Temporary orders

When Tianyang reached his fifty-fifth lap, the captain called him back. The boy realized that his physique seemed to have improved tremendously since he became an Ascender.

In the past, this much exercise would have left him panting long ago. Now, he was only slightly out of breath.

No wonder some scholars said that Ascenders were beings distinct from humans, and that the ultimate destination of ascension had to be another, higher form of life!

There were quite a few more people at the assembly point. Including Tianyang himself, more than a dozen had gathered there.

It looked as though the entire Raven Squad had arrived.

However, not all of them were Ascenders. A Nightwalker squad typically consisted of three to five Ascenders as its main fighting force, supported by another six to eight ordinary soldiers who handled support and logistics.

At that moment, Han Shu cleared his throat and pointed to a man beside him who was about his age. "This is Old Xu. He's experienced and knows a great deal about those dark bastards. He and Cang Du are both Ascenders of the War God class: a rank-three Warrior and a rank-two Swordsman, respectively."

Tianyang studied Old Xu. His hair was somewhat sparse, and he lacked Han Shu's upright bearing. He looked like a seasoned old hand who knew all the tricks.

With a cheerful smile, he asked, "Young fellow, do you know how to kill the Children of Darkness for good?"

Tianyang answered immediately, "Yes. You have to destroy their will cages to kill them completely. According to research, a will cage is like a human brain, sending instructions to the dark creatures. But the more advanced the creature, the deeper its cage is hidden, and the harder it is to destroy."

Old Xu looked surprised. "Not bad. I thought you wouldn't know. All right, then do you know what behavioral traits Mad Dogs have?"

"Stop, stop, stop."

Han Shu pushed him aside. "I don't have time for you to show off right now."

Next, he pointed to a woman who was fiddling with a silver longbow. She had medium-length black hair, fair skin, and unusually dark red eyes. She stood a good two or three meters away from everyone else, her manner cold and aloof.

"This is Ji Yu, a rank-two Hunter of the Huntress class. She's also our squad's Reconnaissance Master."

The woman named Ji Yu did not so much as blink, as though Han Shu were introducing someone else.

Apparently accustomed to this, Han Shu shrugged. "As for me, I'm a rank-four Guardian of the Fortress class. Your turn."

Ling Feng had instructed him not to reveal his new class, and the mission briefing had mentioned it as well: officially, Tianyang was now listed as belonging to the War God class.

So he told a lie without a blush or a flutter of his heart.

"All right, that's it for introductions," Han Shu said loudly. "Listen up. Our mission is to recover a Star Pillar, so our squad can't accomplish it alone. This will be a joint operation. Four other squads will be participating alongside us, with a Medical Squad and a Recovery Squad accompanying us. I'm the overall commander of this operation, so stay sharp, all of you. Don't you dare embarrass me!"

"Now, move out!"

As they headed toward the Klaft Gate, Tianyang noticed Yan Bing among the Raven Squad's soldiers-the man who had delivered his equipment two days earlier.

Tianyang gave him a slight nod. Looking rather excited, Yan Bing actually returned a military salute, prompting Cang Du up ahead to snort in disapproval.

They submitted their application and soon received clearance. Just as the Raven Squad was about to enter the Klaft Gate, several cars came racing toward them. The lead car swung around directly in front of the squad and stopped.

Dust kicked up by its tires swept across Han Shu's face. His expression immediately darkened as he stared at the people inside.

The door opened, and a man in a senior officer's uniform jumped out, calling loudly, "I'm Chen Liu, a senior officer of the Fortress Strategic Department! We've just received orders from Military Command. I'll be accompanying this mission with members of the Storm Squad!"

"I haven't received any notification, sir," Han Shu said loudly.

Chen Liu pointed at the communicator on Han Shu's person. "Perhaps you could confirm it with your superiors now, Captain."

Han Shu shook his head and told the others, "Wait a moment." Then he walked a little farther away and used his communicator to contact Nightwalker Headquarters.

A short while later, he returned and nodded. "It's been confirmed. We're leaving now. Coming along, sir?"

"Of course," said the man named Chen Liu.

He returned to his car, and the convoy drove straight ahead of the Raven Squad and passed through the Klaft Gate.

Old Xu could not help asking, "Captain, did the higher-ups really authorize them to come along?"

Han Shu grunted in assent. "They said it was a temporary order from Military Command."

Old Xu muttered, "Don't the Strategic Department people just sit in offices coming up with ideas? What are they going to the front line for? Let's hope they don't make trouble for us."

Han Shu scratched his head. "Who knows? Come on, let's go. If we keep dawdling and miss the high-speed train to Lighthouse, we'll be in trouble."

At last, the Raven Squad passed through the Klaft Gate. Once that disorienting sensation had passed, Tianyang looked up to find himself back in the dim light of the Inverse Realm.

Half an hour later, they boarded the high-speed train bound for Lighthouse Base. If nothing unexpected happened, they would reach Lighthouse by this time tomorrow.

Only the five Ascenders, Tianyang included, occupied the spacious carriage.

Han Shu and Old Xu sat together. Whatever they were talking about, they occasionally broke into knowing laughter.

Ji Yu and Cang Du each occupied a separate corner. Clearly, they had little to do with one another.

The squad's soldiers were in another carriage.

A figure moved at the edge of Tianyang's vision. He looked up to find that Han Shu had approached without him noticing.

The captain beckoned with a finger. "Come with me."

Tianyang was puzzled, but followed him anyway. As they passed through another carriage, they saw the senior officer from the Strategic Station.

He had already changed into a full protective suit, but since the carriage had a purification system, he was not wearing a helmet.

Chen Liu was holding a communicator and seemed to be talking to someone. When he saw the two of them, he lowered it and looked out the window.

The dim light of the Inverse Realm meant there was little scenery worth looking at outside. Clearly, Chen Liu was merely trying to avoid them-or, more precisely, Han Shu's gaze.

Yet the Raven captain did not spare him a glance. It was Tianyang who kept looking him over.

After the two of them left, Chen Liu glanced toward the carriage's rear door before picking up his communicator again.

On its screen was an elderly man with white hair and a white beard, wearing the Strategic Department's black-and-green uniform. His shoulder insignia bore crossed swords and a single star, marking him as a general.

"Are you on the train already?" the general on the screen asked.

Chen Liu nodded. "Yes, sir. I'm aboard the high-speed train. Rest assured, I've brought the Storm Legion's elite troops this time. With them here, I'm fully confident that I can prove to the people of the Fortress that even ordinary people have the power to fight the Children of Darkness."

"Good. One or two attempts may not succeed. But if something like this happens ten or twenty times, we can begin to undermine the Ascenders' standing in the Fortress. At the very least, we can cut the Nightwalkers' budget."

The general gave a forceful snort. "Those bastards have lorded it over us for far too long. It's time to knock them off their perch!"