Chapter 141: The Ghost Extermination Operation Begins
At 6:20 p.m., Li Yunfei received a call from Liu Bin.
Liu Bin: "Dafei, how is the preparation going on your side?"
Li Yunfei: "Everything is ready. Have you organized the personnel?"
Liu Bin: "Yes, I’ve reported to Yuzhou. The higher-ups have already coordinated with the Yudong County Armed Police Detachment, and we have permission to mobilize their unit."
"The Yudong Armed Police detachment consists of three companies, with over 270 combat personnel—almost enough manpower. I didn’t arrange for militia support since their discipline and military proficiency leave much to be desired."
"Also, all the local Yin-Yang masters from the major townships have gathered here, thirty-four in total."
Li Yunfei: "Good. Where are you now?"
Liu Bin: "At the armed police detachment’s base, just waiting for you."
Li Yunfei: "Alright. Have the armed police officers put on their tactical vests and communication devices, then gather with the Yin-Yang masters. Once assembled, call me. We can be there within a minute."
Liu Bin: "Understood."
After hanging up, Li Yunfei waved his hand, packing away the bright red spirit-dispelling water grenades he had bottled, and sold them directly to the system’s marketplace. Then he sold the water guns, magazines, and batteries separately to the system, and repurchased 300 water guns, 1,500 magazines, 1,500 11.1v batteries, and 3,000 bottles of spirit-dispelling water grenades.
This allocation provided exactly five magazines, five batteries, and ten grenades per gun.
The bottles used to store the water grenades featured funnel-shaped necks to prevent spillage when filling magazines, each holding about 1,000 rounds.
A single battery could power approximately 5,000 shots; five batteries per gun was a generous preparation.
The Jinming brand water guns typically held over 200 rounds per magazine, and firing speed depended on the battery voltage. Using a 7.4v battery, the rate of fire was similar to a real gun—about 13 to 15 rounds per second.
So don’t be fooled by movies—real gunfights involve controlled bursts, not continuous trigger holds. A 30-round assault rifle magazine empties in an instant if you hold the trigger down.
With an 11.1v battery, these water guns were formidable, firing at 24 to 30 rounds per second—far exceeding the rate of real guns. Coupled with ample ammunition, their damage output against spirits was significant.
Plus, water guns had no recoil and were easy for even children to handle. In some ways, they were more effective than real guns against large groups of low-level ghosts.
The only downside compared to real guns was muzzle velocity and range.
Water guns shot at roughly 70 to 80 meters per second maximum, while real guns reached 800 to 900 meters per second.
Effective range for water guns was only 20 to 30 meters; beyond 30 meters, the water pellets drifted and scattered.
Real guns could accurately hit targets within 400 meters without considering external factors, though recoil caused more bullet spread during rapid fire.
For low-level ghosts, 30 meters was sufficient, as their attacks were mostly close-range; few employed ranged attacks.
Only malevolent spirits and fierce ghosts could harm from afar by condensing yin energy; vengeful souls and resentful spirits could not.
Otherwise, when Li Yunfei eliminated that fierce ghost in Daping Village, if it had managed to forge a makeshift gun from yin energy, he would have been done for and wouldn’t have made it this far.
Reality isn’t a game instance with endless evil spirits.
A single malevolent spirit could wreak havoc over a region; if all the bandit-turned-ghosts in Yudong County were of that level, not just villages but the county seat would have fallen long ago.
Even the hungry ghosts and bandit spirits in Qingyuan Wild Village were only at the level of vengeful souls or resentful spirits in reality.
They only evolved into malevolent or evil spirits because the system had amplified them within the instance.
Even if a few malevolent or fierce ghosts appeared in reality, there was no need to fear. Li Yunfei wasn’t relying solely on water guns and spirit-dispelling grenades.
He could summon talismans capable of repelling attacks from malevolent spirits.
...
“Whew, whew, whew…”
At the Yudong County Armed Police base, a sharp whistle sounded urgently, stirring the barracks into action. Armed police officers quickly tightened their belts, donned their caps, and rushed out.
“Look right… align! Look forward… look! Right turn… march!”
Within a minute, squads of armed police were neatly dressed, running from their barracks to assemble at the edge of the drill ground, the sound of formation commands rising and falling.
Within two minutes, squads gathered as platoons; within three, all platoons assembled as companies.
Within five minutes, all three companies were assembled at the center of the drill ground—this was the military discipline and efficiency of a regular army.
Meanwhile, the Yin-Yang masters emerged one after another from the club after Jiang Rui called them over, forming a sparse line on the left flank of the formation as arranged by Jiang Rui.
Liu Bin, holding a broad sword, stood at the front left of the line, with the battalion commander at the center front conducting the final assembly.
“Look right… align! Look forward… look! At ease! Attention!”
After the commander finished the formation, he turned and saluted Liu Bin. Upon return of the salute, he spoke crisply:
“Comrade Special Agent, the Yudong Armed Police battalion is assembled and ready for orders.”
The Purple Dawn Sect’s local members, who previously operated as state security agents, were now officially designated as State Special Agents after the public awakening of spiritual energy.
They held no formal administrative ranks but had authority superior to local military and police systems, except they could not interfere with politics. Major operations required reporting upward and approval before execution.
Though Liu Bin and his team had no military experience, they all underwent unified military training before deployment, so they were familiar with military protocols.
After hearing the commander, Liu Bin responded: “Those on guard duty and logistics return to your posts. Remaining combat personnel, don your battle gear as swiftly as possible. No extra equipment—just tactical vests, tactical pouches, and communication devices.”
“Yes, sir.”
The commander saluted again, returned to the front of the formation, and ordered: “Those on guard and logistics, fall out. Combat personnel, proceed with battle gear. Only tactical vest, tactical pouch, and communication device are required. Assemble in five minutes, then dismissed.”
The armory clerk hurried to open the armory gates. Squad leaders entered orderly, collected their team’s gear, and exited swiftly for their soldiers to don.
Tactical vests resembled ancient lamellar armor in concept—simple to wear, slipped over the head, front and back pieces attached at the waist, unlike ancient armor that required lacing.
Each squad had only two communication devices, usually worn by the squad leader and deputy.
Within five minutes, the troops reassembled, impressing the Yin-Yang masters who marveled at the military efficiency. Had it been them trying to organize, it would have taken at least ten or twenty minutes.
After reassembling and reporting, this time Liu Bin only said, “At ease.”
“Yes, at ease.”
The commander issued the order and stepped aside. All eyes turned to Liu Bin as he took out his phone and dialed.
Liu Bin: “We’re ready here.”
Li Yunfei: “Good. On my way.”
After hanging up, Liu Bin and Jiang Rui looked up toward the sky above Li Yunfei’s residence.
The armed police and Yin-Yang masters followed their gaze but saw nothing at first.
About half a minute later, two fiery red streaks appeared in the empty sky, moving at incredible speed—from the horizon to near in mere seconds.
The armed police finally discerned two long swords shimmering with a crimson liquid glow, each bearing a rider.
One sword carried two young people dressed in white Zhongshan suits—a young man and woman—while the other carried a porcelain-doll-like little girl.
Though surprised, the armed police remained disciplined—no one moved out of line or spoke.
It was their first time seeing cultivators capable of sword flight—a reality that previously existed only in fairy tales and legends.
The Yin-Yang masters, less bound by military decorum, whispered excitedly among themselves.
Li Yunfei and Honghong, controlling the blazing swords freshly consecrated that morning, descended slowly.
Not to show off, but to reassure the armed police and Yin-Yang masters.
Li Yunfei had asked Liu Bin to gather everyone before calling him so that all could witness their swordborne arrival, making his talismans more convincing and alleviating doubts—after all, it seemed questionable to fight ghosts with toy guns.
After landing, Li Yunfei and Honghong’s fiery swords transformed into streams of light and merged into their bodies.
Liu Bin and Jiang Rui greeted the three.
“Welcome! Let me introduce the battalion commander.”
Li Yunfei smiled and nodded, approaching the commander.
Liu Bin stood aside, introducing:
“This is Comrade Wu Xuehua, battalion commander of the Yudong Armed Police Detachment.”
He then looked at Wu Xuehua:
“This is Elder Chenlong, one of the local branch elders of the Purple Dawn Sect, Comrade Li Yunfei.”
Wu Xuehua saluted formally:
“Greetings, Elder Comrade.”
Li Yunfei returned the salute crisply:
“Greetings, Battalion Commander.”
After the formalities, Li Yunfei smiled and extended his right hand.
“Commander Wu, just call me Yunfei. Having ‘elder’ and ‘comrade’ together sounds a bit awkward.”
Wu Xuehua’s stern, square face broke into a smile as he shook Li Yunfei’s hand up and down.
“Yunfei, your salute is even more precise than mine—you must have military experience too.”
---
Li Yunfei nodded, smiling:
“Commander Wu has sharp eyes. I’m from military reconnaissance. Soldiers worldwide share a brotherhood—we’re all comrades in arms.”
After some polite exchanges, Wu Xuehua looked at Zhang Ziying with a smile:
“Officer Zhang, I didn’t expect to see you again. You’ve become a master in the Purple Dawn.”
Zhang Ziying smiled, modestly:
“Master? Far from it.”
Li Yunfei, curious, asked:
“You two know each other?”
Zhang Ziying replied:
“We worked together on cases. I remember when he said ‘Follow me,’ it left a deep impression.”
Li Yunfei nodded:
“That’s the style of our army. Only the old reactionaries say ‘Charge!’ or ‘Hold!’ Our army always says ‘Follow me.’”
Everyone chuckled lightly.
Wu Xuehua praised Zhang Ziying:
“Officer Zhang is a woman who rivals men!”
“During the drug bust, she was a fresh recruit. When the order came, she raised her pistol and charged forward.”
“She took down a drug dealer without firing a shot. Even my soldiers couldn’t outpace her. I was truly impressed.”
Li Yunfei teased Zhang Ziying:
“You had such reckless moments?”
Zhang Ziying shot him a look:
“Watch your words. Reckless? I call it bravery.”
Li Yunfei grinned at Liu Bin and Jiang Rui:
“Indeed brave! She even dared to confront awakened killers head-on.”
Liu Bin and Jiang Rui exchanged knowing smiles; Zhang Ziying blushed slightly.
That time was admittedly a bit rash.
After some more conversation and catching up, Liu Bin led Li Yunfei to the Yin-Yang masters and introduced several leaders.
Li Yunfei greeted them politely, then his expression grew solemn:
“Thank you all for your hard work. I understand what you’ve done for the villagers; some even lost their lives.”
“Master Yang and Master Chen from Miaoqian Township—we once drove out ghosts together in Daping Village. But two months later, they…” A middle-aged Yin-Yang master surnamed Sun spoke sorrowfully.
“We learned our craft under the same master as those two. They were the best among us, but alas… our abilities are limited. To exorcise demons and uphold justice, we rely on true cultivators like you.”
Li Yunfei nodded solemnly:
“It is our duty. Rest assured, the state will not forget your contributions.”
“Those who sacrificed themselves to protect the people are heroes. I will apply for official recognition on their behalf; their sacrifices will not be in vain.”
Sun’s spirit lifted, and he said resolutely:
“Comrade Yunfei, though you’re younger than us, you are a true great cultivator. Tell us what to do next—we will follow your orders.”
With these words, all the Yin-Yang masters voiced agreement.
“Yes, we’re with you. Just give the orders.”
“When we chose this path, one foot was already in the netherworld. We’re prepared. Don’t hesitate.”
Encouraged by Li Yunfei’s promise to petition for honors, the Yin-Yang masters were eager to fight the malevolent spirits disturbing their neighbors.
Li Yunfei’s tone grew serious:
“Rest assured. Since I dared to call you together, I have confidence in keeping you safe.”
Turning back to the formation, he waved his hand and a row of wooden tables materialized in the clearing.
With another wave, stacks of purple talismans appeared on the tables, along with bundles of purple flags and spray bottles.
Li Yunfei addressed the assembled:
“Company commanders, platoon leaders, squad leaders, step forward to the tables.”
In the armed police, the battalion commander equated to a battalion leader, company commanders to company commanders, platoon leaders to platoon sergeants, and squad leaders to squad chiefs.
The officers didn’t move but looked to Commander Wu Xuehua.
Wu said:
“From now on, follow orders from Comrade Yunfei.”
Upon this command, over thirty men stepped forward.
This was the military discipline of the Great Xia army: soldiers only move on orders from their direct commanders; superiors cannot bypass the chain of command. Even if the Armed Police headquarters commander arrived, orders without Wu’s sanction would be ignored.
The officers stepped forward, and Li Yunfei beckoned the Yin-Yang masters to join at the table.
He introduced the functions of the talismans laid out.
“These are Golden Light talismans imbued with the ‘Golden Light Divine Curse.’ Their primary effect is protection, capable of repelling ghost attacks.”
“Before use, a chant activates them. The incantation is simple, nine words total. Everyone, repeat after me…”
Li Yunfei paused, then intoned gravely:
“Golden light swiftly manifest, shield and protect my body, swift.”
The armed police repeated obediently:
“Golden light swiftly manifest, shield and protect my body, swift.”
“‘Shield’ means to cover, and ‘protect’ means to defend. Pronunciation matters. Everyone remember?”
“Remembered.”
The Yin-Yang masters did not repeat; upon hearing “Golden Light Divine Curse,” they understood immediately.
It was one of Taoism’s Eight Great Divine Curses, a daily ritual for them, recited morning and evening, memorized perfectly.
Though not true Taoist cultivators, lacking spiritual power to fully unleash its might, persistent chanting yielded some divine effects—repelling evil energy and warding off illness.
Yin-Yang masters rarely suffered minor ailments; when they did fall ill, it was always severe, signaling their lifespan’s end.
Li Yunfei emphasized:
“The talisman only activates when held in your hand and chanting the incantation; simply sticking it on over clothing without chanting is ineffective.”
“The proper method is to hold the talisman, recite the chant, and wait for it to glow before affixing it to your body. To ensure no mistakes, let’s have a demonstration.”
He looked to Wu Xuehua with a smile:
“Commander Wu, would you do the honors?”
Wu stepped forward confidently, took a talisman from Li Yunfei, and the officers watched eagerly.
“Golden light swiftly manifest, shield and protect my body, swift.”
Upon finishing, the talisman’s runes glowed golden. Wu slapped it onto his chest.
The talisman stuck firmly without adhesive, and the golden glow spread rapidly over his body, enveloping him like a golden statue.
“Wow…”
The officers gasped in awe. The glow then faded as if absorbed into his body.
Li Yunfei explained:
“Commander Wu is now protected from all evil. As long as the talisman’s spiritual power lasts, no ghost can harm him.”
“Keep an eye out—when the talisman’s power is depleted, it will fall off and ignite.”
“If you see flames before you, quickly apply another talisman.”
“In normal conditions without attack, each talisman lasts three days.”
“During attacks, it depends on intensity. Common vengeful ghosts won’t exhaust it even after hours of assault.”
“Even fierce ghosts can only break it after about an hour. I’ve prepared ten talismans per person—more than enough for safety.”
Wu asked:
“Can we remove them when not needed?”
Li Yunfei nodded:
“Yes. Removing stops power consumption. When needed again, recite the chant anew.”
“However, in the villages, I don’t recommend removing them. Don’t risk your safety to save talisman power.”
“These talismans are cheap to me—plenty to spare. After the operation, I’ll provide you a batch to keep at your posts.”
“For routine supernatural incidents, you’ll be able to handle them yourselves without my help.”
Wu Xuehua nodded:
“Understood. Don’t worry, we know when to be cautious.”
He tore off the talisman on his chest, held it up, and smiled:
“No need to waste power now.”
Li Yunfei smiled back, then picked up a spray bottle.
“This contains talisman water blessed with the ‘Open Eye Curse.’ Spraying on your eyelids allows you to see ghosts for six hours. Each of you gets one.”
Finally, he lifted a talisman banner.
“This banner bears not just a talisman, but a talisman array. Unlike talismans, arrays can absorb ambient spiritual energy to replenish themselves.”
“This banner is the ‘Earth Pacification Array.’ When you arrive at a village, select the battleground and plant this banner.”
“Within a radius of 500 zhang, ghosts cannot burrow underground, so you won’t be attacked suddenly from below.”
Li Yunfei set down the banner and addressed everyone:
“These are your defensive and support tools. Armed police will operate by squads, each member equipped with ten Golden Light talismans and a bottle of talisman water; each squad receives one talisman banner.”
“There are exactly 100 talismans in this stack. Distribute the equipment first, then I’ll demonstrate the offensive spirit-dispelling weapons.”
Squad leaders called their deputies, gathered the gear Li Yunfei allocated, and distributed it to their team members.
Company and platoon leaders, as well as the Yin-Yang masters, collected their shares themselves.
With talismans and talisman water handed out, Li Yunfei stored excess items and waved his hand: ten water guns appeared on the table.
Each water gun was accompanied by five magazines, five batteries, and ten spirit-dispelling water grenades.
Surprisingly, the guns were fully equipped—more so than the armed police’s real weapons.
They had night-vision scopes, tactical flashlights, infrared sights, tactical grips—all the essentials, just like special forces rifles.
Water guns were toy guns, undoubtedly, but the attachments were all professional-grade and had been carefully calibrated by Li Yunfei.
For example, the infrared sight showed the exact impact point of the water pellets within 30 meters.
Li Yunfei picked up a water gun and smiled at the armed police.
“You’re all skilled with real guns, but not everyone’s used these toys.”
“Watch closely as I demonstrate.”
He twisted the stock 90 degrees to the left and pulled it off, exposing the battery compartment inside.
He connected the battery to the motor interface, reattached the stock, switched on the motor, disabled the safety, and pulled the trigger.
“Rat-a-tat-tat…”
Most officers had never handled water guns and watched with interest.
The muffled firing sound resembled a silenced submachine gun.
Satisfied it was powered, Li Yunfei set the gun down, took a magazine in his left hand, opened the loading port cover, and with his right thumb, flipped open the funnel cap of a water grenade bottle.
He poured the smooth water beads into the magazine until full, then slotted the magazine into the gun.
Without chambering a round, he fired at the basketball hoop twenty meters away.
“Rat-a-tat-tat-tat…”
A red line sprayed from the muzzle, smashing the hoop to pieces.
Thanks to the 11.1v battery’s high rate of fire, the water pellets flew in a visible stream, allowing for high accuracy at short range.
Completing the demonstration, Li Yunfei smiled and asked:
“Any questions on operation?”
After a few seconds of silence, a company commander asked:
“Comrade Yunfei, can this really kill ghosts?”
Li Yunfei explained:
“Toy guns alone can’t kill ghosts. The key is the water beads—they’re infused with spiritual liquid blessed by the ‘Ghost-Slaying Curse,’ lethal to spirits, even stronger than the Purple Dawn’s rune bullets.”
“The effective range is only 30 meters, but 99% of ghosts attack up close, so that’s more than enough.”
“If there are ghosts capable of ranged attacks, I’ll assign a super combat automaton to each squad for support.”
At that, Li Yunfei summoned a bone spirit banner and deployed a super skeleton warrior.
The crowd gasped at the sight of a towering skeleton clad in glowing crimson armor, eyes glowing golden-white, wielding a fiery long sword.
Their awe wasn’t just from its imposing stature or eye color, but from the blazing armor and sword—it looked incredibly cool.
“This is my super combat automaton. Think of it as a terminator. It has no intelligence or speech, but follows commands.”
“It fights at close, mid, and long ranges. See the box cannon at its waist? Don’t underestimate that old rusty gun—it’s a magical artifact. Even the world’s toughest tank armor can’t stop its bullets.”
“The hammer at its side has destructive power exceeding the strongest heavy artillery on Earth. So if any ghosts attack from afar, it can handle them easily.”
Liu Bin stepped forward, touching the fiery sword, drooling slightly.
He recognized that Li Yunfei and Honghong had wielded similar swords, proving they were both martial and spiritual weapons.
He absentmindedly asked:
“What’s the combat power of this automaton?”
Li Yunfei replied casually:
“Late Unbeatable Realm.”
“Oh, late Unbeatable Realm? That’s not…”
Before Liu Bin could finish, he snapped to attention, his voice altered:
“What realm did you say? You must be joking!”
Nearby, Wu Xuehua cautiously asked:
“Is late Unbeatable Realm powerful?”
“Damn, very powerful,” Liu Bin swore under his breath, taking several deep breaths to calm down.
He asked Wu:
“You know the Purple Dawn’s combat power rankings, right?”
Wu replied:
“Yes—Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Purple—and each level has five tiers.”
Liu Bin said flatly:
“The Unbeatable Realm corresponds to the Purple level. Early stage is Purple-tier 1, mid Purple-tier 2, late Purple-tier 3, and peak Purple-tier 4.”
“The strongest Purple Dawn cultivator is our leader Ziwei, at mid Golden Core stage, equivalent to mid Unbeatable Realm martial artist, with a comprehensive combat strength at Purple-tier 4. Cultivators generally surpass martial artists by one tier.”
“The Ten Celestial Lords range between Purple-tier 2 and 3.”
“In other words, if Yunfei isn’t exaggerating, this automaton’s combat strength is just one tier below Ziwei, matching the strength of the Celestial Lords.”
The armed police didn’t understand cultivator or martial artist power levels well, nor the exact feats of Purple-tier 3 or 4, but they recognized the gravity.
Ziwei and the Celestial Lords represented the highest power in Great Xia. If the automaton truly rivaled them, their safety was assured.
Li Yunfei chuckled:
“You’ll find out whether I’m bragging soon enough.”
“Wait…” Liu Bin sounded on the verge of collapse.
“You said you’d assign a super automaton to each squad? How many of these do you have?”
Li Yunfei replied leisurely:
“Not many—forty-six.”
“…”
Liu Bin fell silent, secretly horrified.
Once again, if Li Yunfei wasn’t bluffing, it meant he alone wielded power capable of overturning several Purple Dawn factions.
Originally, Li Yunfei had forty-five super skeletons, but after dual cultivation with Zhang Ziying and strengthening his soul, he gained one more.
Li Yunfei ignored Liu Bin’s thoughts and instructed the armed police:
“Alright, squads, come forward to receive your equipment.”
Following his orders, armed police lined up by company, platoon, and squad to collect gear.
Each gun came pre-loaded with one magazine and battery; four spare magazines were stored in the tactical vest’s pouches; four spare batteries and ten spirit-dispelling water grenades were carried in the tactical pouch at the waist.
After each squad collected equipment, Li Yunfei waved his hand, and ten more sets appeared on the table.
Soon, all armed police were equipped, and the Yin-Yang masters also received sets.
Since they lacked tactical vests and pouches, Wu Xuehua instructed the armory clerk to bring out thirty-four sets to lend them temporarily.
The Yin-Yang masters were thrilled and excited—they were going to war!
With preparations complete, Li Yunfei said:
“Now we’ll form groups. This operation will proceed by squads—27 squads total. Each squad will have one master assigned to accompany them.”
“The remaining seven masters, along with Commander Wu, three company commanders, and nine platoon leaders, will form two additional squads.”
“The masters’ role is to use your skills to force out all ghosts lurking in the villages.”
“Vengeful and resentful spirits have chaotic minds and rarely flee. If they do, they’re likely wandering souls with clear consciousness, posing minimal threat, so no need to pursue aggressively.”
“As for Comrades Liu Bin and Jiang Rui, you will form a special strike team to handle villages with severe infestations, potentially harboring malevolent or fierce ghosts.”
“Ninety-four villages remain afflicted. We aim to resolve this within two days.”
Looking at Liu Bin, Li Yunfei said:
“Liu Bin, you’re familiar with the situation—please organize the deployment.”
“We’ll deploy troops by 9 p.m. tonight and begin the cleansing. Each squad should aim to clear two villages per night.”
“I’ll personally oversee logistics—sending snacks to each squad by 11 p.m., and breakfast by 7 a.m.”
Liu Bin shook off other thoughts, focusing on the task: eliminating the ghosts plaguing Yudong County.
He had Wu Xuehua dispatch men to fetch county maps and distributed tasks via his phone.
Villages reporting ghost disturbances were marked on the maps.
He assigned squads based on village proximity, usually two or three neighboring villages per squad for easy transfer.
He bypassed villages marked for severe casualties or Yin-Yang master losses—those were Liu Bin’s team’s responsibility.
Vehicles from the armed police were insufficient, but Liu Bin had planned ahead, requisitioning minibuses from a local passenger transport company.
These minibuses were privately owned; Liu Bin paid the owners at a charter rate.
With assignments complete, Li Yunfei summoned 29 super skeleton warriors, assigning one to each squad to obey the leader’s commands.
He had named each skeleton from Spirit 01 to Spirit 46 for easier reference when operating with outsiders.
The squad with Spirit 07 seemed to have the strongest team.
Li Yunfei’s own team was five people; he didn’t want to bring two grown men flying, and a flying sword could only hold three.
So he summoned his off-road vehicle and headed with a few companions toward their first destination—only a dozen kilometers away.
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