"Long time no see, Captain Luo Yan. I suppose we should be calling you Colonel now."
Zaren wore a sickly smile as he held an apple and took a hard bite.
Luo Yan looked at him. "We're setting out tomorrow. I don't want any accidents to happen along the way, and I especially don't want to see certain people disappear halfway there. Do you understand what I mean?"
Zaren laughed. "Of course. Don't worry. I'll do my job."
"After all, I'm still hoping the Strategic Affairs Department will remove my name from Freedom Wings' wanted list."
"If possible, I'd also like to become a fifth-tier Transcendent."
Luo Yan said flatly, "You certainly have a lot of demands."
Zaren bit into the apple. "You can't put it that way. We're simply taking what we each need."
At that moment, Jia Miao called Luo Yan over, and he passed by Zaren.
Zaren watched Luo Yan's back, the smile on his face slowly widening before he whistled and left.
When Luo Yan reached Jia Miao, the female doctor introduced them. "These people have explored the unknown region we're heading to. They only explored its outskirts, but they still have some things to share with us."
Luo Yan looked over. The explorers were all fairly old. Even the youngest was already in his thirties, while the oldest was around forty-five or forty-six.
The oldest man among them held out his hand. "My name is Ding He, Colonel Luo Yan. I've long heard of you."
Yan Song introduced him from the side. "Old Ding is one of the most experienced explorers at our base. His team often ventures into unknown regions, laying a solid foundation for our later development."
Luo Yan shook the man's hand. His palm was rough but strong, as if it were