Repairs to the flagship Shadow proceeded in an orderly fashion, the clang of metal mingling with the hum of energy welding in an industrial symphony. Amid the clamor, Ye Li remained unusually calm, his attention focused entirely on the warm Fire Orb in his palm. Ever since they had approached these waters, the orb had begun trembling faintly at a particular frequency, as though resonating across space with some unknown presence far away. Like an invisible thread, that resonance tugged at his intuition, pointing toward the nearby island shrouded in lightning.
He did not make this sensation from the mysterious orb public, choosing a more cautious approach instead. During a routine readiness meeting, he proposed a seemingly ordinary reconnaissance mission under the pretext of "securing the perimeter while the flagship undergoes repairs and surveying nearby islands for a temporary supply point." The justification was airtight, and no one objected.
Ye Li personally selected those who would carry out the mission. He named Apollo, the officer utterly loyal to him whose fighting spirit never flagged-the finest spear. He also chose four elite members of Apollo's direct unit who excelled at stealth, reconnaissance, and wilderness survival, forming a compact five-man squad.
That afternoon, as thin mist rose over the sea, a small black submersible slipped silently from beneath the flagship like a great, soundless fish and headed underwater toward Thunder Island.
As their military boots touched the island's damp black beach, an oppressive sensation unlike anything outside hit them head-on. A strong, pungent smell of ozone permeated the air-the scent of highly ionized air. Every breath left their lungs faintly tingling, as though countless tiny currents were dancing through their windpipes. Even these battle-hardened elites could not help frowning, and each activated the air filtration system built into his combat suit.
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