The seventh day in the Barbaric Realm, at noon.
Weird Island, Soul Return Town.
With a flash of light, the circular mobile fortress crashed onto the Barren Land about a hundred meters outside the gate of Soul Return Town.
The tracks crushed the dry bones on the ground, raising clouds of dust.
Inside the cockpit, Xin An operated the control panel, activating the panoramic monitoring system outside the fortress.
Complete Map Analysis was also enabled simultaneously.
Soon, the outside scenery appeared on the big screen.
Everywhere you look, there is devastation.
Countless lonely graves stand on the outskirts of the entire Soul Return Town!
"Report... no red dots found."
Looking at the map in her mind, Xin An felt a chill run down her spine instead of relaxing.
"There are no enemies in the open, but in this Yellow Springs, the shadows are probably full of filthy things."
He turned to look at the massive city gate ahead. "Moreover, the city gate of Soul Return Town is too narrow."
"Our mobile fortress is too big to fit in there. What do we do next?"
As the team leader, Zhao Yan frowned and subconsciously looked at Yue Tian, who was sitting with his eyes closed, resting.
"Chief, you see, we are..."
Yue Tian didn't even open his eyes, he just waved his hand casually.
"Comrade Zhao Yan, understand your position."
"Here, you are the captain of this Sharp Blade Squad, and I am just an ordinary member who follows orders."
"You can decide what to do; I will absolutely respect your decision."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan felt a sudden chill run down his spine.
He knew that Elder Yue Tian was deliberately testing his command abilities!
Zhao Yan forced himself to quickly get into captain mode.
He stared intently at the layout of the graves on the large screen and decisively gave the order.
"This Soul Return Town is officially designated a yellow-level danger zone; there must be some kind of rule governing it!"
"Xin An, listen to my instructions. Try to avoid those graves and drive the car to the open space closest to the city gate with the fewest graves!"
"We'll abandon the car and walk then, to avoid unknowingly violating any local taboos!"
"Receive!"
Xin An immediately pushed the control stick.
After hearing this plan, everyone nodded silently in approval.
Taking a steady and methodical approach is indeed the safest way to start.
Yue Tian, sitting in the back row, nodded slightly, acknowledging Zhao Yan's caution.
Just as the fortress was slowly advancing, Zhao Yan suddenly turned around and reported to Yue Tian.
"Chief, actually, besides exploring the Dragon Xia Imperial City, we also needed to find someone when we first entered the Weird Island."
Looking for someone?
Yue Tian raised an eyebrow slightly beneath his mask.
"Is it about contacting that top-ranked player, who needs no further explanation?"
"He could very well be hiding in this Soul Return Town."
"No, Chief, it wasn't him."
Before Zhao Yan could reply, Xin An, who was driving, blurted out the answer.
"The person we're looking for is Tang Sirui, the original firepower unit of our Iron Wall Squad!"
"He threw a tantrum because he was injured and couldn't participate in the trials, so he jumped all the way to the Weird Island!"
"They even took all the treasures from Huaxia Second Base!"
"Smack!"
Zhao Yan's face flushed red, and in a fit of rage, he flicked Xin An on the back of the head!
"Ouch!"
Xin An clutched her head and screamed in agony.
"Just drive! No one will think you're mute if you don't say anything!"
Zhao Yan was so angry that his beard trembled. He lowered his voice and cursed, "Don't you know that family scandals shouldn't be aired in public?!"
"To bring up such an embarrassing thing in front of the elders, you may not care about your reputation, but I do!"
Yue Tian listened.
He didn't speak for a full five seconds.
"That Supernatural Ability is the [Infinite Firepower] Magic Core, right?"
He remembers it so well!
All squad members who are eligible to enter the Tiger-level reserve force.
They must all undergo a month-long Devils training program at the Central Base.
Some veterans will be selected as instructors!
The instructor in charge of training Tang Sirui's new recruits was none other than Yue Tian himself!
That kid is not only a walking arsenal, but also a complete troublemaker!
During special training, he caused trouble everywhere, blowing up latrines and bombing the canteen.
Several times, Yue Tian was so angry that he disregarded his status as an elder and pulled out a willow branch to chase after the kid all over the base and whip him!
"That little brat..."
"And now, I still have to come to the Weird Island to clean up his mess! It's truly awful!"
Yue Tian clenched his fist, stared at the Monitor Screen in front of him, and uttered a sentence.
"Xin An, drive faster."
My hands... suddenly feel a little itchy.
"Yes, Chief."
Xin An covered half of her head, startled, and quickly stepped on the gas.
He silently lit a row of candles for Tang Sirui in his heart.
"Shadow, keep an eye on the radar and secondary surveillance for me."
Xin An asked for help.
"Yes, Vice Captain."
At this moment, Shadow was extremely focused on organizing his equipment.
She carried the specially made tactical briefcase containing the [Dragon God's Right Arm] and the [Watcher Eye].
He wrapped alloy straps around his back.
Seeing her struggling movements, Zhao Yan's instinctive urge to care for her as an elder kicked in.
"Xiaoying, this box looks quite heavy, so maybe..."
"Let me carry you for the rest of the way, shall I?"
"It's alright, Chief."
The Shadow shook its head.
"The Dragon God personally instructed that this item must be kept by me."
"I must protect it with my life; I absolutely cannot entrust it to anyone."
"Uh... yes, yes."
Zhao Yan scratched his head awkwardly. He had been so focused on caring for the younger generation that he had almost forgotten that the box contained relics of a deity!
If they were robbed on the way, and the Dragon God held a grudge, how many lives would they have to pay for it?
"You have to take good care of yourself, this thing is very important," Zhao Yan said worriedly.
Yue Tian spoke up at the opportune moment, "There's no need to be too anxious."
"The Shadow's Supernatural Ability are top-tier in stealth and survival."
"However, even so..."
Yue Tian's gaze, hidden behind his mask, swept across the entire car.
"In any battle that follows, our primary task is to protect her at all costs."
"And these two items that the Dragon God gave her! Do you understand?"
"Yes, Chief!"
Zhao Yan and Xin An immediately straightened their backs and responded in unison.
"Thanks."
The Shadow bowed its head slightly, a warm feeling welling up inside it.
Just then, Shadow suddenly felt that something was missing from the carriage.
She turned her head and saw Liu Ruyan crouching lewdly in a small corner of the carriage.
This girl was hugging her two new S-class equipment pieces that she had just exchanged from the Central Treasury.
A [Bamboo Thunder Sword] crackling with lightning, and a [Dragonblood Soft Armor] shimmering with iridescent light.
"Hehehe... Top-notch! They're all top-notch!"
Liu Ruyan drooled as she chuckled softly.
"With these two S-class near-S-grade items, I'm practically invincible now!"
"Once we enter Soul Return Town, let's see which foolish monster dares to challenge me!"
"Hahaha..."
Seeing her infatuated state, lost in some invincible and wonderful fantasy, Shadow's lips twitched twice.
She silently turned her head, repeatedly trying to convince herself otherwise.
"I don't know this guy, I absolutely don't know this guy..."
Shadow then refocused his attention on the secondary monitor screen.
However, that one glance made her face change color instantly!
"Something's wrong! Captain, something's happening outside!"
The Shadow's voice was extremely urgent as it pointed to a corner of the screen and shouted.
"Those graves... those graves actually started moving on their own!"
It looks like something is about to burst out of the ground!
"What?!"
Zhao Yan was shocked and rushed to the Main Control Console.
"Xin An! What do you mean? How many are there?!"
"A lot! Captain, a huge amount!"
Xin An's forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat, and he gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands.
"There are at least dozens of red dots, and the number is increasing rapidly!"
"Damn it! We were so careful, we didn't even touch a single tombstone, why are they still attacking us?!"
Zhao Yan slammed his fist on the table.
"Looks like these filthy bastards are the gatekeepers of this Soul Return Town!"
"An attack will be triggered as soon as you get close to the gate!"
"Since we can't avoid it, let's ignore all those damn rules!"
"Xin An! Push the engine to maximum!"
"Forget about taboos, just run them over these graves!"
"Charge through the gate at all costs!"
"Roger! Full speed ahead!"
"Boom!"
The mobile fortress transformed into a bulldozer, crushing the isolated graves blocking its path to dust!
However, this destruction was like igniting a catalyst!
The speed at which those monsters emerged from the ground began to increase dramatically!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The surrounding ground exploded one after another, accompanied by ghostly howls, and countless chains with [coffin nails] at their ends...
It burst forth from the ground and chased after the mobile fortress!
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Several chains struck the rear armor of the fortress, even piercing through the outer layer!
"Captain! This won't do!"
Shadow stared anxiously at the increasingly dense network of chains on the monitor.
"Those chains are much faster than our cars!"
"If this continues, we'll be caught up soon!"
"This..."
Looking at the relentless chains on the screen, Zhao Yan's breathing became rapid.
Cold sweat poured down his back, and for a moment, he hesitated!
At this critical moment of life and death.
"Zhao Yan!!!"
A stern and authoritative shout rang in Zhao Yan's ears!
Yue Tian stood up.
"Don't adopt the mindset you had when you were Wan Lao's deputy, waiting for orders to be given!"
"Bring him to the position of captain of this elite squad!"
"Listen up! You're the captain! Your intuition is the direction for the entire team!"
"Just say what you're planning. If the sky falls, we'll all hold it up together!"
"Never be afraid to take risks! And never hesitate on the battlefield!"
Caught off guard by Yue Tian's sharp rebuke, Zhao Yan's old face immediately turned bright red.
But at the same time, Yue Tian's words also dispelled the gloom in his heart!
Yes!
Looking back on most of his life, Zhao Yan had always been someone's deputy, an assistant.
He finally made it to the position of team leader in his middle age, but his conservatism and timidity led him to give up.
He didn't hold the position for long before slinking away to a less prominent role.
And now!
On this Weird Island the fate of the nation hangs in the balance, the organization has finally given him another chance to start over!
If he doesn't even dare to take a gamble at this moment.
Then he'll really be stuck being a coward for the rest of his life!
"This is a risk... I, Zhao Yan, am determined to take it today!!!"
Zhao Yan raised his head, gritted his teeth, and roared with all his might.
"Everyone, listen up!!! Prepare to abandon the vehicle!!!"
"Xin An! Lock onto the city gate and activate auto-navigation!"
"We'll use this mobile fortress as bait and a shield!"
"Blow it up, you bastard!"
"The rest of you, get your weapons ready, the moment the car door opens!"
"Using the cover of the explosion, rush through the gate at top speed!!!"
This insane plan was unveiled.
Xin An, Shadow, and even Liu Ruyan, who was still lost in her fantasies, all showed expressions of shock!
Using the central government's latest technological marvel as a disposable Meat Shield?!
That's absolutely outrageous!
However, Yue Tian, standing in the back row, revealed a smile beneath his mask.
"That's right, that's exactly it..."
"When faced with the bizarre..."
"All scheming is futile."
"Only that courage that disregards the consequences..."
"It is the most powerful weapon in human hands!"