The sun hung high in the sky, its dazzling light making it difficult for people to keep their eyes open.
Lin Wei found a relatively intact abandoned building, had it cleaned up a bit, then went inside to rest. Handling issues such as dealing with the Green Shadow Sanctuary was naturally left to his subordinates; his current concerns were the scale of the Source Crystal Mine and the progress of the Beastification Soldier plan.
At the head of the team, a few of Lin Wei's trusted subordinates braved the sunlight, observing the distance.
They were discussing matters pertaining to attacking the Green Shadow Sanctuary.
A man with a back broad like a tiger and a waist stout like a bear, whose arms were thicker than ordinary people's thighs, snorted disdainfully, "It's just a small sanctuary, why bother with complications? Just flatten it outright."
This man was Wang Hu, the leader of the Tiger Leopard Team, known for his formidable strength and proficiency in close combat.
Apart from the First Brigade and the Guard Team, the Dark Owl Group, the Tiger Leopard Team, and the Falcon Team were all secret teams that Lin Wei had covertly formed by gathering the Awakeners. Although the Tiger Leopard Team was ranked below the Dark Owl Group, it did not mean that the Tiger Leopard Team was weak; on the contrary, it only meant that the Dark Owl Group was too strong and too mysterious. The power of a single Tiger Leopard Team was enough to easily annihilate most sanctuaries, even medium-sized ones.
In the middle, a man of scholarly appearance adjusted his glasses. He was Xu Yancheng, the Corps Commander of the First Brigade. He was not bothered by Wang Hu's words.
"Green Shadow Sanctuary certainly can't stop us, but remember, Han Jing's entire team was wiped out without even a message getting out. The reconnaissance teams sent afterwards also couldn't find much information, which proves that Green Shadow Sanctuary still has considerable strength."
Even with victory in hand, Xu Yancheng didn't underestimate Green Shadow Sanctuary, especially since the boss had given him the command authority this time; he wanted to complete this mission perfectly.
He aimed to take down Green Shadow Sanctuary without any losses.
He thought for a moment and continued, "Moreover, our scouts have been repeatedly thwarted there. The people at Green Shadow Sanctuary likely aren't completely ignorant of us, yet they haven't fled, which means that Green Shadow Sanctuary must have some trump cards, or at least they think their cards are sufficient. Even if we can take them down, these cards might still inflict losses on us."
As Xu Yancheng spoke, Wang Hu stamped his foot impatiently, "I hate people who beat around the bush. Just tell us what to do! I don't want to wait any longer!"
"No need to rush; we need to scout first, especially since the boss insisted this time that we can't let any survivor escape, so our first priority is to ensure that no one from the Green Shadow Sanctuary can flee."
Xu Yancheng thought for a while and then waved towards the rear, "Blind Girl."
His voice was not loud, but soon a young woman with closed eyes approached.
Walking through this complex wilderness setting, the young woman seemed to have no difficulty despite her closed eyes, as if she could still see everything around her.
"Blind Girl, scout out Green Shadow Resort and the activity of its surrounding survivors," Xu Yancheng instructed.
The Blind Girl nodded.
She took a few steps forward, facing the direction of the Green Shadow Sanctuary, and opened her eyes, which eerily showed no pupils, just empty, gray-white orbs.
This was a reconnaissance ability. While it had no offensive capabilities, it was even more precious, capable of sensing the number of lifeforms within a certain area, and even their strength.
Xu Yancheng knew that the Green Shadow Sanctuary had peculiarities—many investigators they sent never returned. But as long as the Blind Girl was there, he could obtain information on the power of the Green Shadow Sanctuary effortlessly.
To expand the coverage of the Blind Girl's abilities, he had even dispatched many subordinates, equipped with soul power containers, to hunt Demonized Beasts and collect soul power, all to support the Blind Girl's usage.
Even though the blind girl hardly knew any combat skills and had never fought Demonized Beasts before, she now possessed the strength of an early Fifth Tier Awakener.
From a distance of two to three kilometers, she could detect general information.
This was where his confidence came from.
It was precisely because her abilities were so powerful that she usually had to keep her eyes closed, which gradually led to her being called the blind girl.
After a while, the blind girl closed her eyes again and approached Xu Yancheng, "Commander, I have clearly seen the situation. The survivors at the Green Shadow Sanctuary are all within the holiday resort. Additionally, among the Awakeners at the resort, I perceived several people with the strength of Third Tier."
"Third Tier?" Xu Yancheng murmured.
Such strength certainly far surpassed that of a regular small sanctuary, but in his view, it was too weak, unbelievably weak. What confidence did they have that made them dare to stay here?
He turned and approached the First Corps.
"All squads, break up into groups of five and disperse, encircle the Green Shadow Sanctuary. Be careful not to approach within one kilometer of the holiday resort; stay on the outskirts."
Xu Yancheng made the arrangements; he intended to trap the Green Shadow Sanctuary, and these tasks could only be entrusted to his subordinates.
On one hand, the First Corps had the most members, and on the other hand, it would probably not be easy to instruct other teams.
Wang Hu showed impatience and had already returned to his Tiger Leopard Team.
Yang Wei, the leader of the Falcon Team, with a stern look and arms crossed across his chest, did not say anything and just silently waited.
As for the Dark Owl Group... Xu Yancheng looked around several times but saw no trace of Dark Owl, yet he knew Dark Owl must be nearby. Dark Owl's strength and ability to appear and disappear as if a ghost made him apprehensive.
The Awakeners of the First Corps dispersed quickly and soon vanished from sight.
Squad 113, which belonged to the thirteenth squad of the First Brigade, was led by Scorpion along with a few other members, crouching in the bushes and slowly approaching in the direction of Green Shadow.
They needed to find a place that was good for hiding and that allowed them to keep a distant watch on the holiday resort, ensuring that neither survivors going out nor those returning could escape their eyes.
Suddenly, a squad member stopped, and Scorpion turned back to urge him on.
The squad member didn't respond but stretched out a finger pointing not too far away.
Scorpion looked in that direction, eyes widening.
In his line of sight, just beyond a small mound nearby, there stood a black tower.
The tower, distinct from normal architectural styles, had thick black walls. At the tip of the tower, he even saw a dark orifice, hardly resembling a gun muzzle, yet its darkness was chilling.
This building was clearly strange.
He quickly stopped the other squad members from proceeding, signaled with his hand, ordered them to stay, and hurried back along the same path.