Departure

Time flew.

Although Yang Wu had joined the Phantom Squad, the squad was currently resting in the base city, so he naturally couldn't head to the wilderness alone. Thus, he used this time to practice his Force Application Technique, occasionally heading to the martial arts hall to spar with Wu Tong. Wu Tong had always intended to get closer to Yang Wu—otherwise, he wouldn't have spent personal favors to pull him into the Phantom Squad—so during their sparring, he gave it his all, allowing Yang Wu to gain quite a bit.

But the World Destroyer was, after all, an ultimate secret manual. For ten straight days, even though Yang Wu had fully mastered the thirteen auxiliary spear techniques, he still hadn't grasped the Force Application Technique.

In the blink of an eye, the date arrived at August 13th.

This was also the day the Phantom Squad was set to depart for the wilderness.

Early in the morning, Yang Wu received a call from Wu Tong.

"Yang Wu, today's the day you head to the wilderness. Don't you dare be late!" Wu Tong reminded him, unable to hide his concern.

"Uncle Wu, don't worry. I'm about to leave right now!"

By this time, Yang Wu was already fully equipped.

He wore an alloy battle helmet on his head, a black combat vest over his body, a silver-gray combat suit on top of that, alloy combat boots on his feet, a warrior's combat backpack slung over his shoulders, and a combat watch strapped to his wrist.

Gripping his A6-grade Pojun Spear, the fully armed Yang Wu walked out of his room.

As soon as he went downstairs, he saw his father Yang Yuande, mother Liu Yuhua, and younger brother Yang Fan waiting in the living room. The three of them watched him silently, knowing that today was the day Yang Wu would head to the wilderness.

"Ah Wu, be careful!" Liu Yuhua said worriedly.

"Mom, don't worry!" Yang Wu quickly reassured her. "The warrior squad I joined is the top-tier Phantom Squad in Jiangnan Base City. We rarely run into danger in the wilderness."

After speaking, Yang Wu looked at his father and brother.

"Second Brother, once I become a warrior, I'll go to the wilderness with you," his younger brother Yang Fan declared confidently from the side.

Yang Fan's talent as a warrior wasn't bad either. Having just graduated from middle school, he was already an intermediate student at the martial arts hall.

"Good!" Yang Wu nodded with a smile. "Xiao Fan, you're a grown-up now. While I'm away, take good care of Mom and Dad."

"Don't worry, Second Brother!" Yang Fan quickly promised.

"Dad, Mom, I'm off. Rest assured, I'll be back before long."

With that, Yang Wu strode straight out the door.

Watching Yang Wu in his combat suit disappear quickly, Yang Yuande and the others stood silently at the doorway for a long time. Only when they heard the nanny calling did they turn back inside.

Yang Wu reached the neighborhood entrance, boarded the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's dedicated car alone, and sped off toward the Phantom Squad's meeting point.

In the main urban area of Jiangnan Base City, the HR Alliance Mall.

This was the most bustling place in all of Jiangnan Base City. Most warriors heading to or returning from the wilderness liked to come here to unwind.

The Phantom Squad's agreed meeting point was right here at the HR Alliance Mall building.

After getting off the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's car, Yang Wu walked straight into the building's first-floor lobby.

"Yang Wu, over here!"

As soon as he entered the lobby, Yang Wu heard someone calling his name. Turning his head, he spotted Zhou Zheng and Zheng Tao sitting at a bar counter in a corner of the hall.

Yang Wu quickly walked over.

"Brother Zhou, Brother Zheng, you're here early!"

Yang Wu was genuinely surprised. To make a good impression on the other Phantom Squad members, he had deliberately arrived an hour and a half early, only to find he wasn't the first one there.

"We both live in Jiangnan Base City and don't have much going on, so we came ahead of time," Zhou Zheng said with a smile. "As for you, kid, getting up this early—could it be that you were too nervous to sleep last night, since it's your first time heading to the wilderness?"

Yang Wu shook his head with a smile.

Nervous? Not really. Although this was Yang Wu's first real-life venture into the wilderness, he had already spent years roaming it in the simulator. His experience might not match that of veterans like Zhou Zheng, but it was far beyond what a pure rookie warrior could boast.

As the three chatted, Wang Zhi, also in combat gear and carrying a battle blade and shield, arrived.

"Brother Zhou, Brother Zheng, Yang Wu!" Wang Zhi greeted them with a stoic expression.

"Brother Wang!" Yang Wu replied with a smile.

Zhou Zheng and Zheng Tao were both over forty. Aside from Yang Wu, the youngest member of the Phantom Squad was Wang Zhi, at twenty-seven. Though Wang Zhi usually came off as cold, Yang Wu had found him easy to get along with after a few interactions.

The four ordered some tea and sat together chatting idly, waiting for the captain and Lu Qing to arrive.

"Brother Zhou, which city are we heading to this time to hunt monsters?" Yang Wu asked with a smile.

The monsters in the wilderness near Jiangnan Base City mostly gathered in the abandoned large cities, where the ruined high-rises provided cover, making monster hunting more convenient.

Zhou Zheng took a light sip of tea and said with a smile, "The Phantom Squad has always operated in City 003, which used to be Modu City in Huaxia Country. But since this is your first time in the wilderness, the captain and I were worried you might not adapt to City 003, so this time we've decided to go to City 023, the former Su City."

"Brother Zhou, Brother Zheng, Brother Wang, thank you all for looking out for me!" Yang Wu quickly expressed his gratitude.

Although City 023 was somewhat safer than City 003, it also meant far fewer high-level monsters. The powerful Phantom Squad had chosen to head to a city with fewer monsters for his sake, and Yang Wu couldn't help but feel moved.

"What are you all chatting about?" Chu Tian approached with Lu Qing from not too far away.

"Captain!"

"Captain!"

Yang Wu and the other three turned around to see Chu Tian and Lu Qing walking over in their combat suits.

The two were no longer the silver-haired, black-robed figures or the dashing images they had been before. Chu Tian carried a long sword and a shield on his back, with an alloy case in his hand, while Lu Qing bore a silver-gray bow and arrows on his back, also holding a slightly smaller alloy case.

Fully armed, the two looked no different from any other martial artist, and Yang Wu, who had only seen them once before, almost didn't recognize them.

It wasn't until Zhou Zheng and the others greeted them that Yang Wu snapped back to reality.

"Everyone rested well?" Chu Tian asked.

"All rested!" Zheng Tao and Zhou Zheng quickly replied.

Wang Zhi, expressionless, nodded as well.

"Yang Wu, what about you? First time heading to the wilderness area, don't be too nervous!" Chu Tian said with a smile.

"Captain, I'm fine. Ready to go anytime!" Yang Wu answered in kind.

"Good. We'll set out now, heading to the wilderness area!" Chu Tian commanded.

The six of them walked out of the HR Alliance Mall, boarded an off-road vehicle waiting at the entrance, and headed to the train station. From there, they took a train out of the base city, directly to the military garrison in the wilderness area.