"The Flaming Troop is...?" Zhou You began, only for Old Qiao to interrupt him reverently, "The Flaming Troop is Marshal Shao's elite force. The very mention sends shivers down the enemy's spine, while we civilians cheer for them. Those bastards believing in some cult or deity should rather believe in Marshal Shao."

Zhou You shifted his gaze towards Shao Qi, "Oh, Marshal Shao's special force? What a coincidence, Mr. Shao, don't you think?" Was it mere chance that a man with the surname Shao was present when Marshal Shao's team arrived for assistance?

Shao Qi seemed unfazed by the insinuation, replying calmly, "Where on earth did you crawl out from? If not for your human face, I'd have suspected you were an alien."

Concerned about Zhou You's mysterious identity being uncovered, Old Qiao quickly interjected, "Zhou You was a survivor we rescued during a pit stop at a base. It was Captain Li's own sister who saved him. Our entire team knows this."

"Oh? Which base? I'm familiar with every base, big or small, across the country."

Zhou You and Shao Qi locked eyes for a few moments, understanding unspoken mistruths between them. Simultaneously, they shifted the conversation to matters within the cave.

"You seem to know who's responsible for this place. Do you know the mastermind?" Zhou You asked.

"I've had an encounter with him once. I've been searching for him these past years. It's surprising he's hiding here causing chaos. But judging by your numbers, which are less than a hundred, it doesn't quite fit Master Wei's style. He once annihilated an entire city."

"More than half are gone. He mentioned there were precisely ninety-nine of us in the cave, enough to activate his sinister formation."

"Ninety-nine, a rather auspicious number. These occultists always have a thing for such numerology. Pity his plan failed, he must've fled by now."

Zhou You looked around, frowning, "Is he hiding nearby? How could he monitor the inside of the cave?"

Shao Qi looked at Zhou You with a hint of exasperation, "There's this thing called a surveillance camera, and another called a loudspeaker. Did you time-travel from the ancient past, Mr. Zhou?"

Zhou You awkwardly touched his nose, mistakenly believing all electronics in the vicinity were non-operational. Who'd have thought surveillance was still possible?

It's a pity they couldn't enter the cave for the time being, so verification was out of the question.

As the night deepened, the temperature dropped further. While the workers in the cave had sleeping bags, this desolate parking lot had nothing but twelve warplanes. Their only option was to huddle together for warmth.

Old Qiao joined the group, and Zhou You rubbed his arms. His jacket was lost in the cave, and Shao Qi's coat had been damaged earlier. The two men, both in short sleeves, were too proud to huddle together, relying solely on their internal energy to ward off the cold.

"Here, catch." A female soldier tossed military coats to both Zhou You and Shao Qi, then coolly returned to her post.

After expressing his gratitude, Zhou You noticed a badge on the coat, signaling it belonged to someone. He looked at Shao Qi, who disdainfully picked up the coat and tossed it back, "Give it to your friend."

If Shao Qi doubted Zhou You's identity, he wasn't about to show concern now. Clutching the coat, Zhou You went to find Uncle Qiao.

The fire on this side of the mountain had burned out, and the surrounding electrical grid was also half-destroyed. The two who went to extinguish the fire were the first to return, yet Zhou You could still see flames on the mountain.

Li Yan's face was covered in soot. After rinsing it off and spitting out the ash from her mouth, she grumbled, "Next time, can the men handle tasks like chopping trees? My soft hands have developed calluses."

Situ Han took off his jacket, dusting himself off and chuckled, "Last time you were tasked with guarding the base, you complained about your skills being wasted. Weren't they useful today?"

"Tsk! I honed these skills for slaughtering beasts, not this. Tonight, I wonder if we'll catch that despicable creature." After finishing her statement, Li Yan approached Zhou You and Shao Qi, offering them a bottle of water each, "Here you go, handsome gents. Some water for you."

After taking the bottle, Zhou You whispered to Shao Qi, "You're quite the charmer. Riding on your coattails here."

Shao Qi remained silent, sipped his water, and then inquired, "Do we have food? Everyone's hungry."

Most people here hadn't eaten in hours, hungry and thirsty. But given that the squadron had arrived in combat aircraft, it seemed they didn’t bring enough supplies, so no one dared to complain.

"Hold on, let me check," Li Yan ran back and produced a backpack. The group was disheartened. How could such a small pack feed dozens of them?

"Aha! Found it. I've always found these unpalatable, so they just stayed in my bag. Who'd have thought they'd come in handy today?" She poured out a bunch of gel-like sticks, telling the group, "These are nutritional gels. One stick can replace two days' worth of food, but the taste is... unconventional. Who wants one?"

Zhou You was the first to approach, intrigued by the product. He thought, "How bad can it taste?" He also grabbed one for Shao Qi, who declined it with a look of disdain.

After taking a bite, Zhou You was hit by an indescribably strange flavor. Just as he was about to spit it out, Shao Qi covered his mouth, admonishing, "Don't waste food!"

Swallowing, Zhou You grimaced, "Who on earth invented this? Did they get beaten up for it? I've tasted horrible traditional medicines, but nothing as bizarre as this. I guess you'd have to be starving to eat this."

"No one sells them in regular stores. Only those on missions get these. They're basic survival items. Check with the others; I bet everyone has a bunch in their bags."

The workers took some. Some drank it immediately while others stashed it away, uncertain of what the coming days held. With these gels, at least they wouldn't starve. But everyone who tasted it probably regretted opening their mouths.