Ashton added with a smirk, "Our boss only cares about training and missions. Hate to break it to you, but your little fantasy's probably dead in the water." He figured the other vets still had no clue the boss was a woman, and holding onto that secret made him feel pretty damn smug. "Piss off," Tristan snapped, blunt and pissed. Harvey stepped forward, his tone edged with threat. "Wanna spar?" Tristan let out a cold laugh. "Bring it. I didn't get to go all out with the boss anyway." Without another word, Harvey clenched his fist and swung. And just like that, they were at it again. Nobody was surprised anymore. It was basically a given Harvey would end up flat on his back in the end.Sometimes Harvey roughed up Ashton. Other times, Ashton went at it with Harvey. But neither of them would ever let anyone else lay a hand on the other. They were a weird-ass duo. Thora didn't interfere and just let them go at it. Everyone here knew their limits. Even when they fought, no one went too far. This wasn't the kind of squad that bonded through hugs and heart-to-hearts. A team that made enemies tremble and tore through the battlefield like a storm—every single member had to be a beast. Feral. Sharp-edged. Just like the name Wolffang Unit. Every fang, lethal. Luke had a lollipop hanging from his lips, courtesy of Shirley, while breaking down the fight frame by frame, turning it into tactical diagrams. The rest of the team watched closely, taking it all in.Seriously, who else got the chance to study a fight at an Astralis Empire level like it was out of a textbook? Shirley noticed Thora watching Harvey and Tristan fight, so she walked over. "Thora." "Yeah?" Thora turned her gaze toward Shirley. She saw Shirley standing there with her lips pressed together, looking up at her with those wide, expectant eyes. Thora frowned slightly, reached out to pat her head, and casually said, "Good girl." Lately, Shirley had basically become the base's unofficial mascot. Even Alger, who she had almost accidentally killed, had fallen for that innocent-looking face of hers. Tristan, on the other hand, had never really liked Shirley. Thora found that a little strange, honestly. As soon as Thora patted her head, Shirley beamed, eyes squinting with a sweet smile. Like magic, she pulled another piece of candy out of her pocket and handed it to Thora. Thora was used to it by now. She took the candy and slipped it into her jacket pocket without missing a beat. Tristan, still trading blows with Harvey, caught a glimpse of the scene, and immediately got distracted. Harvey took the chance to land a solid punch to Tristan's chest, sending him flying backwards. Tristan hit the ground hard, then pushed himself up, wiping a scrape on his face. His eyes flicked over to Thora and Shirley for a second before he looked away. Without a word, he turned and walked off. Harvey scoffed, his voice cold. "What, lose and run off? Lame." Dominic and Alger exchanged looks. Something felt off. There was no way Tristan would lose to Harvey unless something was messing with him. Thora frowned a little too. Tristan's mood seemed off, but she didn't think much of it. That night, all the gear assigned to Wolffang was delivered. Every piece came straight from a specialized R&D team within Skybound Group, built specifically for Wolffang. The equipment wasn't just cutting-edge, it was highly intelligent and adaptive. The quality was so high, it practically outclassed every other special forces unit in the Blue Star. Each piece had been customized to perfectly match the physical stats of the Wolffang members. Thora was surprised when she saw it. Not by the equipment itself, but by the capabilities of the R&D team under Darius's company. She'd looked into Darius before. She already knew Skybound Group's research division was one of the top scientific teams in the world, a major player in AI tech.But she also understood the current era's tech limitations. By all logic, gear like this shouldn't have been possible to develop yet. Unless his R&D team had someone operating on a level way beyond what this era should allow. Still, that only worked in her favor. With equipment this advanced, her team's combat efficiency could spike significantly. While Thora was busy restructuring the team's tactical plans, Tristan suddenly walked in. "Commander Green!" he said, snapping a salute. Thora responded with a calm "Mm," then said, "Sit." Tristan strode right over, sat down in front of her, and stared at her dead-on. "Something you need?" Thora looked up, serious now. Tristan answered loud and clear, "Reporting in, nothing official. It's personal." Thora didn't bother with small talk. "Go ahead." Tristan paused for three seconds, then said, loud and proud, "Boss, I want candy!"