Do I Appear Bloodthirsty?

An hour and forty minutes later, five thousand defenders and a thousand mages from Xinchang poured out of the city, marching behind Chen Dafen straight toward Dantu!

When it came to matters of vengeance, combat, and killing, Chen Dafen was full of energy, especially fired up. Even while gathering the troops, he couldn't help but boast to Chen Xun about the leader's favor toward him. The leader had handed him the city's elite forces to protect him, and that made Chen Dafen feel incredibly secure.

Though not usually one for boasting, today, Chen Dafen had repeated "the leader" so many times that even someone like Chen Xun could clearly see how much the leader valued him. Amid all the boasting, Chen Xun found an opening to suggest that Chen Dafen bring along a group of about a hundred speed-oriented talents. These individuals didn't need to be particularly strong in combat; they just needed to be quick-witted and capable of self-preservation. Their sole purpose was to help Chen Dafen reduce the odds of encountering the cursed fog in the wild.

This insight came from Jinling's command center, based on prior experiences with wilderness exploration. The rule was simple: as long as there were more than a hundred survivors, the risk of collectively entering the cursed fog was greatly reduced. The odds of individual encounters were even smaller. Given the mages' acceleration magic and the defenders' impressive pace, the plan was for them to be able to keep up with Chen Dafen. Chen Xun's strategy seemed solid, ensuring that Chen Dafen would reach Dantu as swiftly as possible.

...

Chen Xun watched as Chen Dafen and his troops disappeared into the thick mist outside the city. He sighed, standing at the entrance to the national road. "The leader has pulled out Xinchang's strength... I fear the people's trust will be shaken again."

"The leader wouldn't have sent troops if there was anything else to worry about. As long as we can hold until Chen Dafen returns, Xinchang should stabilize quickly enough," he muttered.

"Ugh, it's all the mess caused by Xinchang's previous troubles. The city's command center has such a poor reputation, always relying on the troops sent by Jinling."

Feeling helpless, Chen Xun knew the root cause, but this wasn't something that could be resolved quickly. It had only been less than a month since Xinchang had begun to stabilize, and the people were still distrustful of the local disaster relief team, which had originally been part of the warlord factions.

"I just hope he gets back soon, then—huh?"

As Chen Xun was about to turn and walk away with his staff, his brows furrowed, and he narrowed his eyes, peering into the depths of the mist. His voice dropped low as he called out, "Who's there?"

His innate ability had barely caught a glimpse of a survivor's signal through the fog, but the thick mist was obscuring his sight. Chen Xun's shout immediately heightened the alertness of his staff, and everyone instinctively aimed their guns at the mist.

Moments later, the fog churned more violently as something seemed to emerge.

Then, with a sudden cry, "Ah!" a bald man tumbled out of the mist, unsteady as he fell before them.

Before he could even raise his head, guns were already trained on his face.

The bald man, looking dazed, glanced around. Unperturbed by the weapons aimed at him, his gaze locked on Chen Xun with a look of surprise. "Commander Chen? You're the Commander of Xinchang, right?"

"Thank goodness! I finally got out of that cursed fog!" the man exclaimed, sighing deeply. He then turned to look behind him, "Hey, where's my team? They're taking too long!"

Chen Xun furrowed his brow, studying the man. The bald man quickly slapped his forehead, saying, "Oh, right! I'm Wang Daniu. Here's my ID."

Wang Daniu smiled broadly and pulled a document from his chest pocket, handing it over. "The leader specifically sent me to assist Xinchang. With Commander Chen having a new mission, Xinchang can't be left unmonitored, so I'm here to relieve you."

"Oh?" Chen Xun glanced down at the document, scanning the information. "Position Transfer Authorization, Security Team Leader Wang Daniu, temporarily reassigned as the Captain of Jinling's second volunteer unit to assist Xinchang with internal disaster relief."

Chen Xun raised an eyebrow and looked at Wang Daniu, "You were a community security guard?"

"Yeah! Huh? What, are you looking down on community security guards?" Wang Daniu's smile disappeared, his hand snatching the document back. His face became serious. "The leader said, during the apocalypse, no work is beneath anyone. It's all about serving the collective, serving the people. You're the commander of Xinchang, shouldn't you have more awareness of this?"

Wait… Did he just scold me for being ungrateful?

Chen Xun froze for a moment, unsure how to respond, just as his earpiece buzzed with Mike's voice.

"This isn't a heart-stealing demon. Wang Daniu carries the Jinling commander's protective charm. I did indeed send him to take over Chen Dafen's duties."

"Though Chen Dafen is gone, we can't delay the relief efforts in Xinchang. Someone still needs to manage things."

Mike paused, then continued calmly, "He was a security team leader, but he worked in the same complex as I did."

What?! This "security guard" is actually the leader's personal bodyguard!

Chen Xun suddenly understood and, with a relieved smile, jogged over to Wang Daniu, grasping his hand warmly. "Brother Wang! It's a pleasure, a pleasure! You're absolutely right, I'll work on improving my collective awareness."

"You've traveled through the fog—thank you for your hard work. You've truly been through a lot."

Wang Daniu, however, wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. He gave a cold snort and grumbled, "Cut the crap! We're at work now, so stick to addressing me by my title!"

"Of course, Comrade Wang is right," Chen Xun replied, nodding obediently, a small sigh of relief escaping him.

The leader's choices had been telling—he'd sent Chen Dafen first and now Wang Daniu, both straightforward and loyal, people who wouldn't play the political games. This was exactly the type of person Xinchang needed right now to avoid further turmoil.

"Comrade Wang, where's your team?"

"They should be here soon," Wang Daniu answered, slightly embarrassed. "I ran into a cursed fog on the way, but I warned the mages ahead of time. They didn't need to wait for me and could've gone straight to Xinchang. Looks like my pace was just a bit quicker."

"Mages?" Chen Xun's eyes lit up. "How many people did Jinling send this time?"

"One thousand mages, two thousand soldiers, and some new supplies," Wang Daniu replied, his tone suddenly colder. "But honestly, Xinchang's already received quite a bit of support from Jinling. Shouldn't your command center be getting disaster relief work properly underway by now?"

"This isn't just Jinling's job to do. You can't just keep relying on Jinling's resources, right? We still need to take care of things ourselves."

Wang Daniu's words, though exaggerated, were still coming from someone deeply invested in Mike's interests.

"Yes, yes, we're working on it," Chen Xun answered humbly, lowering his head in deference, letting Wang Daniu's ego be satisfied.

After a brief conversation, the rest of the team soon emerged from the mist. Wang Daniu quickly organized his people and entered the city, formally taking over from Chen Dafen.

Meanwhile, Mike, after briefly checking the situation in Xinchang, turned his focus back to Chen Dafen's mission.

This was a crucial operation—a first for Jinling to take a proactive military stance. Previously, any military deployments had been largely for relief purposes. But now, Mike's plan was clear: this wasn't about settling internal affairs in Dantu, it was about showing strength, making a statement, and drawing attention from surrounding commanders.

Two hours later, Chen Dafen arrived at Dantu City, and the distance had been no challenge for the combined magical and martial force. The mages and defenders worked in harmony, and with Chen Dafen leading the way, Mike had no concerns about any surprises waiting for them in Dantu.

If the mastermind behind all this planned anything in Dantu, Mike felt it would be a weak attempt. If the foe wanted to play games, they likely wouldn't show up while Mike was watching. His target wasn't Dantu's city itself, it was whoever dared to play in the shadows.

"Let's see… do they want Dantu to take a beating, or do they want me to get beaten?" Mike mused with a smile, his mind already several steps ahead.

For his enemy, a prolonged stalemate was the most desirable outcome. Only through ongoing conflict would resources and morale be exhausted, ultimately giving the mastermind the advantage.