Lin Yi patrolled and cleared the outer area for another hour or so, until his internal energy was almost completely depleted, dropping to the warning level of about 30%, before he stopped.
During this time, they also dealt with more than ten wandering elite-level Abyssal Beast and dozens of ordinary Abyssal Wolf, further ensuring the relative safety of this area for a short period of time.
It was nearly noon when he leisurely returned to the Helu City Settlement.
As soon as he approached the Outer Defense Line, the armed police officer on duty recognized Lin Yi at a glance. He immediately straightened his body, gave a perfect military salute, and quickly let him pass with a burning gaze.
Lin Yi nodded slightly in return and stepped into this bustling fortress of survival.
On the way to the Old Department Store, Lin Yi noticed that an armed helicopter was parked near the outer armored vehicle group.
The fuselage still carried the dust from its long journey, and although the rotors had been retracted, its sharp and imposing presence was still eye-catching.
" The Tianpeng Squad should have arrived... The General Staff is quite efficient."
Lin Yi understood immediately; this must be the Tianpeng Squad that Ren Yinuo mentioned yesterday, responsible for escorting the crystal.
As soon as he reached the vicinity of the Old Department Store, he saw Zhang Weidong, along with several military officers and staff, already waiting downstairs.
Clearly, the soldiers on the outer perimeter had already relayed the message back when he entered the defensive line.
" Staff Officer Lin, you've worked hard."
Zhang Weidong strode forward and firmly grasped Lin Yi's hand.
" Li Gang had already given a preliminary report on the situation via radio. Over two hundred survivors were rescued from four residential areas, along with a large amount of supplies. Staff Officer Lin, on behalf of all the rescued people, thank you!"
Lin Yi smiled calmly, " Captain Zhang, you flatter me. It's my duty; it's always good to save as many people as possible."
"What's your duty is a matter of course, but for us it's a great favor," Zhang Weidong said solemnly, then stepped aside to lead the way. " Staff Officer Lin, the Tianpeng Squad, dispatched by the General Staff to transport supplies, has arrived and is waiting in the conference room upstairs."
Lin Yi nodded and went upstairs with Zhang Weidong and the others.
As soon as the conference room door was opened, everyone inside stood up upon hearing the sound.
Besides the two accompanying officers from the detachment and the familiar members of the Tianpeng Squad, there was another figure that surprised Lin Yi.
He was a young officer who looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He was tall and handsome, and carried the Major rank.
"Huh..."
"Why does he look so familiar?"
Lin Yi took another careful look, and then his heart skipped a beat.
" Liu Yuan?!"
How did he end up here now?
Liu Yuan was a very famous person in his previous life.
He was the first Blue Star people to break through to the Star Core level, an absolute hawk in the military, with outstanding combat power, a resolute character, and, more importantly, he took great care of his juniors and never held back his knowledge.
Lin Yi had received guidance from him many times when he was at the Stardust level, and they had cooperated many times after joining the military. Although they could not be considered close friends, they were definitely comrades-in-arms who trusted each other and fought side by side.
"At this point, Liu Yuan should still be working as a staff officer in some department of the General Staff, and hasn't yet shown any particularly outstanding personal abilities... I remember that he truly rose to prominence after he was assigned to a large shelter and took charge of things independently."
Why did he suddenly come to Helu City?
Lin Yi's mind raced, his gaze sweeping across Liu Yuan's face, and a guess instantly surfaced in his mind.
"Could it be... that he's hit a difficult point in his < Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique > and gotten stuck?"
Aside from this, Lin Yi couldn't think of any other reason why he would come to Helu City with the supply team at this time.
After all, based on his understanding of Lao Liu, this guy was a cultivation fanatic and a workaholic. Unless it concerned improving his own strength or major military affairs, he would never easily leave his post.
Having figured this out, Lin Yi suppressed his surprise and showed no unusual expression on his face, as if he were just looking at an ordinary, unfamiliar military officer.
At this moment, the captain of the Tianpeng Squad stepped forward, still with his capable and composed demeanor, and saluted, saying, " Staff Officer Lin, I am here to hand over the supplies allocated by headquarters."
As he spoke, he handed over the silver-white metal box he had been carrying with both hands.
Lin Yi took the box; it felt heavy in his hand.
He unlocked the latches and lifted the lid of the box.
Instantly, an even richer and purer energy shone on his face than before.
The layout inside the box remains the same, but the quality of the crystal has been comprehensively improved!
Two rows, a total of twenty Spirit Shine Crystal, all of them radiating a warm, white light.
The middle row, in particular, is quite eye-catching.
The two pieces on the far left and right sides, although with a white base, have clear green lines wrapped around them.
Four white high-grade crystals.
The two crystals beside it are white with golden threads, similar to the three that Lin Yi had just acquired, and are clearly Gold-Veined Crystal dropped by Leader level.
And right in the very center, nestled like a moon surrounded by stars, is a striking Green Spirit Shine Crystal.
Tianpeng added from the side, " Staff Officer Lin, headquarters still has some High-grade White Crystal in stock, but the Staff Department's analysis suggests that some of their functions may overlap with your existing equipment, or they may not be what you urgently need right now. As for the Green Crystal... the General Staff asked us to convey that we've obtained two before, and this is the second one. It's not that headquarters is stingy; please understand."
Looking at the box of Spirit Shine Crystal that embodied countless hopes and efforts, Lin Yi sighed softly, "I've only done so little, yet the country has already given me so many resources. How could I possibly have other ideas?"
After saying that, he seemed to remember something and took out the gold- Gray Crystal containing the " Imprint " printing machine from a special slot on the inside of his Flowing Cloud belt.
" Captain Tianpeng, please take this crystal back with you when you return to headquarters and present it to the Commander the General Staff."
Lin Yi handed over the gold-patterned Gray Crystal, his tone solemn, "I believe headquarters can make the most of this crystal and maximize its value."
"Grey- Gold-Veined Crystal..."
Tianpeng accepted the crystal with both hands, somewhat puzzled.
The next second, his expression suddenly changed, and he looked up sharply at Lin Yi.
He clearly sensed the information within the crystal the instant he made contact, and immediately understood the terrifying strategic value of this " Imprint " device.
Tianpeng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart. He carefully put the crystal close to his body, then took a step back, gave a military salute, and said in an extremely serious voice, " Staff Officer Lin, please rest assured, I guarantee with my life the importance of this item; it will definitely be delivered safely."
"While waiting for your return, I have already copied and backed up the training video footage from Captain Ren Yinuo's location as required." Tianpeng paused, his tone becoming more urgent. "Because this item is of great importance, I must escort it back to headquarters immediately. I won't stay any longer. Farewell!"
After saying that, he didn't waste any more time or even exchange pleasantries. He immediately led his team members and hurriedly left the conference room.
The others in the conference room, including Zhang Weidong and Liu Yuan, were all filled with curiosity about the crystal that had caused Captain Tianpeng to lose his composure, but their good discipline prevented them from asking any questions.
After the Tianpeng Squad left, Lin Yi's gaze turned to Liu Yuan, who had been quietly waiting to the side.
Upon seeing Lin Yi looking over, Liu Yuan immediately stepped forward, saluted, and said, "Hello Staff Officer Lin! I am Liu Yuan from the Operations Department of the General Staff."
His self-introduction was concise and clear, followed by a hint of sincerity in his tone, "I apologize for disturbing you, but I'm stuck on the last crucial point in my practice of the < Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique >. I can't seem to grasp it, and I think... I might be getting stuck on a rut, but I can't seem to get out of it right now. So I specifically requested to come with the escort team from headquarters, hoping to receive your guidance."
"Just as I thought," Lin Yi thought to himself.
" Major Liu, you're too kind. It's good to learn from each other and discuss things. You've come from afar, you must be tired..." Lin Yi smiled gently. After a moment's thought, he continued, "How about this, you take a short rest first. I need to go to the rooftop this afternoon to recover the energy I used up today. You can come with Captain Ren then, and I'll explain things to you specifically, how does that sound?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan's face lit up with joy, and he quickly said, "It's no trouble at all, thank you... I'll come to the rooftop to bother you again this afternoon!" He suppressed his excitement, knowing that it was not appropriate to say anything more at this moment.
Lin Yi nodded and said no more.
He closed the box full of crystals, gestured to Zhang Weidong, then picked up the box and left the conference room, returning to his tent area.
Since the General Staff sent a bunch of crystals at such a crucial time, it certainly wasn't a random selection. He needs to go back and carefully organize and arrange them. With these new forces, he might be able to be bolder in some tactics during the upcoming nest extermination battle.