Chapter 1074 - 385: You Must Survive to See the Scenery You Long For

All the way filming and recording, they followed up to the towering gate of the City of Dawn.

Outside the gate.

It’s a gray-white ice field.

And at this moment, on the vast flat ground temporarily leveled at the gate.

Countless rugged and fierce-looking armored all-terrain vehicles had already gathered here, ready for orders.

They were not for carrying people, but were packed with mountains of military supplies.

These vehicles formed an endless line, engines roaring, ready to set off at any moment.

Reporters seized this final precious opportunity, frantically pressing the shutter.

Capturing images of the army marching out of the city gates and converging with the logistics convoy.

Until the last trace of the main force and the logistics convoy completely disappeared at the far end of the gray-white horizon formed by the endless wind and snow and rolling ice mounds, only then did these reluctant reporters reluctantly put away their equipment.

With hearts full of awe and heavy material.

They turned back into the city.

The City of Dawn prepared lunch for these reporters who had traveled from afar.

As they walked back.

The atmosphere slowly relaxed from the shock of the departure.

Suddenly, a young reporter wearing thick glasses, looking somewhat bookish, slapped his thigh and let out a heart-wrenching cry:

"Wait, everyone! We’ve lost our chance!"

This sudden shout attracted everyone’s attention.

"What’s wrong, Xiao Wang?"

A senior reporter beside him asked.

The young reporter pointed at his watch in frustration, then gestured towards the City Lord’s Mansion: "Captain Wei told us just now, we had ten minutes for questions, ten minutes!"

"And what happened?! From when Captain Wei announced we could ask questions, to when the female reporter asked if there would be a ceremony, then to Captain Wei’s answer, and the starlight soaring, dawn arriving, the plaza sinking, the army appearing, Captain Chu calling to set off... the whole process combined, was it even two minutes?"

He looked around at his peers in pain: "We prepared so many questions! So much key information we wanted to uncover! And yet we only asked if there was a departure ceremony? Then the ceremony started, and the interview ended?! What happened to the remaining seven-plus minutes?!"

These words were like enlightenment!

The surrounding reporters were first stunned.

Then their faces showed sudden realization followed by frustration.

"Damn it! Right! Ten minutes! What happened to the promised ten minutes?!"

"We were only focused on watching the ceremony! We forgot about this!"

"Such a loss! Such a loss! Seven-plus minutes! Enough time to ask so many key questions!"

"Was Captain Wei... deliberately using a ceremony to take all our time?"

"Certainly, the people of Dawn are too cunning! Fang Qingyu is cunning, and so is Wei Banmeng!"

"My exclusive interview! My in-depth report! All ruined!"

"..."

For a moment, the road leading from the gate to the cafeteria was filled with the reporters’ voices of regret.

The excitement from the just-experienced shocking departure ceremony was instantly diluted by the gloom brought on by the loss.

The City of Dawn, truly full of surprises everywhere.

....

At noon in the cafeteria.

It was bustling with voices.

Filled with the aroma of food and the reporters’ heated discussions.

After a morning of shock, chaos, and eventual frustration, now being able to sit down for a hot meal was a relief for everyone.

Hua Jing and A Lin sat at a table by the window.

Simple meals in front of them.

Hua Jing poked at the meat on her plate with a fork absentmindedly, gaze drifting as if she was thinking of the figures on the distant ice field.

"So, war reporters actually don’t set off with the troops, is that right?"

Hua Jing finally couldn’t help but ask softly, seeking guidance from a seasoned, steady-looking middle-aged female reporter at the same table.

This veteran wore a badge from the Federation Central News Agency on her chest.

Her name was Chen Lan.

Chen Lan took a sip of hot soup, put down her spoon, and smiled gently, saying: "It depends on who you are!"

Her gaze swept over Hua Jing and A Lin’s young and eager faces.

"If you can surpass Tier Three, possess the ability to fly, and are a trusted ace war reporter for the military, then congratulations, any time you want to go deep into a battlefield, no one will stop you, the military might even provide necessary convenience and protection for you. The real battlefield always needs authentic voices and images."

She paused, looking at Hua Jing: "For example, our agency’s Eagle Eye Zhang Ze, he’s a Tier Three Wind Element Divine Cultist, able to ride the wind and appear unexpectedly. His battlefield documentaries are often faster and more accurate than military intelligence, truly an uncrowned king."

"Mm." Hua Jing understood, nodding, a trace of longing in her eyes but more of helplessness.

She knew the meaning of Tier Three...

It was a huge dividing line on the path of the extraordinary.

Those who could surpass Tier Three were one in ten thousand, and none were without talent, resources, will, and opportunity.

Such people, few would choose the profession path of war reporter.

Even for her to come this time, it took much persuasion, backed by Chu Kuanglan’s guarantee, to barely secure a position as an apprentice war reporter.

"What about us? Like A Lin and me as newcomers, when can we truly go to the frontline battlefield, instead of just filming departure ceremonies in the city like today?"

Hua Jing pursued this question, with a tone of urgency.

She wanted to be closer to him, to truly witness him on the battlefield.

Chen Lan gestured with a sweeping motion, indicating all the reporters in the cafeteria: "It’s not just you, actually us so-called experienced reporters are the same."

She put down her utensils, her expression becoming a bit more serious.

"At least not until the ring line battlefield is cleared and a relatively stable rear passage and supply point are established. Otherwise, recklessly going deep into the ice field is no different than suicide."

"Ring line?" A Lin asked curiously, face showing confusion, "How can there be a ring line in such a large Arctic? I’ve only heard of the Great Wall Defense Line."

"There is." Chen Lan nodded affirmatively.

Speaking, she pulled out a folded map from her interview bag.

Carefully spread it out on the table.

This was a Federation Army Department special aerial strategic map of the Arctic battlefield.

The map was only sketchily drawn.

Because of the special color and contour settings.

The entire vast Arctic outline somewhat resembled the profile of a hooded figure.

Chen Lan’s slender finger accurately pointed to the central lower position of that face.

There, occupied by a dark red pentagram symbol!

"Here." Chen Lan’s voice carried a hint of gravity, "is where the Destiny Ghosts’ headquarters in the Arctic is located, the Skeleton King Court."

Then, her finger didn’t stop.

Following along that dark red line on the map.

This red line, along the lower contour of the hood, twisted and turned to outline a not entirely regular ring.

"And here." Chen Lan’s finger firmly pointed at that dark red ring line.

"This is the ring line, which is where our human coalition forces and the Destiny Ghost Army are engaged in repeated fierce battles. It’s a chain of main and secondary battlefields making a death ring line, isolating the Skeleton King Court and its core area from the relatively safer outer regions of the Arctic."

"The City of Dawn’s target this time, the Cold Bone Fjord battlefield."

Chen Lan’s finger moved along the dark red ring line, finally stopping at a node marked with crossed swords.

"It’s right here, a crucial support point in the northwest segment of the ring line. Captain Fang and his team, they aim to punch through the ice field, support there, and even push forward, advancing the ring line."

Chen Lan put away the map, looking at Hua Jing and A Lin, who were thoughtful but also carried a bit of worry: "So, be patient, young ladies."

"Wait until Dawn’s sharp blades tear open the Destiny Ghosts’ defense line, wait until the ring line battlefield under our warriors’ feet becomes relatively safe, that will be the true time for us recorders to set foot on that ice field."

"Before then, sharpen your skills well."

"To be alive is to see the scenery you desire."