Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero

Chapter 74 Expeditionary Force Camp

Yanagawa's arrival was clearly noticed.

When he was still hundreds of meters away from the camp, the spirit fence at the camp entrance slid silently to both sides.

Three Grim Reapers dressed in the grey and white cloaks of the Expeditionary Force were waiting inside the entrance.

They didn't get close, but maintained a distance that was neither too distant nor too incompatible with being able to respond to any unexpected situations, their eyes all fixed on Liu Chuan.

The leader was a middle-aged male Shinigami with a resolute face, skin that appeared somewhat rough due to long-term exposure to Hueco Mundo's environment, and an old scar on his left cheek.

He stepped forward, placed his right hand on his chest, and gave a standard expeditionary salute. His voice was steady and powerful, carrying the competence of someone who had been through many battles: "The Third Seat of the Expeditionary Force, Kasahara Heihachi, leads the troops to welcome Lord Yanagawa of the Zero Division. Temporary accommodations and necessary support have been prepared for you at the camp. Please follow me."

His attitude was respectful, but not overly obsequious, maintaining a military-like simplicity and distance.

Clearly, the expeditionary force maintained the highest level of courtesy towards this suddenly arriving member of the Zero Division, but also showed a hint of instinctive scrutiny and caution.

The Zero Division's personal visit to Hueco Mundo is a rare occurrence in the history of the expeditionary force.

Yanagawa nodded slightly: "Thank you for your trouble, Kasahara Sanke. I was ordered to come and investigate the previous attack. I apologize for any inconvenience caused."

"It is my duty, please." Kasahara Heihachi stepped aside to make way, and the other two Shinigami immediately parted to the sides as well.

Liuchuan stepped into the camp. The interior was wider than the outside, with crisscrossing passages connecting stone chambers that were partially embedded in the rock or underground.

The air was filled with a faint, dry, mineral scent characteristic of the Hueco Mundo.

Occasionally, a grim reaper dressed in the same gray-white cloak would hurry by, and when he saw Liuchuan, he would subconsciously stop and cast a curious or scrutinizing glance at him.

Kasahara Heihachi led Yanagawa to a relatively isolated, elevated stone chamber deep within the camp.

There were no signs at the entrance to the stone chamber, but the interior space was adequate and had basic living facilities.

There was even a potted gray-green fern with an inconspicuous circle in the corner.

"The conditions are simple, I hope you will understand," Kasahara Heihachi said. "It's quiet here, and the view is good. The specific details and related records of the attack are also kept here."

"That's enough, thank you." Liu Chuan glanced around the stone chamber and nodded; he hadn't cared much about the living conditions anyway.

Kasahara Heihachi then left.

Inside the stone chamber, Yanagawa quickly reviewed the detailed report of the attack, memorizing the key information.

After completing these tasks, he pushed open the stone door, intending to further understand the overall deployment around the camp, the recent activity patterns of the virtual groups, and the details of the daily routes of the attacked patrol team.

Not far from the stone chamber, they encountered Kasahara Heihachi, who was hurrying past with two team members, in a slightly narrow passage.

"Lord Yanagawa." Kasahara Heihachi stopped, gesturing for his team to continue their work, then turned to Yanagawa, his demeanor as capable and composed as ever. "Are you heading to the intelligence room? Or do you require any further assistance?"

"I'd like to know the detailed defenses around the camp, recent patrol records, and more specific terrain and virtual swarm distribution in the attacked area," Yanagawa stated his purpose directly.

Kasahara Heihachi nodded, but his face showed just the right amount of apology and helplessness: "The intelligence room has these documents on file, and you can access them at any time, but—"

He paused for a moment, then explained, "Regarding this matter and the subsequent action arrangements, I'm afraid we'll have to wait until Captain Tenbei and Vice Captain Kisen return before we can discuss it in detail and finalize the plan."

"Aren't they at the camp?" Liu Chuan's eyes flickered slightly.

"Yes."

He continued to explain: "A few days ago, Captain Tenbei and Vice Captain Kibune personally led a team to conduct reconnaissance in a more northern area."

Recently, there has been unusually frequent activity of Voidlings in that area, and there are reports of sightings of what appear to be high-level Subjugation-class Hollows.

The captain believed it might be related to the previous attack or other unusual activity in Hueco Mundo, so he decided to go personally to investigate and obtain more direct intelligence.

"According to the planned schedule and the last message, the captain and his men should return to camp around this evening."

"Please be patient, Lord Liuchuan, and rest in the camp for a while to familiarize yourself with the environment."

Once the captain and vice-captain return, they will meet with you immediately to formulate the most prudent plan based on all the information we have gathered.

His arrangements were reasonable and demonstrated respect for Liuchuan's identity as well as the maintenance of the camp's command structure.

After all, Liuchuan was there to carry out a special mission, not to take over command of the camp.

Communicating directly with the highest-ranking local commander is the most efficient and least likely to cause misunderstandings.

Liu Chuan was not an impatient person, and nodded upon hearing this: "That's how it should be. Then I will first look up the information and familiarize myself with the camp."

"Thank you for your help, Third Seat Kasahara. Please let me know when Captain Amagai and the others return."

"Yes, Your Excellency." Kasahara Heihachi bowed again.

After giving his instructions, Kasahara Heihachi hurriedly left to continue handling the camp's heavy defense and logistical matters.

There were no idle people in the expeditionary force camps of Hueco Mundo; everyone carried a heavy responsibility.

As instructed, Liu Chuan first went to the intelligence room, where several stone file racks were arranged, with reports and maps made of special paper placed on them in different categories.

On a huge stone table, a detailed sand table topographic map of the current area is spread out.

Different colored spirit sand was used to mark the camp locations, patrol routes, known Voidling settlements, danger zones, and—the location of a recent attack.

He consulted the materials mentioned by Kasahara Heihachi, quickly browsing the deployment map within a 50-mile radius of the camp, the patrol logs for the past three months, and the virtual group's activity records.

At the same time, he also roughly sketched out the images of Amagai Shusuke and Kibune Risa from some daily reports and snippets of conversation among team members.

Captain Amagai Shusuke is known for his composure, decisiveness, and profound understanding of Hueco Mundo's ecology. He is a seasoned and powerful member of the expeditionary force.

Vice-captain Kibune is meticulous and skilled in intelligence analysis and tactical planning. She is the captain's right-hand woman, and the two have been partners for a long time with excellent teamwork.

After doing all this, Liu Chuan did not stay in the intelligence room. He walked out of the building and observed the stronghold in the pale desert.

He watched as his teammates silently cleaned and maintained their Zanpakuto and various equipment;

The logistics staff carefully maintained those precious spiritual water purification and air circulation devices;

The sentry stood motionless atop the high watchtower, like a stone statue, watching over the distant desert.

I also saw some team members conducting quiet sparring exercises in a small training area in a corner of the camp. Sweat dripped onto the white sand and quickly evaporated in the dry air.