Ninjago: Amplified 【 Midnight Masquerade 】

【1】 - Just Another Mission

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【1】

Just Another Mission

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Aurora turned to her reflection in the mirror, squinting her eyes at her appearance.

This... is strange.

The vigilante was preparing for yet another mission that night, except this one was unlike any she'd faced before.

Aurora and her team found themselves in an odd situation. A few months prior, they'd heard reports of a gang terrorizing a village they frequented.

As with any other criminals, they'd acted on those reports immediately. They successfully tracked down and caught some of the group's members; surely, those lucky to escape would've gotten the message and backed off. Aurora thought that would be the end of their mission– but she'd underestimated the true size of the group.

Over a period of five weeks, that very same gang continued to attack the innocent villages that Aurora's team protected. Of course, the vigilantes did their best to stop them, but the group's members were never all in the same place. They were too coordinated to be average criminals, as they attacked multiple places at once; it almost seemed as if they were taunting them.

Aurora figured that she and her team needed to take a different approach. If they couldn't attack the gang's members efficiently, then they needed to target their source.

Yet the gang's leader was just as cunning. He never joined his members on their so-called "missions," seemingly refusing to show his face. But Aurora knew he had to be close by; all of the villages they targeted were in the same vicinity, meaning their leader was merely hiding in plain sight.

Luckily, the vigilantes didn't need to come up with an elaborate plan to draw him out. Though unaware, he'd set his own trap himself.

It had only been a few months since the gang had started their attacks, and yet their invisible leader was already celebrating their victories. He'd scheduled a masquerade party for that night, located in the very heart of one of the villages.

Aurora didn't need to see their leader to know he was gloating– the primary reason his gang had persisted for so long was because he, himself, hid behind a mask.

But so did the vigilantes; and they planned to use that against him.

Unfortunately, infiltrating a party hosted by a crime boss was easier said than done. Unlike their other missions, Aurora's team couldn't wear their usual gear. Instead, they needed to blend in with the other partygoers.

If they could play the part, they could easily get into the masquerade, find the culprit, and destroy their gang from the inside.

While that plan's structure was familiar to Aurora, the requirements it entailed were certainly the opposite.

Aurora had been staring at her reflection for far longer than she intended, glancing at her suit with a frown.

She'd never worn something so formal before in her life, and yet she already knew she didn't like it. It was much too fancy for her liking; she much rather preferred wearing her usual uniform.

But she didn't have a choice that night. The villages needed her and her team. That gang had done so much damage already– now, it was time to put an end to their tyranny.