noveltune Chapter 96 The Missing Villagers and the Second Squad
Chapter 96 The Missing Villagers and the Second Squad
This made Li Ang's heart flutter. Within the range of this magic cannon, he would have the help of an additional fourth-level wizard and twelve wizards. The wizard Celeste, who easily dealt with the sea monster, was a fourth-level wizard.
At this time, the members of the fourth and sixth squads began to arrive one after another. When they saw Li Ang, they all nodded in greeting.
Li Ang's stunning performance in Obsidian City, especially his incredible spellcasting speed and power, has earned him considerable prestige among the younger generation of the entire enforcement team.
Once all members had arrived, the three team leaders ordered their respective team members to line up and wait.
Soon, a middle-aged wizard wearing a blue wizard's robe and an enforcement team badge on his chest, exuding a powerful aura, walked onto the platform.
He glanced at the three squads that were fully prepared and began to speak.
"I am the commander-in-chief of this operation, Negan Gerald. All your actions must follow my orders."
His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"The objectives of this mission are: 1. Investigate the disappearance of villagers in Langkawi Village at the foot of the Storm Mountains. 2. Search for and rescue the missing Twelfth Squad."
Li Ang's unease eased somewhat; having a level 3 wizard leading the team put him at ease.
Deacon Negan paused, then pointed to three people standing beside the airship, dressed in red uniforms and emanating no magical energy:
"They are the gunners of the 'Hunter', responsible for operating the ship's magical cannons."
He took out three stones engraved with intricate runes and handed them to the three captains.
"This is a positioning rune. If you encounter an insurmountable danger, you can activate the mark by injecting your mental energy, and the warship will provide long-range artillery support as needed."
The three captains clearly recognized the item and solemnly accepted it, saying, "Understood, Commander-in-Chief."
"Board!"
Following the order, everyone boarded the combat airship in an orderly fashion. The interior space of the airship was much cramped than that of a passenger airship; the members of the three squads had to squeeze into a large lounge, with only Commander Negan having his own private cabin.
The three captains huddled together, their faces grave as they looked at the mission briefing. Eric whispered the known information to the team members who had gathered around:
"Our target location this time is Langkawi Village, which has a population of over 800 people who rely on collecting Wind Essence Stones for the Tari to make a living. Half a month ago, the village chief reported that villagers were going missing one after another. The 12th Squad was ordered to investigate. Initially, there was still contact, and the report stated that nothing unusual had been found yet. They would continue searching for the missing villagers, but three days ago, communication was suddenly cut off..."
While listening, Li Ang silently upgraded the newly bound [Magic Cannon].
Captain Eric's deep voice echoed in the cramped lounge, each word like a heavy stone pressing down on everyone's hearts.
The entire squad has disappeared... Everyone in the law enforcement team knows what this news means: the hope of survival is extremely slim.
After the briefing, Captain Eric waved his hand, signaling everyone to rest and conserve their energy.
But he walked to the porthole and looked at the sea of clouds rushing past outside, his back looking particularly stiff.
Miguel and Remus silently walked to a corner and sat down, beginning to quietly examine their wands and belongings.
But their movements were stiff, and their eyes were somewhat vacant, clearly indicating that their minds were no longer on the matter.
The silence of the eighth squad contrasted sharply with the silence of the other two squads, who were huddled together in twos and threes, chatting about everything under the sun.
Elisa gently nudged Leon's arm, gesturing for him to come closer. She lowered her voice, speaking in a volume barely audible to the two of them:
"Li Ang, everyone... is very scared. Last time, during a similar joint operation, our Eighth Squad was ambushed..."
She paused, a flicker of pain crossing her eyes, and her voice grew even softer:
"Mana... sacrificed herself in that mission. She was the captain's wife and our best teammate."
Li Ang was startled and instantly understood why the atmosphere was so heavy.
He looked at Captain Eric's back, which seemed to have lost some of its vitality in an instant, and then at his silent teammates around him.
It seems that this mission is not only an exploration of unknown dangers, but also a reopening of old wounds in the hearts of everyone in the Eighth Squad.
Previous patrol and guard duties had allowed everyone to maintain a semblance of calm, but this disappearance has undoubtedly touched their most sensitive nerve.
"Sigh," Li Ang sighed, his gaze sweeping over his worried teammates. He felt a greater sense of responsibility to protect them, as well as an urgency to quickly bind more facilities and upgrade their levels.
On his way to the restroom under the pretext of doing so, Li Ang quietly made his way to the relatively secluded engine room at the rear of the airship. Through the bulkhead, he focused his attention.
[Power Core Lv0]
[Status: Bindable]
[Binding Cost: 10 Spirit Points]
Li Ang immediately bound the equipment, then turned and left. On his way back to the lounge, he also bound the ship's outer protective armor.
During the remainder of the voyage, Li Ang spent most of his time meditating and upgrading the facilities.
Whenever he had a spare moment, he would concentrate his mind and, through that invisible mental connection, continuously inject his surging mental energy into the various facilities he was bound to.
Upgrade successful
[Magic Cannon Lv1]
Upgrade successful
[Power Core Lv3]
Upgrade successful
[Outer Armor LV5]
When the three facilities were finally upgraded to LV5, Li Ang could clearly sense that they were about to undergo changes in appearance. In order to prevent others from noticing anything unusual, he immediately stopped the changes.
After binding and upgrading, Li Ang can summon airships from a distance through the connection with the power core, and can also control the cannon magic cannons on the ship to fire.
This airship has become a great help to him in this mission.
Li Ang opened the panel to check the attributes of the newly added facilities.
[Magic Cannon Lv5]
[Current effect: Artillery power +50%, Recharge time -50%, Range +20%]
[Power Core Lv5]
[Current effect: Maximum speed +50%, maximum summoning range 50 km]
[Outer Armor LV5]
[Current effect: Defense +50%]
Of the three facilities, the upgrade to the magic cannon pleased him the most. Li Ang secretly estimated that the power of the main cannon's single shot had probably exceeded the limit of a level four wizard. This gave him a deeper understanding of his cheat ability, and its potential and heaven-defying nature far exceeded his initial imagination.
After two days of sailing, the flat plains below were replaced by a majestic mountain range stretching as far as the eye could see.
They arrived at the Storm Mountains, and the airflow above the mountains became noticeably turbulent. Even though the airship was equipped with a wind-dispersing array, Li Ang could still feel significant turbulence.
The airship slowly landed on a landing pad outside a small village at the foot of the mountains. This landing pad was built with funds from the Wizard Tower and was specifically used to dock airships that transported ore for the Wizard Tower.