It must be said, the money spent on this was well worth it. Especially for a mission location this remote from Zion City, being able to restore mental energy during the ride was essential.
Still half-asleep, Yi Chen suddenly felt a sharp, piercing sensation from within his body, as if plants were drilling through him. He abruptly sat up.
After waking, the feeling didn’t subside; instead, it intensified.
Some plant seedlings even began sprouting from his pores, as if issuing a warning.
Jin was still asleep, one long leg draped over the other. Drool seeped from the gaps of his mask.
Yi Chen tried his best not to disturb his rest. He moved to the front of the carriage, opened the window, and asked the coachman in the iron mask:
Who would have thought that this behavior would anger Little Grape? An eyeball appeared on its shoulder, and the dog immediately tucked its tail and hid behind its owner.
The leading gentleman, sporting a small mustache and dressed in a standard brown morning suit, immediately recognized Yi Chen and Jin, as well as their purpose for being here. A trace of helplessness—and even self-doubt—appeared on his face.
“Are you the reinforcements sent by Gethsemane? We haven’t even reported the difficulties we’re facing here… Has the delay been too long?”
Yi Chen took a step forward, bowed, and said, “That’s correct. We were entrusted by Instructor Bailey to assist in handling the issues related to Shepherd Village and the New Life Church.”
“William, this is my friend, Jin.”
“I’m Wilmer, the temporary leader of the Black Eye Outpost. Follow me.”
The other party didn’t mention the destruction of the barricade.
Even though Yi Chen and Jin looked to be only in their twenties, Wilmer showed no prejudice. Instead, he was filled with reverence for Gethsemane.
As they entered the outpost, gentlemen living in the tents poked their heads out, curiously observing the young reinforcements sent by Gethsemane.
Many of them had dark circles under their eyes, looked exhausted, and some were even wrapped in bandages.
The entire outpost was devoid of vitality, exuding a silent sense of despair.
Wilmer led the two to a cliff and pointed to the central forest of the Jose Valley.
“That’s the area we need to investigate. It’s practically a natural fortress, and it’s growing and expanding every day.”
Yi Chen and Jin followed his gesture, gazing at the forest.
In the forest’s center, a circular wall of densely packed trees had formed, enclosing the inner area where Shepherd Village was located. This area accounted for about one-fifth of the entire forest.
The top of the enclosed region was also covered by dense foliage, completely obscuring the view of its interior.
Moreover, the tree-wall structure forming the blockade continued to expand outward.
The thickness of the tree walls had already reached a terrifying several hundred meters. If the root cause of this pathogenic growth wasn’t eradicated soon, it would eventually engulf the entire Jose Valley.
However, Yi Chen’s expression remained unchanged.
This kind of blockade structure, related to plants, shouldn’t be too difficult for him to handle.
“Please tell us in detail about your progress over this period, and also provide us with Shepherd Village’s ‘Rules.’”
“Our progress has been poor, and we have very little useful investigative data.
Even with the ‘Eye Tower’ in place, we haven’t been able to gather any information about the interior.
I’m considering that if you two cannot make any effective progress within three days, I’ll arrange for a group to return to Zion and request Find your next favorite novel on NovelHub today!”
These words triggered Jin’s temper, and he retorted immediately:
“Don’t compare the two of us with you useless people. If you have no valuable information, just say so—stop wasting our time.”
Surprisingly, Jin’s words didn’t anger Wilmer.
It seemed that, to some extent, this temporary leader had already acknowledged his incompetence in this matter.
“I prepared the investigation data yesterday, along with the village’s rules, in a file folder. You can take it directly. I only have one request.
If you manage to enter the blockade zone, please look for two missing gentleman teams and try to bring them back.”
Yi Chen stepped in front of Jin to block him, responding amicably:
“Understood. We’ll do our best to locate the missing teams and, if possible, bring them back.”
When handing over the file, Wilmer deliberately lowered his voice and whispered to Yi Chen, “Do you need us to provide an investigation team to enter the forest with you?”
Yi Chen smiled and replied: