The Dawn Trail in the World of American Comics

The next morning, Mason, with dark circles under his eyes, did not leave the hospital but instead washed up and changed into a nurse's uniform, starting his busy day at the clinic.

As he expected, after the chaos caused by the Assassin's League, the number of injured in Gotham City skyrocketed, making Dr. Leslie's clinic "prosperous" and improving Mason's emergency medical skills.

In the afternoon, as Mason was nearing the end of his shift, he finally received the notification he had been waiting for:

Successfully completing an exquisite emergency trauma dressing increased his emergency medical skill proficiency by 20 points, bringing it to Level 4. The Alchemy Emergency Bandage Blueprint has been unlocked.

The trait "Self-harming Rescuer" has been changed to "Skilled Rescuer: Emergency skill proficiency will not be lower than 'Excellent'."

"Well, I can leave early today."

When Mason saw this notification, his slightly anxious mood was immediately calmed.

He moved his numb hands a bit and showed a sunny smile to the nurse Wendy beside him, instructing her to continue with the next emergency dressing.

Wendy, the cute little nurse who had been "learning" from Mason these past few days, blushed at his handsome smile.

But to be honest, Mason was indeed a good teacher.

Under his guidance, the nurse's emergency medical skills had improved significantly, and she even received praise from Dr. Leslie, who was doing rounds today.

Ten minutes later, Mason, wearing a gray windbreaker and carrying a suitcase, walked out of the clinic. He planned to go back to his small shop to start practicing his skills for the day and check on the two girls living in his shop.

But as soon as he stepped out of the clinic, he felt a gust of wind on his face. In the rainy weather, this kind of wind made Mason feel a bit chilly.

He tightened his clothes and looked around, quickly spotting a homeless man in tattered clothes waving at him from the corner across the street.

Instead of going over immediately, Mason made a discreet gesture.

With a calm expression, he walked towards the alley of crime because half of it had collapsed due to the explosion caused by the barrels yesterday. It would probably take several months for Gotham City's government to repair it with their level of efficiency.

But the area had already been fenced off to prevent anyone from getting hurt.

Mason crossed the fence and waited at the ruins of the alley for a few minutes before seeing the homeless man pushing his cart and belongings towards him.

"There's surveillance from Batman near my shop. You shouldn't have appeared there!"

Mason didn't mince his words and said directly:

"Because of your unprofessionalism, we almost got exposed."

Facing his accusation, the homeless man in tattered clothes looked up, revealing a desolate dark face.

There were still terrible scars on his cheeks.

He looked at the emotionless young man in front of him and remembered that just two days ago, their positions were not like this when they were talking in Arkham Asylum!

At that time, Mason had to be careful and flatter him, but in just two days, their relationship had undergone a complete transformation.

Damn reality!

Mr. Sandstorm, in his desolation, cursed in his heart.

But now that he was under someone else's roof, he had to lower his head. He could only tug at his tattered clothes and say in a hoarse voice:

"I have no choice, Three-Headed Dog, Mason. I have nowhere else to go. The damn Batman has eyes everywhere in the city. You have no idea how I managed to survive these past two days.

I even had to fight with a group of homeless people to snatch things. It's truly shameful.

But it seems like my appearance didn't surprise you?

Your team members should have seen me being shattered by the Flash, right?"

"You are a B-level personnel, Mr. Sandstorm."

Mason shook his head and said:

"Although I've only been in this line of work for a short time, I know that no one who can grow to the B-level can be without any life-saving skills. But now that you're in such a sorry state, I guess your team..."

"Gone, all gone."

A touch of desolation and pain flashed across Mr. Sandstorm's dark face. He clenched his fists and said:

"I spent countless time and effort recruiting a biologist, who died. The ancient Titan I almost bankrupted myself to buy had its heart blown up.

My deputy Storm sacrificed himself to protect our secrets, and my best assault team member Hank died at the hands of Superman.

To escape, I even had to blow up the ancient bow I obtained through a life-and-death struggle with a troublesome saint in that damn Assassin's world.

The Six-Headed Snake Squad is not a large-scale combat group. We are pioneers on the elite path, which means I have lost everything that could have allowed me to establish myself in the Starry Sky Society in this world."

"But you still have a reserve team, right?"

Mason raised an eyebrow and said:

"I remember you told me before that you were prepared to include Damian Wayne in your reserve team. With your seniority, the quality of the reserve team shouldn't be bad, right?""The bastards from my hometown do have some talent, but they still have room to grow."

Mr. Sandstorm sighed, leaning against the wall and taking out a pack of cigarettes, taking two out.

He offered one to Mason, but it was politely declined. He didn't mind and lit one for himself. Then he saw Mason rubbing his fingers together and conjuring a ball of magic fire to light his own cigarette.

In the rising smoke, he explained to Mason in the tone of someone who had been through it all:

"The difficulty of the exploration missions is beyond your imagination, Mason. In those situations, the only ones worth relying on are the brothers and sisters who have been with you all the way.

You need to understand that our organization has cruel rules of competition.

There is no mandatory relationship between team members and captains. In other words, once your team members have bad intentions, if you are not sharp enough, you may be betrayed by your own people.

These kinds of stories are updated three or four times a month in the tavern of the Star Castle.

So for newcomers like you, don't rush to recruit talented individuals in various worlds. Understand your own limits.

You can use those uncontrollable dangerous elements, but never trust them.

That's why I came to ask for your help."

He exhaled a puff of smoke and said to Mason:

"I need to borrow your World Gate to return to my base world, where I can lick my wounds and prepare for a comeback."

"Of course, it's a piece of cake. We should help each other."

Mason grinned.

He said:

"But my World Gate doesn't have the coordinates of your base world, and the number of coordinates that the World Gate can record is limited. Mine has already recorded four worlds, leaving only two empty slots.

K Team has another mandatory exploration mission in a month."

"I understand what you mean, Mason."

Mr. Sandstorm shrugged and said:

"If you want a reward, just say it directly. Don't beat around the bush. Don't worry, even though my team is finished, I still have some treasures that I won't let you help for nothing.

You are going for the archer route, right?

So maybe this thing will satisfy you."

He took out something from his trash-filled handcart and threw it to Mason. The young man caught it and took a look. It turned out to be a precise firearm blueprint.

Supernatural Firearm Blueprint · Technological Pistol · DR12 "Quasar"

Quality: Determined by the craftsmanship of the maker, with a minimum quality of [Fine] and a maximum quality of [Legendary]

Features: Energy weapon · Bullet compatibility · Super high firing rate · Deadly accuracy · Extra technological chip slots

Item Description: This thing is everywhere in a place called "City of Night."

The design of this blueprint impressed Mason.

Although it was a pistol, the appearance of this firearm clearly belonged to the "fantasy" style. Its most unique feature was its drum magazine design, which formed a triangular grip at the back of the gun body in a coupled form.

The overall style was exactly the kind of industrial simplicity that Mason liked the most. And most importantly, he had been to the "City of Night," although in a different way.

It was truly delightful to see something familiar again after being reborn.

"This thing is great."

Mason exclaimed:

"Is it your spoils of war?"

"Yeah, it's the 'bonus' that my team and the 'Next Life' team obtained in a cooperative mission in another world. That world, how should I put it? It looks glamorous on the surface but is actually rotten to the core. It's not a pleasant place."

Mr. Sandstorm observed Mason's expression and also breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the young man smile.

As the captain of a recently destroyed team, Mr. Sandstorm had also encountered the same predicament as Old K in the beginning.

Even worse than Old K.

When Old K was at his lowest point, he still had an incredible Assassin's Blade in his hand for self-defense.

He had nothing left.

If Mason made an outrageous request, Mr. Sandstorm would probably fall into a difficult situation of living on borrowed money.

"I'm very interested in these super-technological products."

Mason put away the blueprint and asked:

"Can you give me the coordinates of the world where this weapon was designed?"

"I would like to give it to you, Mason."

Mr. Sandstorm shook his head and said:

"But it's already finished. If you're interested, I can contact the captain of the 'Next Life' team after I go back. That world used to be their base world.

Perhaps they have something similar in their hands.

Oh, by the way, they are also directly under Mr. Hunter's command, so you might get to know each other soon."

"Okay."

Mason was a little disappointed but didn't say anything more.

He released his flying motorcycle and threw the invisibility cloak to Mr. Sandstorm, indicating for him to get on. The two quickly flew along the sky and arrived above the Iceberg Bar, which had not yet been reoccupied. Along the way, Mr. Sandstorm shared many experiences as a team captain with Mason.

To sum it up, there were 108 ways to outsmart and outmaneuver team members with ulterior motives.Listening to this, Mason felt a pang of annoyance, lamenting that if Mr. Sandstorm were born in another country, he would undoubtedly be a master of palace intrigue.

However, when he arrived at the top floor of the Iceberg Bar, he couldn't help but ask:

"About our tattoos..."

"Shush!"

As soon as the question was raised, Mr. Sandstorm glared at him fiercely, rebuking:

"That's a forbidden topic, Mason! You're a newcomer, so you don't understand this taboo, but no matter where you are, you must never discuss this with your peers.

Not everyone knows the truth about this tattoo like you and I do."

As he spoke, he snapped his fingers, a swirl of sand circling in his hand. He looked at Mason with a meaningful gaze, saying:

"I saw your flame just now. It seems you are also a person with 'talent'. Although everyone has that tattoo, only those who can tap into its deep power are considered senior members of the Star Assembly.

Remember this.

The Star Assembly is not a good place where everyone holds hands and sings hymns. Considering our decent relationship, I must remind you, Mason, that using this power is not without cost.

When it pays attention to you, you have to 'please' it."

"Huh? Pay attention to me? And I have to please it?"

Mason was filled with a thousand questions.

He didn't feel like he was being watched, and he never had a premonition of having to pay a price when using the magic fire. This was probably thanks to the help of the mysterious character card.

"Also, serving Mr. Hunter is not a good choice. That guy is notoriously insane."

Mr. Sandstorm saw Mason open the partition revealing the world gate of Team K, he finally relaxed. In a casual tone, he said to Mason:

"Each grandmaster has five direct pioneer teams under his command, and the teams under Mr. Hunter are the most frequently replaced, with casualties almost every mission.

Of course, this also has to do with Mr. Hunter always being eager to explore those tough worlds.

But if possible, Mason, you'd better find another path. The 'Swordsman' I serve is a good superior.

If you're interested, I can help you pull some strings.

Of course, the cost of this networking, well, you'll have to bear it."

"Let's talk about it later."

Mason waved his hand, indifferent to this suggestion.

What good superior could there be in the Star Assembly?

What a joke!

"Take out your captain's card."

Mr. Sandstorm pinched his fingers, producing a silver captain's card.

He said something to Mason, who hesitated for a moment as he was about to take out his own bronze card, saying:

"I feel like I'm at a loss, just like that, losing a world coordinate with infinite possibilities."

"Damn it!"

Mr. Sandstorm cursed inwardly.

His worst fear had come true.

Although the rookie in front of him was inexperienced, he had all the bad habits that pioneer captains should have. He had learned to pluck feathers from a passing goose at such a young age!

The worst part was that he was in such a desperate situation that he could only let himself be exploited.

How annoying!

"Hehe, how could I let you suffer a loss? Look at what you're saying."

Mr. Sandstorm said with a smile on his face:

"When I go back to my vassal base world, I will definitely get you something better. I am your senior brother, how could I let the junior newcomer be disappointed?

Don't worry.

Explore the extended edition on pawread dot com.

When you have time, come to my vassal world for a visit, I will definitely treat you warmly.

Or I can take you to the assassin world, which is full of all kinds of good things? I can get you some Yishu armor or something for self-defense."

"I'm busy dealing with my first compulsory mission, where do I have time to play?"

Mason also said with a sad face:

"As you said, being a direct team under Mr. Hunter, I guess I won't survive the first mission. Ah, it's really hard to be happy without some good stuff for self-defense.

I wonder if there will be any kind-hearted people to help me out?"

The two stood in front of the world gate, both falling silent.

Mr. Sandstorm's dark face showed an expression as if his mother had just died. Under Mason's expectant gaze, he gritted his teeth and took out another blueprint from his pocket and handed it over, saying:

"That's about it, Mason. This time, all four pioneer teams in this world were wiped out, with twenty-seven B-level personnel dead! You don't understand the value of this.

But I think instead of spending time extorting me, you'd better prepare for the inquiry."

"Your advice is well taken!"

Mason took the blueprint, solemnly swiped his captain's card on the world gate, and then Mr. Sandstorm also swiped his captain's card on the gate.

A fifth notch immediately appeared on the brass handle, which originally had four notches.

The extorted Mr. Sandstorm didn't want to say anything else.

He turned the handle, inserted the energy stone, opened the door, threw Mason a phone for contact, and jumped in. Mason watched him leave, and as the world gate closed, he looked at the blueprint in his hand.More accurately, it should be a formula:

Green Devil's Super Serum

Quality: Depends on the alchemical craftsmanship of the creator.

Item Effect: After injecting the serum according to the standard procedure, the injector will gain super strength, super speed, super endurance, super reflexes, and a certain degree of self-healing ability.

This serum needs to be injected regularly, otherwise the abilities will be lost.

The serum has serious side effects that can cause mental disorders in the user, and multiple injections can give rise to a second personality.

Creator: Norman Osborne

Item Description: If you are feeling lonely, please take this serum, provided that you can accept the high probability that your second personality will be smarter and more charming than you.

"He's trying to deceive me."

Mason looked at the blueprint and sneered, saying:

"Well done, Mr. Sandstorm. You almost fooled me. It serves you right to be wiped out when you're not sincere in making friends."

(End of this chapter)