Haixia and Star Dragon are located on the same continent. Perhaps because Haixia has a hotter and more humid climate, its customs are far more relaxed. Even away from the beaches, it's common to see women and men strolling about in bikinis.
The train pulled into a military station. Through the window, they spotted only one man waiting on the platform—a middle‑aged uncle in a brightly coloured, loose shirt and sunglasses, apparently the one assigned to receive them.
Xiao Han got off with the rest of the team. Qi Baijia stepped forward and introduced himself to the flamboyantly dressed man in sunglasses, saying, "Bureau 13 of Star Dragon—Qi Baijia."
The man chuckled, removed his sunglasses, revealing an unshaven, weary face. His entire presence was painfully ordinary—more like the uncle running a small roadside kiosk, scratching his feet while waiting for customers, than any sort of officer.
"Haixia Intelligence Service. Ye Fan."
Xiao Han almost choked on the spot.
Ye Fan?!
Which Ye Fan are you supposed to be?
What happened to you?
This whole vibe simply doesn't match any Ye Fan I've ever heard of!
Ye Fan glanced at the battered, bullet‑scarred train and asked, "Did you run into a beast?"
"Just a small Black Earth Worm. Nothing worth mentioning."
Qi Baijia coughed lightly. The situation back then had indeed been dangerous, but they absolutely could not lose face in front of the Haixia people. They had to project casual confidence—this was political correctness. Nothing wrong with that.
"Then you're lucky to have arrived safely," Ye Fan laughed. He didn't bother digging into whether Qi Baijia was telling the truth.
After a few polite exchanges, Ye Fan put on his sunglasses again. "No time to waste. First, we report to the commander for filing, then we set off. Don't complain—it's still a lot less paperwork compared to Red Maple. We've skipped at least ninety percent of their procedures."
Some field agents laughed. Red Maple's rigid bureaucracy was a long‑standing joke. Rumour had it that during the last joint operation between the Shanur‑led Tirius forces and Red Maple to eliminate a rogue warlord, the famously impatient Shanur people were driven mad before the mission even began—tormented by Red Maple's endless reporting process. They nearly started a fight with Red Maple officials inside Caloma, the headquarters of Red Maple's Intelligence Bureau.
Joint operations required both sides to log mission records with the commander before execution.
For this mission, Haixia's army would handle the direct assault. Agents were responsible for infiltrating beforehand—gathering intelligence, scouting, and identifying the precise location and defence layout of the Dark Crow Valley base.
On the way, they saw rows of brand‑new bulletproof military SUVs and light tanks parked in the garages, along with missile vehicles equipped with honeycomb launchers. Squads of soldiers were hauling ammunition and supplies.
Zhang Wei, Di Susu, Ma Qingyang and the other Star Dragon agents fell noticeably silent, keeping their eyes forward—completely unlike their loud chatter on the train. National pride was clearly kicking in. Seeing this, Xiao Han didn't dare behave too casually either and simply blended into the group like background scenery.
Commander Colonel Kelte was a stern, middle‑aged white officer. Hands behind his back, he was studying the strategic map on the wall. Hearing the door open, he assumed it was his adjutant and barked without turning around, "Didn't I say not to disturb me while I'm thinking?!"
Ye Fan coughed. "Colonel, the people from Star Dragon are here to log their mission."
Kelte turned, saw Ye Fan, and his expression eased slightly. Narrowing his eyes, he swept his gaze across the Star Dragon agents with cold indifference. With a faint grunt, he opened a drawer, pulled out a document, stamped it with a thud, and said coolly, "Let them rest for a bit. We depart in one hour with our team."
Since Kelte clearly had little interest in speaking to anyone from Bureau 13, Ye Fan led them to a simple lounge. "Don't wander around. We'll head out soon."
Once Ye Fan left, only their own people remained. Lin Yao finally dared to speak, whispering, "Why do I feel like those soldiers were giving us odd looks? Almost like they're rejecting us. And that commander seemed openly hostile."
Ma Qingyang snorted. "You don't know? Star Dragon fought a war with Haixia before. They're not friendly to us. Any agent sent on joint missions abroad gets the same treatment. And that Kelte doesn't look like one of their mild‑tempered types."
The internal faction conflict within Bureau 13 isn't unique—almost every nation has something similar. Red Maples and Odinfen lean conservative, while Ruilan and Tilius are more hard-line. Star Dragon and Hai Xia are relatively balanced.
Lin Yao was incredulous.
"Then why are we cooperating with Hai Xia? What if they treat us like cannon fodder?"
"Who knows what the higher‑ups are thinking. Just be careful yourself."
Ma Qingyang couldn't care less. As a veteran salted‑fish from the Covert Operations Department, he'd seen this sort of thing countless times.
Qi Baijia cleared his throat and explained,
"Don't worry. Any transfer involving you lot has to go through my approval."
After chatting for a bit, everyone soon quieted down, resting with their eyes closed to adjust their state before the mission.
"I'm going out for a smoke."
Xiao Han stood up, stepped outside the lounge, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag. The smoke slid down his throat, curled in his lungs, and then streamed out of his nostrils like two thick dragons, easing his nerves.
He ignored the cold, occasional glances from the soldiers transporting supplies nearby, instead sinking his attention into the newly refreshed interface.
[You have triggered the Faction Mission: Operation Dark Raven Valley!]
[Mission Summary: This is a small‑scale military operation. As a member of Bureau 13 and a participant in the action, let's see what you can accomplish!]
[Note: This is a faction‑series mission. You may complete any of the following objectives:]
Recon 1: Team mission — Scout the situation in Black Crow Town. Reward: 3,000 EXP
Recon 2: Team mission — Gather detailed intel on the Dark Raven Valley base. Reward: 8,000 EXP
Logistics Crew: Solo mission — Perform 20 tool repairs for teammates. Reward: 5,000 EXP
Shadow Woods Killer: Solo mission — Assassinate 8 covert sentries. Reward: 18,000 EXP
Direct Conflict: Solo mission — Kill 50 Sprout soldiers. Reward: 35,000 EXP
Decapitation 1: Kill Domon — Rewards vary by contribution
Decapitation 2: Kill Ji Jie — Rewards vary by contribution
Decapitation 3: Kill Pan Kuang — Rewards vary by contribution
Destroy Dark Raven Valley: Complete the operation objective — Reward depends on completion and contribution
[After the mission ends, an overall rating will be given based on the number of objectives completed and performance, with additional rewards.]
Xiao Han had assumed this operation was just a regular mission, but he hadn't expected it to be a faction mission—
even better, with far more room to manoeuvre.
There were many types of missions: competitive, reward‑pool, series missions…
Faction missions always paid well as long as you completed most objectives, and there was a bonus evaluation at the end.
While Xiao Han was smoking, a woman with short red hair approached him, stopped in front of him, and asked uncertainly:
"You're from Star Dragon, aren't you?"
He gave her a glance and nodded.
"Something like that."
The moment he finished speaking, the red‑haired woman suddenly drew a dagger from her waist and stabbed straight at his neck without warning!