In the dimly lit conference room, twenty silhouettes sat on either side of a long table, with the leading officer standing at the head, waiting in silence.


    Bai E was thest to arrive. As he pushed the door and entered, the group said nothing and the atmosphere turned somewhat eerie.


    "Eh? There''s still one more?" someone broke the silence, their tone seemingly just simple curiosity.


    No one replied.


    There was a mocking look in everyone''s eyes.


    No one respected those who entered an elite secret operation team through the back door wanting to share in the glory.


    Bai E kept a straight face and did not make a sound; he just nced around briefly, and seeing an empty seat at the end of the table, he went over and sat down.


    He knew he was not wee in this team, and it''s normal to be looked down upon for entering through the back door anywhere.


    Not to mention that when everyone else was risking their lives on a mission, having someone who "drags their feet" would certainly cause resentment.


    But Bai E didn''t want to miss this rare opportunity to explore ancient ruins.


    As for whether he would hold the team back during the mission... that would be a matter of doing his best.


    The soldier sitting next to him, smiling at Bai E in a friendly manner as if trying to make his acquaintance, asked, "Brother, how did you get selected? Marksmanship? Assassination? You''re not an information officer, are you?"


    "..."


    Gregory frowned slightly and stopped this mockery, "Alright, everyone''s here, so I''ll get right to the point."


    The officer leading the team, with his hands pressed on the table, leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping over the teammates who would apany him on the mission.


    As he spoke, the projector behind him timely disyed an image—


    A square building covered in vines upied most of the screen, with only a small part visible on the surface, and the remaining depth of the main body buried underground unknown.


    Amidst a soft "click" sound, the photo changed, showing several shots of the building from different angles.


    The style was distinct from any architecture Bai E had seen since he arrived in this world, filled with a cold mechanical aesthetic.


    The silver-gray building had stood for a thousand years, unyielding.


    Bai E''s gaze sharpened slightly as he noticed the date in the upper-left corner of the photo—August 3, 398 of the New Imperial Calendar, at 2:32 and 16 seconds in the afternoon.


    That was over forty years ago.


    "These are the most recent photos we have concerning the mission target, dating back over 40 years, as you can all see. The information from above says that a bunch of centuries-old antiques—biomechanical beings—are upying the target location. Whether their vitality is enough to sustain them to this day is an unknown."


    Clenching a copy of thebat n in his hand, the officer mmed it onto the table with a loud "smack," "This is thebat strategy against biomechanical beings that I''ve received, but we may not need it. In fact, we haven''t had any understanding of the situation inside the target for hundreds of years, so..."


    The leading officer''s tone was grave, his eyes slowly sweeping over all the soldiers under hismand, "No one knows what awaits us inside the target building. It could be those brainless orcs, it could be bugs... or maybe nothing at all. I have only one requirement for all of you—obeymands!


    I know you''ve all been pulled from various teams in the military barracks, and you may not know me yet, but that''s fine; we will get to know each other on the way. If anyone has any objections, they can raise them now. After we depart, those who defy orders will be executed on the spot. Understood?"


    The atmosphere fell into a brief silence, then, almost as if by agreement, all the soldiers replied in unison, "Understood!"


    First establishing his own authority and then moving on to the specifics, the unfamiliar soldiers needed to cooperate on the mission, and thest thing they wanted was ack of unifiedmand.


    The officer, gratified by the collective response, continued.


    "Good, let''s now get familiar with this n. Although we may not need it, you all need to memorize it! Our mission objective this time is to restart the root server of the inte located underground within the target construction..."


    "... Now, let''s discuss the operation n. I know each of you excels in different areas, but I need all of you to do more than just your duties; you must also cooperate with your teammates on otherbat assignments..."


    "... Finally, let me mention the personnel we need to protect and assist on this mission—the Minister of Information Department Likok and his assistant, Miss Aryan. Remember, unless it''s the final server restart phase, cooperate with them when they need help. Other than that, they are simply our protection targets...


    targets that require our lives to protect, but don''t let their instructions influence any of your decisions! Understood?"


    "Understood!"


    "Good. Onest thing, I know that everyone present has some unique skills, so... if you need any special materials, you can ask me now, and I''llpile a request. I want to emphasize that this won''t cost you any military merit; after so many years in the barracks, I still have that clout!"


    The officer''s tone grew slightly yful at the end, and in the conference room, which had been under a pressurized atmosphere, some more spirited soldiers cheered.


    "Woo-hoo!"


    "The officer is fucking awesome!"


    Indeed, fucking awesome.


    Bai E was forthright and unapologetic, not caring whether they liked him or not. In any case, he first wanted 500 arrows!


    "That''s too many..." Themanding officer''s face darkened slightly as he looked at the expression Bai E submitted, manually adjusting, "200 arrows should be sufficient."


    "Alright then," Bai E epted.


    Having some was better than none...


    As for the rest of the gear—machine guns, pistols, military knives, daggers, chainswords, tridents, alloy shields, and the like—these were basic military supplies that didn''t require special requests.


    "Okay," said themanding officer, Gregory, as he unconsciously raised an eyebrow looking at the list of items that needed approval, "That''s the basic arrangements done. Everyone go back and prepare, get some early rest, tonight might be the most peaceful night you''ll have for a while. We assemble and depart at six in the morning!"


    "Yes, sir!"


    After leaving the meeting room, Bai E wanted to find Yue Ying.


    Although he hadn''t gained much in physical attributes, the burst from the Overlimit Drive gave him a bit of a foundation and confidence to learn the skill "Steady Wind"... Unfortunately, he couldn''t find her.


    All he could do was honestly return to his tent in the residential area.


    Carefully maintaining his firearms, bowstrings, and daggers, Bai E found a sense of peace in his heart while doing these tasks.


    Despite the unknown awaiting him, it seemed there was nothing to fear.


    [Feedback from themission, your Insight +0.2.]


    [Feedback from themission, Long Ranged Weapons Proficiency Experience +75.]


    [Feedback from themission, Light Weapons Proficiency Experience +32.]


    [Feedback from themission, Close Combat Proficiency Experience +5.]


    ...


    [Feedback from themission, your Reflex +0.1.]


    [Feedback from themission, Close Combat Proficiency Experience +18.]


    ...


    [Feedback from themission, Knowledge - Computer Hardware Maintenance Experience +52.]


    As the first light of dawn crept through the cracks into the tent, Bai E dressed in his gear as quietly as possible so as not to disturb the others...


    "Click!" The fastening clicked into ce.


    The ckbat suit perfectly protected Bai E''s body, a Desert Eagle pistol ready at his waist, the dull ck-painted dagger in his calf sheath thirsty for blood, an arrow quiver on his back, apound bow hanging at his waist, and five ammunition magazines filled with bullets slotted into the multi-functional pockets on his belt, with a heavy machine gun cradled in his arms.


    He was armed to the teeth.


    With his left arm cradling the issuedbat helmet, Bai E took onest look at the four still-sleeping teammates inside the tent.


    This operation was a secret mission. Even though there were slight whispers about the selection process in the camp, those who were actually participating obviously couldn''t reveal any information.


    The departure was silent and undisturbed.


    The moment the canvas lifted, all four sleeping figures quietly opened their eyes.


    Looking at the empty beds where someone oncey, none of them spoke a word.


    They wished him a safe journey.


    ...


    Early in the morning at six o''clock and five minutes, three specially modified off-road vehicles drove out of the south gate of the camp, kicking up a trail of dust.