Toward dusk, the clouds in the sky gradually thickened. Flocks of birds and swarms of insects rose and fell through the mountains, mingling with the lingering damp heat of the day like smoke and miasma. Even the light cast by the setting sun diffused into an eerie yellow mist that filled the forest.
At the forest's edge, on a stretch of high ground by the water, the Deep Blue Cluster had landed temporarily to rest and regroup in a newly cleared open space.
About a dozen kilometers to their northwest, a column of gray-black smoke was still rising and dispersing. By the last traces of daylight, it could be seen clearly enough.
That was the Deep Blue Cluster's latest achievement: an underground aberrant fungal colony still in a phase of rapid expansion. Judging by its location, it might have been a branch of "Hundred Peaks Monarch," the most famous extraordinary Aberrant Nest near Lake City in the western Great Golden Triangle...
Since it was not the main body of "Hundred Peaks Monarch," no one cared much. Clearing out this aberrant fungal colony had merely been to ensure the safety of the surrounding area during their limited landing and rest period.
Strictly speaking, they were still within "Hundred Peaks Monarch's" sphere of influence, and this action was somewhat of an "offense." But if the big shot calling all the shots had decided to do it, why should foot soldiers like them worry?
Rather than waste time worrying or dwelling on it, they might as well finish the work at hand.
Yes, they called it a rest, but the only ones truly resting were the Deep Blue Walker units.
The Deep Blue Walker Exoskeleton Armor was indeed the pinnacle of Earth's military technology, but as long as it remained mechanical equipment, maintenance