Enemies Are All Nourishment for My Fungi

"Ye Nai, it's really you! I thought I was seeing things," a warrior exclaimed excitedly.

"Come on, it's just because you saw her through the sniper scope," another warrior nudged and joked.

Ye Nai nodded stiffly with a smile, unsure of what to say. She hadn't even noticed being spotted through the sniper scope, such carelessness. Inwardly, she warned herself to always keep the spores alert wherever she went, no matter how familiar the territory might be.

"It's been a long time, grab a smoke!"

Ye Nai hurried to pull out two new packs of cigarettes, stuffing them into the hands of the two in front of her. Before she realized it, her arm was seized, and she was enthusiastically pulled out of the crowd and quickly stuffed into an off-road vehicle.

The vehicle sped towards the Military Fortress.

When she came to her senses, Ye Nai was standing before Vice Commander He Zan.

Looking around, judging by the size of the room, it seemed to be the former office of the Military Fortress Commander.

She had touched the Heart Core here, so she had an idea of the room size and window orientation.

"Hahaha, Xiao Ye is back! Haven't seen you for over a month; look, look, you've even tanned! Come, sit, drink some water, you've had a tough time."

He Zan laughed heartily, extending his hand. Ye Nai quickly responded with a handshake.

"Not too bad, I gained a lot."

He Zan's eyes squinted with laughter; such joy was rare for someone of his status.

"Relax, relax, don't be tense. You're home now, no need to be nervous anymore."

Ye Nai instinctively shrugged her shoulders, "Do I look nervous?"

"Very stiff. Haven't looked in a mirror? Your appearance has changed. When you came, you didn't look like this. This kind of look often appears on those doing dangerous missions alone, always in a perilous environment without a moment's relaxation. That's why we advocate teamwork—not just familiar faces to joke around with but also to prevent people from going to extremes under long-term pressure environments. But don't worry, Daijing has everything prepared, mental and psychological doctors are waiting for you."

Ye Nai rubbed her face.

"I just felt my face didn't look right in the mirror, so I thought to quickly return to soak up some human interaction and ease up."

"Hahaha, lots of people in Daijing are waiting for you to return; you can soak up as much as you want."

"How did Daijing know where I was so early and prepare?"

"Of course, they specifically instructed to call for a helicopter to send you to Tongjiang Province Headquarters once you are spotted."

"The helicopter...?"

"Yes, while you were still in the car, we had already called for it. Arriving in a couple of hours, just enough time to eat lunch before departing, landing and having dinner right after."

"Come on, Commander He, your efficiency is too high."

"Absolutely necessary to ensure your safety. The longer you stay here, the more anxious I feel. I'm almost hoping you'll take off the next second; I'll be relieved once you leave, waiting for you day after day made me so anxious."

"No need, no need."

"Definitely need," He Zan chuckled, lowering his voice. "We've captured five Military Fortresses, did an amazing job; really, seeing our flag flying over the enemy's fortress from the helicopter was too exciting. Not just one, but five, incredible."

He Zan raised his thumbs up to Ye Nai.

"Achieving the mission to kill enemies at the border to rise to Copper Level comes with standard awards—a Civilian Guardian badge. But you did such an outstanding job that this badge is insufficient. Daijing hasn't even decided on your award yet; you could comfortably retire now and be set for life."

"Hehe~"

Hearing that Daijing has awards, Ye Nai was pleased. Once back and reporting, she would definitely rise to Copper Level, and wondered how many points her other spoils would convert into, and how far she was from Silver Level.

She took a sip from the cup at her side, then set it down, giving He Zan a sidelong glance with a semi-smile.

"Commander He, did you only capture the Fortress?"

"...Is there more?" He Zan suddenly sat up straight.

"Ever seen the native folks chopping trees with a black smoke spewing chainsaw?"

"Seen it. Do you have a lead on fuel?" He Zan suddenly became spirited; scarcity of resources was always troubling all levels of production.

"Once you captured the fortress, didn't you find any crude oil?"

He Zan gasped.

Ye Nai instantly understood.

"All five fortresses aren't in your hands?"

He Zan's lips twitched, "Five fortresses, how could True Dragon Gully take them all? We simply don't have enough manpower. Should we abandon True Dragon Gully?"

"Oh, better ask around then, find out who took that fortress. If they didn't consider you brothers and the oil warehouse is in that fortress, the ground was soaked with leaked oil."

"Which fortress?"

"This is the fifth one; work backward to the second."

As soon as she spoke, He Zan jumped up, sent a slew of curses at the ceiling.

Ye Nai looked down to drink water, pretending she heard nothing.

After venting, He Zan still wasn't satisfied and rushed out to find someone to complain to.

Ye Nai was left alone in the office and, after waiting for a while without He Zan returning, began amusing herself with a handheld gaming console.

After playing two rounds, a young warrior knocked softly at the door, saying the Vice Commander had sent him to invite Ye Nai to the mess hall for lunch.

The mess hall had plentiful food, but all the diners were fellow warriors. The natives had their own mess hall and did not eat together.

While eating, Ye Nai chatted with the warriors at her table, reminding them to watch out for risks.

Even the elderly among the natives were all born after the war began; the pre-war elders had all passed away. They grew up under enemy education, losing their native language and history. When dealing with them, always be guarded, watch out for a stab in the back.

The warriors all expressed they were always cautious. Historically, this place had been a neighboring country's land, and even now, these natives were regarded as foreigners. Currently, they were dealt with humanely with stability as the focus, and future plans were to be considered later.

At this point, Ye Nai had nothing more to say and focused on her meal; her superiors had clearer perspectives with all kinds of contingency plans.

After finishing lunch, Ye Nai didn't leave, staying in the mess hall while playing her handheld game to pass the time.

Once everyone in the mess hall finished eating, and cleaning was needed, she sat at the entrance playing games with a long table laid before her.

Selling cigarettes.

Boxes of cigarettes were opened and placed on the table for self-service purchase.

With the troops taking over the fortress, engineers laid down water, electricity, and communication lines. When the warriors asked if she had more cigarettes, she knew she could start her little business.