The afterglow of daylight lingered in the sky, while the cover of night had already descended upon the forest. Birds occasionally darted across the heavens, and nameless insects seemed to flit through the undergrowth. Despite the absence of large mammals in this region, the simple ecosystem did nothing to impede the flourishing of life. In the face of few species, nature compensated with sheer numbers.
A soft, swishing sound resonated through the woods as the grasses rustled as if stirred by the presence of creatures. Sections of the undergrowth swayed rhythmically, creating the illusion of a substantial mass moving closer, accompanied by a faint buzzing.
Growing nearer with the sound, an eye-catching golden-armored beetle soared through the air with an air of dominance. Amid the ground's swaying grasses, green grasshoppers could occasionally be spotted—rising and falling—advancing through the grasses in the same direction as the golden beetle.
This procession was none other than the locust legion led by the airborne Supe and Han Tiao. At this moment, they were en route to their planned destination, ready to accomplish their set objective: infiltrate the base.
Su Lao wasn't merely a pure scientist; although he was undoubtedly an outstanding scholar, he was by no means ignorant of politics. The group came to a halt at the outskirts, commencing a meticulous reconnaissance of the base.
The two accompanying military officers were top-tier reconnaissance experts. Swiftly, amidst their surveillance, they detected an abnormal atmosphere—an eerie, peculiar boundary. On one side of this boundary, plants and insects exhibited activity, while on the other, the base seemed steeped in desolation. Perhaps there were measures against pests in place, but they shouldn't have caused such an oppressive aura to emanate outward. Concrete evidence eluded them; even Su Lao and Supe couldn't quite pinpoint it. However, relying on the sensitivities of professional soldiers, Huang Zhong and Shi Xiaofang unanimously concluded that this area didn't resemble a human-made defensive line.
This conclusion greatly surprised Su Lao. After all, the base remained; it had only been a little under two years since those people had arrived here. How chaotic could things have become? Even if their collective objective had deviated, it shouldn't have led to the abandonment of decades of principles in an instant.
Su Lao promptly made a decisive decision, altering the original plan of a direct visit. He immediately led the small team in a different direction, seeking the aid of Han Tiao. And so, the present scene unfolded: Supe and Han Tiao, accompanied by their most elite warriors, riding tamed grasshoppers, dashed through the underbrush, heading toward the base to investigate.
In the dim light of night, the expressions of the group were indiscernible, but in the sky, Supe's attractive eyebrows were furrowed like drawn swords. Excitement and nervousness electrified the young girl; tonight, she was the central figure of this operation, tasked with deploying numerous team members to a corner of the base.
In the most primal method, they couldn't individually transport each team member on beetles. They were headed to a designated highland location. There, Su Lao and the others had prepared everything akin to borrowing the winds of destiny, much like Kong Ming. They were just waiting for the opportune moment.
As night fell, Su Lao directed everyone's activities. The open space by the cliff's edge was covered with leaves, large and small. At first glance, it might not have been significant, but upon closer inspection, each leaf was thinner and lighter than regular leaves. Their surfaces bore signs of artificial refinement, thinning them.
A distant disturbance in the air made Su Lao narrow his eyes. "They're coming."
"Dad!" Supe exclaimed as they landed, looking at her father.
"Yes, go inside and rest. It won't be long now."
Su Lao pointed at the sky, but from afar, there didn't seem to be anything noticeable. However, in the eyes of the scholars, the signs of a strong wind within two hours were so evident—this was the power of knowledge.
About half an hour later, the young people, already impatient, watched as it appeared the wind was picking up outside. Supe was the first to step out of the cave. "Dad, can we depart now?"
"Not yet, wait a little longer."
"Oh!"
Han Tiao also emerged, but he didn't speak. He stood silently to the side, waiting for Supe to ask.
Supe went back into the cave and sat there lost in thought. Without a word, Han Tiao followed her in, sitting across from her. There were over a dozen team members inside the cave, all ready to embark.
"You're quite anxious, aren't you?" Han Tiao broke the silence, trying to ease Supe's unease.
"Yeah."
"Don't worry, everything will be fine!"
"I'm not worried about this mission."
"Oh?" Han Tiao inquired, "Then what are you worried about?"
"I'm thinking about Xiao Guang. I want to rescue the Junya sister he likes as quickly as possible and then go find him. He must be alive, and who knows where he might be suffering."
Han Tiao paused for a moment. "Yes, he's a legend; he's definitely alive. But don't worry, he won't suffer. Maybe he'll show up like a legend when we're facing difficulties."
"Thank you for your kind words."
Supe seemed much more mature than before.
"We're almost ready," someone came in to inform everyone.
"Good, everyone, let's go." Han Tiao immediately ordered the team members in the cave.
One by one, they filed out. At the cave's entrance were Su Lao and the two military commanders.
"This time, your mission is reconnaissance. Remember, in principle, you're not allowed to harm anyone. No matter who they are or what they've become, they were our comrades two years ago. Until we understand the whole situation, no hostile actions are permitted!"
"This is beneficial for us as well. Once discovered, we can use the excuse of a failed flight experiment and accidental base drop to continue our covert internal investigation. That's also why professional soldiers aren't involved in this reconnaissance. All personnel will participate under the guise of research scientists—remember this!"
"Xiao Pei," Su Lao advised his daughter, "after you escort them, remember to return quickly while the wind is strong. Don't linger!"
"Understood!"
"Go quickly, it's time to depart!"
The timing was accurate, and the wind indeed arrived as if on cue. Han Tiao mused silently to himself that this was the true mark of an expert. They were much stronger than experts in another world, where experts had almost become synonymous with sensationalism. Yet, it seemed that before he had arrived in this world, these genuine experts didn't typically make grandiose claims on television or the internet.
As the strong wind picked up, the carefully chosen and thinned leaves were fashioned into oval-shaped spheres, swaying on the ground like lanterns. The wind holes on top of them harnessed the power of the air, maximizing the utilization of random gusts. With a command, the ropes binding the leaf lanterns were cut, and simultaneously, a released crossbow bolt snapped, launching the oval lanterns into the air. The lanterns transformed into flying vessels. Han Tiao and his companions mounted their grasshoppers and followed the airborne lanterns, soaring into the sky using the wind's momentum.
Xiao Guang, the golden-armored beetle, lay on the green vessel. Supe focused her attention entirely on the wind direction, prepared at any moment to control Xiao Guang's takeoff, guiding the green vessel to sway and head towards the base in the wind.
In the nighttime sky, riding the wind, the lantern-like vessels bore no thermal flames, making them almost invisible as they flew high above the base. To further distract from their approach, a multitude of leaves were sent flying in several directions, creating a swirling canopy that even the wind, which had blown in excessive quantities, couldn't control.