After a journey of over ten hours, Chen Chuan's group disembarked from the train. They rested for half an hour at an outpost along the tracks before departing in seven armored off-road vehicles, continuing toward their destination.
Advisor Rao, noticing the sky outside growing dim, said, "We need to do everything we can to reach the next post before nightfall!"
Not all military outposts were located along the railway. Some were situated along the rivers of the Merging Land, while others were positioned in treacherous, defensible terrain.
Their destination was one of the latter.
Chen Chuan's group reached the local garrison at around six o'clock, just before nightfall. The moment they entered the fortress's perimeter, darkness seemed to descend in an instant. Looking back, they saw that the world outside was already pitch-black.
Advisor Rao, who had been tense and constantly checking his watch for the entire trip, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
