Chapter 375: Chapter 375: Only If You Are Safe Can Our Squad Hold Out Longer

The group traveled at full speed, soon arriving at the Tower.

As soon as Yun Sheng walked into the office of the Ninth Squad, a heavy, suffocating sense of tension instantly washed over her.

The entire office was dead silent, completely devoid of the relaxed atmosphere from when the team members had been laughing and joking on standby. A heavy expression weighed on everyone’s face, their brows filled with tension and solemnity.

Vice Captain Zhou Yi was weaving back and forth among the team members. His expression was stern as he carefully inspected everyone’s combat gear and protective equipment one by one. He double-checked everything, not daring to allow the slightest oversight, for fear that something might go wrong later at the incident site in the suburbs.

The door to the independent office on the side was tightly shut. Lu Chen was inside, and even through the door, the muffled sounds of his lowered voice on a call could be vaguely heard. His tone was urgent; he was likely coordinating with superiors for orders and confirming the latest situation at the field site.

The moment Yun Sheng stepped into the office, Zhou Yi caught sight of her in his peripheral vision. He immediately stopped what he was doing and walked quickly toward her.

"Yun Sheng, you’re here! Hurry, go pack your gear immediately." Staring at her, he specifically instructed, "Bring a few extra high-concentration Spirit Suppressors and spare Spirit Barrier Patches. The Spiritual Interference at the suburban site is extremely strong this time, so we must be fully prepared."

Seeing this, Yun Sheng didn’t dare to delay. She nodded immediately and replied, "Understood. I’ll get ready right away."

She turned and walked quickly to the supply cabinet, skillfully taking out her combat bag and protective gear. Following Zhou Yi’s instructions, she prepared several extra inhibitors and quickly organized everything.

Just as she finished packing and walked out of the preparation area carrying her gear, the tightly shut door of the adjacent office was pushed open.

Lu Chen walked out with a dark expression, a heavy layer of exhaustion and solemnity covering his brow. Clearly, the battle situation he had just coordinated was far from optimistic.

He swept his gaze over the team members, who were all present and fully geared up, and directly issued the final field orders in a low, hoarse voice.

"Latest news. The residual spiritual pollution at several incident sites in the suburbs is still spreading, and the fires caused by the previous attacks haven’t been completely extinguished—they’re still actively spreading. Currently, there are many stranded civilians and injured garrison personnel at the scene who haven’t had time to evacuate," Lu Chen said, sweeping a sharp gaze over everyone present, his tone stern and tense.

"Our squad’s core mission this time is search and rescue, as well as investigating residual hidden dangers. Everyone, remember this: there is a high probability that remnants of the Dark Nest are still lurking and hiding at the scene, waiting for an opportunity to ambush us. Search and rescue is the priority; combat is secondary. No matter what situation you encounter, the number one premise is to ensure your own safety!"

"Yes, sir!"

The team members stood tall and answered in unison, their tone sonorous and firm. The solemn, battle-ready atmosphere instantly peaked.

After issuing the orders, Lu Chen’s gaze slowly landed on Yun Sheng. His eyes were dark, seemingly tinged with worry.

He turned sideways to avoid the other team members, walked quickly over to her, and deliberately lowered his voice, instructing her at a volume only the two of them could hear.

"The Dark Nest’s operation this time is too abnormal. Everything about it is bizarre, and there might be unexpected traps hidden waiting for us. You are only a B-level Guide with limited spiritual power, so whatever you do, don’t push yourself too hard when we get to the scene.

"If you encounter spiritual pollution that you can’t suppress, or any sudden danger, retreat immediately. Act within your capabilities and ensure your own safety."

Yun Sheng was a bit surprised at first, but she immediately nodded, her expression earnest as she softly thanked him. "I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Captain Lu. I’ll protect myself."

Lu Chen gave a slight nod and said no more. He raised his hand and announced in a deep voice, "Everyone, move out!"

Without further delay, the crowd grabbed their combat gear, walked out of the office in an orderly fashion, and hurried downstairs to board the dedicated field convoy.

Many squads had been assigned field missions in the suburbs. Several dedicated combat vehicles drove away from the Tower one after another, speeding all the way toward the incident sites.

The atmosphere along the way was exceptionally oppressive. No one joked or relaxed; everyone silently checked their gear and adjusted their mental states, ready to deal with sudden emergencies at any moment.

Over half an hour later, the convoy smoothly arrived at the largest garrison point in the suburbs.

As soon as they approached the area, glaring firelight assaulted their faces. More than half of the buildings in the entire garrison base had been swallowed by the raging flames. Blazing firelight shot straight into the sky, while rolling black smoke surged everywhere. Ash-gray smog shrouded the entire sky, and even the air carried a scorching heat.

The scene was a chaotic mess. Collapsed walls, scorched equipment, and scattered supplies could be seen everywhere. The ground was covered in cracks and ashes. Residual open flames were still flickering intermittently, and the thick smoke was choking. The continuously spreading spiritual pollution mixed with the smell of smoke and fire, invisibly pressing down on people’s chests and making it hard to breathe.

Rescue workers, medical teams, and the surviving garrison members shuttled back and forth. Some were busy extinguishing the fire and cooling things down, some were carrying the wounded for emergency transfer, and others were investigating residual hidden dangers...

The rising and falling shouts, the hum of operating equipment, and the crackling of open flames intertwined, chaotic and urgent.

Looking from afar, the entire area was devastated, completely unrecognizable from the neat and heavily guarded garrison base it used to be. The damage caused by the Dark Nest’s surprise attack this time was several times more tragic than what it looked like in the photos on the Star Network.

The convoy slowly stopped outside the temporary rescue cordon, and the team members in the vehicles quickly pushed open the doors and got out.

As soon as everyone stood firm, a violent and chaotic spiritual turbulence, wrapped in billowing thick smoke, washed over them with an extremely strong impact.

Two low-level team members in the squad couldn’t withstand it. Their faces instantly turned deathly pale. They raised their hands to press against the space between their brows, their temples throbbing. They were clearly affected by the high-intensity spiritual pollution, their condition visibly worsening.

Yun Sheng frowned. She raised her hand and condensed a gentle, translucent spiritual power barrier that steadily enveloped all the members of the Ninth Squad, completely isolating them from the violent spiritual turbulence around them.

The chaotic Spirit Shock vanished abruptly. The low-level team members in the squad instantly breathed a sigh of relief. Their tense bodies relaxed, and their disordered breathing slowly calmed down.

Not far away, the Eighth Squad had also just gotten off their vehicles. Their team was assigned a newly promoted rookie guide. Facing such high-intensity spiritual pollution, the other party was completely powerless to prop up a large-scale barrier and could only barely protect himself. Their team members were still being harassed by the spiritual turbulence. Each of them had a tight expression and was in a sluggish state. Compared to the Ninth Squad, the difference was exceptionally obvious.

Lu Chen took all of this in. He turned his head to look at Yun Sheng beside him and instructed in a low voice, "Don’t output too much spiritual power all at once. Make sure to conserve your strength; there are still tough battles to fight later."

"I know, Captain Lu," Yun Sheng replied, nodding obediently.

For her current self, sustaining a Spirit Barrier for the entire squad was not considered strenuous; the consumption was completely within a tolerable range. However, she also understood Lu Chen’s concerns and didn’t try to show off.

Only after confirming that everyone in the squad had adapted to the surrounding environment and stabilized their condition did she slowly raise her hand and withdraw the expanded Spirit Barrier.

By this time, Lu Chen had already turned and walked quickly toward the rescue command post at the scene to coordinate the latest search and rescue missions with the frontline commander.

Taking advantage of the gap, Zhou Yi quietly sidled up to Yun Sheng and lowered his voice. "Yun Sheng, try to stick close to me during the operation later. Don’t get too close to Captain Lu."

Hearing this, Yun Sheng was slightly startled. She subconsciously tilted her head, her eyes filled with confusion.

During the last mission, Zhou Yi had told her to follow Lu Chen. Why was it the other way around this time?

Zhou Yi understood the confusion in her eyes and sighed helplessly.

"Today is different. In this kind of high-risk, chaotic situation, once Captain Lu throws himself into work, it’s like he doesn’t care about his own life. He’s always charging at the very front, specifically picking the most dangerous core areas to break into.

"If you follow him, you’ll have to face high-intensity pollution and unknown dangers directly throughout the entire process. It’s too risky. Stick by my side, and I’ll look after you a bit more. Only if you’re safe can our squad hold out longer."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.