Ch. 81 - Past Events

Thud

Tianyang heavily hit the ground, the Xingyun shield shattering with a sound like breaking glass and turning into countless glimmers of light scattered around.

The youth rolled several times on the ground, then exerted his strength to leap up, sliding a dozen meters in a half-kneeling position before finally stopping.

He let out a slight sigh of relief.

The shield Han Shu had timely placed on him absorbed most of the impact from the fall. Combined with his own enhanced physical abilities, he only suffered minor sprains and abrasions.

The sound of intense friction between the wheels and the ground reached his ears. Tianyang looked up to see the Falcon battle vehicle coming to a halt in front of him. The door slid open, and Han Shu shouted, "Get in!"

Tianyang jumped up and threw himself into the vehicle. Han Shu shut the door, and the driver turned the vehicle around, speeding toward the town's exit.

Han Shu grabbed Tianyang by the collar, nearly spitting in his face. "Damn it, from now on, without my orders, do not act on your own!"

Tianyang felt a bit dejected and lowered his head. "Got it, Captain."

But then a broad hand landed on his shoulder, squeezing firmly, and Han Shu's voice came from above, "But you did well, kid. Reminded me of myself when I was younger."

"Can't go a day without bragging, can you?" muttered Ji Yu softly from the side.

Tianyang then lifted his head. Han Shu showed a toothy grin, clearly not truly angry with him.

The boy's spirits lifted a bit.

Outside, the sound of hissing reached them. Tianyang looked out the window to see the tree spirits disintegrating.

Human-faced flowers were falling from the giant's broken body. Once they were on the ground, they didn’t reassemble. Instead, they wriggled like octopuses, moving along the ground, and continued to chase the vehicle.

However, the disassembled flowers' speed couldn't match the Falcon vehicle, and the pursuers were left far behind, only able to hiss in the dense black fog, expressing their displeasure.

An hour and seventeen minutes later, Raven Squad finally left Wild Valley Town, heading up a high slope outside the small town.

The team took a temporary rest. The soldiers busied themselves cooling down the turbocharger and replacing damaged tires. Han Shu and a few others sat on some large rocks, looking towards the town.

On the way there, they hadn't expected so many terrifying things in the town.

Half an hour later, the vehicle started again.

The next day, Raven Squad returned to the Lighthouse Outpost Base.

After disembarking, Han Shu went straight to report to Ling Feng, while the others dispersed, resting at the base for the time being.

| Night Stalkers Command |

"That's roughly what happened." Han Shu grabbed a cup beside him, downing the water that belonged to Ling Feng in one gulp, then wiped his mouth. Water droplets hung on the noticeably grown stubble around his mouth.

Ling Feng looked at Han Shu with disgust and said, "That was my cup."

"Relax, I'm not sick," Han Shu said casually, putting the cup down.

"That's not the point." Ling Feng took out a handkerchief, picked up the cup, and tossed it into the trash. "Alright, you can go rest now. I'll inform you if there's a new mission."

But Han Shu had no intention of leaving. He even pulled up a chair and sat down.

Ling Feng gave him an inquiring look.

Han Shu tapped his fingers on the table. "Aren't you going to tell me something?"

Ling Feng spread his hands. "Like what?"

"Like who exactly these ”Black Princes” are? And what's this ritual the sorcerer mentioned? More importantly, I want to know about the Black King." Han Shu stared at the young chief of staff across from him, enunciating each word, "We almost died in that damn place, so I think I have the right to know."

Ling Feng habitually adjusted his glasses. "If I could, I wouldn't mind telling you. But unfortunately, given your clearance..."

A fist slammed onto the table, rudely interrupting Ling Feng. Han Shu stood up, leaning forward, and said, "To hell with clearance. I just don't get it; why can't this information be made public to us?"

Ling Feng's expression remained unchanged, "The fortress has its reasons for doing this, Han Shu. Don't worry. When it's time for you to know, you'll know."

Han Shu squinted, snorted, and turned to leave. "Fine, whatever. But Four-Eyes, you guys are always being secretive, only telling half the story. How do you expect people to trust you?"

Without waiting for Ling Feng's response, Han Shu walked out of the command office.

Only then did the adjutant, Lin Yang, spoke, "You should have told him that even we don't have clearance to know information about the Black Prince."

Ling Feng smiled faintly. "That guy wouldn't believe it even if I told him."

Lin Yang nodded in agreement.

Ling Feng's expression sharpened. "However, this time the findings are indeed surprising. Dark creatures doing these things in Wild Valley Town, the Black Princes... It seems they're planning to create a new king."

Lin Yang's expression turned serious. "The last time a Black Prince appeared was seventeen years ago, right?"

Ling Feng stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the outpost base illuminated by lights. "Yes, I've read the relevant files. At that time, the Black King led its citizens in some mysterious ritual. Unfortunately, that matter was classified as the Fortress' top secret. Even I only know a general outline and have no right to know the detailed process."

"So, do you think this time will be like seventeen years ago? After all, that sorcerer also mentioned a ”ritual.”” Lin Yang shook his head. "It's hard to believe that dark creatures can even speak our language. Just thinking about it gives me the creeps."

Ling Feng turned back and looked at the drawer under his desk. "In any case, this matter can't be ignored. It looks like I'll have to talk to the Commander again. I just hope he doesn't lose his temper. He's been in a bad mood lately."

Lin Yang chuckled. "The Commander has never been in a good mood, has he? Especially considering what happened back then..."

"Deputy Lin," Ling Feng interrupted him, shaking his head lightly. "Don't ever mention that in front of the Commander."

Lin Yang stood at attention, his face tightening. "My apologies!"

Only then did Ling Feng opened the drawer and take out the communicator used for contacting Zhu Yan.

An hour later, Tianyang and the others were summoned.

"What? A vacation?"

When Han Shu informed them that the command had granted the Raven Squad a week-long break to return to the fortress, Cang Du was the first to jump up.

"Are the higher-ups going to ignore Wild Valley Town? Those Black Princes clearly aren't good news. Are they not planning to organize a campaign against them?"

The ponytailed youth was excited, looking like he couldn't wait to rush back to Wild Valley Town.

Lao Xu, on the other hand, seemed quite happy and quietly invited Tianyang to visit his home in a few days.

Han Shu took a few drags of his cigarette and said, "Even if they organize a campaign, it won't be done in a day or two. For now, let's head back. There's a high-speed train in 45 minutes. We'll wait for further instructions."

Seeing Han Shu's demeanor, Tianyang felt that the matter was probably more complicated than it seemed.

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