Chapter 177: Patrol Again

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It's that day again...

All cadets were gathered by the Knight Captains. Each one arrived in time and by looks of it, they're ready. Some did look nervous but that can't be helped, after all, they are about to go on two consecutive shifts.

They have no choice in this matter, it's what the army decided for them. That said, the cadets could decide whether to complete two shifts at once or space them out with a couple of hours of rest.

So, they either go out there for 8 hours, return to rest for a bit, then go out again for another shift. Or, they could complete all 16 hours at once. The Knight Captains asked the Squad Leaders to make the decision after talking to their teams.

Cedric already talked to his team. He let them decide, saying that he was fine with whatever. In the end, they decide to choose the latter. Completing all 16 hours left of their shift at once. Cedric accepted that decision, and so did Silverwing.

There really wasn't a 'better' choice between the two. Not with how chaotic and unpredictable the world is outside. However, their choice did change their patrol routes. And Squad #1, along with other squads who made the same choice as they did, were finding that out now.

Silverwing wasn't sending them to the previous route they went through before. He gave them a completely new route to follow this time. Still, their responsibilities remained mostly the same: record everything they notice, eliminate anything that poses a threat to the route along the way, and return.

They would just be going out there longer. But Cedric thinks that they should be fine.

The transmission circle lit up and swallowed them. They felt everything spin for a bit before stopping. The next thing they knew, they were outside the walls and into a completely new territory for them.

There's no mistaking it; the stench of corruption, the thick killing intent and madness in the air, the horrifying sights, and the disgusting pitch-black soil...they're at the Black Lands again.

This time though, their start was a bit different.

Squad #1 didn't fall under the spell of corruption. Their willpower has been tempered and disciplined a lot to fall for something like that. As soon as the transmission was over, every member immediately performed Ki Pulse even before they realized they were doing it.

Pulses of pure and strong Ki swept over the team, getting rid of the corruption that was trying to take hold of them.

After that, they immediately went into a formation with Cedric in the lead. Their eyes were sharp and alert, they scanned their surroundings, assessing any threats that may be hiding from them.

The defenders were already in position with their shields up to defend their teammates. The scanners were already taking note of their surroundings, the fighters were also assessing their immediate vicinity.

Cedric wore a thin smile as he watched them move. He has yet to utter a syllable since their arrival yet his team already went over the prepatory checklist on their own. Such was the effect of his conditioning.

"We've got company." One of the scanners alerted the team. "Two packs of Imps are heading towards us."

They held the position for a whole minute with the scanners furiously scanning their surroundings in search of more threats. Not finding any, they turned to Cedric to receive instructions.

"All nearby threats neutralized. Great work team." He said, "We maintain this formation as we go. You have your objectives to do, keep it up. I already taught you what you need to do. If you have any concerns, talk to me, and don't delay."

"Since we chose the long shift, we'll be out here for a while. Pace yourselves properly. We will take breaks occasionally but that will depend on our immediate environment. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Sir!" His teammates replied.

"Alright, let's move."

Upon his order, the squad moved out. They have a long way to go, and that's reflected in the route assigned to them.

Instead of going towards the depth of the Black Lands though, Squad #1 will be following a route parallel to the walls. The length of the route assigned to them was 500 kilometers, which was greater than the 100 kilometers assigned to them during the first time they were sent out.

Of course, this was done under consideration. They will be moving close to the walls so the dangers were bound to be lesser around these parts, that's why they're going on an extended route.

But just because this route was predicted to the less dangerous than the previous one, doesn't mean that they're completely safe and should be complacent.

The Black Lands are chaotic and unpredictable. Anything could happen here and if they're not careful, their deaths will be a certainty here.

Cedric drilled this idea in their heads since day one. He also conditioned them to never be too confident about themselves so there shouldn't be any problems, but just in case, he will still look after them. It's his duty as their leader to do so anyway.

"Gee...it's too silent." A squad member muttered softly. But because it was too quiet, everybody heard it. "It's giving me the creeps."

Everybody, including Cedric, agreed with the remark. For a place like this to be too quiet...is unnatural. It wasn't like this during the last time.

"Brace yourselves." Cedric suddenly said, which alerted the team. They moved just in time to hear—

BOOOOOOOOM!!!

— an explosion that seemingly rockets the very foundation of the Great Eastern Walls. They then saw a large mushroom cloud appearing a few hundred miles away from them, followed by a staggering impact that nearly blew them all away.

As the impact subsided, each member of the Squad - save Cedric, looked at the guy who spoke earlier. They saw him wince and say:

"...should've never opened my goddamn mouth..."