Seeing Wang Defa leave somewhat dejectedly, Eva first shook her head helplessly, then said to everyone, "Alright, since there's nothing urgent now, let's take this opportunity to rest a bit more! After all, tonight is destined to be another sleepless night. Without ample energy, everyone will definitely have a hard time."

After saying that, Eva stood up with Dr. Chu and Captain Rice and returned to the bow of the ship, quietly exchanging words once again.

Seeing the leaders leave, Carl relaxed his tense body and casually invited Haoyun's group to sit down. In a very friendly tone, he said, "Phew! They finally all left! Welcome, my new friends! My name is Carl. Oh, by the way! You all already know my name! Hehe! The leaders just made me so nervous that I forgot about all this. I must have made everyone laugh! Hahaha!"

Watching Carl trying to ease his nervousness, Haoyun responded with a kindly smile, "Yeah! Whenever these big shots show up, they always give off an inexplicable sense of pressure, which can be quite suffocating! Oh, right, my name is Ayun, she's Jiamei, and he's Lao Dao. We'll be sticking with you from now on, Captain Carl, please take care of us!"

"Hey! Who am I to be called a captain? Just call me Carl from now on! We're all just support staff following the army, no need for such strong hierarchy! Since we can come together, it's fate; we should take care of each other! Besides, judging by appearances, all three of you are older than me. So, you guys should just call me Carl, alright?" Carl waved his hands dismissively.

"Alright, sure! We'll listen to you, Carl, old buddy! Please take care of us from now on!" Since Carl had expressed himself like this, Lao Dao didn't say much more and just nodded back at him.

"Hey! Carl, could you tell us what our unit is actually doing here?" Dream Jia straightforwardly asked.

Clearly, Dream Jia was not as amiable as Haoyun and Lao Dao in her interactions. Being a priestess naturally endowed with a strong personality, she carried an air of superiority and would not easily show deference to anyone. Moreover, given the friction between her and this woman named Eva, she held this special operations team in low regard.

Perhaps because of Dream Jia's inherent aura and her assertive style of speaking, Carl, who was generally more soft-spoken, suddenly found himself overwhelmed by her presence. This made Carl shrink back a bit nervously upon hearing Dream Jia's question, much like he did when talking to Wang Defa earlier. He stuttered in response, "Uh... Well... Sister Jiamei, these things, Carl can't tell you for now. At least until I consult with the leaders, I can't tell you."

"Why? Aren't we already official members of the special operations team?" Dream Jia asked somewhat displeased.

"Uh... Oh! Please, Sister Jiamei, don't misunderstand! I didn't mean it like that!" Carl hurriedly waved his hands, laughing awkwardly, and looked to Haoyun and Lao Dao for help. Carl didn't know why he felt so intimidated in front of this sister. Why couldn't he stand up to her when she questioned him?

Haoyun and Lao Dao naturally understood that Carl's hesitation stemmed not from the priestess's aura suppressing the mortal beings below but rather from Dream Jia's naturally strong personality. However, this also confirmed Wang Defa's earlier point that Carl was indeed a bit of a pushover. Otherwise, how could he immediately capitulate under the slightly forceful tone of Dream Jia's questioning? Oh! You kid, didn't you just promise not to be a pushover and to be a warrior? Is this it? Haoyun couldn't help but silently criticize in his mind.

Seeing Carl's timid expression, Dream Jia intensified her questioning, "So, what do you mean then?!"

Lao Dao, seeing this, quickly grabbed Dream Jia, trying to advise her, "Hey! Can't you be a bit gentler in your speech?! You're scaring the poor kid! It's okay, lad. With Lao Dao here, you don't need to fear her! As long as you honestly answer her questions, she won't dare to do anything to you!"

Haoyun wiped the sweat off his forehead, unable to help but silently comment in his mind: Fake! You're so fake! How is this helping Carl out of a tight spot? Isn't this just a veiled threat to Carl, to make him obedient, right? However, aside from silently criticizing, Haoyun didn't actually oppose Lao Dao and Dream Jia's idea of trying to dominate Carl in terms of their aura. Because this way, the three of them, who were in front of Carl on the surface, were equivalent to taking away the right to speak from the sub-team composed of the four of them in secret, this naturally made it even more advantageous for Haoyun to stand out in this team.

Seeing Wang Defa leaving somewhat frustrated, Eva first shook her head helplessly, then turned to everyone and said, "Alright, since there's nothing urgent now, let's take this opportunity to rest a bit! Tonight is bound to be another sleepless night. Without sufficient rest, everyone will have a tough time."

After saying this, Eva led Dr. Chu and Chief Rice back to the bow of the ship and began quietly discussing again.

With the leaders gone, Carl finally relaxed his tense posture. He casually invited Hao Yun and the others to sit down and said in a friendly tone, "Phew! Finally, they've all left! Welcome, new friends! My name is Carl. Oh, by the way! You already know my name! Hehe! Those leaders just made me so nervous that I forgot all about this. It's embarrassing! Hahaha!"

Watching Carl trying to calm his nerves, Hao Yun quickly responded with a kind smile, "Yes! When those big shots appear, they always bring an inexplicable sense of pressure, making it suffocating! Oh, by the way, my name is Ayun, she's Jia Meier, and he's Lao Dao. We'll be following you from now on, Captain Carl, please take care of us!"

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Hey! Come on, don't call me Captain! Just call me Carl! We're all just support staff with the army, no need for such strong hierarchical feelings! Since we've come together, it's fate. We should take care of each other! Besides, looking at your appearances, all three of you seem older than me. So, from now on, just call me Old Brother Carl!"

Listening to Ayun, Carl waved his hand hastily and said nonchalantly.

"Alright, alright! We'll listen to Old Brother Carl! Please take care of us in the future!" Since Carl had expressed himself this way, Lao Dao didn't say much more and replied with a bow.

"Hey! Carl, can you explain to us what our squad is doing here?" Dream Jia cut to the chase.

Obviously, Dream Jia wasn't as gentle and polite as Hao Yun and Lao Dao. Her status as a priest combined with her naturally assertive personality gave her a sense of superiority and she wouldn't easily show respect to anyone. Not to mention, these people were all under that woman Eva, and due to the friction between the two, Dream Jia didn't even bother to regard this special operations team.

Perhaps because Dream Jia exuded a strong aura, coupled with her usually dominant speaking style, Carl, who was originally softer in character, was immediately overshadowed by Dream Jia's momentum. This made Carl feel inferior in spirit when he heard Dream Jia's question, similar to when he spoke to Wang Defa earlier. He shrank his neck in fear and then stammered in response, "Uh, well... Jia Meier, these things... Carl can't tell you for now. At least until I consult with the leaders."

"Why? Aren't we already official members of the special forces?" Dream Jia asked somewhat displeased.

"Uh... Oh dear! Please don't misunderstand, Jia Meier!" Carl hurriedly waved his hand with a bitter smile, glancing at Hao Yun's Lao Dao for help. Carl didn't know why he felt so uneasy in front of this sister; he didn't dare to be presumptuous?

Hao Yun and Lao Dao naturally knew why Carl had such thoughts. It wasn't because of Dream Jia's priestly aura suppressing the creatures below, but because of Dream Jia's inherently strong personality. But it's also clear that Wang Defa was right. Carl was indeed a coward. Otherwise, how could he surrender so quickly when Dream Jia's tone was slightly stronger? Hey! Weren't you just saying that you wouldn't be a soft persimmon and would be a warrior? Is that it? Hao Yun couldn't help but complain in his heart.

Seeing Carl's timid look, Dream Jia pursued with even more intensity, "Then tell me, what exactly do you mean?!"

Seeing the situation, Lao Dao hurriedly pulled Dream Jia, advised her, "Oh! Can't you speak more gently? Look at scaring the child! Children, it's all right. With Lao Dao here, you don't have to be afraid of her! As long as you answer her questions seriously, she won't dare to do anything to you!"

Hao Yun wiped the black line on his forehead and couldn't help complaining in his heart: false! You are too false! Are you helping Carl out of trouble? Are you forcing Carl to surrender by intimidation? However, in addition to complaining, Hao Yun did not object to Lao Dao and Dream Jia wanting to overshadow Carl in momentum. Because in this way, they three rookies who were mixed with Carl on the surface, it is equivalent to invisibly gained the power of a team of four people composed of secret driving. In this way, it

becomes even more conducive to Hao Yun's outstanding performance in the team.

Chapter 326: Understanding with the Xibo People

Seeing Hao Yun blocking the two imposing senior members, Carl wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and continued, "Phew! We'll have to wait until we return to Lena City for you three to pick up your permits from the military. Normally, any newcomer we discover undergoes a series of specialized training and must pass rigorous assessments to obtain military entry permits. To join a special operations team like the Skeleton Special Mobile Squadron, you first need to serve a certain period in the regular army and achieve outstanding performance to qualify for applying to join the special operations team. Then, after a series of even more stringent assessments, you can finally become a member of the special operations team."

Carl paused for a moment and continued, "However, since the three of you are specially endorsed by Captain Eva, you won't need to go through those rigorous assessments to become official members of the Skeleton Special Mobile Squadron. Please rest assured, once we return to Lena City, I'll take Captain Eva's personal recommendation letter to the military and help you pick up your permits. This is also one of Carl's responsibilities, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Calling them "seniors" now, Carl had completely given up resisting under Dream Jia's powerful aura and accepted the fact that he had transformed from a small leader into a follower.

Seeing Carl's somewhat cowed demeanor, Dream Jia nodded in satisfaction and said, "Alright then! Since that's the case, we won't press you with too many sensitive questions for now. Carl, what's our next step?"

Carl pointed ahead towards the back of the squad and replied, "It won't be long before those mushroom clouds dissipate. Once that happens, the Westerians who come to their senses will track us down based on the pheromones we leave in the air. However, there's no need to worry too much, because the Westerians' movement speed is quite limited, so they won't catch up with us immediately. Therefore, we have enough time to reach the previous rest stop. Once we're inside, we can establish strong defensive fortifications. That way, even if the Westerians attack us in full force and there's no reinforcement, we'll have enough capability to withstand their assault until daybreak!"

"How much longer until we reach that rest stop?" Hao Yun asked.

Carl glanced at the electronic device strapped to his arm and replied, "About... it should take another eight or nine hours!"

With that, Carl turned to point at the road ahead and said, "The highway we're on now is a major traffic artery connecting cities on Earth NX. Like a river, this highway links every city on Earth NX, and if conditions permit, we can even use this highway to travel to any corner of the world. It's for this reason that our ancestors built tens of thousands of service areas along this highway, providing rest for travelers during their journeys. However, after the Westerian invasion war began, this highway became a vital supply line for transporting materials and shifting troops. Many service areas were thus converted into large defensive fortresses for us to use as temporary rest stops during wartime."

"If this highway is so important, why haven't the Westerians destroyed or occupied it? Wouldn't that cut off our supply line?" Dream Jia asked.

In war, both sides focus on key transportation routes that can support the battlefield and do everything possible to destroy those routes that cannot be taken over. So, since the Westerian occupiers have taken over the city of Trelia, then according to all reasons, the Westerian should have occupied all the major transportation arteries around the city? However, strangely, Dream Jia had never seen the Westerian card that set up.