Chapter Ninety-Nine: Leaving the City!

Speed is of the essence in battle. The special operations team split into two groups to exit the city, quickly assembling with utmost efficiency.

Qi Chen and the warm-hearted man were tasked with welcoming Old Li’s returning team. At this moment, the two stood by the northern city gate, waiting for the accompanying special forces to finish inventorying the supplies.

“So much equipment?” Qi Chen glanced in amazement at the rows of modified black heavy armored vehicles lined up beside him. This time, a full special operations company of thirty men was accompanying them.

There were five armored vehicles in total, along with a transport truck dedicated solely to carrying supplies.

“That’s normal. When leaving the city, you have to bring plenty of stuff. You probably haven’t been outside the city before, right?” The warm-hearted man chewed gum casually, hands tucked into his coat pockets, exuding an air of nonchalance.

“Look at the list yourself. All these items are essential. Thirty men in the special forces, each carrying at least two hundred rounds of ammunition. We’ve packed a hundred military canned meals accounting for both the outbound and return trips. There are also six or seven barrels of water, plus a hundred and fifty boxes of emergency compressed rations.”

“We’ve also prepared several large field tents, along with matching sleeping bags, fire-starting equipment, accompanying radio stations, and communication gear...” The warm-hearted man read off the inventory list as Qi Chen silently contemplated the value of these items inside the Third City.

By rough estimate, even at standard prices, this stockpile represented a significant investment.

“Don’t be so surprised. This is just the preparation to avoid major mishaps. And since our time outside the city won’t be long, this is all we’re bringing,” the warm-hearted man said, unfolding a map and tracing their route with his finger.

They would depart from the Third City, heading straight north. Considering possible obstacles en route, intelligence analysis set the mission duration at one day.

Before the era of the Mists, this distance would have been just a two- or three-hour trip on the highway.

But due to the Mists and the poor road conditions beyond the city, a full day’s journey was already an ambitious schedule.

“We have so many vehicles; fuel is also a must. Now, do you still think this is a lot of supplies?”

Qi Chen was dumbfounded. Rationally, after the warm-hearted man’s explanation, the supplies seemed reasonable. Emotionally, however, he still found the amount excessive.

“You’ve never been into the Mists, so it’s normal to be surprised,” the warm-hearted man sighed. “Outside the city is nothing like inside. It’s best to be well-prepared with supplies rather than run short once outside. If that happens, no one can guarantee immediate replenishment. Running low on supplies is deadly; it truly leads to casualties.”

Qi Chen finally understood. His gaze shifted to the city gate, where not far off, a seemingly well-organized convoy was loading cargo.

“What’s that?”

The warm-hearted man squinted, studying the convoy’s emblem before nodding. “That’s the Mistwalker Transport Group. They’re one of the largest transport companies in the Third City. They’ve signed a high-level transport agreement with the Administration Office, allowing them direct access through the northern gate.”

Qi Chen realized the members of the Mistwalker convoy wore half-face devices resembling gas masks. Curious, he asked, “What are those things on their faces?”

“Those are Mist Filters,” the warm-hearted man replied matter-of-factly. “Long-term exposure to the Mists can distort the mind without one realizing it—like the Mist Beasts we’ve encountered before.”

“These filters reduce the Mists’ effects on people to some extent and are especially useful for transport workers. Our team carries them too, but ours are much more advanced than what the Mistwalker Group uses.”

Qi Chen glanced down at the long inventory list in his hands and saw the military Mist Filters listed, accounting for a significant portion of the supplies.

“Military-grade Mist Filters are rare commodities on the black market,” the warm-hearted man remarked with a note of awe. “Outside the city, in those gathering points, they’re considered strategic supplies!”

“Gathering points outside the city?” Qi Chen’s curiosity piqued. He was eager to know more about everything related to the Mists.

“Of course. Look at the map—those places circled in red are the gathering sites,” the warm-hearted man pointed out. “This world is vast; not everyone can enter the city, and not everyone wants to.”

“Don’t those living outside risk going mad from the Mists?” Qi Chen asked, glancing toward the city’s central landmark—the Beacon of the Third City.

“They do,” the warm-hearted man admitted. “That’s why large gathering points maintain certain ties with nearby allied cities. More precisely, they fall under our sphere of influence.”

“They help the allied cities with tasks, provide intelligence about the Mists, catch wanted criminals. In return, we supply them with small-scale anti-Mist devices—though these need to be renewed regularly.”

Qi Chen nodded, the logic clear to him. His curiosity about the outside world within the Mists only deepened.

What kind of world operated beyond the city? How did the Mists shape it? How did other cities differ from or resemble the Third City?

“Don’t get too excited. From what I know about you, you probably won’t like the people in the Mists,” the warm-hearted man smiled. “But after this trip, you’ll realize just how good the Third City really is!”

“By the way, I have a question: can you only perform the bizarre integration, or can you do the bizarre possession as well?”

Suddenly recalling something, the warm-hearted man looked at Qi Chen with puzzlement.

He had originally planned to teach Qi Chen the bizarre possession technique—where the bizarre power attaches to the body, enabling a human-bizarre combat synergy—once Qi Chen had mastered the bizarre power more steadily.

With possession, although the body suffers from the bizarre power’s influence, the user’s mind remains as clear as usual.

But Qi Chen had skipped that step entirely, mastering bizarre integration on his own. The warm-hearted man couldn’t help but remind him.

“Don’t use integration so frequently. Sometimes you don’t even notice how the bizarre power affects you,” the warm-hearted man advised earnestly. “After this mission, find some time and I’ll teach you how to develop the possession technique.”

“Alright,” Qi Chen laughed, recalling the intense training the Overlord had put him through in the Masked Space. He felt he didn’t need to waste time learning possession now but didn’t want to outright refuse the senior member—he had to give some face.

As they chatted, the special forces finished the supply check. The company commander jogged over, standing at attention before the two.

“Reporting, officers! We’re ready to depart at any moment!”

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