I become stronger by sacrificing my lifespan, becoming invincible in the world.

"That's too ostentatious," Zhao Tiegu shook his head. "Those big shots inside the pass would probably be uncomfortable if they heard that."

Lin Chen remained silent for a moment.

"Then let's call it 'Night Shadow'," he changed his mind. "Like a shadow in the night, quiet, but omnipresent."

Night shadows.

Everyone pondered this phrase and felt it was apt. They wanted to be Zhang Heng's blade, and also Lin Chen's shadow, silently tearing a path to survival in the darkness of the Northern Territory.

"Alright! Let's call it Nightshade!" Li the Cripple slapped his thigh.

Everyone else nodded.

Lin Chen looked at the faces, young or old, all bearing a resolute air, illuminated by the firelight.

The team has taken initial shape; it's still small and rough, but at least it's starting to take shape.

As night deepened, everyone gradually fell asleep.

Lin Chen sat alone by the fire pit, wiping his waist knife.

Tomorrow, the official patrol will begin.

First stop, Black Wind Forest.

There are traces of demons there, the shadow of the Fierce Tiger Gang, and perhaps something else.

His "Night Shadow" is about to face its first real test.

The blade reflected the firelight, dancing in his eyes.

The sky was overcast and gray in the early morning.

The snow stopped, but the wind was stronger, stinging my face like tiny knives.

Eleven members of the "Night Shadows" team, fully armed, stood in formation in the barracks courtyard.

Their leather armor was tightly fastened, their waist knives were securely hung, and their bows and arrows were firmly strapped to their backs. Each person had an inconspicuous black strip of cloth tied around their left arm.

Lin Chen stood at the front of the line, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

After two days of intensive training, the formation was more orderly than before, and their eyes showed less laxity and more vigilance.

"Check the equipment," Lin Chen ordered.

A slight metallic scraping and the sound of leather straps being adjusted. Bowstring, scabbard, quiver, leather armor buckles… everyone checked them carefully.

"Report the numbers."

"One!" "Two!" "Three!"... "Ten!"

Zhao Tiegu stood at the end of the line and shouted one last time in a hoarse voice.

"Today's mission: Patrol the outer perimeter of Black Wind Forest to the north, within thirty miles." Lin Chen's voice was clear. "Key points: Familiarize yourself with the terrain, train squad coordination, and scout for anomalies. If you encounter demonic beasts, kill small groups, avoid large groups. If you encounter demon races or other forces, do not engage in battle without authorization; retreat immediately."

"Understood!" the ten men growled.

"Set off."

Lin Chen led the way out of the courtyard. The ten people followed in turn, two people per row, five steps apart, forming a loose column. They walked lightly, adjusted their breathing, and tried to conform to the superficial aspects of the "Breath Concealment Technique" they had been practicing for the past few days.

This was their first official mission since becoming "Nightshade".

As soon as you exit the north gate of the city, the scent of wind and snow from the desolate wilderness hits you.

The sky and earth were vast and desolate, the frozen ground hard. In the distance, the Black Wind Forest resembled a dark scar stretching across the horizon.

Lin Chen led the team, deviating from the usual official road and instead heading east, along the edge of the undulating hills. This offered better concealment and allowed them to observe more of the terrain.

Throughout the journey, he continuously issued brief instructions.

"Two men go up the slope to scout ahead, the rest of you spread out and keep watch."

Zhou Dahe and Wang Chuan stepped forward in response, crouched down and quickly went up the slope. After observing for a moment from the top of the slope, they gave a hand signal – safe.

The procession continued forward.

"There might be an ambush in the pile of rocks on the right. Chief Li, take two men and go around to the left to check. The rest of you stay put and be on guard. Nock your bows."

Li the Cripple pointed to two people and silently circled around to the left. A moment later, he returned, shaking his head—there were only a few frozen animal skeletons.

"We've found tire tracks, a mix of old and new. Mr. Zhao, please determine the direction."

Zhao Tiegu squatted down, touched the marks on the frozen soil, and looked around: "They went northeast. There was more than one vehicle. Some of the marks are very fresh, no more than two days old."

The northeast direction leads deep into the Black Wind Forest.

Lin Chen noted this down.

We practiced as we went.

Upon encountering a small group of snow foxes foraging for food, Lin Chen signaled to his team to observe from concealment and practice silent infiltration.

After passing through a narrow ice crevasse, the drills practiced formations and cover for rapid passage through dangerous terrain.

Discover several entrances that may be monster lairs, learn how to mark locations, and assess threats.

There was no real danger, but everyone was fully focused, applying what they had been trained to in the field.

Lin Chen paid close attention to everyone's performance.

Zhao Tiegu was experienced and often noticed the clues first.

Li the Cripple was indeed nimble on his feet and scouted the path steadily.

Zhou Dahe and Wang Chuan are young and learn quickly, but they are sometimes impulsive.

Everyone else worked hard too, and no one fell behind.

This team is quickly gelling together.

At noon, the team reached the edge of the Black Wind Forest.

The dark ironwood forest appeared even more oppressive under the gloomy sunlight. The forest was silent; even the sound of the wind seemed to be filtered out by the straight, spear-like trunks.

Lin Chen raised his hand, and the line stopped.

"Rest where you are, eat, and stay on guard," he whispered. "Chief Li, take two men and go a mile ahead to scout the edge of the forest. Return within 15 minutes."

"Yes."

Li the Cripple led his men there.

The others dispersed, forming a small circle back to back, taking out hard, dry grain biscuits and dried meat, and silently munching on them. Their eyes, however, kept scanning their surroundings.

Lin Chen ate something and then looked into the dark forest.

This was the place where he first encountered the demon patrol team. It was also the area that Zhang Heng specifically requested to be patrolled.

The phrase "not peaceful" carries a profound meaning.

Half an hour later, Li the Cripple and his two companions returned.

"It's very quiet in the woods." Li the Cripple's expression was somewhat grave. "But we found some traces about three miles to the northeast."

"What marks?"

"Not from a monster. It looks like footprints left by a person, or... a person wearing boots. There are also wheel tracks leading into the depths of the forest. We found this next to one of the footprints."

Li the Cripple spread out his palm.

In the palm of my hand was a small piece of dark red cloth. The cloth was rough, with burn marks on the edges, and some blackish-gray, mineral-like substance stuck to it.

Lin Chen took the piece of cloth and twirled it between his fingertips.

The fabric was ordinary, the kind often worn by border refugees or low-level gang members. The burn marks were fresh. And that blackish-gray powder…

He leaned closer and took a sniff.

There was a very faint, metallic, sulfurous smell.

Mineral powder?

Are there mines in Black Wind Forest?

Considering Zhao Tiegu's earlier mention of the direction of the tire tracks, and the rumors of the Fierce Tiger Gang trading "magic iron ore" with the demon race...

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"The footprints and tire tracks were very hurried, as if they were rushing to move something," Li the Cripple added. "We also found a spot with fresh blood, not much, and it had already frozen. There were signs of a struggle nearby, but it wasn't intense."

Lin Chen pondered for a moment.

"Mark the location. We're not going there."

With the enemy situation unclear, it would be unwise to venture too far. Their mission today is patrol and training, not reconnaissance of specific targets.

"After resting, continue patrolling westward along the forest edge for another five li, then turn back."

The team started moving again.

As we proceeded along the edge of the Black Wind Forest, the atmosphere grew more wary. The occasional strange cries of unidentified birds or the soft snapping of dead branches sent a chill down our spines.

No other abnormalities were found.

At the beginning of Shenshi (3-5 PM), the team began to turn back as planned.

On the way back, Lin Chen deliberately chose another route, passing through a low, glacial hill, so that the team could practice moving and taking cover in different terrains.

As the sun set, the dark outline of Ghost Cry Pass came into view.

The first patrol ended safely.