?"
Gideon stayed quiet, turning his head to look around the village and everyone in it. The view was completely different from what he'd seen in the human village yesterday—there were no specific buildings to be found in this wolfkin village.
They had just one tavern, no inns, no village office, nothing like that. They didn't trade either and only relied on hunting the forest for food.
The wolfkin village wasn't a good place for his team to grow.
Even so, the land's topography and surrounding hills made it ideal for building a secure shelter. The only issue was the northern area—but that could be turned into a tactical advantage.
It was different from the human village he had found, which was located in the middle of a dense forest. Enemies could sneak deep into the woods and launch a surprise attack without being noticed.
Last night's bandit attack had proven that the human village wasn't suitable as a shelter for Gideon's team.
"We'll stay in this village, but we need a solution for the bullet shortage," Gideon said.
"Luke."
"Go back to the house and do a full logistics inventory. Count every magazine with its rifle, plus grenades, drones, and MREs."
"Copy, Captain."
Luke quickly and carefully followed Gideon's orders. He went inside and started sorting through the notes and magazines inside the ammo boxes.
Gideon turned around and saw the elders walking out of the cone-shaped building, their eyes focused squarely on him, the team leader.
He didn't care. He went back into the house, set down his M4A1, loaded his SIG M17 magazine, and headed out.
That was all he would carry. He needed to conserve M4A1 ammunition and avoid using that rifle daily.
He saw Luke unpacking the ammo boxes, counting every magazine and bullet case carefully. He wanted to make sure they knew exactly how much ammo the team had so future operations could run smoothly.
"I'm going to check on Lena and Lyra. When you're done, head over there right away," Gideon ordered.
"Understood, Captain."
Once he was ready, Gideon left the wolfkin village. A few elders greeted him warmly, and he gave a faint smile. Their friendliness had a hidden agenda—something Gideon and his team had to be wary of.
'For some reason, I feel like the kitsune village was way better than this one,'Gideon thought.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, Gideon arrived and was greeted by two guards at the village gate.
He entered and saw that three patients had recovered and were cleared to go home with outpatient care.
Lyra was there, assisting Lena in her absence at the medical tent. She looked over and noticed Gideon had come without his M4A1.
"How is everything?" Gideon asked.
"Six patients have recovered—three last night, and three this morning."
"That's good."
Lyra turned to him, confused by Gideon's expression. His eyes had a sharp, intense look that was different from usual.
"What's wrong? You don't usually look like that," Lyra asked.
"Just a short talk with the wolf elders."
"What?"
She tilted her head slightly. Her eyes widened with curiosity, always hungry for knowledge and information—that was just how Lyra was.
But Lyra was still focused on treating patients. Gideon didn't want to break her concentration. It'd be better to talk about it after Operation Black Crown was finished.
"Nothing," Gideon replied.
"We'll focus on that issue after Operation Black Crown is done."
"Got it, Captain."
After speaking with Lyra, he walked into Mitsuko's home and knocked on Lena's door. Lena's voice came from inside, inviting him in.
The door opened. Gideon saw Lena lying on the bed, her ankle already covered with ointment to ease the joint pain from her sprain.
"Looks like you're doing okay, Lena."
"You think so? I can't watch my patients properly like this," Lena replied with a sigh.
"Lyra's there. She's doing a good job."
Lena nodded. Even though Lyra wasn't a trained medical professional like her, handling light tasks like watching over patients and making sure they drank their medicine every day was easy enough.
Anyone could do that.
"What brings you here?"
"Last night's incident... that might've been the start of our confrontation with Moko," Gideon said.
"There's no avoiding it. They and we have different principles on how to deal with problems."
"That's not what I'm worried about. I'm more concerned about how much ammo we have left," Gideon said firmly.
She fell silent, letting out another sigh. She realized Gideon was also deeply worried about their limited ammunition supply.
They couldn't go back to Earth. Their logistics might only last a few more months. They might be able to stockpile a decent amount of bullets if they avoided too many open battles.
But one day, the ammo would run out—and when that happened, Gideon's team would lose their edge.
"That's unavoidable."
KNOCK!
Someone gently knocked on Lena's door. When Lena told them to come in, it was Mitsuko. She came in with her household's healer to check on Lena's condition.
"Looks like the swelling's getting better, Ms. Lena," Mitsuko said.
"Thanks for your help, Lady Mitsuko."
She turned and saw Gideon in the room. Mitsuko smiled warmly at him, and Gideon nodded in return.
"Were you two discussing something?" Mitsuko asked.
"Yes. It's about our weapons," Lena answered.
"Is something wrong with it?"
"Something like that," Lena said, careful not to reveal too much about the team's situation.
"Hmm... have you tried talking to a blacksmith?" Mitsuko asked.
"Blacksmith?" Lena replied.
"Yes. Blacksmiths are skilled at making weapons like swords and spears. I don't know if they can help you, but maybe give it a try," Mitsuko suggested.
Gideon stood up with a sudden smile, his eyes widening as relief washed over him. His reaction surprised both Lena and Mitsuko.
"What is it?" Lena asked.
"The blacksmith! She's right! Maybe a blacksmith can help us with ammo!"