Setting Out

Time flew by.

Although Yang Wu had joined Phantom Squad, the team was currently resting in the Base City, so he naturally couldn't head to the Wilderness Area on his own.

So Yang Wu used this time to practice the Force Application Technique. Occasionally, he also went to the Martial Arts Hall to spar with Wu Tong.

Wu Tong had wanted to grow closer to Yang Wu from the start. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of calling in a favor to get Yang Wu into Phantom Squad. Naturally, he gave it his all when they sparred, and Yang Wu learned a lot from him.

But World Destroyer was worthy of being an ultimate manual. Even after ten straight days, though Yang Wu had thoroughly mastered all thirteen gun techniques used to support his training, he still hadn't taken his first step in the Force Application Technique.

In the blink of an eye, August 13 arrived.

That was also the day Phantom Squad was set to leave for the Wilderness Area.

Early that morning, Yang Wu received a call from Wu Tong.

"Yang Wu, today's the day you're heading to the Wilderness Area. Don't you dare be late!" Wu Tong reminded him anxiously.

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

Yang Wu was already fully equipped.

He wore an alloy combat helmet and a black combat vest beneath a silver-gray combat suit. Alloy Combat Boots covered his feet, a warrior's combat backpack was strapped to his back, and a combat watch was secured around his wrist.

With his A6-grade Pojun Spear in hand, the fully equipped Yang Wu left his room.

As soon as he got downstairs, Yang Wu saw his father, Yang Yuande, his mother, Liu Yuhua, and his younger brother, Yang Fan, waiting in the living room.

The three of them gazed silently at Yang Wu. They knew this was the day he was heading to the Wilderness Area.

"Wu, be careful!" Liu Yuhua said anxiously.

"Mom, don't worry!" Yang Wu quickly reassured her. "The warrior team I joined is Phantom Squad, one of the top teams in Jiangnan Base City. We rarely run into danger in the Wilderness Area."

After speaking, Yang Wu turned to his father and younger brother.

"Second Brother, once I become a warrior, I'll go to the Wilderness Area with you," Yang Fan declared confidently from the side.

Yang Fan had decent talent as a warrior. He had only just graduated from junior high, yet he was already an intermediate student at the Martial Arts Hall.

"Good!" Yang Wu said with a smile and nodded. "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 promised at once.

"Mom, Dad, I'm off. Don't worry—I'll be back before long!"

With that, Yang Wu headed straight for the door.

Yang Yuande and the others watched as Yang Wu hurried away in his combat suit. They stood silently at the entrance for a long time, and only returned inside when the nanny called to them.

Yang Wu reached the entrance to the residential complex and boarded an Extreme Martial Arts Hall car by himself. It quickly set off for Phantom Squad's meeting place.

The HR Alliance Mall stood in the main district of Jiangnan Base City.

It was the busiest place in all of Jiangnan Base City. Most warriors heading to the Wilderness Area, or returning from it, liked to come here to unwind.

Phantom Squad had chosen the HR Alliance Mall building as their meeting place.

After getting out of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall car, Yang Wu walked straight into the building's lobby.

"Yang Wu, over here!"

As soon as he entered the lobby, Yang Wu heard someone call his name. He turned and saw Zhou Zheng and Zheng Tao seated at a bar in a corner of the lobby.

Yang Wu hurried over.

"Brother Zhou, Brother Zheng, you got here early!"

Yang Wu was genuinely surprised. He had come an hour and a half early to make a good impression on the other members of Phantom Squad, but he hadn't expected he wouldn't be the first to arrive.

"We're both in Jiangnan Base City, and we don't have much to do, so we came early," Zhou Zheng said with a smile. "But you, kid—you got up so early. Was it your first trip to the Wilderness Area, and were you too nervous to sleep last night?"

Yang Wu smiled and shook his head.

Nervous? Not at all. Although this was his first time venturing into the Wilderness Area in real life, he had already spent years exploring it in the Simulator.

His experience might not measure up to that of veterans like Zhou Zheng, but he was certainly no ordinary rookie warrior.

While the three of them chatted, Wang Zhi arrived in his combat suit, carrying a war blade and shield.

"Brother Zhou, Brother Zheng, Yang Wu," Wang Zhi greeted them expressionlessly.

"Brother Wang!" Yang Wu greeted him with a smile.

Zhou Zheng and Zheng Tao were both over forty. Aside from Yang Wu, the youngest member of Phantom Squad was Wang Zhi, who was twenty-seven.

Although Wang Zhi usually seemed cold, Yang Wu had found him easy to get along with after meeting him a few times.

The four of them ordered a few cups of tea and sat together chatting while they waited for the captain and Lu Qing to arrive.

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

Most of the monsters in the Wilderness Area near Jiangnan Base City gathered in the abandoned major cities. Those cities were filled with tall buildings left behind after they were deserted, providing convenient cover for hunting monsters.

Zhou Zheng took a small sip of tea and said with a smile, "Our Phantom Squad has always operated in City 003, which used to be Modu City in Huaxia Country. But this is your first time entering the Wilderness Area, Yang Wu, and the captain and I were worried you might not be able to adapt to City 003. So this time, we decided to go to City 023, which used to be Su City."

"Brother Zhou, Brother Zheng, Brother Wang, thank you all for looking out for me!" Yang Wu said gratefully.

City 023 was safer than City 003, but it also had far fewer high-level monsters. Phantom Squad was powerful, yet they had chosen to go to a city with fewer monsters for his sake. Yang Wu couldn't help but feel touched.

"What are you all talking about?" Chu Tian asked as he walked over with Lu Qing.

"Captain!"

"Captain!"

Yang Wu and the others turned around at once and saw Chu Tian and Lu Qing approaching in their combat suits.

They no longer looked like the silver-haired man in a black robe and the spirited woman he had met before. Chu Tian now carried a long sword and a shield on his back, with a metal case in his hand. Lu Qing had a silver-gray bow and arrows strapped to her back and carried a somewhat smaller metal case.

Fully equipped, the two looked no different from other warriors. Yang Wu had only met them once before, and he almost failed to recognize them.

Only after Zhou Zheng and the others greeted them did Yang Wu react.

"Has everyone had enough rest?" Chu Tian asked.

"We're well rested!" Zheng Tao and Zhou Zheng answered quickly.

Wang Zhi nodded as well, his expression unchanged.

"What about you, Yang Wu? It's your first time heading to the Wilderness Area. Don't be too nervous," Chu Tian said with a smile.

"Captain, I'm fine. I'm ready to leave whenever you are!" Yang Wu replied.

"Good. We're setting out for the Wilderness Area now!" Chu Tian ordered.

The six of them left the HR Alliance Mall and climbed into an off-road vehicle that had been waiting outside. They headed to the train station, boarded a train out of the Base City, and went straight to the military garrison in the Wilderness Area.