The several-ton alloy manganese-steel gate was hauled open, and the jeep bearing the Yellow Springs Training Camp flag sped out.
The evening wind unfurled the flag, revealing the emblem of a leaping serpent.
The sentry soldiers caught sight of the three young faces in the jeep and raised their hands in salute.
Everyone in White Poplar Fortress City owed respect to the recruits heading out on an exploration mission.
"Driving through the wilderness is awesome!"
Of the three, Gao Pao had volunteered to drive. The moment they left White Poplar Fortress City, he floored the accelerator and tore ahead.
Yellow dust billowed behind them. The pitted road sent the jeep bouncing up and down, as if it were about to take flight.
Zhao Su, in the passenger seat, clung tightly to his seat belt, afraid he would be thrown from his seat.
In the back, Qin Shi sat as steady as a mountain. He spread his arms and leaned back while the gale blowing in through the window ruffled the hair over his forehead.
He admired the vast wilderness. It was as barren as scorched earth after a war, with barely a weed in sight.
Now and then, low hills and earthen slopes came into view, with corrupted creatures roaming among them.
"We're about three kilometers from the Contaminated Zone."
After getting his thrill, Gao Pao finally slowed down.
"We'll stop at an abandoned town up ahead. All electronic equipment, including the vehicle, has to stay there."
Zhao Su nodded. The two of them had studied the combat manual thoroughly and remembered every rule about crossing the line in ways that could put them in danger.
The spatial structure of the Contaminated Zone was extremely unstable. On top of that, the clusters of Servant Creatures created energy turbulence that breached