The King of Black Fog

"Xiao Yun!"

"Yang— cough, Yang Liu?" Xiao Yun clutched his stomach, his face crumpled like a piece of paper, "Is it you guys?"

Yang Liu quickly burst into the convenience store and helped Xiao Yun up.

Scholar also assisted Xiao He.

Poison, Thigh, and Tank kept watch while stealthily observing Li Changzhou.

It wasn't because of his strength.

"Didn't expect it to be you guys, how were you discovered?!" Scholar asked in surprise.

"I... would like to know that too!" Xiao He, whose head was pounding to the point of exploding, grimaced with pain at the spot where he had been pinched by five fingers, as if scalded by a cigarette.

Bearing the pain, he said, "Damn it! Got found by a strange cat in the jungle once before, and got discovered again today. Only after coming out did I realize there are skies beyond our sky, people beyond our people!"

"Xiao Yun, your arm!" Just then, Yang Liu discovered in the darkness that Xiao Yun's left arm was missing its lower half.

"It's nothing, it's an old injury!" Xiao Yun, too, was sweating profusely from the pain but tried to answer gently.

"Sorry about this, both of you," Li Changzhou said apologetically.

"Apologize for what! That's nothing!" Xiao He, while enduring the pain in the darkness, spoke with a hearty laugh in his voice, "Seeing you guys, I'd be happy even if you beat me to death!"

"Well then, I'll kill you right now!" Scholar said excitedly.

Xiao He was about to curse when Zheng Qing interrupted him, "No time for chit-chat or reminiscing, how's Academician Lu? Is he still safe?"

"Safe," Xiao Yun replied, panting, "We came out to look for medicine."

"Did you find it?"

"We found it!"

"Then let's go! Yang Liu, Scholar, you two carry them," Zheng Qing ordered.

Yang Liu and Scholar, without a word, carried Xiao Yun and Xiao He on their backs.

"Wait!" Xiao Yun bent over to pick up the medicine and food from the ground.

"I'll do it!" Li Qianxia ran over.

Nine men and a dog, guided by the two of them, carefully left the town.

By then, Xiao Yun and Xiao He's pain had subsided, but Zheng Qing directed Scholar and Yang Liu to continue carrying them.

Xiao He, on Scholar's back, had a lot on his mind that he wanted to say and ask, but the strict discipline didn't allow him to utter a single word at this time.

The journey there had felt as long as a century, but the return seemed to take only the blink of an eye. Soon, the hunter's lodge, dense and leafy like a tree, came into view.

The last remaining player in the lodge—Xiao Zhang, hearing the noise from afar, stood guard by the vine-covered door early on.

"Who?" he called out the agreed-upon code.

"Your old man!" Xiao He cursed.

"Who's your old man?"

"Li Er!"

The vines were lifted, and everyone quickly rushed in.

Xiao Zhang, seeing a large group of people storming in, was shocked and panicked for a moment, subconsciously thinking that Xiao He had been captured or controlled, bringing enemies into their hideout.

But as he recognized them, a wave of immense joy surged in his heart.

At that moment, Academician Lu and several students, hearing the commotion, also hurried down from upstairs.

In the almost non-existent moonlight inside the house, Zheng Qing gave one glance and her eyes settled on the most elderly figure, Academician Lu.

She stood at attention and saluted, "By higher orders, Storm Squad has come to support!"

"Good! Good!" Academician Lu, used to shaking hands, extended his hand before realizing a salute was in order, "Thank you for risking your lives to get here!"

"Academician Lu," Zheng Qing promptly lowered her hand, "according to higher command, I am in charge of directing all evacuation efforts to ensure it is unified, safe, and orderly."

"I follow higher orders and will cooperate with all your work," Academician Lu said formally, accepting the command with the dignity of a National Medicine Bureau official before warmly adding in his personal capacity, "Captain Zheng, from here on, we will follow your lead."

"Thank you for your cooperation, Academician Lu. Additionally, these are comrades sent specially by the Special Warfare Bureau to assist us, with the authority to take any action," Zheng Qing introduced Li Changzhou and his two companions.

Their military uniforms covered their whole bodies, and they wore gas masks. In the faint light, they looked like chemical troops involved in an evil chemistry experiment.

"Greetings," Academician Lu said warmly, reaching out his hand.

Li Changzhou shook his hand and said sternly, "Academician Lu, rest assured, there is an internal command from above: no matter what happens to anyone else, we must bring you back."

"This..." Academician Lu didn't know whether to be touched or shocked at the moment.

"Teacher!" The students following him panicked at once.

The real national team member, Zheng Qing: "..."

No such orders had ever been given by the higher-ups.

"Stop talking nonsense," Xiao He suddenly spoke up, "Hurry up and get the medicine to save people!"

"Right, right, right!" Academician Lu came to his senses and quickly asked the students to fetch the medicine and tend to the injured upstairs.

Being used to field trips, they knew some basic first aid.

"Is someone hurt?" Zheng Qing asked, turning her attention away from Li Changzhou.

"One person," Xiao Zhang replied.

"It was to save me," Academician Lu said with guilt and shame, unable to refrain from adding, "Xiao He and Xiao Yun are both commendable comrades!"

Zheng Qing, not focusing on that, asked bluntly, "Can they walk?"

Expecting a student to carry an adult woman through the forest was impossible.

If the injured person couldn't walk, they would have to have a player carry her, effectively losing a combatant.

"No," Xiao Zhang replied.

Zheng Qing's gaze swept over the warrior squad, "Tank, you'll carry her when we evacuate."

"Understood."

Tank was the most stable and sometimes so reliable that it bordered on naivety. Even under special circumstances, he would never go against superiors' instructions.

If it were Xiao He or anyone else, in a critical moment, they might choose to leave Zhou Xiaohan behind to save a teammate.

Next, Xiao Zhang briefly briefed everyone on the current situation.

All eight people needing rescue were now here.