427: Chapter 427 Squad Members

A man sat on a weapon crate next to the set of leather armor, head bowed, wiping a custom rifle with an oilcloth.

Hearing footsteps, his wiping motion didn't stop.

Not until Lin Yu stood before him did he slowly put down the gun and stand up. He was very tall, blocking most of the light in the tent, his shadow nearly enveloping Lin Yu completely.

He looked at the leather armor on the ground and paused for two seconds. In those two seconds, the only sound in the tent was the low roar of some unknown machinery in the distance.

Then, he turned around to face Lin Yu.

A rough, calloused palm slapped heavily onto Lin Yu's left shoulder.

"I'm Lu Chuan, captain of the Remnant Star squad," he spoke, his voice possessing a metallic quality just like the man himself. "This was his position. Now, it's yours."

His fingertips pressed firmly into Lin Yu's shoulder.

"Just focus on coming back alive first."

As soon as he finished speaking, a figure stepped out from the shadows on the left side of the tent. It was a woman wearing the same style of combat uniform, with a pale scar stretching from the corner of her eye to her jaw. She didn't speak, simply handing a military canteen to Lin Yu.

Lin Yu took it.

[Eye of Insight] passively triggered.

[Item: Specially Mixed Potion]

[Ingredients: High-purity Mana Recovery Agent (72%), Broad-spectrum Antitoxin (18%), Concentrated Nutrient Solution (10%)]

[Note: Su Yue's special blend of love; every drop is more precious than gold.]

Su Yue, that must be her name. Seeing Lin Yu take the canteen, the tense lines of her face seemed to soften slightly before returning to their original state as she retreated back into the shadows.

*Scritch—*

In another corner of the tent, the harsh sound of a whetstone scraping against a blade suddenly stopped.

A lean, tough man with his back to Lin Yu slowly stood up. The longsword in his hand was narrower than standard issue, its blade gleaming with a cold, grim light in the dimness.

He turned around, the tip of his sword pointing diagonally at the ground. He didn't look at Lin Yu's face, his gaze fixed only on the "Myriad Card Creator" profession badge on Lin Yu's chest.

"Ling Xiao," he announced his name like some reluctant ritual. "A Card Maker? How many seconds can you hold out for us?"

The air in the tent instantly dropped to freezing point.

Just then, a pile of canvas and old parts in the corner that looked like junk suddenly moved. A petite figure jumped out from within like a startled cat, running to Lin Yu in a few steps.

She looked no more than sixteen or seventeen, her hair messy and her face smeared with engine oil. Without a word, she shoved a half-sewn cloth doll with stuffing poking out into Lin Yu's hands.

"For... for you," she whispered, then quickly shrank back into the pile of junk in the corner, leaving only a pair of clear, bright eyes peeking out to observe timidly.

Lin Yu was at a loss for words. On Blue Star, children this age wouldn't be performing such dangerous missions—yet she seemed quite experienced.

"Wind Chime!"

Lu Chuan barked softly, raising a hand to stop Ling Xiao, who wanted to say more.

He looked at Lin Yu again and fell silent for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

"The previous support was named Chen... never mind, he was also a Card Maker," Lu Chuan's voice grew low. "Three days ago, we were ambushed by an Abyss Hunter squad. To buy time for Ling Xiao and Su Yue to cast their spells, he used a [Wall of Sighs] constructed from cards to block the entire frontal assault alone, while healing the whole team at maximum power."

"He held that wall for thirty-seven seconds. When he was exhausted, three armor-piercing arrows pierced his chest."

Lu Chuan pointed to the set of leather armor on the ground.

"We survived; not one of us was seriously injured. He entrusted his life to us, and we entrusted ours to him. He did not let us down."

Lu Chuan finished speaking. He looked at Lin Yu, this excessively young replacement, and suddenly felt that his words just now were somewhat inappropriate. Such a heavy past might be unbearable pressure for a recruit.

He took a breath and slowed his pace.

"We don't need you to sacrifice yourself. You just need to ensure the frequency of your skill casting."

This was the captain's responsibility, and also a compromise with reality.

Lin Yu looked down at the cloth doll in his hand, then at the leather armor with the large hole in the chest. He didn't return it to Wind Chime, but instead tucked the doll into the pocket of his combat uniform.

Then, he looked up, meeting three distinct gazes within the tent—Lu Chuan's scrutiny, Ling Xiao's doubt, Su Yue's worry, and Wind Chime's pure curiosity from the corner.

"I won't allow any casualties in this team."

His voice was steady, without a hint of emotion, yet it was like a massive boulder dropped into a deep pool, stirring waves in everyone's hearts.

"You can entrust your lives to me," Lin Yu's gaze swept across everyone. "I can carry them."

A moment of dead silence.

Ling Xiao almost thought he had misheard. A Card Maker of unknown level, a rookie who had just arrived from Blue Star, after hearing a bloody story of sacrifice, didn't offer a guarantee or a plea, but... a declaration that sounded almost like a god's?

On what grounds? Just that ridiculously young face?

He wanted to mock him, to use the most biting words to tear through this ridiculous facade. But when he met Lin Yu's eyes, all the words stuck in his throat. It wasn't arrogance or ignorance, but a calm and certainty he couldn't understand. It was as if, in Lin Yu's eyes, the possibility of a teammate dying didn't even exist from the start.

This confidence was even more overbearing than Captain Lu Chuan's orders when he was angry.

Not just him; Lu Chuan and Su Yue were also stunned. They had expected to see a frightened recruit or a young man feigning composure.

But they didn't.

They only saw a man stating facts.

At this moment, they were comrades-in-arms entrusting their lives to each other, each other's last resort. Doubt couldn't solve problems, but a firm promise might.

*Clang!*

Ling Xiao slammed his longsword back into the scabbard on his back, the metallic impact crisp and decisive. He didn't speak again, but this action was his answer.

Lu Chuan gave Lin Yu a deep look. No longer dwelling on it, he turned around and pulled five stacked tactical maps from under the ammunition crate, spreading them out on the ground.

The maps were covered in various colored markings, with most areas blanketed in deep red, representing "extreme danger."

Lu Chuan's finger pointed heavily at the northwest corner of the map, at a valley marked with a grim skull symbol.

"This is... the coordinates he gave his life for."

Lu Chuan's voice was very low, each word squeezed through his teeth.

"Tonight, we're going to take it and establish a temporary camp."

"Ten minutes until departure."

Lu Chuan slung his rifle back onto his back and pulled three fist-sized metal spheres from the bottom of the weapon crate, throwing them to Wind Chime.

"Tactical drill, standard procedure. No nonsense, let's get to it."

Wind Chime's movement in catching the spheres was crisp and efficient, completely devoid of the timidness she showed while hiding in the corner of the tent. Holding the three metal balls in one hand, she walked out of the tent.

The five of them filed out one after another.