"Long Mang, do you think having qualifications is just a matter of saying so?" Jinniu sneered.
At this moment, a woman stepped out from the stationed area, her shoulder-length bobbed hair flowing neatly, her features delicate, her figure curvaceous, clad in a sharp military uniform.
"Commissioner."
"Commissioner."
Upon seeing the woman emerge, Jinniu and others immediately called out with respect.
However, the woman walked straight up to Lin Mo and smilingly said, "Chief Instructor Lin, I knew you'd come."
"It's been a while," Lin Mo smiled in response.
The woman before him was none other than Luo Yu.
"Hmm, did I just hear that you're heading to Lobu Lake?" Luo Yu inquired.
Long Mang raised his eyebrows smugly. "Some people don't seem to want us to go. Sister Luo Yu, now that Chief Instructor Lin is here, can we proceed?"
"Of course, we can proceed. With Chief Instructor Lin here, there's nothing to discuss. I can even explain it to Sky Group," Luo Yu said with a light chuckle.
Hearing Luo Yu's words, Qiao Jianjun, Jinniu, and the other three had their faces stiffen.
"Commissioner... this..." Jinniu hesitated.
Luo Yu turned her head to look at him, her smile replaced by a stern expression. "I'm in charge of the Lobu Lake operation, and all orders are to be followed. Plus, having Chief Instructor Lin accompany you is also for your protection."
"Have him protect our safety?"
Jinniu's eyes widened in disbelief.
Qiao Jianjun also frowned, showing a measure of disdain. They really couldn't see what kind of strength this Lin Mo could have?
Although Lin Mo had made a great reputation within Emperor Group, his name was not as well-known in other military districts. Besides, so much time had passed, and many had almost forgotten about it.
As for such a young Chief Instructor, needless to say, he must have gotten his position through connections and came to the army to gild his resume.
To the Iron Soul Special Forces, such a person was essentially trash!
"Alright, let's not waste any more time. Let's head into Lobu Lake."
Having said that, Lin Mo walked towards a vast expanse of yellow sand-covered ruins, with Yingzi and Sima Zining accompanying him on either side.
Tang Suo, Long Mang, and Huang Mu also followed in Lin Mo's footsteps.
The mission in Lobu Lake this time was highly secretive. Even their orders to prevent people from entering Lobu Lake could have been handled by common soldiers, but the deployment of special forces indicated that the situation was far from simple.
As for further details, they had only vaguely heard that some strange people had ventured into Lobu Lake, and probably only the higher-ups inside the Security Bureau knew the exact circumstances.
"Heh, Chief Instructor Lin, you must make a splash this time and show the folks from Iron Soul that they shouldn't underestimate us," Long Mang said chuckling.
Lin Mo listened to their conversation all the way, learning that Qiao Jianjun was the leader of Iron Soul Unit, and the other three included Jinniu, Peacock, and Kuang Shi, all named after animals.
"Iron Soul has won the military district competition three times in a row, and this time, the newly developed equipment from the army's R&D center is also first given to them, sigh."
Long Mang said this and sneakily glanced at Qiao Jianjun and the others, a hint of envy in his eyes.
"I don't know the specifics, but Instructor Shangguan seemed to have mentioned that this kind of material in clothing can withstand bullets at close range, as well as severe cold, raging fires, and poison gases. However, the development seems to be quite difficult, which is why only a very few people are equipped with this high-tech gear,"
Sima Zining spoke slowly.
Lin Mo nodded. Indeed, if they could mass-produce this kind of high-tech combat clothing, then Huaxia's combat power levels would probably skyrocket significantly.
Moreover, Lin Mo did not believe that the combat suits worn by Qiao Jianjun and his men were the strongest individual equipment in the army. Lobu Lake this time had attracted a significant number of people from the Heavenly Sect, as well as masters from the Magic World and the Martial Arts World, and there were even international forces mixed in.
With such complex situations at hand, the military would not expose all its trump cards.
The combat equipment worn by Qiao Jianjun and his men was very likely to be the first-generation gear.
"Brother Jian, I really don't like the look of that guy. How about I find an excuse later to show him what's what?" Jinniu clenched his fists and muttered softly.
All the way here, he had taken a dislike to Lin Mo, a pretty boy—who did he think he was, to be a young major of the Emperor Group? Was it just because he knew two women, Sima Zining and Luo Yu?
He found this type of man the most disagreeable.
Qiao Jianjun frowned and said gravely, "Don't forget we're here on a mission. Don't act on impulse."
Jinniu and Kuang Shi's faces turned somewhat sheepish. As special forces soldiers, executing and completing the mission was the foremost objective.
"However, if the opportunity arises, I'll test whether he's truly qualified to be the Chief Instructor of the Emperor Group," Qiao Jianjun clenched his fists and added.
The group advanced in silence through the vast expanse of sand, like an endless sea of sand, with only a few sand dunes and ancient mud walls standing in the vast desert, giving off a feeling of depth, desolation, and even fear.
It was as if someone with a fear of the deep sea, amid this endless desert with no hope in sight, could also feel a similar sense of dread.
Especially since Lobu Lake is known as the Sea of Death, having buried civilizations and countless modern explorers and scholars.
Along the way, both teams were silent.
Yet Qiao Jianjun's gaze kept drifting over to Sima Zining, and seeing her chat and laugh with Lin Mo, anger flared in his heart.
At that moment, however, the group came to a halt.
"What's that ahead?" Tang Suo's pupils dilated, staring in astonishment at the scene before them.
Before them, a wall of swirling sand formed a barrier, blocking the way forward—an occurrence that was highly unlikely as a natural phenomenon, for it was too "magical."
"Can we detour around it?" Long Mang asked.
Huang Mu shook his head, "If we detour around this spot, there's a quicksand area ten kilometers away; it's very dangerous. To get inside, we'd have to take an even longer detour, and even if we could make it, it would probably take a full day and night."
Hearing Huang Mu's words, Sima Zining frowned and said, "Does that mean we can't go in?"
Lin Mo remained silent, staring at the 'wall' formed by the sandstorm in front of them, his brow slightly furrowed. This wind wall was clearly not naturally formed but was an Array—an Earth Element and Wind Element Array intertwined.
If a sheep were to run into it, it would be instantly turned into a pile of bones by the windswept sands. Even a Grandmaster Martial Artist who could withstand the sand with their True Yuan would find themselves trapped in an Illusion Array. Even after walking for days and nights, they'd fail to find a way out and eventually perish from depleted True Yuan.
"There's a way to get in; it just requires a little time," Lin Mo said with an indifferent expression.
With his strength, breaking through the entire Array would take some time, but if he just needed to create a pathway through, it would take only a moment.