I started with Emperor Armor and conquered Infinity.

Chapter 158 Before Action

The desolate city is located at the border between the Ruolan Empire and the Longyuan Dynasty. It is a strategic location that the Longyuan Dynasty reclaimed after a century of hardship.

The main body of this city sits atop a towering mountain peak, behind which lies the vast territory of the Longyuan Dynasty.

This terrain gives it a unique strategic advantage of being high above the ground.

In terms of military strategy, the desolate city holds a pivotal position.

If the Ruolan Empire attempts to bypass this place and strike directly at the heart of the enemy, it is highly likely to find itself in a dangerous situation where its retreat is cut off and it is subsequently surrounded and annihilated.

Moreover, in order to better leverage their strategic role and achieve a mutually supportive relationship, they need to work together.

In addition to the well-constructed and sturdy camps inside the city, a fortified camp was also specially built outside the city as a temporary garrison and emergency defense point.

Just as the group was about to arrive at the desolate city, a cultivator rushed over. He was clearly prepared, as he was wearing an appointment badge that was obviously related to this mission.

He hurriedly walked towards Zhou Zhuoran and gave him a brief but serious handover.

During the handover, Zhou Zhuoran glanced around and noticed that the people in the camp had changed quite a bit, with many unfamiliar faces appearing.

But those once-familiar, extraordinary figures of reincarnators have vanished without a trace.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhuoran pondered inwardly, and some of his previous thoughts became even more certain, and his expression involuntarily turned somewhat cold.

At this moment, the cultivator took out a token. A faint light flashed on the token, and a message was instantly transmitted, accurately merging into another receiving token on Zhou Zhuoran's waist.

After the handover was completed, the cultivator turned around and left without saying a word. The whole process was swift and efficient, without any hesitation.

"The command has ordered you to rest for a while and make the necessary adjustments before immediately beginning in-depth intelligence gathering. There must be no mistakes."

The words left behind by the cultivator echoed in Zhou Zhuoran's ears, and he smiled bitterly to himself.

They've only had a short break before they have to go into battle. Are they really that short-handed?

Although the real, intense war among cultivators has not yet broken out, for these cultivators who are only at the Qi Refining stage, the risks involved in this mission to gather intelligence are already deadly.

"Sigh, there's nothing we can do. Since the orders have been given, we can only rest for a bit and then prepare to set off. Hopefully, we can complete the mission as well as save our own lives."

Although Zhou Zhuoran had a vague sense of unease, now that he had received the order, it was no time to run away. He could only grit his teeth and prepare to face the challenge head-on.

In the Linhai City Military Region, Zhou Zhuoran had accumulated some connections thanks to his relationship with Lu Yiwen, which gave him a certain amount of confidence.

However, when facing the Dragon Abyss Dynasty, which possessed experts at the Nascent Soul Realm, he knew in his heart that he was, in the end, just a minor character who had only recently established his foundation.

In the eyes of those powerful beings, they were no different from ants. If they disobeyed orders, this behemoth could crush them with ease.

Upon hearing Zhou Zhuoran's words, everyone's expressions varied and were somewhat grim, but they all understood that military orders were absolute, and could only nod silently to acknowledge this harsh reality.

After resting, while observing the condition of his group, Zhou Zhuoran inadvertently noticed Lin Yao quietly resting not far away and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:

"Xiao Yao, why did you come along? It's too dangerous for a newcomer like you in such a dangerous place. Sigh, never mind, you should come with us."

Zhou Zhuoran was genuinely surprised by Lin Yao's appearance, but since things had come to this point, he could only accept it helplessly.

"Thank you, Brother Zhou."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yao was slightly taken aback, then a gentle smile appeared on his face as he nodded his thanks to Zhou Zhuoran.

"Ah, this, this isn't like you at all, Brother Zhou. Why are you suddenly thinking of bringing along a new reincarnator?"

One of the team members asked, looking puzzled.

"Actually, I also find it strange. A newcomer clearly has the corresponding protection mechanism, and in normal circumstances, he shouldn't need to take risks with us. But he just happened to come along. Now, things are going to get tough."

Another team member couldn't help but complain as well.

"Are all new hires this unprofessional these days?!"

The two young men, dressed in somewhat flamboyant attire, spoke with obvious dissatisfaction and their words were rather aggressive.

"Maybe this guy is really strong. We shouldn't underestimate him," one of the team members speculated.

"I hope so..." Everyone echoed, though they said it that way, they were all dissatisfied and worried about Lin Yao's arrival.

The other team members, who also belonged to the military region's forces, had only so-so relationships with Lin Yao to begin with, and were even more displeased when he suddenly joined them.

However, out of consideration for Zhou Zhuoran, she did not lash out directly, but only complained quietly.

This is already considered giving Zhou Zhuoran a lot of face.

"Alright, Xiao Yao's strength is quite good, and besides Lu... never mind, you wouldn't understand if I said more, just don't worry."

Zhou Zhuoran naturally couldn't ignore what everyone was saying, so he immediately spoke up, trying to calm everyone down.

However, he seemed to have some reservations, and hesitated when mentioning Lu Yiwen, ultimately choosing to conceal some key information.

He barely managed to suppress everyone's discontent by relying on his reputation among the people.

In fact, Zhou Zhuoran himself was not sure how strong Lin Yao was, and he was also afraid that he would bring a bad teammate along.

However, considering his relationship with Lu Yiwen, he felt that as long as he could continue to build a connection with him, it would be a very worthwhile investment with a good return.

"Also, Yao, don't take it to heart. They're just rough guys who speak bluntly. Don't take it to heart."

Zhou Zhuoran then turned to Lin Yao and spoke in a tone full of concern and comfort, as if afraid that Lin Yao might have some bad thoughts because of what the others said.

"Okay, Brother Zhou, it's just a small matter, I understand, thank you for your concern."

Lin Yao remained calm, smiled and nodded, not taking the others' words to heart.

"..."

Seeing this, some astute people realized that Lin Yao likely had an extraordinary background.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have received such protection from Zhou Zhuoran, so she couldn't help but reveal a look of envy and jealousy in her eyes.

……