"Back then?" A trace of grief appeared on Bagnell's face, but his voice was surprisingly calm. "There were five of us back then, and we were incredibly close. Me, Black King, Draw Blade, Scent-Seeking Civet, and Zhifei. Do you remember the card you repaired for me? Celia was Zhifei, and she was also my wife. We founded the Black Hibiscus Card Adept Corps together. We won every battle and conquered every foe! Even the military suffered defeats at our hands."
At this, pride filled Bagnell's face. But it vanished in an instant, and his voice abruptly sank.
"Later, we accidentally discovered a path window in the jungle. Everyone was excited, and we unanimously decided to explore it." The bitterness on Bagnell's face deepened.
"A path window?" Chen Mu's heart jolted. "Was it the one we came through?"
"No." Bagnell shook his head. "That path window was in Fanasi District. We discovered it deep in the jungle while carrying out a mission. We were very strong then, stronger than our current force. We could venture deep into the jungle with ease. That path window was inside an inconspicuous little canyon. I'm afraid I couldn't even find it now."
At this point, he could not help reminding Chen Mu, "Boss, we need to finish exploring this gray layer as quickly as possible and find the other path windows. Otherwise, we can't guarantee this base's safety."
Chen Mu nodded in agreement.
They had enormous advantages when it came to exploring the gray layer. Aside from the Fern Disk, an invaluable exploration tool, they also had long-distance communication cards like the [Thousand Miles Card]. Because the gray layer's terrain was flat and free of interference, they could communicate over extremely long distances.
Reminiscence and sorrow appeared on Bagnell's face. "Everything went smoothly at first.