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Chapter 457 The Undercurrents of the Desert of Bones [4000 words]

[Martial Arts Battle in Tiandu, Tianwu Training Base, Yellow-Rank Student Dormitory Area, 6 PM]

The evening breeze drifted in through the ventilation grilles of the dormitory windows, carrying the lingering scent of star energy unique to the training base. It mingled with the afterglow of the setting sun, turning the metal floor a warm orange hue.

Chen Kong sat at the metal table by the window, organizing the things he needed for this trip.

As star energy surged in, layers of light patterns appeared on the surface of the tactical backpack in front of him, and the internal space was precisely folded and expanded.

This is the 'Advanced Usage Techniques for Space Backpacks' that he recently obtained from the Tianwu Training Grounds.

Through the proper use of star energy and special star energy spells, the original tactical backpack capacity can be doubled.

In this way, a tactical backpack that looks only the size of a normal travel bag can hold enough compressed star energy rations, an emergency medical kit, and some of his usual star energy equipment for about half a month.

After confirming that nothing was missing, Chen Kong turned on the computer screen in his room.

On the computer screen, the last frame of his recap of the battle on Changsheng Island was still displayed.

As Chen Kong watched, he mentally simulated the unexpected situations he might encounter in the desolate wasteland soon.

For example, obstructed vision in the sandstorm, the location of the star beast's attack, and the coordination between teammates—every detail was repeatedly refined in his mind.

Boom boom boom!
A series of rapid, rhythmic knocks suddenly sounded on the door.

Dust interrupted his thoughts, and he looked towards the doorway.

"Who?"

Before long, Liu Ma's cheerful yet somewhat urgent voice came from outside the door.

"Dust Sky, are you ready? Vivian's multi-functional tactical suit sandproof modification is complete. Let's go to the training ground to get used to it."

"After all, it's new equipment, so she said it's best to test it more."

Upon hearing this, Chen Kong immediately turned off the computer screen, got up, walked quickly to the door, and opened the dormitory door.

Outside the door, Liu Ma was wearing a light gray enhanced training suit, with the cuffs rolled up to reveal his muscular forearms.

On his shoulder was a brand new pair of arm armor.

That was a 'weapon' specially made for Liu Ma by his eldest sister, Yu Qianxia, ​​after the trials on Changsheng Island.

In Yu Qianxia's words, although a martial artist's most trustworthy asset is his own body, forged through countless trials.

However, if one becomes complacent and ignores or even resists any other form of 'progress,' this is also inconsistent with the martial artist's spirit of forging ahead.

After all, 'refusing to change' is itself a sign of 'cowardice'.

Therefore, knowing how to use modern equipment effectively is also an important aspect of being a qualified martial artist.

Beside Liu Ma, Vivian stood quietly behind him.

Vivian's original silver mechanical arm had been modified to a dark yellow color to suit the desert environment, and a thick dustproof sealing ring had been added to the joints.

He also carried a custom toolbox on his back, with the mechanical department's exclusive badge printed on the side of the toolbox.

Upon seeing Chen Kong appear, Vivian said, "I checked the geological data of the Bone Desert. The sand particles there are very hard, and ordinary protective coatings simply cannot withstand them."

"As for the modification of the tactical uniform, I specifically reinforced the joint seals and replaced the sensors with highly wear-resistant ones, which should solve the problem of the multi-functional tactical uniform's sensitivity decreasing in sandstorms."

As she spoke, Vivian opened her toolbox and handed a multi-functional tactical suit to Chen Kong.

Chen Kong took the external multi-functional tactical suit and looked at it curiously.

During this process, Vivian spoke about some of her investigations during the day.

“I carefully checked the newly updated exploration records and test reports about the ‘Bone Desert’ and found that what the reports said was basically the same as what Anqin said. My previous doubts about her may have been unfounded.”

"That's good"

Hearing Vivian's words, Liu Ma breathed a sigh of relief and exaggeratedly patted his chest.

He then patted Vivian on the shoulder, with a gentle, soothing touch.

"Vivian, if you ask me, you're just too cautious. But that's a good thing. With you overseeing things, our exploration will definitely go smoothly."

Vivian didn't refute, but forced a slightly stiff smile.

Although she didn't find anything wrong with Anqin, for some reason, she always felt that there was something inexplicably off about Anqin.

Therefore, in the afternoon she even secretly released her mental energy to test Anqin's star energy fluctuations, but only sensed a gentle auxiliary star energy barrier, without any abnormal aura.

However, this flawless state only intensified her unease.

However, lacking any substantial evidence, she could only suppress her suspicions.

After all, intuition is not a judgment worth using as 'evidence' for the AI ​​Star Envoy.

Thinking of this, Vivian quickly gathered her chaotic thoughts and regained her usual calm tone.

"Let's go. Isabel is already waiting for us at the training ground. Once everyone is here, I will test the effectiveness of this multi-functional tactical suit for each of you, focusing on whether it can fully perform its functions in sandy conditions."

"Ah."

[Training Ground, Environmental Simulation Area]

The environmental control system at the training ground has been activated, and pale yellow sand particles are falling continuously from the nozzles on the ceiling, whistling past under the action of the wind power device, creating a realistic desert sandstorm.

The sand and dust hit the metal obstacles, making a grating, screeching sound.

They had already taken turns testing the effectiveness of their respective multi-functional tactical suits and found nothing unusual.

Now, they are cooperating as a team in a simulated sandstorm environment.

Liu Ma stood at the very front of the group, his muscles slightly bulging. As he swung his gauntlets, he created a powerful airflow barrier that precisely blocked most of the sand and dust flying towards them.

Isabel, on the other hand, was operating her 'absolute zero' at full power, precisely locking onto a distant moving target in the sandstorm where visibility was limited.

At the very back of the group, Vivian watched her teammates perform while sharing her analysis.

"The impact of wind and sand on us is much greater than we expected."

"My radar scanning range will be reduced by 30% in the sandstorm, and the scanning accuracy will also decrease, which may make it impossible to accurately determine the level and number of star beasts."

"In addition, Chen Kong, your Dreamer has strong versatility and adaptability, so it is best if you make targeted responses in the event of any emergencies."

Chen Kong nodded, then began to train with even greater focus.

The four of them spent two hours practicing together in the simulated training field, from basic sandstorm defense and target locking to advanced responses to sudden star beast attacks and teammate rescue coordination. They practiced each tactic dozens of times.

It wasn't until night had completely fallen and the sandstorm control system at the training ground was turned off that the four of them, covered in sweat, returned to their respective dormitories to rest.

Before going to sleep, Chen Kong sat on the edge of the bed, hesitated for a moment, and then took out his personal terminal to send an encrypted message to Tian Dao. He explained in detail about the team's exploration of the Bone Desert, and focused on asking An Qin if there was anything unusual about her background.

As expected, the Heavenly Dao did not react at all.

This means either they didn't see it, or they read it but didn't reply.

Chen Kong said he could understand this.

After all, the current Heavenly Dao is still the same as when he was a child, overpowering everyone else and becoming the most eye-catching existence in the base.

Many people wanted to befriend him. If it weren't for their childhood relationship, Chen Kong wouldn't even be able to get Tian Dao's contact information.

After waiting for half an hour without receiving a reply from Heaven.

Chen Kong leaned against the headboard, his gaze fixed on the night sky outside the window. The artificial moon in Wudou Tiandu emitted a soft light, which made his tense nerves relax a little.

Just when Chen Kong thought that the Heavenly Dao was still busy or didn't want to pay attention to him, a message came.

Chen Kong hurriedly picked up the data terminal, which displayed a brief message from the Heavenly Dao.

'Always prepare for the worst; sometimes intuition is more convincing than any evidence.'

Upon seeing Tiandao's reply, Chen Kong's brows furrowed instantly.

If someone else had said something so ambiguous, Chen Kong might not have taken it to heart.

But when the one who says these words is the Way of Heaven, then everything is different.

"So, does Brother Tiandao know something, or is he just trying to fool me?"

Thinking of this, Chen Kong sent another message.

But this time, he waited a long time but did not receive a reply from Heaven.

It's clear that this time, Tiandao has read the message but isn't going to reply.

In the end, Chen Kong still chose to keep a watchful eye on things.

As the saying goes, it's always best to prepare for the worst.

At 5:30 a.m. the next morning, before dawn, the Star Energy Ship Station of Wudou Tiandu was already brightly lit. The white lights illuminated the entire huge space, making the metal walls gleam coldly.

The small star-powered ship named 'Explorer VII' was quietly moored at berth number three.

The silver-white hull gleamed coldly under the lights, bearing the emblem of the Star Envoy Association, surrounded by energy patterns that were slowly charging.

Anqin waited at the starship entrance, having changed into a gray-black field uniform.

She wore a badge with the field operations department's logo on her uniform, and her hair was tied in a high ponytail, making her look very capable and energetic.

Surprisingly, two unfamiliar men dressed in black tactical uniforms appeared beside her at that moment.

Both of them were carrying heavy tactical backpacks, clearly well-equipped.

They wore badges indicating they were students of the Tianwu Training Base on the left chest of their tactical uniforms, clearly indicating they were also students of the base.

Anqin glanced at the two of them out of the corner of her eye, a strange sense of irritation rising in her heart.

She clearly stated yesterday that she invited Chen Kong and the others to form a team in her personal capacity.

But the two of them still followed, seemingly to help, but actually to supervise.

Unfortunately, Anqin didn't have any particularly good solutions to this problem.

Just as An Qin was pondering how to explain things to Chen Kong and the others, Chen Kong and the others arrived.

Seeing the two people who had suddenly appeared beside An Qin, Chen Kong frowned and asked, "An Qin, who are these two?"

Faced with Chen Kong's question, An Qin calmed her complicated emotions and tried to speak in a steady tone: "These two are my companions whom I met not long ago. This is Lin Feng, and this is Zhao Yu."

"They are all enhancement-type Star Envoys. Lin Feng is good at heavy defense and can withstand attacks from high-level Star Beasts."

"Zhao Yu excels in fast close combat and can skillfully restrain the enemy."

After hearing An Qin's acceptance, Lin Feng and Zhao Yu nodded to Chen Kong and the others.

Lin Feng was tall, not only half a head taller than Liu Ma, but also with broad shoulders.

He had a faint scar on his face that stretched from his forehead to his cheek, his eyes were cold as ice, and he exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay.

Zhao Yu was relatively more easygoing. He took a step forward with a perfectly appropriate smile on his face.

He stepped forward, extended his hand to Chen Kong, and uttered the words he had prepared long ago.

“It was not easy to find a suitable occupied area. We spent a lot of effort persuading Anqin to let us join after we received the news.”

"Don't worry, although we joined midway this time, our goal is to gain as much experience as possible in exploring the occupied territories. As for the points we get, we can give you one-third of them as compensation."

Chen Kong remained silent, while Vivian, standing to the side, said coldly, "But this is different from what we agreed on before."

As soon as she finished speaking, Vivian quietly activated her intelligent electronic eyes and began to investigate the two people in front of her.

Her probing movements were well controlled, emitting almost no star energy fluctuations.

However, the investigation revealed nothing unusual.

Faced with Vivian's difficult questioning, Zhao Yu smiled and said, "Although it is indeed different from before, the cake is right in front of us, it's not fair that you're the only ones eating it. We can't, can we?"

Zhao Yu's statement was impeccable. Vivian remained silent for a moment, but ultimately she was still reluctant to give up this precious opportunity to explore the occupied territory.

Because if we miss this opportunity, we don't know when we'll find a suitable occupied area again.

Noticing the slightly strange atmosphere in the group, Anqin clapped her hands and said, "It's almost time. The Star Energy Ship's departure procedure is about to start. Let's board the ship first. The Star Energy Ship will set sail at seven o'clock sharp. After boarding, I will distribute detailed exploration route maps to everyone."

After boarding the ship, Anqin led everyone through a narrow corridor. The indicator lights on both sides of the corridor emitted a pale green light, illuminating the path ahead.

She led everyone to a spacious rest cabin.

"The Star Power Ship will take three hours to sail. During this time, everyone can rest and replenish their energy."

"I'm going to the cockpit to check the flight route and energy reserves. I'll be right back."

After saying that, she turned around and quickly left the rest cabin.

Lin Feng's eyes sharpened, and he followed closely behind without making a sound. The two figures quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

The moment An Qin stepped out of the rest pod, the smile on her face vanished completely, replaced by deep struggle. She whispered to Lin Feng beside her, "This mission... can we change the target?"

Lin Feng gave An Qin a meaningful look and said, "An Qin, it seems you really consider yourself a 'human being'."

(End of this chapter)