Chapter 64 The Plan Unfolds

For the remainder of the time, the two further finalized the combat plan scheduled for tomorrow.

The candidates were basically settled, and the only unresolved issue was regarding the replenishment of supplies—specifically, which one should be prioritized first.

After some discussion, they decided to wait and see how things unfolded tomorrow before making a final call.

Since there was no particularly suitable answer at the moment, it was better not to make a rash decision.

That way, they would avoid finding the cooldown still active when the supplies were truly needed.

That night, after a brief separation that felt like a newlywed reunion, the two of them spent a deeply tender and intimate time together.

The next day.

Bai Ying and Chen Lijun were both summoned to the command post early in the morning.

Seeing Shen Xing standing beside Ouyang Lin, neither of them felt the slightest bit surprised anymore.

Therefore, when Shen Xing began to brief them on his combat plan, they did not find anything amiss.

"In short, the two of you will each select your own personnel, keeping the number around five or six. Too few would be very dangerous, while too many would create too large a target. Your areas of expertise are different, and your combat styles vary significantly. Therefore, this can be considered an exploratory mission. We need to see which direction proves more effective for turning the tide of the battle. So, please give it your all and show your true capabilities.

The combat mission has been entrusted to you. Taking the military camp as the center, one team will head east, and the other will head west. Let me clarify the combat objective once more: remember, it is to close the dimensional gates that are still active. Everything else is secondary. We will find other ways to eliminate the monsters outside; you must not get bogged down in prolonged combat."

Shen Xing spoke with utmost seriousness, fearing that even a single detail might not be conveyed properly.

This first battle for the elite squad carried immense significance.

If this initial mission failed, then to say nothing of the ordinary soldiers, even his own confidence would inevitably suffer a severe blow.

When people cannot see the path ahead, even the most confident individuals will inevitably begin to doubt themselves.

A difficult road is not to be feared; what is terrifying is walking in the wrong direction.

"Rest assured! I've done this once already, so I have experience! This time I even have teammates, which makes it even less of a problem."

Bai Ying saluted and said.

Because of the events of the previous night, she was filled with gratitude toward Shen Xing.

Not knowing how best to express her thanks, she could only resolve to perform well in this operation and ensure Shen Xing's plan did not fail.

"I have no problem either. Thank you, Commander, for entrusting such an important mission to me. I will do my utmost to complete it! I will certainly not let you down!"

Chen Lijun also pledged accordingly.

Although it was a dangerous mission, it also allowed her to breathe a heavy sigh of relief.

Last night, her heart had been so unsettled that she had barely slept at all.

She had been terrified that Ouyang Lin would dismiss her today and refuse to let her continue following Shen Xing.

Fortunately, Shen Xing still pulled through reliably.

"Good, I trust you both, and I will be ready to provide support at any time. Take whatever supplies and weapons you need. Your authorization has been raised to the highest level, and the entire military camp is backing you up fully now!"

After hearing Shen Xing out, the two left the command post one after the other.

Throughout the entire process, Ouyang Lin did not say a single word.

She simply watched Shen Xing quietly.

"How was that? I didn't make a fool of you, did I?"

Shen Xing turned around and let out a soft sigh of relief.

Clap, clap!

Ouyang Lin smiled and gave two light claps:

"More than just not making a fool of me, you seem practically born for this. If I had made the arrangements today, I might not have done any better than you. It seems I can start preparing to be a hands-off boss now. How about it, Commander Shen?"

"Don't talk like it's the absolute truth. Me? I can only manage to command these two. If even one of them were replaced by someone else, they'd all look at you for the final say after listening to me. So, let's not invite that trouble. You should still be the one giving the orders, and I can at most act as your advisor."

Shen Xing possessed a very clear self-awareness; in such a massive military camp, how could a newcomer possibly run the show single-handedly?

Forcibly leaning on Ouyang Lin's authority was not a long-term solution either.

If the subordinates felt unconvinced, rumors would inevitably start flying everywhere, and by then, it would reflect poorly on everyone.

"Alright, I'll listen to you. Next, is it time to initiate the second phase?"

Ouyang Lin asked.

Shen Xing nodded:

"Yes, waiting a little longer won't hurt. Let's wait until they've departed before sending the camera crew to follow. Otherwise, they'll feel even more pressure."

Ouyang Lin smiled faintly: "You really are thoughtful."

"I have to be. The success or failure of this operation has far too great an impact. We must reappear before the onlookers outside with a sufficiently powerful posture. Only when they see growing hope and benefits will reinforcements be sent to this city. Otherwise, even if we manage to clear out the monsters in the end, the soldiers under your command will suffer heavy attrition. These are veterans tempered by blood and fire; if they can be preserved, they will undoubtedly be of immense help to you in the future."

Shen Xing sighed, massaging his temples as he spoke slowly.

Considering such a massive situation comprehensively for the first time was an immense test of his mental endurance.

"Alright, don't think too much about it. You're exhausted enough, go get some rest for a while. Now that they've set off, I should go out and get some activity too. I'll leave the ones roaming the city to myself."

Ouyang Lin leaned down to plant a kiss on Shen Xing, then changed into her combat uniform and waved goodbye to him.

"You must be careful!"

Shen Xing could not stop her and could only offer a parting admonition.

Ouyang Lin was currently the strongest person here, and if she were to stay cooped up in the command post all the time, it would inevitably breed resentment among the subordinates.

After all, compared to a commander who only knew how to hide in safe places, soldiers naturally preferred leaders who charged into the front lines alongside them.

That was entirely understandable, though it made things somewhat dangerous.

While a Level 20 martial artist theoretically was not prone to sudden death, the sheer variety of monsters—some of which were types that had never appeared before—meant that facing such completely unfamiliar foes made capsizing in a gutter entirely possible.

...

Back on Shen Xing's side, everyone was shedding blood and risking their lives, desperately striving to survive.

Yet in the world outside the city, almost nothing had changed, and there was not even the slightest sign of impact.

Only the neighboring cities knew what had happened here.

Places farther away lacked even the channels to receive news.

Because regarding this incident, the government strictly prohibited any casual public disclosures.

The distant capital was even more so.

Those "in the know" roughly understood what had transpired here, while those out of the loop had never even heard of it.

Whenever news related to this matter appeared in major media outlets, it was thoroughly scrubbed and deleted at the very first moment.

However, what no one knew was that right at this moment, a genius-level hacker was desperately trying to find a way to solve this problem.

You want to cover it up? You want to wait until the situation is completely mitigated before stepping out to explain?

No way, absolutely not.

"Are you kidding me? Even the general public... has the right to know!"