Chapter 44 First Mission

Yun Bai observed his teammates silently.

Captain Zeng Fu, Du San, Li Ying, and Fu Lianchuan were all closing their eyes and resting, their breathing long and steady.

They were veteran soldiers who had experienced many battles, knowing well that every moment of tranquility before a mission was precious; it was instinct to seize the time to maintain their energy.

Li Ying seemed to sense the gaze of Yun Bai, the newcomer, and slowly opened her eyes, looking at him with clear pupils.

"Yun Bai." A clear voice using Divine Sense resonated directly in his mind.

"Sister Ying." Yun Bai responded skillfully with Divine Sense as well.

"Oh? You've mastered Divine Thought transmission quickly and steadily." Li Ying's lips curled slightly, revealing a hint of an approving smile. "We are about to enter the war zone, are you nervous?" She took the initiative to speak, clearly wanting to ease the pressure that the overly heavy atmosphere in the cabin brought to the newcomer.

"I'm fine, Sister Ying." Yun Bai returned a relaxed smile. "Not nervous, just a bit curious."

"Curious about what?"

"Does this ship... not need anyone to pilot it?" Yun Bai's eyes were bright, like a child who had discovered a new toy.

"Well, this is the masterpiece of the famous Great Master of mechanism arts in the Holy City, Xuan Yuanjia." Li Ying explained patiently. "This 'Wave-Breaker' was bought with our team's own money; it's a top-tier item engraved with the 'Xuan Yuan Formation'. Once the destination is set, it can plan the optimal route itself, avoid obstacles, and deliver us safely. It's equivalent to having an experienced guide and driver built-in."

"So that's how it is. Many thanks for the explanation, Sister Ying." Yun Bai nodded, understanding in his heart. This was definitely L5 level fully autonomous driving.

He silently called up "Xiao Liu" and recorded the information about this amphibious boat in detail.

Captain Zeng Fu suddenly said: "Yun Bai, you are currently at the Middle Stage of the First Realm, right? How many Demonic Beasts have you hunted before?"

Yun Bai said: "Yes. I just broke through to the Middle Stage recently. In the trial grounds for the State Religion qualification assessment, I killed a Short-snouted Magic Boar at the Early Stage of the First Realm by myself."

Captain Zeng Fu raised his eyebrows slightly, saying with interest: "Oh? Tell me about it in detail?"

Yun Bai nodded and briefly described the process:

After his Breakthrough to the First Realm, he used traps to restrict the Magic Boar's movements, used a Palm Lightning Talisman to precisely strike its vulnerable nose to severely injure it, and finally took advantage of its weakness to kill it in close combat. At the same time, he also mentioned the dangerous situation where he was betrayed and abandoned by his temporary teammates Chen Qiang and Li Pazi.

When Du San heard the name "Chen Qiang," he spat and cursed indignantly: "Those rats of the Chen family! Not a single one of them is any good!"

He curled his lips and added contemptuously: "Especially that Chen Yuan. Back in the Northwest Army, in order to snatch military merit, he actually allowed other units to be surrounded by Magic Wolves. It was simply insane!"

Captain Zeng Fu raised his hand to signal Du San to calm down, then turned to look at Yun Bai: "Your tactical approach is very good. First blunt its momentum, then take its life. Demonic Beasts have their own advantages; do not fight head-on unless necessary, especially when executing missions."

Fu Lianchuan suddenly spoke: "Yun Bai, have you ever ventured this deep into the Cang Plains before?"

Yun Bai shook his head: "Never."

Captain Zeng Fu looked solemn and warned seriously: "Then you must be twelve times more vigilant!"

He pointed to the increasingly desolate black cliffs on both sides, "The evil Qi here is very heavy. You must be careful of water Demonic Beasts whenever passing through water; when there is fog overhead, you must also guard against the sky. Last time, there was a team whose three members were snatched away by a Qifeng Bird, and their remains haven't been found to this day."

...

About an hour later, Yun Bai keenly noticed that the scene outside the porthole began to become blurry and distorted, as if separated by a layer of flowing, filthy frosted glass. The light seemed to be swallowed, and the colors became dim and unclear.

"The war fog of the Demon Race!" Yun Bai felt a chill in his heart and immediately recalled the detailed description in the intelligence.

This was a special weapon released during the Demon Race war, capable of distorting light, blocking sound, and interfering with or even shielding Divine Sense detection.

As the main battlefield of the old Demon Tide, the Cang Plains, due to its basin terrain, caused this deadly fog to accumulate and not disperse for years.

Almost at the same time, Captain Zeng Fu and the other four also opened their eyes, flashes of light in their pupils, and there was no more slackness.

"We've entered the core area." Captain Zeng Fu looked down at the palm-sized Formation Plate in his hand, which was covered with mysterious runes. On the plate, the light spot representing their own team flashed steadily, while many other flickering light spots were distributed around it.

"Everyone, check your compasses and prepare for battle!" Captain Zeng Fu's voice was transmitted through Divine Thought, clear and grave, "Yun Bai, repeat the three orders of the State Religion operation!"

"Reporting to the Captain!" Yun Bai adjusted the cochlear-shaped Magical Artifact worn on his right ear, which integrated communication and information display, his voice steady, "One, strict adherence to orders and obedience to command; Two, all loot must be turned in for distribution; Three, seek truth from facts, advance steadily, and do not be rash!"

"Very good!" Captain Zeng Fu nodded, "The amphibious boat will dock at the Ge River shoal north of Huangyang Town. We will advance on foot according to the predetermined route, mission: clear the Demonic Beasts along the way! The Demonic Beasts in the outer area are relatively weak, so deal with them cautiously. If you encounter a suitable target, prioritize leaving it for Yun Bai to practice!"

"The scope of this mission has already been marked with red circles on the compass. The situation here has been cross-verified by military scouts and our State Religion, and they are all Demonic Beasts within the Second Realm. As long as everyone remains cautious, there is no great danger. Obey my orders in everything!"

"Yun Bai, follow closely behind me!"

"Yes! Captain!"

A quarter of an hour later, the "Wave-Breaker" amphibious boat steadily crushed over the Ge River shoal and anchored at a relatively solid riverbank. Captain Zeng Fu waved his hand and stored it in his Storage Pouch.

The five-person team immediately spread out into a circular defensive formation, weapons in hand, their eyes scanning the strange environment shrouded in purple-gray fog like hawks:

Captain Zeng Fu was in the center, holding the "Xuan Yuan Formation Plate" that emitted a faint light, concentrating on sensing the energy fluctuations and potential threats around him.

Li Ying was on the left flank, holding a sleek firearm firmly, the muzzle pointing vigilantly into the depths of the fog. Her focused posture instantly reminded Yun Bai of the special forces soldiers from Blue Star.

Fu Lianchuan occupied the right flank, a sturdy-looking crossbow with runes carved on the crossbow arm already quietly cocked, his sharp eyes scanning the front through the sights.

Although he seemed to have some complaints about Yun Bai, the newcomer, his positioning to protect his teammates at this moment was without hesitation.

Du San was at the rear. He did not take out conventional weapons but quickly pulled several small Formation Flags of different colors and flowing runes from his Storage Pouch, observing the terrain with concentrated eyes.

Yun Bai was protected in the relatively safe center position, gripping the sword hilt tightly, his Divine Thought released, ready to support at any time.

"Other teams are in position, location information synchronized to the compass." Captain Zeng Fu quickly confirmed the information on the Formation Plate, "Old Du, establish a temporary anchor point!"

"Understood." Du San was concise.

He saw his wrists flip, his movements swift and precise, and several Formation Flags shot out as if they had life!

Three of them sank into the turbulent river water, the runes lit up and instantly disappeared;

The other six were deeply inserted into the mud and rock crevices around the riverbank, the runes on the flagpoles flickering slightly, forming an invisible energy field.

"Anchor point complete." Du San said in a low voice.

"Maintain formation, target the shrub forest directly ahead, advance!" Captain Zeng Fu ordered, "The forest is flammable, beware of fire!"

The team immediately switched to a wedge-shaped assault formation.

Captain Zeng Fu led the way, Li Ying and Fu Lianchuan guarded the left and right flanks, Du San brought up the rear, and Yun Bai followed closely behind Captain Zeng Fu.

The five of them, like ghosts blending into the thick fog, moved steadily and professionally into the depths of the shrub forest, which was shadowy and full of crises.

The purple-gray mist was like viscous liquid, rolling and surging, and visibility dropped sharply.

Yun Bai separated a wisp of Divine Thought to keep an eye on the compass he carried with him.

This was not an ancient compass, but a positioning Formation Plate specially made by the State Religion.

The surface of the Formation Plate was plain, but one only needed to use Divine Sense to sense the patterns on it, and a miniature holographic topographic map covering the surrounding ten miles would appear in the mind.

The map clearly marked their own position and two fast-moving light spot markers nearby — Yi-Er-Er-Liu and Bing-San-Wu-Ba.