Chapter 61 - Supply Line
This process was causing rapid transformations in Tianyang\'s bones, muscles, organs, blood vessels, and even his nerves. During the transformation, Tianyang endured unimaginable pain. He was unable to think, and his consciousness was like a shattered mirror; not passing out itself was a miracle.
It was unknown how much time had passed until the signals of pain transmitted from his body through nerves to the brain gradually receded like a tide.
Only then did Tianyang fell into a deep sleep.
When he opened his eyes again, the room was pitch black. Looking out the window, he realized that night had already fallen.
Tianyang tried to move his fingers, and there was no abnormality. Only then did he crawl up from the floor.
He originally intended to perform a bounce motion, an action that would lift him a few centimeters off the ground to adjust his posture.
Unexpectedly, with a slight force from his limbs, Tianyang sprang up nearly two meters, almost touching the ceiling.
He was stunned; his body adjusted its posture on its own, allowing him to land straight on the floor.
By performing a slight crouch, he subtly guided the impact of landing toward the ground. Tianyang stood up steadily, looking at his hands in amazement.
He could feel that his body was filled with tremendous power. This power gave him a sense of expansion, and he wished to channel it out using his fists and kicks.
However, Tianyang didn’t want to demolish his new home, and he noticed that he was covered in dirt. A swipe of his hand revealed a layer of mud, making him look like he hadn\'t bathed in ten days.
He headed to the bathroom, and the widespread use of smart technology allowed Tianyang to activate thousands of miniature water jets around the bathroom through voice control. They sprayed an equal number of streams, thoroughly washing his body.
After the shower, Tianyang felt incredibly hungry. He then consumed an amount of food equivalent to three days\' worth, finally satisfying his intense hunger.
The next morning, he woke up, finding that the sensation of expansion in his body had disappeared and that he felt more robust. It was as if the previously loose steel cables in his body were now tightly twisted together.
Standing in front of a mirror, Tianyang observed himself.
The lines on his body were more pronounced; each muscle was filled with explosive power. His skin has become tighter and appeared somewhat translucent, as if it could break at a touch. Yet, in reality, it was more resilient than before.
To verify his own feelings, Tianyang lightly scratched his finger with a kitchen knife, only leaving a fine red mark without breaking the skin.
Of course, if he were to use a particle knife, it would undoubtedly cut through skin and flesh.
However, this indicated that his body strength has indeed increased significantly.
Unfortunately, Tianyang couldn’t observe his own bones. Otherwise, he would notice that every bone in his body now has delicate dark lines. These dark lines were composed of nano-sized micro-particles, which were hollow inside. They could buffer various impacts and reduce Tianyang\'s bone weight by 7%.
At this moment, a fly, attracted by the kitchen waste that hasn\'t been cleaned, flies in front of Tianyang. Unconsciously, the young man raised his hand, and a blotch appeared on the mirror.
Tianyang paused, then cleaned the blotch and disposed of the waste in the cleaning channel.
Afterward, he changed into his uniform, equipped himself, and left the apartment.
At seven-fifty in the morning, Tianyang arrived at assembly point 7 on the transfer platform. Shortly after, Han Shu and others arrived one after another. Tianyang noticed that there were a few new faces among the soldiers.
It seemed that they had supplemented personnel from the preparatory camp. As for the soldier named Yan Bing, he was now a corporal, commanding three privates.
Everyone from Raven Squad was present, and after Han Shu submitted the travel application, they moved in the direction of Kraff Gate.
Watching each companion enter the gate, Tianyang turned back, glancing toward the direction of the fortress graveyard, then stepped into the dark world behind the gate.
The moment he entered the Inverse Universe, the young man heard a faint, continuous, and indistinct whisper. His hair suddenly stood on end, and a chilling sensation directly hit his brain, as if a large, cold, and damp tongue had licked across his face. The inexplicable thick malice surges made him almost draw the Crimson Moon Warblade.
"Tianyang!"
Han Shu\'s voice brought him back to reality. Tianyang steadied himself, realizing he was already inside the base behind the gate.
There was no strange whisper or nauseating malice in his ears. It was as if everything just now was his illusion.
Han Shu scrutinized him with concern. "What\'s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Tianyang shook his head and said, "No, I didn\'t have breakfast this morning, so my stomach feels a bit uncomfortable."
"Young man, skipping breakfast is a bad habit." Lao Xu played the role of a health expert, taking out a compressed food from his waist pouch. "Here, eat this on the way. It\'s a bargain for you. My super cute daughter gave it to me."
Tianyang tried to decline, but Lao Xu forcefully put it in his pocket. Tianyang could only give up, deciding to visit Lao Xu\'s home after the mission.
15 minutes later, the high-speed train departed from the base, heading straight for the Lighthouse Base.
Inside the carriage, Han Shu distributed electronic boards folded like cards to the squad members. "This time is an exploration mission. Over at the Lighthouse Base, they plan to establish a supply line leading to the Metropolitan. There\'s a small town conveniently located along this supply line, and the command hopes we can scout it."
"The basic requirement is to submit a detailed map of the town, marking the potential locations of Dark Infestations. If we can eliminate the Black Infestations, it will be counted as additional merits."
"So, what\'s the basic reward for this mission?" Cang Du asked.
"Lieutenant rank, 500 contribution points per person. Corporal 200, Private 100. The additional calculation for clearing Dark Infestations is roughly like this. Of course, if you find any items of interest in the fortress or even the Pillar of Stars, you can earn a significant amount of contribution points."
Saying this, Han Shu glanced at Tianyang and chuckled. "This lucky kid is a living example."
Captain, please don\'t attract attention to me like this... Tianyang sighed inwardly. Although he now has several thousand contribution points in hand, they were earned at the cost of risking his life. This didn’t seem very lucky...
After arriving at the Lighthouse Base, the team rested for an hour before summoning two Falcon armored vehicles and related supplies and leaving the base.
On the second day, at noon, the Raven Squad arrived at their destination, a small town codenamed, "Barren Valley."
It was unclear if this town was originally built in a valley or if the topography in the Inverse Universe had changed, causing the ground around the town to rise, forming a valley.
In any case, this town stood tall in the misty Barren Valley, with bizarre peaks and rocks serving as its natural barrier. If the supply route could pass through this valley, the time to reach the Metropolitan could be reduced by 1 to 2 days.
At this time, it would sometimes determine whether a unit would live or die.