Chapter 463: A Strange Smile

Chapter 463: A Strange Smile

Yelan had never met Ling Zhan before.

But why did she treat Ling Zhan coldly from the moment they met?

This stemmed from an order she received from the Dragon Kingdom War Zone Headquarters yesterday:

A powerful individual would be arriving at the Takamagahara frontline fortress tomorrow, and he would personally take command of Squad Nine as their captain.

Logically speaking.

Upon receiving such an order, Yelan should have been pleased.

Squad Nine included special reserve members from the third year and fourth-year special-grade legion reserves.

A total of five hundred people.

Compared to the billions of troops involved in the war, this might seem small, perhaps insignificant.

But you must know, these five hundred were the elite of the elite!

They were also the future hope of the Dragon Kingdom's special-grade legion!

Moreover, it wasn't just Takamagahara where reserves were stationed for training; other forbidden zones also had elite reserves stationed.

Regular third and fourth-year reserves were generally not assigned to other forbidden zones and trained mainly on the frontline of the Ten Thousand Demon Abyss in Dragon Kingdom.

Those assigned to the frontline battlefields of other forbidden zones were the elite talents cultivated by Dragon Kingdom, as the future trend indicated that the four major forbidden zones would eventually reveal their savage claws to the global populace.

By that time...

A global war would ensue.

In this context, every elite and backbone of Dragon Kingdom had to familiarize themselves with the habits, combat skills, and fighting tendencies of the monsters in each forbidden zone.

The previous captain of Squad Nine was named 'Jiang Long.'

Unfortunately, he died half a month ago on the Takamagahara coastal frontline alongside the individual champion of the last Global Beast Tournament.

The last tournament's individual champion was named Dana, Jiang Long's lover.

They were slain by a Sky Ghost General.

Legend has it that the Lord of a Hundred Ghosts in Takamagahara commands a hundred Ghost Generals.

The top fifty are called 'Sky Ghost Generals.'

The latter fifty are called 'Earth Ghost Generals.'

Below the Ghost Generals are the Ghost Slaves.

That Sky Ghost General appeared without warning, and even the fourth-tier powerhouses guarding the fortress failed to detect it.

According to survivors, the Sky Ghost General was covered in eyes, and it appeared only to kill Dana and Jiang Long before vanishing.

With Squad Nine's captain gone, Dragon Kingdom had no choice but to assign a new captain.

As Yelan speculated that a level 90 or above powerhouse might be sent to lead.

She was stunned to find out that headquarters sent a level 65 non-specialist to be the captain!

And this level 65 was just reached yesterday!

Not only Yelan, but the entire Squad Nine, aside from the third-year reserves, felt disgruntled, and many filed complaints.

They couldn't accept a first-year student as their captain.

In their eyes, this was completely laughable!

But what frustrated them even more...

When faced with their appeals, the legion commanders coldly dismissed them, stating that the decision was final and could not be changed.

It could be said now...

The members of Squad Nine stationed at the Fusang Kingdom frontline fortress were sharpening their blades, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their "first-year captain."

This was why Yelan gave Ling Zhan such a hostile face.

Mainly because no one could understand!

Why would a first-year kid be put in charge of a group of fourth-year elite reserves?

If Ling Zhan were some high-ranking official's illegitimate child coming to gild himself, that would be impossible too.

Dragon Kingdom's special-grade legion commanders were notoriously strict and impartial; countless aristocratic families had tried to place their children into lucrative departments but were harshly rejected.

Especially now, with the war involving the four major forbidden zones!

There was no possibility of pulling strings in this matter.

Could it be solely because of his dual champion title?

Come on...

The remains of the last Global Beast Tournament's individual champion haven't even been found yet!

Yelan felt restless.

But seeing the so-called dual champion before her still so calm under the intense spatial compression, she felt even more irritated.

"Damn! Bro, you're amazing!"

"You took all that without a scratch!"

The guy sitting next to Ling Zhan couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Impressive!

No wonder he was so calm earlier; it turned out that this spatial pressure wasn't even enough to make him itch!

This was thanks to Ling Zhan's S-grade talent, 'Space Mastery.'

Thirty seconds later.

The first spatial jump concluded, and the magic airship had traveled fifty million kilometers.

There were still 1.2 billion kilometers to go to reach Fusang Kingdom.

The cooldown time for the spatial jump was thirty minutes.

This meant...

It would take at least twelve more hours to reach Fusang Kingdom.

Even on a magic airship, it would take this long; if it were a regular airplane, who knows when they'd arrive?

This was the result of the global map expansion.

Fortunately, the magic airship was larger than typical passenger planes, with fewer passengers, making the space less claustrophobic.

Over the next twelve hours.

Yelan still did not say a word to Ling Zhan.

She ate silently, rested with her eyes closed.

Ling Zhan was more than happy with the silence.

......

......

Meanwhile.

Fusang Kingdom, Hundred Ghosts Fortress.

A beautiful woman in a purple kimono knelt in a room filled with a traditional Japanese atmosphere.

If Ling Zhan were here, he would have recognized her as Gojou Momoka.

Across from her was another woman.

This woman had short hair, a bold demeanor, her kimono half draped under her arm, wrapped in white chest bindings, her exposed body covered in scars.

The short-haired woman glanced at Gojou Momoka, downed a cup of sake, exhaled, and said, "Momoka, are you sure you want to apply to the frontline battlefield of the Ten Thousand Demon Abyss?"

"Sister, I'm sure."

"If I don't go now, I won't be able to leave once Norton from the Free Federation arrives here tomorrow."

Gojou Momoka replied softly.

The short-haired woman listened, took another gulp of sake with a troubled expression.

She grumbled, "Damn conservatives!"

She was cursing the current faction of the Fusang Kingdom's ruler who kowtows to the Free Federation.

Knock, knock, knock.

Suddenly, a knock came from the door, followed by a respectful voice.

"Lady Rin, there is news to report."

The short-haired woman waved her hand casually, "Come in!"

A woman entered, knelt respectfully, and reported, "Lady Rin, Dragon Kingdom's Squad Nine has sent a new captain, currently en route. They will arrive in about ten hours. The chief captain has asked you to greet them personally."

"Got it, got it."

Gojou Rin waved her hand impatiently.

"Wait."

Gojou Momoka suddenly interrupted and asked, "What is the captain's name?"

"Lady Momoka, his name is Ling Zhan."

Upon hearing this, Gojou Momoka's previously calm face stiffened, and her bright eyes widened instantly.

Then.

Under Gojou Rin's puzzled gaze, her sister suddenly displayed a strange smile!