Inside The Black Mist

"What's the matter, Commander?" Tianyang was curious. The branch commander's earlier look of surprise was unmistakable. Did his appearance shock him?

Shen Mozhu waved his hand, his composure restored, and a faint smile appeared on his face. "It's nothing. When you get old, your eyes tend to play tricks on you."

He took out a towel to wipe his hands and then sat behind his desk, which was lined with potted plants, almost obscuring his face.

"Ling Feng has briefed me about your situation. It seems there's a special mission requiring you to go to Gemstone Town. To avoid arousing suspicion, I've arranged a task for you."

Tianyang nodded. "That's correct, Commander. Thank you for the trouble."

"It's no trouble," Shen Mozhu said with a chuckle. "You know, you're in luck. If you'd come a few days earlier, I wouldn't have had a suitable task for you. Our base has very few towns left to explore. The surrounding towns were explored over the past fifty years, and those further away are unreachable..."

"Look at me, rambling off-topic. Back to the point, I happen to have a task that involves going to Gemstone Town. Recently, a botanist from the fortress has arrived, intending to study the bioluminescent fungi in Gemstone Town. They requested a team for protection, so you'll be going with them. How does that sound?"

Tianyang responded eagerly, "I'll follow your arrangements, Commander!"

Shen Mozhu seemed in a good mood and cheerfully said, "It's settled then. By the way, people from the Yun family will also be going. You know about the Yun family from Qingtian, right? Those noble brats can be quite troublesome. It's best if you keep a low profile on the way, for everyone's sake."

Tianyang was momentarily stunned. Is the Yun family going to Gemstone Town to study plants? They must really be idle.

Shen Mozhu picked up a communicator and called out, "Have Adam come over. Tell him I need to see him."

Adam? The name sounded Western. Was there a Westerner in this base, and a Night Walker at that? Tianyang was very curious.

Shen Mozhu seemed to read Tianyang's thoughts and, while trimming a plant with scissors, said, "We don't have many Night Walker squads in the base right now. Adam leads the ”Sun's Spear” squad, one of my more reliable elite units. He's a Westerner, but he's been with us at Qingtian Fortress for nearly ten years. Apart from his appearance, he's fully integrated with us."

Footsteps approached from outside, followed by a knock. A young, but somewhat mature-sounding voice came through, "You called for me, Commander?"

Shen Mozhu put down the scissors. "Come in."

The door opened, and a young Westerner walked in. His features were pronounced, with blond hair and golden eyes, much like Roshan. Perhaps due to his short haircut, he appeared very steady and mature.

What surprised Tianyang the most was that this person was wearing a full suit of armor, distinctly Western in style.

The armor didn't have the deep glow of star materials and appeared to be made of common steel. He also had a longsword hanging from his waist. The blond man, with one hand resting on his sword, walked over to stand beside Tianyang.

Suddenly, he brought his legs together, clenched his right hand into a fist, and forcefully struck his chest armor, making a loud clang that made the windows vibrate. Then he loudly declared, "Greetings, Commander!"

The loudness of his voice made the windows hum.

He's a serious person, Tianyang thought.

Shen Mozhu took out a handkerchief and wiped his face. "Adam, no need to be so formal. Let me introduce you. This is Tianyang, also a Night Walker. Ling Feng has a special mission for him. Tomorrow, he'll be accompanying you to Gemstone Town. For appearances, you can just say he's a member of ”Sun's Spear.”

Without hesitation, Adam protested, "This won't work, Commander. My team members are rigorously selected. You can't just insert someone randomly; it will interfere with my command."

Shen Mozhu awkwardly coughed, "Adam, Tianyang has another mission. I just need you to cover for him. You don't need to intervene in anything else."

Adam firmly shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

"Even if I ask you as a favor?"

"Even though you're the Commander, my squad is my responsibility!"

"Alright then. In that case, I'll have the Tianma Squad take over your mission tomorrow."

"Commander!" Adam looked exasperated. "Fine, I'll do it. It's rare for us to get a mission outside the base. If I mess this up, my team will be very disappointed. But, Commander, this can't happen again."

Shen Mozhu grinned. "We'll see about that next time."

I bet he'll still lose to his commander next time. But seriously, this Adam seems quite principled. Hmm, a straightforward person... Tianyang thought.

Shen Mozhu continued, "Take Tianyang around the base, and make sure to arrange a room for him."

"Understood!"

Adam turned and extended his large hand. "So, for the next while, I'll be in your care. I'm Adam, captain of the Sun's Spear squad."

Tianyang quickly shook his hand. "I'm Tianyang, a member of the Raven Squad. Thank you for your help, Captain Adam."

"No problem at all."

Wow, this guy's grip is strong...

After releasing Tianyang's hand, Adam strode out of the office and said, "Come with me. I'll show you around the base, though it seems you won't be staying here long."

Leaving the Night Walker division building, they stepped onto the main road of the Yunxiang Base, where numerous large transport vehicles were constantly coming and going. This base, coexisting with the forest, was filled with twisted, sickly-looking trees typical of the reverse world.

The base's remote sensing tower was hidden among these plants. If Adam hadn't pointed it out, Tianyang would never have noticed the legendary tower responsible for external communication concealed behind several twisted trees.

Stopping by a massive wall, Adam said, "This is the base's Memorial Wall. Many people died building this base. Their names are engraved here. Later, the names of warriors who died during exploration were also added. I hope one day, my name will be on this wall too!"

Dude, you're still young. Isn't living better...?

Tianyang reached out to touch the wall, whose surface was cool to the touch and it was made of some kind of steel. The engraved names silently told a story of a challenging history.

"Come on, I'll take you to the warehouse. If you need anything, you can apply for it there."

Adam was about to lead Tianyang to the base warehouse when suddenly a voice called out, "It's you! What are you doing here?"

Tianyang turned and saw a slightly cold face twisted in anger, eyes almost blazing with fury, clearly reflecting Tianyang's face.

It was Zhou Yao, the Zhou family member, who repeatedly caused trouble for Tianyang and attempted to harm Xun!

Tianyang was equally surprised. What was Zhou Yao doing at Yunxiang Base? Had he been exiled here?