Departure

"Tieguanyin!"

"Pu'er tea, with a hint of jasmine!"

"Some Dahongpao for me, please. Thank you."

Chen Gu, Zhang Ke, and Luo Yuan spoke in turn.

"Uh, Senior Luo Yuan, isn't this your first time here too? Why do you seem so used to it?" Luo Feng looked at Luo Yuan in surprise.

"It's nothing much. You just have to get used to it. We're heading out on a mission, so other drinks aren't a good idea. Tea is best-it keeps you alert and clears your head," Luo Yuan explained casually, his movements calm and composed.

"Hahaha, I wouldn't have guessed you were so adaptable, Luo Yuan. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were a veteran warrior too," Chen Gu said with a hearty laugh beside him.

"All right, I'll have a cup of Pu'er too," Luo Feng said with a smile.

Quiet music drifted through the hall, a melody played on a flute. As for what piece it was, Luo Yuan felt that his taste in music left him no hope of recognizing it. He couldn't let that show, though, so he put on an appreciative expression. Still, the flute's notes, sometimes soothing and melodious, sometimes quick and light, did leave his mind feeling much refreshed.

"The first floor of the Underground Alliance Mall is a reception lounge. From the second floor up, it's all retail space. The prices are generally a little lower than the full prices on Limit Home's Online Mall. Of course, they're higher than our half-price rate.

"The biggest advantage of the Underground Alliance Mall is... we can sell them materials from the monsters we kill at high prices. If we sell those materials to the martial hall, the prices are lower, but we get contribution points. Selling them to the Underground Alliance Mall gets us more money, but no contribution points. The choice is up to us," Chen Gu explained.

"Oh, then selling to the Limitless Martial Hall is still the better deal. Contribution points are pretty useful, after all," Luo Yuan said slowly after taking a sip of tea.

"Excuse me for a moment, everyone. I spotted someone I know. I'll go say hello," Luo Feng suddenly said.

Luo Yuan looked up and followed Luo Feng's gaze. A girl in a white shirt and black suit trousers stood behind the counter. Luo Yuan nodded, having to admit that Luo Feng had a good eye. Unfortunately, Luo Yuan preferred more mature women.

A little later, Luo Feng returned, and Gao Feng, captain of the Fire Hammer Squad, arrived with a pair of twin warriors. Both twins carried a shield and a curved blade on their backs, while Gao Feng carried two black sledgehammers flecked with silver.

"Luo Yuan, Luo Feng, these two are the famous 'Twin Moon Curved Blades,' the Wei Brothers-Wei Tie and Wei Qing," Chen Gu said with a smile.

Luo Yuan and Luo Feng greeted them with smiles.

"And this is the captain of our Fire Hammer Squad, 'Twin Wind Hammers' Gao Feng," Chen Gu said.

"Hey, no need for introductions. Luo Yuan and I already know each other, though this is my first time meeting Luo Feng. You're both geniuses," Gao Feng said with a sigh of admiration as he sat down.

"Huh? Captain, you already know Luo Yuan?" Chen Gu asked in surprise.

"We met earlier in the War General Level Martial Arts Hall," Gao Feng said, taking a sip of tea.

"War General Level?" Everyone present was startled except Gao Feng and Zhang Ke.

"You don't know yet, do you? Luo Yuan is already a Junior War General," Gao Feng said with a slightly envious smile.

"A Junior War General? Not bad, Luo Yuan! You've really been keeping that under wraps!" Chen Gu said, lightly punching Luo Yuan's shoulder.

"Haha, my little bit of strength is nothing compared to a real genius. It's hardly worth mentioning," Luo Yuan said modestly.

"This is great. With Luo Yuan joining us, our squad is quite a bit stronger," Gao Feng said happily. Then he glanced at the Blood Shadow Battle Blade on Luo Feng's back.

"Luo Feng, you use a blade too. Once we're in the Wilderness Zone, learn as much as you can from Wei Tie and Wei Qing. You've got talent. I'm sure you'll quickly become a proper member of our squad. Luo Yuan can guide you when he has time too. His blade skills are good."

"Mm." Luo Feng nodded, glancing at Luo Yuan with some embarrassment. They were classmates of the same age, yet the gap between them kept growing. But he soon regained his confidence. He still had his rare spiritual force. Catching up to Luo Yuan was only a matter of time.

As they drank tea and got to know one another, the atmosphere grew lively, and they began chatting and joking around. Just twenty minutes later, Gao Feng and the others finished their tea and stood up. "Come on, let's head out to the Wilderness Zone." The others hurried after them.

The seven members of the Fire Hammer Squad took an HR Alliance car straight to the train station, then boarded a train out of the base city toward the Wilderness Zone.

Several hundred li north of Jiangnan Base City stood a military garrison.

Rumble~~ The train slowly came to a halt at the military station.

Fully armed warriors stepped off the train one after another, more than twenty in all. They naturally split into four squads.

"When we warriors go out hunting monsters, we come into a military base whenever we need supplies along the way," Chen Gu explained to Luo Yuan and Luo Feng, pointing at an iron tower ahead that stood fifty or sixty meters tall. "See that tower? Every military base in Huaxia Country, and even around the world, sets aside a special area as a Warrior Supply Base, specifically for us warriors to rest. These Warrior Supply Bases usually build a beacon like this. It symbolizes lighting the way home for us warriors."

Luo Yuan looked at the light atop the beacon, visible for several li around, and couldn't help nodding. It would be a source of hope for the warriors fighting bloody battles in the Wilderness Zone.

The Warrior Supply Base lay inside the military base, with rows of quiet little buildings in a very pleasant setting.

The seven members of the Fire Hammer Squad rested in the three-story building designated E6. Luo Yuan cultivated in one of the rooms, absorbing cosmic origin energy.

Before they knew it, evening arrived, and Gao Feng quickly gathered everyone to set out.

"We're leaving this late at night?" Luo Yuan asked in surprise after coming downstairs.

"Luo Yuan, haven't you noticed the weather? It's late August, the hottest time of the year. You want to travel in this heat carrying several hundred kilograms of gear? No matter how much water you bring, it won't be enough. You'll end up drinking river water." Chen Gu glanced at Luo Yuan with a smile. "It's cooler at night. Isn't that a much nicer time to travel? It saves water too."

Luo Yuan smiled awkwardly. Luo Feng nodded beside him; he'd been about to ask the same thing.

"Hm?" Suddenly, Luo Feng spotted someone in the Supply Base through the floor-to-ceiling window. "Brother Chen, look. Isn't that Zhang Zehu?" Zhang Zehu was wrapped in bandages, with faint bloodstains showing through them. Clearly, he had been injured and was recuperating at the Supply Base.

Chen Gu turned to look too. "That's right. It's Zhang Zehu!"

"Hey!" Chen Gu walked to the doorway and shouted smugly, "Mountain-Splitting Tiger, what happened to you? Weren't you perfectly fine last time? How'd you get hurt this badly so soon?"

Outside, Zhang Zehu had been walking and chatting with his companions. He turned at the shout and immediately saw Chen Gu, Luo Yuan, Luo Feng, and the others at the building's entrance. He ground his teeth in anger, then forced it down and sneered loudly instead. "Chen Cannon, your Fire Hammer Squad is supposed to be an elite squad. Why'd you bring two rookies along? Haha, aren't you afraid those two deadweights will drag your whole squad to its death?"