Essence "The Endpoint" 036. (Sun-Guard Forest Chapter) Special Forces

The sky had already started to darken, night had arrived, and the sky was full of stars, shining with a slightly cool light. The intermittent animal cries from the Sun-Guard Forest sounded like a ceremonial tune, as if foretelling that something was about to happen.

"Splash..."

The sound of a small waterfall's flowing water continued to trickle gently, producing a clear and pleasant sound. It brought a unique atmosphere to the night.

At this moment, on the open ground in front of the small waterfall, about twenty tents had been set up. Several piles of bonfires occasionally let out the crisp crackling of wood, and the rich aroma of roasted meat filled the entire open space. The rough and hearty laughter of men rang out from time to time.

"Haha, the new kid, come out and get some food!"

A man held a large piece of magical beast roast on an iron plate, along with some water and wine and utensils, standing in front of a big tent, laughing and shouting loudly.

Not long after, a young boy walked out from one of the tents, took the iron plate from the man with an unfriendly expression, and was about to haughtily make a "hmph" sound. Unexpectedly, the food on the plate was too heavy; the boy suddenly squatted down, his face turning red as he struggled to carry the plate back into the tent.

Outside the tent, the men's hearty laughter immediately sounded, making the boy's face turn a mix of purple and red with anger.

"Hehe, Yan'er, don't mind it. Although we are prisoners, the treatment here is quite decent. Those soldiers are also quite straightforward and honest."

Inside the tent, there were four other middle-aged men; at this moment, a strong, short-haired man laughed as he took the iron plate and patted the boy on the shoulder, saying.

The boy, however, pursed his lips, somewhat resentfully grabbed a piece of meat, and bit into it viciously. This boy was none other than Qing Yan.

After calming down the inexplicable resentment at being suddenly grabbed, Qing Yan wiped his mouth and asked the man who had just spoken:

"Uncle Tian, what exactly is going on? Why were you captured too? From Uncle Li Chong, I seemed to hear that you all..."

The four men in front of him were actually four subordinates of the Li Chong mercenary group from Jingdong City! Qing Yan often helped at Li Chong's place, so he recognized them.

"Brother Li is still alive, right? That's good; we don't have to worry about him all the time."However, given the situation at the time, it wasn't surprising that Brother Li thought we were all dead…”\ The man called Uncle Tian felt somewhat downcast. After a pause, he continued:\ “Because at that time, we were all severely injured and unconscious after being hit by that beast, and death was just a matter of time. Later, we were brought back by these soldiers, and after some rescue efforts, only the four of us barely survived. The other three brothers, however, didn't have enough strength and passed away. Thinking about all the life-or-death situations we've been through over the years, it really makes one feel reluctant…”\ Qingyan patted Uncle Tian on the shoulder to comfort him. After a pause, he asked, “And then?”\ “After our injuries healed, we were treated like prisoners and always moved along with a battalion, stopping and going, until this afternoon when we arrived here. There were two other groups of soldiers already here at odds, so we all set camp here together. Afterwards, we saw you, Yan'er, were also captured.”\ Poor mercenaries always know how to be strong. They understand how to keep sorrow in their hearts and continue forward with resilience. Uncle Tian merely reminisced a little and answered in this way. Then suddenly, he lowered his voice and leaned close to Qingyan, saying:\ “During this time, we've felt that these troops seem to be preparing some secret plan, carrying it out quietly. And the reason we were captured inexplicably seems to be their fear that we might leak their movements. But who exactly they are afraid of, we cannot guess…”\ After quickly saying this sentence, probably out of fear of being noticed by the soldiers, Uncle Tian's voice suddenly returned to its original rough tone, loudly saying:\ “But, Yan'er, although we are prisoners, our treatment has never been bad—fine wine, good meat. Look, it seems I've even grown a bit stronger…”\ …\ After a satisfying meal, night had fallen. Outside the tent, the campfire still flickered, but the sounds had quieted down. Occasionally faint voices could be heard, but it was only the simple conversation of soldiers changing shifts.\ Inside the tent, the four men had already fallen asleep, with soft snores coming from Uncle Tian's side.Qingyan carefully sat up, gripping the iron frame that surrounded the entire tent, and sighed lightly. Through a small hole torn in the tent beside him, he quietly watched the night sky outside, his mind endlessly pondering various things.\ It was obvious that the fierce leopard that had appeared on the outskirts of the Guarding Sun Forest some time ago was closely related to the army in front of him. Because when Qingyan was captured, he personally saw that these soldiers were keeping about a dozen fierce leopards, and in terms of momentum, they were exactly the same! Of course, except for the madness brought by the Red Dragon. But who could be sure they didn't have those drugs?\ So, if the assumption holds, it really was these soldiers who released the fierce leopards, which appeared on the outskirts of the Guarding Sun Forest and attacked anyone trying to enter it. Even someone like Qingyan, whose standing level was only four, was not underestimated in the slightest. Then the purpose should be exactly as Uncle Tian said: to prevent anyone from preemptively learning about their plan and thus drawing attention from some people!\ In this way, the inexplicable capture of him and the four uncles could also be reasonably explained.\ That said, their plan must be extraordinary, but what exactly is it? Clearly, these soldiers were all highly trained special forces. But why would they secretly enter the inner area of Guarding Sun Forest? Put differently, what is it that is worth such a complicated effort?\ Another question was, who exactly are the people they fear? They didn't even spare a small mercenary or a fifteen-year-old boy. So, who is this person who anyone could notify but is tremendously powerful?\ But who could such a person be? Truly powerful individuals are seen by ordinary civilians so rarely that they might never encounter them in a lifetime.\ The whole affair always felt somewhat off; which part had been overlooked?\ Qingyan shook his head but couldn't come up with an answer. A strange, inexplicable feeling lingered in his heart.\ Thought after thought led nowhere, and eventually, Qingyan, slanting to one side, fell asleep.\ Until Qingyan opened his drowsy eyes, it was already morning outside the tent. The special forces soldiers had long since risen for training. The uniform horns and movements, the lightning-like shouts, a staggering presence of the special troops, surged into the sky!At this moment, the sound of urgent, ear-piercing war drums suddenly rang out!