"There are ten of them—two Sky-tier, two Ocean-tier, one Earth-tier, and five Hero-tier," Janice said, passing the scope to Matthews reminding them, "There could be more since the scope doesn't register those concealing their curse energy."
Matthews studied the High Resort for a while before sighing and informing, "Too many civilians. I'll have to deploy curse dominion dragging them all in it."
Evil Eyes and Delores frowned as fighting within Matthews's Dominion would limit them—they would have to alter their combat style. This was especially true for Delores, who thrived in open spaces, moving with the wind.
Before either of them could voice their concerns, Ace casually held out his hand toward Mrs. Martin, silently asking for the scope. The trio exchanged glances, momentarily taken aback by this bold gesture. But Mrs. Martin humored him, passing it over.
Ace took the scope, fed it his curse energy, and brought it to his eye. The view shifted—everything without curse energy vanished, leaving only figures of raw, flickering energy. No faces, only silhouettes, their tiers distinguishable by the size and intensity of their curse energy form.
"Here's the plan," Ace said, lowering the scope. "I'll lure a few of them out by sniping one. Mrs. Martin, you deploy your Dominion—take control of the resort and eliminate the ones still inside. Evil Eyes, Delores, you handle the ones coming for me."
As he spoke, he pulled out his Rail Rifle and, without hesitation, attached the scope to it. He didn't bother asking Janice for permission—she had plenty of these tools, and she wouldn't miss one if he borrowed it temporarily. Normally, he wouldn't be so shameless. But with this scope, his Rail Rifle felt complete. With it, he could hit targets tens of miles away without needing Dame Wasp to guide his aim.
Ace's little stunt didn't escape Janice's notice. She just rolled her eyes, wondering how someone as genuine-hearted as Mandy could be related to such a shameless weasel.
Meanwhile, Matthews, Evil Eyes, and Delores exchanged glances, silently assessing Ace's plan. It was plausible and more importantly none of them would be restricted because of the other. The only real concern was if none of the Sky-tier enemies left the resort or if more were hiding inside. In that case, Matthews would be outnumbered. But even then, she wouldn't be outmatched, and they could wrap up their side quickly to back her up.
After a brief pause, the trio nodded in agreement. They'd go with Ace's plan and improvise on the get-go as needed.
Seeing the decision made, Janice pulled out earbud-type curse gadgets and handed one to each of them, explaining, "These work like regular walkie-talkies but with a wider range, better connectivity, and resistance to most curse energy interference. So, keep the line clear unless you've got something important to report."
Sonia, not wanting to be sidelined, took an earbud and asked, "What are we supposed to do?"
Evil Eyes gave her a long, unimpressed look before deadpanning, "Go hide somewhere and don't get caught."
Sonia bristled, barking, "Shut up, freak! How dare you order a C.I.B. agent trainee?" Then she turned to Matthews for instructions instead—only to hear her repeat the same.
"Find a good spot and stay out of sight," Matthews said, then, seeing Sonia's frustration, added dryly, "Don't worry. I'll save two Earth-tier for you and Lola."
Sonia crossed her arms, clearly about to protest that it wasn't enough—she wanted in on the real hunt. But Matthews cut her off with a sharp look, sternly wording, "I hate repeating myself."
Sonia clenched her jaw, but before she could push further, Janice placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Just follow my lead," she said.
Too disheartened to be defiant, Sonia gave in with a reluctant nod.
After securing the earbud-type curse gadget in his ear, Ace glanced at Janice, who was preparing to lead the girls deeper into the woods, and called out asking, "Janice, do you have something that can increase the odds of triggering an effect?"
Janice paused, surprised wondering, 'Was he treating her like a personal supply depot now?' Ultimately, She sighed and answered anyway, "The Leprechaun Scope is enough. It boosts the user's luck—but only while using it. It's designed that way so the user doesn't get caught when scouting enemies. But I guess you could use it with your rifle too when using it for aiming."
"That's perfect. Thanks for the gift." Ace grinned shamelessly, claiming the Leprechaun Scope as his own, and before Janice could protest or even open her mouth to object, he bolted toward the highway, searching for a vantage point with access to a strong enough electric source to charge his rifle. Evil Eyes and Delores exchanged glances before hurrying after him.
Janice scowled at Ace's disappearing figure, but then she let out a deep breath and shook her head thinking, 'No point in arguing now.' Without another word, she turned and led Lola and Sonia deeper into the woods. Meanwhile, Matthews moved stealthily toward the Highway Resort, taking position and waiting for Ace's signal.
Ace soon arrived at a towering electrical pylon, its massive transformer perched at the top. Without hesitation, he started climbing. Above him, Delores and Evil Eyes hovered in the clouds, keeping watch while letting him do his thing.
Reaching the top, Ace activated a series of talismans—barrier, invisibility, and presence erasure—forming a stable platform for him at the top of the electric pylon. Then, following Dame Wasp's precise instructions, he connected her within the rail rifle's power chamber to the transformer using high-voltage cables that they had Emi prepare for situations . This time, they wouldn't risk overloading the transformer or shorting it out like last time.
With everything set up, Ace took position boldly thanks to the invisible talisman concealing him, and considering the distance between him and the target it would be hard for the enemies to pinpoint him except for the direction the bullet came from.
While Dame Wasp gathered electricity within the power chamber, Ace used the scope to take aim, aiming at one of the Sky-tier curse masters. If not for the scope being able to increase his chances of triggering the mischief bullet's effect, Ace wouldn't have taken his chances with a sky-tier but limited himself between the two ocean-tier and the lone Earth-tier curse masters to secure a kill. After all, the loot would later be distributed based on individual contribution.
"Bang!" After Dame Wasp had gathered more than sufficient electricity to kill a Sky-tier, Ace opened fire. Thanks to the combined effect of the Apex earring, Rail Rifle, and the Leprechaun Scope, he was sure he would not only get his target but would claim the first kill.