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.