High above the wall, the burly figure with a bearded face made no attempt to hide his malice, his weapon aimed steadily at their vehicle.

What appeared to be a regular rifle sent shivers down Ji Jue's spine the moment its barrel locked on.

What kind of treasure is this?!

His eyes lit up, unable to contain his curiosity.

Ji Liu rolled down the window, slowly stretching out his hand, waving it before finally revealing his face towards the direction of the searchlight, "Old Tian, it's me, Big Liu!"

"I don't care who the hell you are!" Old Tian with the beard, expressionless, demanded, "Where's the verification? Hurry up, or my bullets won't recognize any Big Liu or Little Zhang..."

Tong Shan removed his glove, stretching out his palm toward the base in the distance, where intricate Spiritual Circuit patterns emerged from his palm, tangling into thousands of strands before connecting with the Spiritual Circuit extending from the base.

Triple key verification complete.

Identity, soul, and seal, all confirmed without error.

"...So it really is Cliff City's Vanguard Team?"

The muzzle wavered slightly, and after Old Tian hesitated for a while, he finally came down from the high wall, circled their vehicle a few times, then waved to someone behind him, and the gate opened.

The base wasn't large, having temporarily occupied the ruins of a sports stadium, and after reinforcing it, the internal space was roughly the size of a few large soccer fields, replete with tents, wire fences, spiritual traps, and other defenses.

In just under two months, the permanent Vanguard Team had rooted itself in the heart of Spring City, constructing a semi-permanent defensive installation.

The camp was bustling with activity, with people coming and going. Seeing support had arrived, they eagerly gathered not far away, gazing with curiosity.

Only the state of affairs didn't look good at all.

Nearly everyone was injured.

The neck of Old Tian, who led the way, was bandaged, reeking of the pungent smell of antiseptics mixed with blood, his eyes bloodshot, showing no sign of rest for who knows how long, he grumpily asked:

"We sent out the signal a long time ago, why did it only reach you now? Don't tell me the higher-ups are waiting for us to die before they come pay their respects?"

"There was a discrepancy between the internal and external time, the outpost only received your message yesterday."

Tong Shan calmly accepted the resentment accumulated during the long wait and didn't retort, simply asking, "Is Commander Lou here?"

"Commander Lou?!"

Before Old Tian could answer, Lou Feng, who had been keeping his head down and pretending to be dead, suddenly shuddered as if electrocuted and exclaimed in shock, "Which Commander Lou?"

"Which one?"

Tong Shan turned back, puzzled, "Don't you know? Isn't there only one Commander from Tide City Security Bureau, Lou Yanyue? Is there another? You hesitated so much when you joined, I thought you knew all along..."

I knew nothing!

Lou Feng's eyes twitched uncontrollably, his complexion turning pale, and he instinctively stepped back, trying to shield Ji Jue in front of himself, "If I had known, I wouldn't have come at all!"

"An acquaintance of yours?" Ji Jue inquired, curious.

It was hard to imagine, that one day the proud and dismissive Mr. Lou would turn pale at the mere mention of a name, looking like a mouse that had just seen a cat, as if he wished he'd worn a diaper in anticipation of today's events.

"Otherwise?"

Lou Feng glared resentfully, suspecting Ji Jue was doing this on purpose.

And indeed, he was!

Lou wasn't a common surname. Commander Lou, Lou Feng—clearly, from the same family. Asking now was as absurd as pointing to an air conditioning repairman and inquiring about his occupation...

Ji Jue just wanted to enjoy these marvelous expressions a bit longer.

After Lou Feng shot him a fierce glance, he tried to maintain his composure, but couldn't conceal the tremble in his voice, "Where... where is that Commander Lou?"

"Had a scuffle last night with the punks from the Evil Cult, got a bit hurt, he's resting right now. If you want to see him, wait till dinner," Old Tian replied before asking, "Did you bring any medicine? We've run out here in the base."

Tong Shan pointed to the heaps of boxes in the cargo space, "All here, supplies for two deliveries. If it's not enough, we can spare some from our share."

"I have some too."

Upon hearing this, Lou Feng, whose face was filled with anxiety, hurriedly started rummaging through his pack. Clearly frightened to death, yet still evidently concerned, it was like a child who scored fifty-nine on a final exam, rushing to serve tea and water upon hearing his parents cough—a touching display of filial piety.

This only piqued Ji Jue's curiosity further.

As they passed a signal tower, he couldn't help but reach out and touch it.

Immediately, Old Tian turned back suspiciously, feeling the faint Spiritual Fluctuation, and stared him down with undisguised coldness in his bloodshot eyes:

"What are you doing?"

Ji Jue was startled and quickly withdrew his hand, "Sorry, I've never seen this kind of equipment..."

"This is the permanent investigative team's base, not like other places. There are many rules, so mind your hands!"

Old Tian gave Ji Jue a cold look before turning to Tong Shan with a warning, "Keep an eye on your man!"

"I will," Tong Shan said, patting Ji Jue's shoulder, "Everyone's on edge from working in high-risk environments all the time. Don't make jokes."

"Alright, disperse," Old Tian waved his hand, signalling the crowd that had gathered to scatter. The previously tense atmosphere began to relax, and only after one final look at them did he say, "Follow me."

Only Ji Jue remained, awkwardly smiling, appeasingly nodding his head toward those cold gazes.

Carefully concealing his nervous, trembling fingers.

Just like any Ember Craftsman who had been spooked.

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