Translator: CinderTL
Old Day City East Supply Zone.
The Death Star Third Battle Group's garrison manor.
As dawn broke, Feng Qi had already washed up and left his quarters.
Instead of his usual intense physical training, he headed straight to the Group Commander's Office.
Pushing the door open, he saw the Lord of the Mist poring over the day's battle group intelligence reports.
He sat down at the desk and looked at the Lord of the Mist. "The meeting isn't this morning. When do you plan to leave?"
The Lord of the Mist smiled and looked up. "I'm preparing to depart now. You don't need to come along. Stay here to organize our combat readiness and prepare for the escort mission."
"Alright," Feng Qi agreed without hesitation.
After some casual conversation, it was seven in the morning.
The Lord of the Mist rose and left the Group Commander's Office to convene a meeting in the recruitment hall. As the overall commander of the joint escort operation, he needed to brief the participating battle groups on the situation.
Once the Lord of the Mist had left, Feng Qi settled into the Group Commander's seat.
After some thought, he retrieved a smartphone from his backpack.
Fingerprint lock, facial recognition, voice recognition... finally, the phone's interface materialized.
This phone was specially designed for contacting the Scarlet Research Institute and had two systems.
Unlocking it with his thumb would bring up the normal interface.
Unlocking it with his index finger would access a second, encrypted interface for contacting the Scarlet Research Institute.
He opened his contacts list and dialed Wei Wei's number.
After a moment, the call connected, and Wei Wei's familiar voice came through.
Feng Qi then detailed everything he had experienced since leaving the Scarlet Research Institute.
Several hours later, he hung up and opened his contacts list again.
He found "Brain Guardian" and dialed.
After a long wait, the call connected, but there was no response from the other end.
Feng Qi spoke:
"Where are you now?"
An elderly voice answered:
"Atlantis Hotel in the Old Day City East Supply Zone. It's not far from the Death Star Third Battle Group's garrison manor where you are. We can get there in ten minutes at the fastest."
"Are you aware of the recent joint escort operation?"
"We've obtained the relevant intelligence, including the information you left at the Scarlet Research Institute. We basically understand what's happening... Are you planning to participate in this operation again?"
In response to the inquiry, Feng Qi nodded. "I'll most likely be participating in this operation. If anything unexpected happens, be prepared to retrieve my brain."
"Don't worry," the voice replied. "Even if it costs me my old life, I'll ensure your brain is returned to Scarlet."
"Thank you for your efforts."
"It's our duty. Everything is for the sake of creating the future we envision. We'll be your steadfast companions."
"I appreciate it."
Feng Qi hung up the phone.
He had made this call to allow the Brain Guardian team to prepare in advance. The operation was fraught with danger, and with the Lord of the Mist preoccupied with his own struggles, Feng Qi was likely to perish along the way.
While he couldn't avoid death, he needed to preserve his brain at all costs. The information he had shared with Wei Wei was only a fraction of his experience. A full account would take three days and three nights. Relying on memory reading remained the most effective method.
By noon, the Lord of the Mist had still not returned. Feng Qi picked up the phone and called the captains of each team.
After lunch, the warriors, fully armed, gathered at the center of the garrison manor. Once the captains confirmed their teams were assembled, Feng Qi began issuing a series of commands.
With the escort mission about to begin, the battle group needed to coordinate supplies, inspect and maintain equipment, and make other preparations in advance.
This was to ensure they were fully prepared for the upcoming joint escort operation.
After the team captains led their warriors away to get to work, Feng Qi walked toward the armory to inspect its maintenance status.
Recruitment Hall.
Conference Room.
The blue and white decorated space featured a large, circular metal table with thirty seats.
After a morning of waiting, the battle groups participating in the joint operation had largely arrived.
Fifteen battle groups were present, many having rushed from other frontline supply zones.
Li Duo, seated at the head of the table, glanced at his watch before addressing the room.
"Xiao Hu at the airport just called. The Dawn Battle Group has arrived. They rushed here immediately after completing their mission. Please remain calm."
The attendees' expressions remained unchanged.
They were accustomed to such situations; urgent joint operations often unfolded this way.
Many battle groups had barely returned to their garrisons before being dispatched to the next mission.
Just then, the conference room door swung open, and Mu Qing entered, wearing a white battle robe.
Her gaze swept across the room before focusing on the Lord of the Mist.
His aura felt vaguely familiar, yet she couldn't recall where she had encountered it before.
The Lord of the Mist, wearing his mask, suddenly felt a terrifying pressure surge toward him. But after a brief moment, the pressure dissipated.
At that moment, the Lord of the Mist had even prepared to forcibly break through and escape.
The first hurdle in seizing the bloodstone was Mu Qing.
If Mu Qing recognized his identity, there would be no point in continuing the plan.
As for the identity of "Wang Yi," it would naturally have to be abandoned.
Compared to his own life, everything else seemed insignificant.
Fortunately, Mu Qing only glanced at him briefly before quickly looking away.
Sweat dripped from his forehead as he forced himself to remain calm:
"Commander Mu, you're late."
"My apologies. I just finished the previous mission and saw the urgent request. Everyone has been waiting."
Mu Qing had shed her youthful naivety. The innocent look on her face was gone, replaced by an aura of confidence.
Years of front-line experience had matured her into a steady and composed woman.
The trials of blood and fire had forged her heart into an indomitable fortress.
She sat expressionlessly in an empty seat before turning to Li Duo, who occupied the head of the table:
"Chief Li, let's begin."
Li Duo nodded immediately and pressed a button on the conference table.
Instantly, a holographic projection materialized in the center of the table, displaying the image of the bloodstone.
He then began to explain in detail the origins and properties of the bloodstone, as well as the series of conflicts that erupted after its discovery.
After an hour-long presentation, Li Duo stood up with a solemn expression.
"Everyone, this bloodstone could even influence the development of our Human Civilization. I implore you all to ensure it reaches Old Day City."
"Next, Commander Wang Yi will elaborate on the escort mission plan."
With that, Li Duo returned to his seat.
The Lord of the Mist rose to his feet at that moment.
He glanced at Mu Qing before beginning to outline his proposed escort route.
The moment he saw Mu Qing arrive, he realized that the difficulty of seizing the bloodstone had increased dramatically.
But not entirely without hope.
He needed to create chaos, to muddy the waters.
Only in chaos could he seize the opportunity to absorb the bloodstone into his body.
Therefore, the planned route naturally followed areas where conflict was most likely to erupt.
Mu Qing remained silent throughout the discussion.
Other group leaders, however, occasionally offered their opinions, debating and suggesting modifications to the route.
After several hours of deliberation, the meeting adjourned.
As the Lord of the Mist was about to return to the garrison manor after leaving the conference room, a voice called out to him from behind.
"Commander Wang Yi."
He turned slowly at the sound.
When he saw Mu Qing standing behind him with a smile, his expression froze.
"Is there something you need?" the Lord of the Mist asked, forcing a calm demeanor.
"Commander Wang Yi, have we worked together on any joint operations before?"
"No," the Lord of the Mist replied evenly, showing no sign of nervousness.
"My mistake. I'm sorry," Mu Qing said with a apologetic nod.
Watching the Lord of the Mist's retreating figure, a hint of confusion flickered in Mu Qing's eyes.
There was something about Wang Yi's aura that felt strangely familiar, yet she couldn't place it.
After a moment's thought, she dismissed the thought and left the recruitment hall.
Two days later.
Today was the day the escort mission was set to begin.
Before dawn, Feng Qi and the Lord of the Mist had already assembled the battle group and begun loading supplies and equipment.
After a long period of work, at the Lord of the Mist's command, the warriors set off on foot toward the recruitment hall plaza.
Along the way,
Watching the Lord of the Mist, now wearing a mask, Feng Qi smiled.
He recalled yesterday's meeting.
In the Lord of the Mist's words, the entire meeting had been a false alarm.
He had remained tense throughout, ready to flee at any moment, even contemplating abandoning everything here and starting anew.
Fortunately, Mu Qing hadn't recognized him despite not wearing the mask.
Or rather, she hadn't remembered his aura from years past.
This was undoubtedly good news.
At least the plan to seize the bloodstone could proceed without being nipped in the bud.
But now, one problem lingered, causing Feng Qi unease:
How should he face Mu Qing?
He could technically opt out of the joint escort mission.
This would allow him to avoid meeting Mu Qing and simultaneously reduce his risk of death during the escort.
After careful consideration, he decided to accompany the Lord of the Mist on this journey.
His presence might have already altered the course of this joint escort mission, and he couldn't guarantee the Lord of the Mist would survive the crisis.
Of course, he wasn't so arrogant as to believe he could protect the Lord of the Mist.
But at least, by giving his allโeven at the cost of sacrificing his physical bodyโhe could create conditions for the Lord of the Mist to survive.
The Lord of the Mist's value to him could be divided into three aspects:
1. If the Lord of the Mist lives and he does too: He could follow the Lord of the Mist into the Tiger Soul Research Institute, uncovering many historical secrets.
2. If the Lord of the Mist lives and he dies: The plan would shift to Lin Ran possessing the Lord of the Mist's body.
3. In the future: The Lord of the Mist could become a combat asset, enabling him to seize the abilities of domain creatures.
Alternatively, this timeline might lead him to abandon the idea of body possession and confront the Lord of the Mist directly. Given their relationship, he would undoubtedly uncover many secrets.
Perhaps the Lord of the Mist 1,500 years in the future would have already discovered numerous secrets through his own effortsโsecrets that would be invaluable to him.
In any case, he could die, but the Lord of the Mist absolutely could not.
Otherwise, all his efforts would be in vain.
Whether he lived or died, the Lord of the Mist still held value.
So, even at the cost of his own life, he had to ensure the Lord of the Mist's survival, creating an opportunity for the other him to gather valuable intelligence or create value.
Lost in thought, they arrived at the plaza in front of the recruitment hall.
Military vehicles, having arrived early, were already neatly lined up and assembled in the plaza.
Feng Qi, like the other soldiers of the Death Star Battle Group, had put on a black iron mask and stood in the battle formation, blending in seamlessly.
Yet he still worried that Mu Qing might recognize him.
With this thought, he turned his gaze toward the Dawn Battle Group.
Just then, Mu Qing, who was chatting with the group leaders in the distance, seemed to sense something and suddenly turned to look in his direction.
After a brief moment of eye contact, a hint of confusion flickered across Mu Qing's face.
Feng Qi: ...
(End of the Chapter)
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