When Yang Kai emerged from seclusion, Feng Ying immediately gathered the members of the Dawn team to hold a post-battle meeting.
Over thirty people assembled in one place, discussing some of the issues they had encountered during the previous mission. Unlike other teams whose members had worked together for a long time and developed seamless coordination, Dawn was a brand-new team, and the members still needed time to find their rhythm with one another. Conducting a review after a major battle would be tremendously beneficial.
Everyone was in high spirits and spoke up eagerly. Problems that had been overlooked in daily operations quickly surfaced before the group, committing them to memory so that when similar situations arose again, perfect solutions would be at the ready.
And once those issues no longer appeared, Dawn's coordination would reach an entirely new level.
The post-battle meeting didn't take long and concluded after an hour.
Yang Kai headed once more to the place where Zha Hu was stationed. Since he was here, he naturally intended to put Dawn to work — he couldn't very well stay back at base admiring the scenery.
There wasn't much scenery to admire in the void anyway.
After receiving permission, Yang Kai stepped into the tent and spoke: "Commander Zha, Dawn has finished recuperating. Are there any assignments available here?"
Zha Hu glanced at him. "Recovered already?"
Yang Kai smiled. "We didn't really suffer any losses last time."
"Don't push yourself too hard."
"Rest assured, Commander Zha. As Dawn's captain, I will act within our capabilities."
Only then did Zha Hu nod. "In that case, I won't stand in your way. There are assignments available, but it depends on which type you prefer."
Yang Kai was somewhat surprised. "We can choose?"
Zha Hu chuckled lightly. "The assignments I offer here come in three categories. The first is resource prospecting and extraction. This is relatively the safest — even when you occasionally encounter the Ink Clan, the chances aren't high, so generally speaking there's no need to engage them in combat."
Seeing that Yang Kai showed no interest, Zha Hu continued: "The second is assigning your team a sector of the defensive perimeter. Your squad would operate exclusively within that zone, protecting those who are prospecting and extracting resources. If the Ink Clan appears, kill them without mercy!"
Yang Kai nodded at that. The first type was clearly unsuitable for Dawn — the team possessed strengths and assets that other teams didn't, so there was no way they were going to run off to dig for ore. The second was somewhat more to his liking, but still not quite what he was after.
He immediately asked: "Is there a third type?"
Zha Hu nodded. "The third is free hunting. The entire resource production zone becomes your patrol area. Wherever the Ink Clan appears, you hunt them down. When there's nothing to fight, you search proactively. And if another squad sends a distress call and you're nearby, you respond as quickly as possible."
Yang Kai made his decision without hesitation. "Free hunting, then."
Compared to the second type, free hunting offered far more freedom — they wouldn't be confined to a single defensive sector. At the same time, the likelihood of encountering the Ink Clan would increase dramatically. That was exactly the kind of assignment Yang Kai and Dawn were after.
Zha Hu wore an expression that said he'd known all along, and produced a crystal-like sphere, handing it to Yang Kai. "Take this."
"What is it?" Yang Kai asked, puzzled.
"A specially crafted communication device. Every team has one. If you run into danger, you can use it to transmit messages, and you can also receive distress calls from other teams — use it to determine direction and distance."
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. "That's a useful thing."
"Free hunting has no restrictions, but it's also very dangerous. There are still Domain Lord-level Ink Clan members operating in this resource production zone. Although we have Eighth-Order Commanders keeping them in check, nobody can guarantee you won't run into one on your own. If you encounter a Domain Lord, remember — preserving your lives comes first. Under no circumstances should you act recklessly." Zha Hu's tone was earnest as he gave his warning.
"I'll remember that."
"Off you go, then." Zha Hu waved his hand.
Yang Kai took his leave.
Shortly afterward, back at the camp, Yang Kai explained the free-hunting assignment he had received and handed the crystal communication device to Feng Ying. He looked at the group. "If there are no objections, we set off now."
None of them had any.
Moments later, the Dawn rose from the base and shot off in a specific direction at high speed.
Once they had entered the open void, Feng Ying suddenly changed the hand seals she was forming. A ripple of faint, almost imperceptible energy swept through the entire Dawn.
In that instant, Yang Kai felt as though something about the Dawn had changed, yet when he looked more carefully, nothing appeared different. Puzzled, he extended his spiritual sense and finally saw the true nature of it.
The surface of the Dawn was wrapped in a layer of ever-shifting power — and that layer of shifting energy was nothing other than an illusion array.