Even the Magistrate's authority was no use!

Pure Snow Bright Heart did not reply again.

"Ordinary but not ordinary? Could you be any more vague?"

This person must have met him too. Excluding A Piao's trio, Bai Zhi, and Aalto, could it be Sanhua, judging by the username?

Lu Li kept reading.

[Youhu's appraisals: Oh, it's him! My master met him yesterday. Apparently, he's got an amazing treasure! I'd love to see it.]

[--Qiushui Wuhen replied: Who's your master?]

[--Youhu's appraisals: My master is Chenpi! This thread is so lively! If anyone has any treasures they need appraised, you're welcome to come to me, the great expert! All it'll cost you is a meal!]

"Chenpi actually has an apprentice..."

That was unexpected, but the username did remind him of an old acquaintance.

Yangyang spoke up. "That should be Youhu. Like her master Chenpi, she's an expert in antiques."

"She's young, but she's almost never made a mistake when appraising treasures."

Come to think of it... why didn't Chenpi charge me when he appraised the Comrade's Hammer yesterday?

Hmm... he probably waived the fee because Chixia and I were running around helping him.

Lu Li did not think it was because he was too handsome to charge. After all, no one would turn down money just to save face.

Lu Li put away his Terminal. "I'll settle the score with him later. Let's deal with what's in front of us first."

They traveled a long way, but fortunately encountered no further obstacles. Even the few Remnants that appeared were dealt with by the Rocksteady Guardian.

They arrived before an enormous fortified pass. A grim, warlike atmosphere hung over the entire Fubo Front, weighing heavily on them.

Jianxin looked a little solemn, and Lu Li asked with concern, "Jianxin, are you all right?"

She let out a long breath. "This is my first time on a battlefield. The atmosphere is completely different from the city."

Lu Li twirled the tuft of hair sticking up from her head and reassured her, "It's your master's first time on a battlefield too, but don't be afraid. As your master once said, no matter what we..."

Just as Lu Li was about to recreate a famous quote, Yangyang interrupted him:

"Ahem, let me give everyone an introduction."

"Desorock Highland is the front line in the war against the Tacet Discord tide. It used to be a fertile river valley, but the combined effects of the Lamentation and the Threnodian drastically altered its terrain and topography."

"To this day, the Tacet Discord tide remains a threat that Desorock Highland must guard against. However, under the command of Jiyan, the current general of the Midnight Rangers, Jinzhou has established a stable foothold here."

"Our current location is the border between Desorock Highland and the Central Plains Plateau-the Fubo Front."

"Every generation of Midnight Rangers soldiers has understood that this is the final line of defense, one the Tacet Discord tide must never breach. After all, Jinzhou City lies right behind it."

"The Ministry of Development and the Fubo Army built defensive walls and fortifications here, along with a military camp surrounding the Beacon. They continually reinforce the walls to slow the advance of large-scale Remnant invasions."

Lu Li said, "Maybe I should recall the Rocksteady Guardian first?"

People's hatred of Remnants ran far deeper than he had imagined. It was nothing like the harmonious coexistence between humans and 'Pokémon' he had envisioned earlier.

After all, Remnants were nothing like Pokémon, and Lu Li had no intention of changing that.

Even the Remnants with the weakest attacks were hostile to humans. Not to mention how many lives they had destroyed. The relationship between the two sides was already beyond repair.

Yangyang nodded. "Recall him first, so we don't get mistaken for the Fractsidus and attacked."

"The Fractsidus? There's that name again."

"Again?"

Lu Li nodded. "Aalto mentioned them yesterday too."

Yangyang explained, "The Fractsidus enables people who lack a Resonance Ability but crave power to cross forbidden scientific boundaries."

"They use special mechanical components to fuse human and Remnant limbs. The Remnants' frequencies steadily warp those followers' minds and eat away at their bodies."

"Eugh..." Lu Li said in disgust. "That's barely human anymore."

Yangyang nodded. "That's why the Fractsidus has such a terrible reputation in Jinzhou."

As they talked, they finally entered the fortified pass.

Numerous Fubo Army soldiers were busy inside, every face solemn.

Although everything looked scattered and chaotic, there was order beneath the confusion.

Since no Fubo Army soldiers approached to question them, they headed toward someone who looked like an officer.

"...I know a shipment of supplies arrived today. I've already checked it. It's not enough, nowhere near enough. Contact the city again and tell them to send more as soon as possible."

Xiulan spoke rapidly, her expression urgent.

The soldier handling the delivery hesitated. "But the approval process still needs..."

"Tell the people in the city to expedite it! Every second counts here. A single second's delay could bring down the front line. Don't they understand that yet? Here, the list."

Without even giving the soldier a chance to respond, Xiulan shoved the list into his arms.

"If they really can't manage it, tell them to contact me directly! Go! Hurry!"

The delivery soldier hurried away, while Xiulan kept talking, calling out to those around her:

"Move faster, move faster! Why haven't these supplies been unloaded yet?!"

Lu Li spoke up. "Ahem, hello, we're..."

Lu Li had intended to ask about the token and clues to the person Jianxin was looking for, but Xiulan gave him no chance.

Xiulan turned toward his voice. "Why are more people coming? Are you here to provide support too?"

Before anyone could reply, Xiulan continued, "Wait, you're not Midnight Rangers, are you?"

With a miserable expression, Lu Li hugged A Piao. "A Piao, she's bullying me!"

A Piao froze for a moment, then played along with an indignant expression. "How is she bullying you?"

"She deprived me of my right to speak!"

"..."

Ignoring the pair's antics, Yangyang took out her Midnight Rangers credentials:

"I'm Yangyang, a member of Taibai under the Midnight Rangers. These people are..."

Before Yangyang could introduce them, Xiulan plunged back into her work:

"Sorry, give me a moment."

Xiulan turned toward a Fubo Army soldier nearby. "Careful! That crate is full of medicine!"

"If the wounded come down later and there's no medicine left to treat them, we'll see whether you can still stay in this camp! Handle it gently!"

Lu Li said to A Piao with pity, "See? Even being a member of the Midnight Rangers is no use!"

Xiulan turned back to them again. "Taibai? You're support personnel, right?"

Lu Li straightened his collar and assumed a solemn expression. "Actually, the Magistrate sent us. We..."

"Beep, beep, beep..." Xiulan's Terminal rang.

Xiulan interrupted him again. "Sorry, I have a call to take."

"A Piao! Even the Magistrate's authority is no use!"

"..."