They walked for several hours without realizing it. The mountain was already blanketed in heavy fog, so as the sun began to set, visibility dropped to absolute zero for everyone—except Ethan.
"Alright, let's set up camp here and get a good night's rest," Ethan called out, turning to the group. "I haven't traveled the path ahead before. My grandfather used to say the visibility drops even lower further up, and the terrain gets extremely treacherous. I suggest you all mentally prepare yourselves."
Following his orders, the soldiers immediately began unpacking the tents and supplies to settle in for the night.
Ethan opened his large duffel bag, pretending to rummage through it. In reality, he was pulling roasted chickens and ducks out of his Ring Space, already wrapped in plastic bags. These birds were the unfortunate casualties of his recent target practice inside the spatial zone.
"Come on, dinner is served! Let's see what you guys think of my cooking," Ethan said, dumping about twenty roasted birds onto a plastic tarp spread over the ground. He then pulled out another five or six bottles of premium liquor.
He untied one of the bags, tore a chicken apart, and placed the meat into two large stainless steel bowls for Blackie and Whiskers. Wiping his hands, he pretended to pull the wolf cub out of his coat.
Having just been pulled from the Ring Space, the little guy was still a bit disoriented. After a few seconds, he regained his senses and immediately started squirming and sniffing around Ethan's chest.
"Alright, alright, stop looking for milk. I'm a guy, I don't have any for you," Ethan chuckled, setting the cub down. "Go eat some chicken with your big brother and sister."
Because it had drunk the Spiritual Water, the wolf cub was not only surprisingly strong for its size, but it could also understand human speech, much like Blackie. Hearing Ethan's words, it let out a helpless little whine and trotted over to the dog and cat, wagging its tiny tail.
It tentatively licked Blackie, then Whiskers, trying to curry favor. Seeing that Blackie didn't mind and Whiskers gave a friendly meow, the cub finally relaxed. It happily began eating out of Whiskers' bowl.
It didn't dare touch Blackie's bowl. Even though Blackie wasn't hostile, the cub could instinctively feel a majestic, king-like aura radiating from the massive dog—an aura even more intimidating than the tiger back in the spatial zone. The smart little wolf knew better than to push its luck.
"Damn it, this was supposed to be a grueling wilderness expedition, but you've turned it into a luxury camping trip. Who would even believe this?" Ryan sighed dramatically, taking a sip of the expensive liquor.
"That's right! We're just basking in your glory, Brother Ethan. When we get back to the village, I'm going to brag so hard about surviving the deep mountains without getting lost," Old Lui, the guide, chimed in happily between bites of a chicken leg.
Ethan chuckled. "Don't get too excited just yet. Tomorrow, we have to scale a kilometer-high vertical cliff. Once we get over that, we'll reach our destination. According to my grandfather, there's a massive plateau up there with a crystal-clear deep pool. The living conditions are excellent, and it sits above the fog line, making it the perfect spot for your radar base."
"That's fantastic! If it's that high and difficult to reach, it'll be incredibly secure and hidden!" Ryan said, his eyes lighting up.
Having trekked through the mountains all day, everyone was exhausted. After setting up a watch rotation, Ryan ordered the men to get some sleep.
Once the camp fell silent, Ethan slipped into his Ring Space. He drank a few mouthfuls of Spiritual Water, practiced the Ease Immortal Spell for a while, and spent some time playing with the tiger and the two wild boars before stepping back out into the real world.
At three in the morning, the young soldier on sentry duty saw Ethan emerge from his tent and immediately offered a respectful salute. "Good morning, Brother Ethan!"
"Morning. I'll take over your shift. It's still a few hours until dawn, so go get some sleep," Ethan offered.
The young soldier quickly shook his head. "No way. You were leading the way and hacking through the brush all day. You're exhausted. I can't let you take my watch."
Ethan chuckled. "I practice martial arts, kid. My stamina isn't something you can compare to. Go rest. I can't sleep anyway. If your commander asks, just tell him I ordered you to."
Hearing that, the young soldier snapped another salute and happily hurried back to his tent to sleep.
Ethan used the quiet hours before dawn to prepare breakfast for the group.
"Wow, Ethan, what did you make? Smells incredible," Ryan mumbled as he stumbled out of his tent at first light.
"Just something simple. Steamed white rice and a big pot of mutton soup," Ethan replied. "Alright, wake everyone up. We eat, and then we move out."
Roused by Ethan's call, the men crawled out of their tents, washed up quickly, and dug in. Having a hot, hearty meal in the middle of a freezing, foggy wilderness was a rare luxury. Combined with Ethan's stellar cooking, the dozen or so men devoured the food like a pack of starved ghosts.
Blackie, Whiskers, and the wolf cub leisurely enjoyed bowls of tender mutton, while the two military wolfdogs brought by the guides practically tore into each other fighting over leftover bones.
After breakfast, the group packed up camp and continued their march, with Ethan at the helm.
True to Ethan's word, they soon arrived at the base of a towering, sheer cliff. The fog was too thick to see the top, but the sheer verticality of the rock face made Ryan and the two guides gawk in despair.
"Are we supposed to be geckos, brother?" Ryan groaned.
Ethan turned around and laughed. "Hey, didn't you say you wanted a place that was difficult for people to reach? Isn't this exactly what you asked for?"
"But the real question is, can we climb it?! Look at it! It looks like it was sliced perfectly straight by a giant knife! Forget geckos, I bet even a monkey would slip and break its neck!" Ryan was so exasperated he looked ready to cry.
"Relax, I'm here, aren't I?" Ethan reassured him. "Even though it's steep, there's a natural ledge about ten square meters wide every fifty or sixty meters. Here's the plan: I'll climb up first, then use ropes to hoist two-thirds of you up to the first ledge. Next, we'll haul up the horses and supplies, and finally, the rest of the men."
Ethan looked seriously at the men. "Listen closely: when it's your turn, tie the rope securely around your waist. I will pull you straight up. Do not try to climb the rope yourself. The sheer drop is nearly a kilometer long."
"But don't stress too much. Once we scale this one-kilometer vertical stretch, the rest of the mountain path is manageable as long as we're careful."
"Alright, I'm heading up first. Blackie, Whiskers, you two stay behind and guard the rear in case any wild animals decide to ambush the men." With those instructions, Ethan grabbed the wolf cub and tucked it safely into his coat.
Adjusting his heavy duffel bag, he bent his knees, leaped upward with a whoosh, and instantly vanished into the fog above, leaving everyone staring in disbelief.