"A carrier pigeon? Don't these people always rely on carrier pigeons for information exchange between cities?" Hao Yun exclaimed.

Dream Jia immediately replied, "That's not realistic. Did you see how big the metal box Carl and the others just transported was? That box is their survey recorder for observing the light pillars. I asked Carl just now; he said even if it were another bird, not just a pigeon, it wouldn't be able to carry this tens of kilograms heavy box over long distances."

"Ah, I see. So, if we want to decrypt the information from the light pillar as soon as we get it, Elsie and the others really have to be on-site. By the way, when did you ask Carl about this? I didn't notice," Hao Yun curiously asked.

"I just said, didn't I? Just now! Ha! You must have been off flirting with that little fox spirit again, right? Otherwise, with me standing right next to you, how could you have missed my conversation with Carl?" Dream Jia questioned coldly.

Ugh! How did the topic shift back to Eva again? If this girl doesn't nag at me about it every day, I won't be in a bad mood all day long! Eva is our leader, how could I not attentively listen to her instructions? Alright, better not argue with her, or there will be no good outcome! Watching Dream Jia scolding him with a sour face, Hao Yun wanted to defend himself several times but ultimately chose to lower his head to avoid further provoking her.

"In any case, this mission is crucial for them and could also bring us closer to uncovering the truth we seek. Therefore, we should participate seriously and avoid any negligence! Also, everyone must pay special attention to Elsie and them. Unless absolutely necessary, do not use your divine powers in front of them." Finally, Dao Lao intervened to rescue Hao Yun from Dream Jia's verbal abuse.

Giving Hao Yun a fierce glare, Dream Jia finally said contentedly, "It's actually good that Elsie and them are joining this operation. Otherwise, we wouldn't have a chance to get close to them, let alone uncover their secrets."

Over the next two days, the Skull Special Ops team spent almost all their time nervously preparing for the mission. Elsie and over a dozen saviors also took this opportunity to briefly seclude themselves once again, using stargazing to predict the potential movements of the Mastanians. After confirming that the Mastanian troops stationed outside would not undertake any military actions in the short term, they confidently led the Skull Special Ops team out of Lena Tower City at daybreak.

Due to the high stakes and increased risks of this mission, and with all saviors participating, Lena Tower City had to upgrade the armament of the Skull Special Ops team to ensure their safety while successfully completing the mission. This immediately transformed the previously lightweight Rapid Expeditionary Task Force into a significantly enhanced standardized fast armored response unit, equipped with more powerful floating assault cruisers, multiple floating tanks, and floating armored personnel carriers.

According to Carl, with the current firepower configuration of the team, they might still be at a disadvantage if they encountered another Mastanian mechanized combat squadron of the same scale as last time.

Due to Dream Jia's excellent driving skills, she was also assigned an armored personnel carrier. However, apart from herself, Hao Yun, and Dao Lao, her vehicle only carried some combat supplies. At least one-third of the space in the vehicle remained unfilled. According to Eva, she arranged it this way to facilitate Hao Yun and them in collecting Mastanian bodies during the mission and possibly transporting any rescued little whites they might find.

When talking about the little whites, Eva couldn't help but pretend to be dissatisfied, sneaking a disdainful glance at Hao Yun and Dream Jia. She then said in a sarcastic tone, "Ah! I wonder if we can pick up another handsome little white this time! If we can find one, I'll be the big lady! Oh no, why should I share with you?! Besides me, no one else deserves that handsome little white!"

Dream Jia rolled her eyes in disgust at Eva and Hao Yun and said, "Hmph! Who cares about competing with you?! Take it! If you like, I'll give you both! You'd better keep that disgusting creature as far away from me as possible!"

Hao Yun could only smile bitterly at their exchange. Why do these two girls have to argue so much? And why do they keep dragging me into it? I'm a human being, not an object! Stop objectifying men!

The convoy of the Skull Squad marched mightily across the grasslands. Before long, they approached the area where the majority of the Mastanian troops were stationed. They could see Lena Tower City's defenders building defensive fortifications close enough to the Mastanian army to halt their advancement and create better combat space for the remaining defenses of Lena Tower City.

As a considerable number of Mastanian troops had previously used teleportation arrays to evacuate the battlefield, the number of enemy forces stationed in the grasslands had noticeably decreased. Moreover, the enemy forces had now organized themselves into a shrinking defensive formation by region. This allowed the Skull Squad to keep a safe distance from the Mastanian troops stationed around them and safely leave the area where the Mastanian troops were concentrated.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

After leaving the tense atmosphere of the grasslands, the journey of the Skull Squad became much easier. Although they could see some Mastanian military forces at rest stops and towns controlled by the enemy, they encountered no other Mastanians and faced no ambushes from Mastanian patrol teams. However, the smooth and unimpeded journey did not make the members of the Skull Squad feel comfortable; instead, it made everyone feel a little uneasy.

"Under normal circumstances, even if the Xibo engage us in a major war, it wouldn't affect their activities in other regions. However, in the past few days, even at night, we haven't seen any Xibo military units on the highway. While this is advantageous for our safe journey to Terleihe City, it's also quite unusual. According to the Redeemers' speculations, all of this may be related to the ambush that night. It seems that after that ambush, the Xibo have clearly altered their operational methods!" Eva, who had just entered the armored vehicle carrying Haoyun and the others under the guise of inspection work, remarked upon passing a Xibo-controlled rest stop where only a few Xibo soldiers were sporadically stationed.

"Are the changes in Xibo really due to that ambush? That seems a bit far-fetched. Besides, their sudden attack on the human capital city shortly afterward indicates a change in their modus operandi, doesn't it?" Haoyun asked, puzzled.

"Why would it be far-fetched? For over ten thousand years, this is the first instance of a Xibo mothership being destroyed. Before this, even the Redeemers themselves had never achieved such a feat. Moreover, during this attack, the Xibo military lost multiple motherships in one fell swoop. How could this not cause anxiety among the Xibo? Therefore, the current unusual behavior of the Xibo is probably due to them sensing a powerful and unknown threat, forcing them to make adjustments," analyzed Eva.

"So, who attacked the Xibo mothership? Why did they suddenly appear and then disappear without a trace? And why do they possess such formidable power?" Haoyun pondered aloud, furrowing his brows once again.

Eva stared at Haoyun's contemplative expression for a moment, then suddenly asked, "A'Yun, are you sure you didn't notice anything unusual at that time? Since there's no one else here, I'll be straightforward with you. After the battle that day, a soldier from another unit in the rear told me he saw you three leave your post and rush towards the frontline, only to return looking disheveled later. Of course, to avoid unnecessary trouble, I told that soldier I had ordered them to rush to the front lines to provide support. So, why did you three leave your post and go to the frontline on your own?"

Upon hearing Eva's question, Haoyun and the others couldn't help but feel alarmed. Oh no! Had their whereabouts that night already been exposed? Thinking about this, Haoyun couldn't help but feel a bit bitter, unsure how to respond to Eva's query.

Luckily, Dao Lao reacted quickly enough. So he immediately put on a flustered and embarrassed look, scratching his head as he explained, "Uh—haha! Well, you see—we just saw that the situation in front was very tense, and we weren't contributing much in the rear, so we wanted to rush to the frontline to meet up with other teammates and see if we could help in any way. Otherwise, while others were fighting hard up front, the three of us felt quite uneasy staying behind. So, when we heard you commanding everyone to adjust tactics over the communicator, we felt the urge to go up and help."

Just as Dao Lao finished speaking, Haoyun had successfully completed his mental gymnastics. Then, he continued with a somewhat resentful tone, "Boss, you really don't need to look after us like this all the time. We've all received formal training, and we've participated in battles with everyone several times. We actually have the capability to undertake important tasks directly! So, please don't always leave us behind! We feel that since even that kid Karl can go to the front lines for reconnaissance missions, the three of us can do the same! Do you really think we're inferior to Karl just because we joined the squad a bit later?!"

"Hey, Karl, sorry about that! Thanks for helping us out of that predicament!" Haoyun expressed his dissatisfaction with Eva while internally apologizing to Karl.

"Well, I can see that you've been studying hard and have indeed accumulated quite a bit of combat experience. However, conducting field reconnaissance missions is fundamentally different from regular combat. Field reconnaissance is more complex and demands higher comprehensive qualities from the scout. That's why I've been cautious about letting you participate in reconnaissance tasks in major battles," Eva replied seriously, making a gesture hoping everyone would understand. Then, taking advantage of the opportunity to introduce the field reconnaissance mission, she continued chatting with Haoyun.

"Hey! Miss, you've been inspecting our work here for most of the day! Shouldn't you go somewhere else to inspect? Wang Defa has a terrible temper. If you don't go over there and inspect soon, poor Karl might be tortured to death by him!" Dream Jia, noticing this, immediately spoke in a tone that brooked no objections. To anyone unaware, she seemed to be the leader here.

Eva, upon hearing this, tilted her head with a touch of annoyance and glared at Dream Jia, "Rest assured! Wang Defa is just a bit temperamental, but he really likes Karl! Otherwise, he wouldn't always treat Karl so strictly! Hey! You guys should get this straight! I'm the leader of the Skeleton Special Ops Team! I'm in charge here every day, and you guys don't respect me at all! Let me tell you, leaving your post on the battlefield is a serious offense! If it weren't for me here covering for you, you would definitely be severely punished by the wartime disciplinary committee! In serious cases, not only would you be expelled from the squad, but you might even be sent to the mountains to plant trees! Hmph! In the future, be smarter and don't always cause trouble for me!"

"Tch! So annoying! Always taking advantage of A'Yun, yet so arrogant! If it weren't for A'Yun, I would've sent you to the factory to screw bolts by now!" Eva continued grumbling in her mouth, reluctantly getting up to open the car door and wave at Karl's driver's transport vehicle. Then, with a graceful leap as Karl brought the transport vehicle close, she agilely jumped into the compartment of the adjacent vehicle.