Chapter 383: Divided Hearts, a Difficult Team to Lead

"Lord marquis, the situation is this. The Gold Nightmare isn't actually that strong; it's just too cunning, coming and going without a trace. Lord Yuchi has fought it many times and even laid inescapable traps, but it simply won't take the bait. At the slightest disturbance, it flees."

"Because of that, bringing more people won't help—it will only alert the beast. Lord Yuchi specifically instructed that upon your arrival, you should head to the base to rest. Once you've settled, you are to remain in Haibin City and clear out the stragglers that slipped through the net. You can leave the front lines to Lord Yuchi."

Perhaps afraid Su Mu might feel slighted, the sergeant hurriedly added, "The front lines require large-scale troop coordination, which doesn't suit how your Special Action Squad fights. But the city is a different story. You've seen the current state of Haibin City—that is all the work of those stragglers."

"They took advantage of the unfinished border wall to slip into the city and wreak havoc. With so many civilians around, our hands are tied. Your Special Action Squad is entirely made up of Nightmare Apostles, so you'll definitely have an easier time dealing with this. So... what do you think?"

Su Mu nodded. "Lead the way."

The group followed the sergeant to the base. Observing their surroundings along the way, they gained a deeper understanding of the situation in Haibin City.

Though Haibin City had been invaded by some nightmares, a massive population still resided within its walls. Unless absolutely necessary, they didn't dare step outside. The days were manageable, but at night, the city fell as silent as a ghost town. Even in their own homes, the residents were terrified of making too much noise.

Upon arriving at the base, Su Mu could see the massive wall erected around Haibin City's perimeter in the distance.

It was a towering silver wall gleaming with a cold metallic luster, winding and coiling like a giant dragon. It stood like a steel spine raised between the earth and the sea.

However, this towering silver wall was not yet finished. Numerous gaps remained.

"Holy shit, this massive wall can't all be built out of Mithril, right? How much money would that cost?" Lin Nanxing asked in shock.

"As if." Lin Lingling rested her hands behind her head, eyeing the wall. "That's built from Mithril Alloy—they just mixed a bit of Mithril in with other metals. If they built the whole thing out of pure Mithril, every Mithril Mine in the Chiyan Empire combined wouldn't be enough."

"Lord marquis, the conditions here are rather crude. I'm afraid you'll have to make do and rest here for now," the sergeant said politely.

"No need," Su Mu said, waving his hand. "Bring me the intelligence on the nightmares within the city, along with a map of Haibin City."

The sergeant looked slightly surprised. "Are you beginning your operation right now?"

"Yes."

"Understood. Please wait a moment."

The sergeant turned and left, returning a short while later with a thick stack of files and a map.

"Lord marquis, the information on the nightmares and the map are all here. I've also notified the city guards and the enforcers. If you run into any trouble during your operation, you can seek them out. I have other duties to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

"Go on, then."

The sergeant bowed respectfully before leading his men away.

Once he was gone, Lin Nanxing leaned in. "Captain, even though that guy seemed polite, I get the feeling he didn't want to give us the time of day. And that Gold-tier powerhouse standing guard, Yuchi Hong—can he really not spare a single moment? No matter how cunning a Gold Nightmare is, with so many experienced Nightmare Apostles, we could definitely lend him a hand. But he won't even meet with us."

"Pay it no mind." Su Mu didn't elaborate further, directly pulling out the files and map to review them.

A moment later, he gathered the over one hundred Nightmare Apostles together to issue their orders.

The hundred-plus Nightmare Apostles stood in a loose, undisciplined formation. Dressed in a chaotic mix of eccentric outfits, they exuded a chilling aura that warned strangers away. They looked like a gang of military ruffians.

Just as the sergeant had said, these Nightmare Apostles really weren't suited for large-scale operations. They were better suited as lone wolves or in small combat teams.

Gathered together, they were a pile of shit; scattered apart, they were a sky full of stars.

Furthermore, it was obvious these hundred-plus people all had their own agendas. Some were buzzing with excitement, eager to fight. Others wore expressions of utter apathy, as if nothing mattered to them. And a few displayed obvious resistance, clearly resentful of being dragged to the front lines.

The threat of the world's destruction had minimal impact on a Nightmare Apostle—chances were, they wouldn't live long enough to see it anyway. Some of the more twisted ones even felt it was a good thing; if everyone had to die, at least they wouldn't die alone.

Gathering such an unruly group in one place required two things: the decree of King Chi, and Su Mu's personal reputation.

Since he was the standout captain of the First Squad and had safely returned from two exploration missions, these Nightmare Apostles naturally understood the extent of Su Mu's strength.

However, those external factors could only force them to the front lines. As for how much effort they were actually willing to put in, only they knew.

The only way to drive this group was to lure them with benefits.

"Whoever among you has felt a Nightmare Omen and is about to be pulled into the Nightmare World, please raise your hand," Su Mu said, looking across the crowd with a mild smile.

The crowd exchanged glances. After a moment, a few people scattered throughout the group raised their hands.

At that moment, a burly man standing two meters tall stepped forward. As he emerged, the crowd finally noticed that his left arm wasn't human flesh, but a metallic limb built of Mithril Alloy. Precision wiring and gears faintly glinted beneath it, cleverly concealing a compact gun barrel and a retractable blade.

"Captain Su, my Nightmare Omen is already incredibly strong. I reckon I'll be dragged into the Nightmare World within the next two days. Are you having us raise our hands so we don't have to participate in this mission? After all, if we get injured here in Haibin City, it will be damn near impossible to survive our next trip to the Nightmare World."

The burly man had voiced the thoughts of the majority. These Nightmare Apostles had no desire to risk injury to save Haibin City. Sure, they might save some civilians, but if they were wounded, who would save them when they entered the Nightmare World?

Most Nightmare Apostles were selfish, because the selfless ones rarely survived this long.

Under everyone's watchful gaze, Su Mu shook his head. "Everyone must participate in this mission."

At these words, many faces fell. The burly man who had stepped out first looked especially grim.

"Captain Su, we respect you, but our lives are our own! You know the dangers of the Nightmare World better than any of us. To be frank, the fact that we've survived this long and even advanced to Silver is heavily reliant on luck. Just staying alive is hard enough. If we get hurt on this mission, even with just a light wound, it could cost us our lives when we enter the Nightmare World!"

"Yeah, Captain Su! You've become an Empire noble, so you're willing to risk your neck for the Empire, but we're nothing! We're just trash who could die at any moment. We aren't as noble as you!"

The crowd burst into a clamor of voices. Watching their morale rapidly unravel, Su Mu maintained a calm smile.