Ning Yu knew he was in trouble; he knew he had been exposed. Without hesitation, he turned and ran.

"Target spotted! Pursue!" At the leader of the men in black's command, the group of men chased after Ning Yu like ghosts in the direction he had disappeared.

Ning Yu sprinted through the woods, the shouts of battle growing ever closer behind him. He knew he had to shake off his pursuers as quickly as possible, or the consequences of being caught would be dire.

He mobilized all his supernatural abilities, increasing his speed once again, his figure weaving through the trees like a black lightning bolt.

"Damn it! How can he be so fast!" The pursuers gradually felt the strain, but they were well-trained and did not give up. Instead, they kept adjusting their strategies, trying to corner Ning Yu.

Ning Yu, of course, wouldn't let them have their way. He used the terrain to his advantage, maneuvering against the pursuers, sometimes dodging, sometimes counterattacking, and relying on his strong strength and rich combat experience, he always maintained a certain distance from the enemy.

However, the enemy outnumbered him, and Ning Yu gradually felt his strength waning. Just then, a sharp attack grazed his arm, leaving a deep bloody gash.

Ning Yu grunted, knowing he couldn't delay any longer. He gritted his teeth, unleashing his full power to push his speed to the limit, finally leaving his pursuers behind.

He ran frantically until he was sure it was safe before stopping, leaning against a large tree, panting heavily. He checked his injuries; the wound on his arm wasn't deep, but it was bleeding profusely.

Ning Yu quickly treated his wounds and, without lingering, immediately headed towards the stronghold.

It was late at night when he returned to the base. The team members were finally relieved to see him return safely.

"Captain, are you alright?" Several team members came up to greet him and asked with concern.

"I'm fine," Ning Yu forced a smile despite the pain. "I ran into a little trouble, but it's been resolved."

He didn't want his teammates to worry, and he certainly didn't want his injury to affect their morale.

"That's good, that's good," the team members said, relieved, and began asking him about his reconnaissance trip.

Ning Yu gave a few perfunctory replies, then used the excuse of being tired to return to her room.

The room was pitch black. Ning Yu fumbled for an oil lamp and lit it. The dim light illuminated his tired face and the cold glint in his eyes.

He knew that a new crisis was about to unfold...

The room was silent, save for the occasional flickering light that cast long, short shadows on Ning Yu's face. He hastily bandaged his wound, but the tearing pain did nothing to alleviate the heaviness in his heart. The group of men in black were well-trained and ruthless; they were no ordinary scavengers or wandering mercenaries. The purpose and strength of the forces behind them remained unknown.

Outside the window, the night wind howled, as if echoing the unease churning within him. Ning Yu forced back his exhaustion and opened the system panel; a blue glow illuminated his resolute face. He had to quickly improve his own and his team's strength to gain a foothold in this chaotic world.

The next morning, Ning Yu forced himself to appear before everyone. He downplayed his experience from the previous night and instead began to arrange new defensive measures. Reinforcing the walls, setting traps, and arranging patrols, he meticulously planned everything, as if everything was under his control.

"Captain, aren't we being too tense right now? Or are you overthinking it?" one of the team members couldn't help but ask, and the others nodded in agreement.

Ning Yu's expression remained unchanged, but his tone carried an undeniable firmness: "Better safe than sorry! We have just gone through a great battle and our strength has been greatly reduced. We are at our most vulnerable moment and must not let our guard down."

Seeing his resolute attitude, the team members didn't say much and could only follow his instructions. Ning Yu watched the busy crowd, but his heart grew heavier. His injuries were subtly affecting his movements, but he still forced himself to direct the team to speed up the construction of the defensive fortifications.

“Captain…” A team member hesitated, noticing that Ning Yu’s face was pale and fine beads of sweat were seeping from his forehead.

Ning Yu patted his shoulder to indicate that he was alright: "Hurry up and try to finish before dark..." Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly swayed and almost fell to the ground...