At dusk, Qin Kewei and five others arrived at Shen Feng's military camp. The camp was preparing dinner. Although the food wasn't as exquisite as what they ate at Fengshen Palace, being communal meals prepared for many, it was hearty and gave a sense of relaxation.
Soldiers had dug U-shaped pits in the ground, placing large pots over them, with firewood burning underneath. The pots were filled with chopped meat from mutated beasts, along with generous amounts of ginger, garlic, and other seasonings. Many phoenix eggs were also thrown in with chunks of potatoes.
Cooking for a crowd was no easy feat, as tastes varied. Some preferred strong flavors, others mild. No matter how it was prepared, someone would always find fault. But the cooks didn't care; if people were unsatisfied, they were welcome to cook themselves. Those eating were expected to do so quietly and refrain from criticism.
Seeing this, Yue Hengyi couldn't help but pat his stomach and say sheepishly, "What a shame, I ate too much at noon. I'm not very hungry now, so I can only manage two large bowls."
Yue Hengyi was speaking the truth. He wasn't particularly hungry, but his statement sounded odd. Most people would be satisfied with one large bowl. Yet, this eighteen-year-old claimed he wasn't very hungry and intended to eat two large bowls. Was he a natural glutton?
In reality, Yue Hengyi was speaking by the standards of ability users. Ability users had large appetites, as they needed to replenish energy consumed through daily activities, exercise, and the use of their powers. Without sufficient food, they would starve. Therefore, it was best for ability users to belong to a faction that could support their needs.
Fang Qinghao chuckled and said, "You can't shame us from the Ability Administration! You must eat five bowls to show our sincerity. If you eat less, Shen Feng might think the food doesn't suit our taste!"
Yue Hengyi nodded solemnly. For the glory of the Ability Administration, he had no choice but to force himself to eat heartily.
Just then, Li Keyi spotted a cloud drifting across the sky with a young man on it. She immediately understood and said to those beside her, "Look, that person up there, could that be Shen Feng's brother-in-law?"
Everyone looked up and saw a person flying in the sky. They recalled Shen Feng's casual remark in Yanjing about his brother-in-law being able to fly. It seemed to be true, though this ability appeared rather simple and not very effective in combat.
A faint smile touched Fang Qinghao's lips, but it was tinged with disdain. "Just riding a cloud? It has no offensive power. Besides flying, it can't do anything else!"
"Ahem, don't say such strange things!" Qin Kewei quickly stopped Fang Qinghao from talking nonsense. They were here to ask for a favor, so they had to be careful with their words.
Meanwhile, Chang Haojie was slowly descending. He had heard that people from the Ability Administration had arrived and had come to guide them. After landing from the cloud, he directly said, "My esteemed heroes, please follow me. I saw your award ceremony on television, and I even know your titles!"
Chang Haojie greatly admired strong individuals, so he was very polite to these ability users who fought alongside his brother-in-law.
Fang Qinghao couldn't help but pat his chest and say, "Don't worry, this mission is on us. We will complete it perfectly!"
Chang Haojie led the six people into a spacious tent. Inside, Shen Feng and Ke Yiming were boasting, while Lu Kaiwen leaned against a side, reading. Lu Kaiwen had also decided to join the upcoming sea voyage, even if he couldn't enter the divine realm, he could wait outside.
"Shen Feng, long time no see!" Qin Kewei greeted as he entered the tent.
Upon seeing the group, Shen Feng warmly welcomed them. "Please, sit down. You haven't had dinner yet, have you? I'll have someone bring food over immediately. Although the meal is simple, please don't be picky! After dinner, we'll prepare to set off on the mission. Once we eliminate all these golden-haired monkeys, we'll be able to wipe out the mutated beasts within a little over a week!"
Ke Yiming also nodded at the group. He hadn't spent much time with the Ability Administration. After being recruited, he was only trained briefly before being sent to Sanxia as a bodyguard. Thus, he was less familiar with these colleagues than Shen Feng was.
Lu Kaiwen didn't even bother to look up. He generally disliked paying attention to people he didn't know, preferring to focus on his research, which he considered most important.
If a giant sea beast carcass were placed before Lu Kaiwen, he would undoubtedly jump for joy. However, he was indifferent to the visit of strangers.
Li Keyi walked up to Shen Feng, her eyes sparkling, a smile on her face. She asked, "Shen Feng, long time no see. Did you miss me?"
"No! I'm busy every day, how could I have time to think about other friends? Speaking of which, I don't know why you're here," Shen Feng said seriously.
Shen Feng didn't want to be dragged into trouble by Li Keyi and end up kneeling on a washboard. Kneeling on a washboard was a minor issue, but the thought of writing a million-character self-criticism filled him with dread. Even a professional online writer would take at least three months to write a million characters, and for him to write a self-criticism, it might take a year or a half to get off the washboard.
Therefore, Shen Feng was eager to draw a clear line. Since nothing had happened, as long as the boundaries were clear, no one could say anything strange.
"Oh? I think of you often!" Li Keyi said with a charming smile. "We'll be going out to sea in a while, and I'll be on the ship too. Please take care of me!"
Shen Feng shrugged, saying nothing. Li Keyi was a researcher, so her joining the sea voyage with everyone was quite normal.
However, Chang Haojie frowned, a look of confusion on his face. He sensed an unusual relationship between his brother-in-law and this strange woman, but he had no evidence to prove it.
Suddenly, Shen Feng noticed the bruises on Fang Qinghao and Yue Hengyi's faces and asked curiously, "What happened to your faces? Were you beaten by someone?"
Fang Qinghao and Yue Hengyi pointed at Li Keyi in unison. "Didn't we eat her pet dog before? She came for revenge, and none of us could beat her!"
Shen Feng was astonished. Li Keyi hadn't changed much from over half a year ago, but after becoming an ability user, she could consecutively defeat Fang Qinghao and Yue Hengyi. This was too exaggerated. It wasn't impossible for latecomers to excel, but to surpass elites like this seemed too fantastical.
Li Keyi said confidently, "After dinner, I'll show you my skills so you know how formidable I am. I'm not just a pretty face!"
Shen Feng knew Li Keyi's ability was to manipulate light, but in his opinion, controlling light shouldn't be very effective. Thus, he harbored doubts about Li Keyi's combat prowess.
Inside the tent, the group continued to feast. Since disembarking the plane, the Ability Administration members had already eaten two meals. At Fengshen Palace, they had enjoyed delicacies, with the best cuisine from Yuzhou served. Now, in the military camp, it was communal food: braised pork with rice, and seaweed and egg soup.
After the meal, Shen Feng's group prepared to depart. The command of the mission was once again handed over to Lu Kaiyang.
"Brother-in-law, I want to go too! I can support you!" Chang Haojie, seeing Shen Feng about to embark on a mission, also wanted to join.
Chang Haojie's dream of charging into battle on the battlefield was shattered, but he still hoped to carry out decapitation missions, taking the enemy general's head from amidst a thousand troops as if plucking something from his pocket. This was something to be proud of. Moreover, Chang Haojie desired his own title. Even Ke Yiming had the title of Dragon Slayer, and without achieving any significant accomplishments, he would never gain a title.
However, Shen Feng placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "After I leave, you will be the only ability user on the northern front. If you encounter a dangerous situation, we will still need your intervention. Therefore, the situation here is entrusted to you. This mission is even more important!"
Chang Haojie was stunned by Shen Feng's words. Indeed, he needed to consider the bigger picture and not act selfishly.
Shen Feng smiled and said to the other seven people, "Let's go. We're full and satisfied, now it's time to get to work!"
Li Keyi nodded and said to those around her, "Everyone stand within five meters of me. I can make you all invisible, ensuring we won't be discovered. This way, we can infiltrate the mutated beasts' territory without anyone knowing."
Shen Feng was surprised. He had witnessed ability users who could turn invisible before, but they were countered by Lu Xian, who used thermal detection to locate the target and kill them with a single strike. Although he was saved by Wang Aoye later, it was rumored that he died in an underground cave in Yanjing.
However, Li Keyi's ability to make people within five meters invisible was no ordinary feat!
Li Keyi said proudly, "Although light travels in straight lines and appears to have no offensive power, its application is all in the mind. As long as the direction of light and the number of photons can be altered, and the light entering the eye remains unchanged, then any animal with eyes will see nothing!"
Li Keyi generously explained the principle of her skill to the surrounding ability users. As they had all received nine years of compulsory education, they understood what Li Keyi was saying. Only when light entered the eyes could people see objects, but when the light was altered, it could achieve the effect of invisibility.
Fang Qinghao and Yue Hengyi had firsthand experience of this. When they were challenged, they also felt that Li Keyi's ability was not frightening. But after accepting the challenge, they realized they couldn't see Li Keyi at all. Ultimately, they were beaten in surprise attacks from all directions and had no choice but to surrender.
Witnessing Li Keyi's ability, Shen Feng felt a pleasant surprise. It seemed they could approach the golden-haired monkeys in the beast tide stealthily.
Li Keyi extended her hand, and surrounding photons began to converge, forming a thin screen of light within five meters of her. The other eight people vanished from sight.
The group quickly set off, with Shen Feng covering the rear. His speed was too great for those behind him to keep up, making him the most suitable for rear guard duty. Shen Feng had no objections; as long as the mission could be completed and the decapitation strike successful, it was enough.
Before departing, Shen Feng specifically distributed oxygen masks to everyone. These individuals had never encountered hypnotic pollen before. If they accidentally inhaled it, they would fall asleep on the battlefield. This was something to be cautious about.
The group consisted of eight people, five of whom were fifth-tier ability users, and the remaining three were all fourth-tier ability users. In terms of combat power, they could be considered the strongest team, at least within the country.
Shen Feng was also confident. Originally, he could have gone alone to assassinate the golden-haired monkeys, as his speed was unrivaled and his mastery of abilities was excellent. Now, with eight ability users present, Shen Feng's confidence grew even greater. To use a common saying, it was as easy as Zhang Fei eating bean sprouts – a piece of cake!