Naming Technique of the Night

Countdown to return 6:00:00.

Six o'clock in the evening.

Twenty-five people were silently advancing northward through the dim woods.

Commander Qing Huai walked in the middle of the team, his expression grave as he surveyed his surroundings.

When the field team entered, there were over a hundred and fifty people, but now only a seventh platoon remained, and including Qing Huai, there were only 25 people left.

Cao Wei had been missing for over twenty hours, and Qing Huai knew that if he had not returned by then, it was likely he had encountered misfortune.

The team's only C-Class expert had fallen, whether the young man was killed by Cao Wei or not, they could not linger any longer.

As for the mission… they could only negotiate some interest swaps with the first and second houses after getting out.

Mysteriously, Qing Huai always felt a dangerous presence following from behind.

This feeling had no source or clues.

The woods behind them were silent; however, he felt as if he was being watched by a demon.

Qing Huai gave the platoon leader a meaningful look, and the latter immediately understood, quietly dispatching two soldiers, who concealed themselves in the dim shadows as they passed a cluster of shrubs.

The two soldiers, each holding a sensor grenade and a dagger, were ready to throw the grenades at any moment.

The grenades were powerful enough to kill someone and directly trigger the rules.

Qing Huai had never informed the soldiers about this rule, hoping that when the final moment came, they would kill the enemy without hesitation.

Whether the soldiers triggered the rules or not was unimportant; he just needed to ensure he did not trigger them himself.

The rest of the team continued their slow advance forward.

Qing Huai and the platoon leader lagged behind at the end of the line, always listening for any sounds from behind.

However, after walking for 10 minutes, they heard no warning from the two ambushed soldiers.

"Call them back," Qing Huai frowned and said, "I might have been overcautious."

But shortly afterward, a soldier ran back and said, "Commander, those two people are gone!"

"Gone?" Qing Huai was stunned for a moment, "Is there any trace at the scene?"

"No blood, no signs of a fight," the soldier replied.

The platoon leader whispered beside him, "Commander, I suspect they may have deserted."

Deserters?

Qing Huai sternly surveyed the surrounding soldiers, who all involuntarily lowered their heads when his gaze swept over them.

They all now knew that the killer was targeting Qing Huai. Now that even Cao Wei was dead, naturally, no one wanted to share the same fate with him.

Perhaps everyone had their second thoughts, but no one dared to voice or act on them.

However, Qing Huai was now unsure whether those two men had deserted or had been silenced by someone.

If it was the latter, who could kill so silently and leave no trace of a fight?!

"Keep moving forward," Qing Huai said calmly, "Everyone has families to think of. Consider everything thoroughly before acting. If I die here but you return alive to the Federation, how would Qing's family treat you? Alright, let's set off."

As they moved northward, the leading soldier suddenly squatted down, lifting his right hand to signal the rest to stop.

Instantly, the soldiers dispersed behind the trees on both sides for cover.

Soon, a human voice was heard saying, "Are we lost? It feels like I've seen this path the day before yesterday. Hey, Wang Bingxu, did you lead us the wrong way?"

An impatient girl's voice said, "If you can find a way out, then lead the way yourself, otherwise shut up. Be careful not to break the rules, or you won't even know how you died. And be more polite to Wang Bingxu in the future, understand?"

Hidden in the woods, Qing Huai furrowed his brows. What was going on?

He had thought it was the first or second house that had sent people to kill him, but now it seemed not.

And the name Wang Bingxu sounded particularly familiar.

Wasn't he the B-Class expert stationed with the Autumn Hunting Team?

This Wang Bingxu was also an officer in the Federal Second Group Army two years ago before the Li Family recruited him following an injury to his right leg.

"It's the Autumn Hunting Team," Qing Huai stated, "Put away the daggers, proceed normally, and none of you are to reveal any details about our mission!"

Having said that, Qing Huai took the lead and walked forward.

Upon encountering the other party, he immediately spotted Li Yinuo at the forefront of the Autumn Hunting Team.

At this moment, everyone in the Autumn Hunting Team looked disheveled.

In the financial circles, Qing Huai was quite famous; thus, many heirs of the financial clans recognized him immediately: "It's Qing Huai! We've joined up with Qing Huai! We're saved!"

After a brief silence, Qing Huai asked, "How are you all here?"

An outspoken person replied, "We were being chased by wilderness folks and barely managed to shake them off in the Taboo Land. Running into you guys is such a relief, we're saved!"

Members of Qing's family also gathered around: "Brother Qing Huai, please save us!"

In everyone's eyes, Qing Huai was among the most capable members of the younger generation in his direct lineage, quite distinct from these marginalized wealthy heirs.

At least, there wasn't a single scratch visible on Qing Huai's team, and their clothes were neatly arranged.

Looking back at the Autumn Hunting Team, it was a different story. Not only were their clothes torn, but their faces were scratched too, and they all stood uneasily, betraying a clear sign of urgency.

Inside the Taboo Land, when a group of privileged youths encountered the regular army, their first reaction was, of course, that they were saved.

However, what they didn't know was that the situation of these regular soldiers was even more precarious than theirs!

Moreover, at this moment, Qing Huai had a new plan: he wanted to escape the Taboo Land with these people.

The more people with him, the safer he would be. Even if someone came after them, they had Wang Bingxu, a B-Class Expert, in the Autumn Hunting Team, along with a bunch of spoiled youths to shield him.

This way, his chances of survival would increase significantly.

Qing Huai thought for a moment and said to the platoon leader beside him, "Distribute some of our sealed bags to them, making sure two people can share one. Then dig seven burial pits and scatter them around."

"Received," the platoon leader took people to distribute the sealed bags; they still had plenty left.

After all, the field company originally planned to travel in the Taboo Land for 15 days, but now they had to retreat after just three days.

The group of spoiled youths were overjoyed when they saw the sealed bags: "Brother Qing Huai, you guys were really well-prepared!"

Now, seeing that Qing Huai already knew the rules of Taboo Land No. 002, everyone felt more reassured.

And seeing him distribute such crucial supplies subconsciously made them feel that Qing Huai was trustworthy.

Only the platoon leader had realized: Commander Qing Huai indeed wanted to gain their trust, but the act of digging and burying had an ulterior motive.

They had already had their burial pits dug up before; Commander Qing Huai knew well that leaving these things in the wild could cost lives.

So, Qing Huai was doing this deliberately. If someone tracking them discovered the burial pits, they might think they belonged to his field company, and then they would waste some time on digging.

The platoon leader felt some admiration; the real elites in these corporations were ruthlessly cunning.

As the soldiers from the platoon dug the burial pits, they exchanged knowing looks.

But no one spoke out.

Using others as a shield was always better than dying themselves. Now that they were on the same boat with Qing Huai, they naturally had to keep the secret for their commander.

At this time, Qing Huai looked at Li Yinuo: "Are you leading the Autumn Hunting this time?"

"Yes," Li Yinuo nodded.

"I see you guys went in without any preparations. How could you just rush into the Taboo Land?" Qing Huai was puzzled.

"We were forced. We didn't plan to enter the Taboo Land otherwise; I would have requested the confidential files on the Taboo Land rules from the clan. The Fire Pit people suddenly appeared in the wilderness and drove us into the Taboo Land. Look, even Jindai family's fleet was wiped out by Fire Pit," Li Yinuo explained.

Qing Huai furrowed his brows tighter. A report inside his division had indicated connections between the senior room and Fire Pit; this was probably their scheme to assassinate him.

He hesitated for a moment: "Where are the wilderness people now?"

If Fire Pit had A-Class experts capable of wiping out the Jindai family and forcing a B-Class Expert like Wang Bingxu to hide in the Taboo Land, continuing north would be walking into a trap. Rather than confronting an A-Class, he'd prefer to turn back and face that ordinary youth.

Discover stories at empire

Qing Huai cursed inwardly; he hadn't expected the senior room to spend so much just to set him up.

Getting an elder from Fire Pit to come out of the snowy mountains was no small feat!

But then he heard Li Yinuo say, "Initially, Fire Pit was pursuing us, but then they suddenly vanished without a trace."

"It wasn't you who evaded their tracking?" Qing Huai was doubtful.

"Yes," Li Yinuo glanced at him, "With A-Class in their group, evading them wouldn't be that easy."

Qing Huai breathed a sigh of relief; he guessed where Fire Pit had gone. They likely knew his mission objective and had directly entered the inner parts of the Taboo Land, planning to lie in wait for him in the target area.

They probably didn't expect him to retreat ahead of schedule!

However, Qing Huai did not disclose this and instead said to Li Yinuo, "Don't worry, now that you've joined us, I naturally will lead you safely out. Why don't you hand over the command of the Autumn Hunting Team to me as well?"

Qing Huai finally revealed his intentions.

With the command of the Autumn Hunting Team, Qing Huai would be able to direct Wang Bingxu!

But at this moment, Li Yinuo was also puzzled, "I heard you were here to carry out a mission related to Shadow. How come it ended so quickly?"

Qing Huai calmly answered, "With my capabilities, completing the mission was quite simple.

"Then I also heard that you came with a company, and now only so few of you are left," Li Yinuo further inquired.

Qing Huai countered, "Isn't it normal to have casualties when venturing deep into the heart of the Taboo Land?"

It was certainly normal to have casualties.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

But Li Yinuo still felt something was off.

A field company had come here, and even the famous vice-commandant Cao Wei had vanished without a trace, yet Qing Huai and the others looked so neat!

That was the biggest discrepancy.

But Li Yinuo couldn't figure out what had happened; her imagination was somewhat lacking.

She thought for a moment and then said, "The Autumn Hunting Team is just a bunch of spoiled youths; why direct them? You must be very tired after completing your mission. Let's keep the command of the Autumn Hunting Team with me, and I will cooperate with you. I had contacted the nearby Federal Group Army before coming in, and they should arrive very soon."

Qing Huai gazed deeply at Li Yinuo, uncertain if she had sensed something.

But Li Yinuo brought some good news too—reinforcements!

Originally, he and the Federal Group Army had agreed to meet in the Taboo Land after 15 days, but it seemed they might arrive earlier.