The King of Black Fog

"Not a single one missing?" Zheng Qing asked.

"Not a single one." Xiao Zhang replied.

Among these eight people, there were two hired local Islanders, five students, and Academician Lü himself.

There was only one helipad on Hemick Island, and it had already been occupied by unidentified forces. Their only option now was to take Academician Lü and the others to the seaside to board the submarine.

The submarine was stationed at the northwest corner of the island.

Hemick Island was shaped like a gourd, with the mouth of the gourd at the northwest corner, which was also where the submarine was docked.

"There might be landmines buried here." Xiao Zhang suddenly said, pointing at the narrow part in the middle of the gourd.

"Are you sure?" Zheng Qing asked.

"Eighty percent." Although he said so, Xiao Zhang's expression was one hundred percent certain.

Zheng Qing fell silent.

Escorting a professor and a group of students through the large island (the lower half of the gourd), through the dense forest fraught with peril, to the smaller island in the northwest direction (the upper half), was already extremely dangerous. If they encountered landmines along the way, casualties were almost a certainty.

If they encountered an attack from those unidentified forces as well...

"So," Xiao Zhang interrupted Zheng Qing's thoughts, "Commander Zheng, I suggest we steal their military vehicles."

"Military vehicles?" Scholar asked.

"They're modified military vehicles, with tires and chasses that can traverse landmines. Some of those mines are duds anyway, some people might only lose a few toes if they step on them," Xiao Zhang explained.

He looked at Zheng Qing and continued:

"Not just stealing the military vehicles, we can also take the opportunity to destroy all of their vehicles! Whether or not we steal the military vehicles, as long as the enemy doesn't have any, those mines could even become our weapon to cover our tracks!"

"What about the enemy Players?" Zheng Qing asked.

"They're there, but not in the barracks." Xiao Zhang circled a spot on the northern coast of the big island, "These people are after comfort and have no strict discipline at all, they are all in this mansion."

"Can you guarantee that?" Zheng Qing asked again.

"I can't, but according to earlier recon, it's indeed the case, it's worth a try."

Zheng Qing nodded.

"If we manage to steal the military vehicles, is there a way out?" Scholar asked.

"Of course!" Xiao Zhang drew a line on the gourd-shaped island, "This is a path told to me by the Islanders. It's very concealed, just an ordinary dirt road, but it's passable!"

Everyone pondered for a moment.

"What about the others? Any opinions, speak up now." Zheng Qing looked at everyone.

No one spoke.

"Alright!" Zheng Qing declared in a firm voice, "Rest now, at three o'clock in the morning, Poison, Big Thigh, Scholar, me, and Mosquito, Pigeon, Xiao Qing, the few of us will go steal the military vehicles, sabotage their vehicles. Remember, do not engage in prolonged battle! Focus on stealing the military vehicles, and strive to get out before the local Players arrive!"

"Understood!"

"Yang Liu, Tan Ke, the two of you, along with Xiao He, Xiao Yun, and Xiao Zhang, the three of them, take President Lü here and wait for us." Zheng Qing pointed to a spot in the middle of the gourd.

If they managed to steal the military vehicles, with one round of effort, the two teams could quickly cross the minefield and enter the upper half of the gourd.

"Yes!"

"Commander Zheng, I'll go with you!" Xiao He quickly spoke up.

"No."

"I know the way!" Xiao He insisted anxiously.

Zheng Qing looked at the scar on his face, "You've already done enough."

"But my mission isn't complete yet." Xiao He's gaze was resolute.

Zheng Qing looked around at everyone, and announced, "Xiao He will join us."

"Yes!" Xiao He saluted.

Xiao Yun looked at him with concern. Xiao He smiled at her and said, "Don't worry, we have experts with us. By the way, expert brother, how did you find us?"

"I'm curious about that too," Scholar chimed in, "These two are known as the 'Invisible couple.' If they weren't a man and a woman, and we didn't trust Xiao Yun's character, we wouldn't dare to undress even when bathing."

"Who the hell wants to look at your ass!" Xiao He laughed and cursed.

"But seriously," Poison joined in the fun, "Back when we were in the new recruits' squad, this beast Xiao He would always slap other guys' asses in the shower, right, Tan Ke?"

"Mmm." Tan Ke nodded.

Since even Tan Ke said so, it was almost certainly true.

"Damn it!" Xiao He exploded, "Am I interested in men? I'm interested in you two."

"Yikes~" Scholar shivered like a girl.

Everyone laughed, and Xiao He was a bit infuriated with embarrassment, but since he did slap men's butts in the bathhouse, he had no choice but to change the subject and kept asking how Li Changzhou had found them.

"Sorry, that's a national team secret," Li Changzhou replied with an official-like demeanor.

Zheng Qing: "..."

"That's awesome, I... and the pigeon," Li Qianxia swallowed the words 'my brother', "were already going easy on you. Once during a national team mission, we encountered a few foreigners who could turn invisible. We literally chopped them into pieces. Luckily this time it was just fists. Fists kill slower."

Zheng Qing: "..."

"Bloody hell!" Poison exclaimed in admiration, "The national team is tough, Brother Pigeon, you've got my back tomorrow!"

"Alright, but you got one thing wrong, it's not the national team that's tough, I am tough."

Poison had nothing to say, so he could only give a thumbs-up.

After a brief chat, Zheng Qing told everyone to use the time to rest as they were setting out precisely at three o'clock.

Considering it was hard to breathe through the masks, Zheng Qing got separate rooms for the three of them, Li Changzhou included.

Once the door was closed, Li Changzhou tossed Li Qianxia and Yang Qinglan into the "Honey Pot World," as only there could they truly rest with peace of mind.

They took off their masks, and Li Qianxia took a deep breath, while Yang Qinglan also relaxed a bit. The masks were suffocating if worn for too long, and being constantly vigilant for enemies was mentally exhausting.

Breathing the fresh air, they lay on the soft bed, contemplating the stars in the night sky.

The Yemen, filled with poverty and the scent of gunpowder, seemed like just a movie they'd watched before sleep.

"Qing Lan, was it you who told my brother where those two were?"

"No." Yang Qinglan answered.

"Then how did he find out?" Li Qianxia wondered.

"It must have been the Black Mist," Yang Qinglan said calmly, having already speculated this, "Didn't he say before that the first time he participated in the Sea Island instance, the Black Mist suddenly stopped, and that's when he changed his route?"

"Oh." Li Qianxia suddenly understood.

"Maybe while running, the damn thing (Li Changzhou often referred to the Black Mist this way in front of them) just stopped suddenly, and that's why he turned back to check," Yang Qinglan guessed with a smile.

Li Qianxia turned to her, staring unblinkingly.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Yang Qinglan asked in surprise, her eyes shining like two stars.

"It's nothing." Li Qianxia lay back down, her gaze returning to the night sky, her lips curling into a smile.

Feeling both amused and puzzled, Yang Qinglan let out a soft chuckle, her heart feeling a bit flustered.

Could it be that she knew about what had happened at dusk when she and Li Changzhou touched each other's arms?

"Qing Lan."

"Hmm?"

"It's so good to have met you."

With an innocent tone and straightforward expression, only someone like Li Qianxia, who'd been spoiled by her brother since childhood, could say it so directly.

"...Why would you say that?" Yang Qinglan asked while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Um— I don't exactly know why, it's just that you are really great."

"Is it 'you are great,' or 'it is great that it's you'?"

"It's the same thing, let's not talk about this anymore, let's sleep, sleep, sleep! Mmm~~ you smell so nice!"

"Please keep your distance from me," Yang Qinglan tilted her head, pushing against Li Qianxia's forehead who was sniffing her body, "or I'll tell your brother."