I started with a portal, then turned around and handed it over to the nation.

Almost the instant the message was sent, a message popped up in the chat box saying "The other party is typing..."

But a few seconds later, the notification disappeared, and a one-minute voice message was sent.

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat.

He held the phone to his ear and pressed play.

On the other end of the phone, the father, Lin Dezhu, spoke first, his voice steady and calm, carrying a suppressed calm.

"Okay, your mom and I know. You focus on your work, take care of yourself, and don't worry about us. We're all fine at home, waiting for you to come back."

As soon as he finished speaking, a rustling sound came from the background, as if the phone had been snatched away.

Immediately following was the voice of the mother, Wang Guifen, with a clear sob in her voice and some choking.

"Mo...it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back...it's good that you're alright..."

The mother's voice was broken and intermittent. She seemed to want to say something more, but was interrupted by her own sobs. In the end, all that was left was the repeated "It's good that you're back."

Lin Mo listened quietly, the phone pressed tightly against her ear.

He closed his eyes, leaned against the cold tent wall, and his tense shoulders slowly relaxed.

He didn't speak, but simply played the audio recording again.

A similar scene was playing out silently in every white temporary tent.

The temporary quarantine camp was brightly lit at night by high-powered searchlights and campfires.

"Captain Long, this braised pork is amazing!"

A machine gunner from the Fierce Tigers, carrying a large stainless steel lunchbox and with his mouth stuffed full, mumbled indistinctly:

"It's even more authentic than what my husband makes! Rich but not greasy, it melts in your mouth!"

Long Fei sat on his cot, holding a bowl of noodles in his hand. He picked up a large piece of beef, blew on it to cool it down, and smiled:

"Just eat. There's no way to shut up if there's food. This is a special meal prepared by the old head cook, to give us some extra oil."

"This is very nourishing!"

Li Na sat cross-legged on another bed, devouring a chicken leg without any regard for ladylike manners. Sauce smeared around her lips, and her eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter.

"After spending two days in that swamp, I felt like I was going to mold. But now, with this bite of hot meat, I feel like my soul has come back to me."

For a moment, the tent was filled with the sounds of chopsticks clattering against bowls and people swallowing, interspersed with occasional laughter, creating a very cheerful atmosphere.

Lin Mo sat in the corner, holding a lunchbox in his hands, and slowly ate.

But he ate very slowly, his eyes somewhat unfocused.

He looked at his comrades-in-arms, chatting and laughing. Zhang Yi was demonstrating to someone how to fry an egg with an entrenching tool, Wang Hao was analyzing the caramelization ratio for braised pork, and Long Fei was looking at the group of young team members with a kind expression.

This warmth is so precious.

Lin Mo put down his chopsticks.

He subtly leaned back, avoiding everyone's gaze, and then silently recited in his mind.

"system."

hum.

A pale blue light screen, visible only to him, instantly unfolded on his retina.

That was the familiar task panel.

Above, the "Mouthman" quest status has turned gray and is now "completed".

Below, a new countdown timer is silently ticking.

Countdown to the next portal opening: 29 days, 23 hours, and 45 minutes

Lin Mo's gaze moved downwards and landed on the mission details section.

With just one glance, his pupils contracted sharply, and his hands, which had been relaxed on his knees, instantly gripped his trouser legs tightly.

Mission Objective: Eliminate the Shadow Cat Demons (0/100)

Biological characteristics:

1. Optical cloaking: The organism's skin has special color-changing cells, which can perfectly blend into the environment when stationary or moving at low speed, making it invisible to the naked eye.

2. Plague Claws: The claws and teeth carry a highly pathogenic "putrefactive virus". Once an open wound is created, the virus will quickly invade the nervous system, with a mortality rate of 99%.

3. Group hunting: Possesses a high degree of social and tactical cooperation.

Task Reward: 2 Basic Space Expansion Crystals

Penalty for failure: Annihilation.

Lin Mo's breath hitched for a second.

Stealth.

Highly poisonous.

These two words made Lin Mo's heart sink instantly.

He knew all too well what this meant.

In the complex terrain of the primeval forest, facing a group of unseen assassins, a single scratch would mean certain death.

Even if such an enemy is well-equipped, they are likely to be completely wiped out.

This was nothing short of a massacre.

"Lin Mo? What are you spacing out for?"

Long Fei's voice suddenly rang in my ears.

Lin Mo snapped back to reality, his fingers trembled, and he subconsciously closed the system panel.

He looked up and saw Long Fei standing in front of him with a bowl of noodles, looking at him with concern: "Why aren't you eating? Are you feeling unwell? Should we call a doctor?"

The laughter around them subsided a bit, and several pairs of eyes turned towards them.

Li Na put down her chicken leg and looked over nervously: "Lin Mo, is your wound hurting?"

Lin Mo looked at their concerned eyes and his throat moved.

The words "Next month's mission is the invisible monster" were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back down.

Everyone had just escaped death.

This meal was probably the most peaceful one they'd had in the past few days.

Saying it now would only ruin the night.

Lin Mo took a deep breath and forced a somewhat stiff smile.

"No, it's nothing."

He picked up the lunchbox again and shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth: "It's just... I suddenly feel that this braised pork is so delicious, and I'm a little homesick."

"Ugh! I thought it was nothing serious!"

Long Fei breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and patted him on the shoulder: "It's normal to miss home. After you finish your work report in a couple of days, I'll approve your leave to go home and visit."

"Eat quickly, it won't taste good when it gets cold."

"Mmm." Lin Mo nodded vigorously and continued eating.

This time, however, the once sweet and fragrant braised pork tasted rather bland in his mouth.

He chewed while glancing out of the corner of his eye at the pitch-black night outside the tent.

On this peaceful night, something seemed to be brewing in the shadows.

……

Meanwhile, on the third underground floor of the Great Wall Base, there is a P4 biosafety laboratory.

This is the area with the highest security level in the entire base, and the air is filled with the smell of disinfectant and ozone.

Behind the thick, explosion-proof glass, dozens of researchers wearing fully enclosed positive-pressure protective suits are busy at work.

On the huge electronic screen, various data streams flashed by rapidly.

"Air sample analysis complete."

A researcher stared at the microscope, his voice coming through the internal communication channel, brimming with barely suppressed excitement:

"Nitrogen 78.1%, oxygen 20.9%, argon 0.9%... My goodness, these numbers are absolutely perfect!"

"Apart from a few unknown trace inert gases, the air composition there is almost exactly the same as Earth's!"

"What about microbial testing?"

"The results are coming out... they're in!"