For ordinary people, the seventy-kilometer mountain route, undeveloped for years and crawling with Aberrant Species, was an insurmountable chasm. But after resting, servicing, and arming themselves to the teeth, the Deep Blue Cluster practically flew across it with a yawn.
Meng Tu's cautious recommendation had not backfired. Nothing happened along the way. A little over half an hour later, their destination was already in sight.
There was nothing to boast about, though. As they neared the base, Meng Tu only became busier. Incoming communications grew increasingly frequent, leaving him overwhelmed.
Senior officials from Lake City's Close Defense Force, colleagues from the military, old university friends... It felt as if nearly every "old acquaintance" in Lake City, or with any connection to Lake City, whether he could remember their names or not, had come to ask a few questions.
The nervous anxiety of certain people was practically visible even through the radio waves.
Besides that, the person in charge of the Forward Base had consulted him about how to properly arrange personnel and equipment—the guy over there was not someone who could handle things on his own, constantly asking for instructions and filing reports until Meng Tu's scalp felt ready to explode.
This was fucking lousy work: he could not push it off on someone else, yet if he really did, he would not be able to rest easy.
The thirty-odd Burners in the Deep Blue Cluster came from fairly complicated backgrounds. The team directly under Meng Tu's command made up the majority, of course, but another dozen or so had been sent from Huai City to assist with defense around the underground cavern, and their backgrounds were not especially clear.
Now, the dispute between the Coreless Style and Burner paths was gradually gaining momentum. Meng Tu truly feared that there