Chapter Thirty-Four: The Three-Way Meeting
Two heavy trucks, each with three drivers on rotation.
It must have been taken into consideration the danger of this mission that the three drivers were all of different backgrounds: one young and two older men. They all had military backgrounds and were all at the CD level, meaning they could use firearms and participate in combat when necessary.
The North 1 Base also dispatched a guard team of 5 people, who identified themselves as the 1st Detachment of the Morning Star Squadron of the 9th Regiment of the North 1 Army.
Besides these six people, Yang Yuning, who somehow managed to squeeze in, was also on the list!
Upon seeing this person, Qi An seemed to understand why he had looked like he was about to call out to her when he left the day before yesterday, but then didn't.
Because they will meet again and have a long time to spend together?
Yang Yuning, dressed in a brand-new field uniform, flashed her a bright smile...
Qi An averted his gaze.
This customer's trance lasted a bit too long...
The captain of Morning Star Team 1 is named Li Yi. He is around thirty-five years old, tall and burly, with a half-face stubble, and has the typical image of a rough man.
He held up a tablet and called out names to each member of Team Chengfeng 2, his lips slightly downturned the whole time, perhaps because he thought their skills were a bit lacking.
No one in the team was particularly oblivious, and Yu Shuang also sensed this dislike.
If you think they're weak, then what level is Morningstar Team 1?
Zhuang Xiao slightly tilted her head, exchanging knowing glances with Qi An; the twitching at the corner of her eye clearly conveyed this meaning.
"My team deployed a total of 5 people for this mission, plus an outside helper from the Zhenyue team, Yang Yuning."
I am the overall commander of the operation. My enhancement rating is AB, with strength and speed enhancements both at level 8. I excel at assault and command.
My teammates Jia Wenxuan and Ruan Xiaoyu are both rated AC. Ruan Xiaoyu has strong self-healing and resilience attributes and is good at assault; Jia Wenxuan has the "night vision" ability and is good at reconnaissance and sniping.
Team member Zhou Zi, with an enhancement rating of BB, excels in reconnaissance and assault; Liu Weiyun, a purifier, has an enhancement rating of BA and a spirit enhancement value of 8.
Li Yi seemed to have noticed Zhuang Xiao's winking and introduced his team members in a cold voice.
Zhuang Xiao froze.
Apart from Zhou Zi, who is relatively well-rounded and might be comparable to their vice-captain, everyone on this team has an A grade!
Is this their level of skill?
It seems to be a crushing blow. Looking at their car, the body looks like it's bulletproof, and the trunk is full of supplies.
Their bulletproof vests, assault rifles, and even a tourniquet looked newer and more advanced than ours!
Zhuang Xiao was immediately dejected, her chest still held high, but her head was lowered slightly.
The members of Team 2 could only accept their dislike of being looked down upon and silently boarded the car according to Li Yi's arrangement.
Team Morningstar 1 has two cars, covering the front and back of the team, while the small team's three cars are sandwiched between the front and back, playing only a support and auxiliary role.
Before and after leaving the North 1 base, they were still in a long, single-line formation. However, after driving for 3 hours, they joined up with 3 heavy trucks and 2 escort vehicles from the North 2 base, and the formation suddenly grew into an "airplane" formation.
Seven escort vehicles, one at the front and one at the rear, two on each side, and one lead vehicle for reconnaissance and mobility, marched in a grand procession across the wasteland in springtime.
Qi An was in this special lead car, driven by Yang Yuning.
The power structure of this hastily assembled, unfamiliar team is now clear: one commander, Li Yi; and two team leaders who follow orders: Qin Tianshuo, the leader of the six-person team at the North 2 Base, and Yu Shuang.
Qin Tianshuo clearly had more say than Yu Shuang. During the several hours of driving, Li Yi had not discussed anything with Yu Shuang, but had only given orders.
The Chengfeng 2 team, which came from a remote small base, was at the very bottom of this power hierarchy.
But Yang Yuning was special. No matter what he said, Li Yi always kept a cold face and never refuted him.
Yang Yuning suggested that he drive the crucial lead car, and Li Yi nodded. Then Yang Yuning chose Qi An and Zhao Bohan to ride with him.
This left the opposing Morningstar team completely stunned.
Yang Yuning doesn't trust his own people, and instead chooses people from the small base to take on the important reconnaissance task?
At that time, the three groups were locked in a fierce battle of wits, creating an extremely delicate atmosphere.
Li Yi didn't refute, but he also didn't say anything. He glanced at the three-person lead car team, then turned and left.
The pressure and distrust released by that one glance were unsettling, so while everyone was passionately complaining in the team channel, the three-person navigator team was busy working.
Qi An piloted a multi-functional reconnaissance drone, while Zhao Bohan studied satellite maps on a tablet.
Zhao Bohan's analytical abilities remain as stable as AI's:
"There is a fork in the road ahead. You can choose to go south or north."
Heading north is the route we took to get here. The highway there is relatively well-preserved and easy to travel, but the towns we pass through along the way are quite dense.
Heading south, you will pass through a scenic area called "Bailudian" from before the end of the world.
In recent years, rainfall has increased on this vast plain, and dams and similar facilities have been neglected for years. It's highly likely that the wetland has spread to the surrounding areas; the extent of this spread is uncertain, making road conditions difficult to predict.
Now we must choose one of these two paths.
Yang Yuning frowned after hearing this. "Why does it sound like a competition of who's worse?"
When they went to North 1, they took the northern route. They were able to pass through safely because of the drones and Qi'an's long-range and short-range reconnaissance. They carefully avoided dangerous sections of the road.
But now that the convoy is carrying so much insect oil, might it attract multiple groups of fallen insects to attack it as it passes through dense town ruins?
However, there are natural threats to the south, and it cannot be said that they will not encounter fallen insects just because the towns are not densely populated.
“There is no safe route for this mission,” Zhao Bohan said. He organized his thoughts and reported his conclusion to Commander Li Yi.
There was silence for several minutes on the other end. It was unclear whether it was because the choice between the two was too difficult or because they didn't quite trust Zhao Bohan, so they went to study the map on their own.
During this brief pause, Yu Shuang said in the team chat: "What are you dawdling for? If you're a real woman, you'll choose the North Road!"
The easier the road, the faster we'll go. And if we go fast, the fallen insects won't be able to catch us!
Zhuang Xiao and Tang Long quickly said, "We support the captain!"
“I might choose the South Road…” Zhao Bohan said in a slightly nonchalant tone, and asked Qi An before Yu Shuang could yell at him, “What do you think?”
“...Northern Road,” Qi An replied.
She can be distracted and listen to people's conversations while operating the drone without any pressure.
Compared to the power of nature, she still felt that the Fallen Insects were easier to deal with.
Yang Yuning looked at her with a more approving gaze, and he smiled, "I'll choose the North Road too!"
Given the nature of their mission, they should choose the northern route.
At that moment, Li Yi's order came through the walkie-talkie: "Take the southern route."
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