Yao Zhi opened the system shop and bought 10 sets of rock-climbing equipment. Each set costs 20,000 points.

The equipment included climbing shoes, harnesses, helmets, chalk bags and chalk, dynamic ropes, belay devices, carabiners, quickdraws, SLCDs, slings, nut tools, and stick clips.

After buying the equipment, she spent another 100 points to buy a tablet containing an instructional video on how to use the tools.

Fu Chen’an was amazed by the video, but he quickly regained his composure and studied seriously. He spent half an hour inside the shared manor before leaving.

When he reappeared outside, he had already put the tools into his spatial bag and went to meet his team members.

Wearing dark brown clothes, they rode their horses to the southern cliff area. After tying the horses to the trees inside the forest, they walked toward the cliff.

Standing at the bottom of the cliff, they felt the sharp wind whistling past their ears. The wind speed in this place was stronger than in the forest.

Raising his head, one of the members licked his lips and asked, "Squad Leader Fu, how are we supposed to climb this cliff?"

From below, they could barely see the outer wall of Northeast City. Judging from the height of the wall, this cliff should be more than 200 meters tall. If they fell while climbing, they would die for sure.

While the soldiers were still racking their brains trying to figure out how to climb the cliff, Fu Chen’an took out the rock-climbing tools.

"Come here."

Hearing his words, everyone regained their senses. Seeing the strange items on the ground, they wondered where their leader got them from.

Fu Chen’an didn’t waste time and explained how to use the equipment. It took them half an hour to gain a rough understanding of the tools.

When they were finally ready, Fu Chen’an said, "I will climb first. Everyone, stay focused and don’t look down."

"Understood," the soldiers replied in unison.

Following the instructions he learned from the tablet, he started climbing.

Although it was slow, with the ropes securing them and the climbing protection embedded into the cliff wall, everyone felt calmer than before. Compared to climbing barehanded with only small daggers, this was much better.

They started climbing when the sky darkened, and by the time they reached the top, it was already 2 o’clock in the morning.

This was the time when people were the sleepiest. The patrolling guards were dozing off, making it easier for them to sneak in.

After pulling his team members up, Fu Chen’an gestured for them to move first before storing all the rock-climbing tools back into his spatial bag.

When he regrouped with his team members, they had already found a spot hidden from the patrolling guards. Without the moon, the surrounding area was dark, so no one noticed a group of men climbing down the wall.

After finally entering the city, the first thing they did was find a place to stay.

After climbing the cliff for several hours, they were exhausted. Even with the rock climbing tools, they were still unable to relax during the climb, so their mental state was already at its limit.

To avoid alerting the enemies, they decided to go to the slum area.

The Northeast City was once one of the most prosperous cities in the Great Yan Kingdom. But after the city was taken by the barbarians, the economy collapsed, and the people lived in terror.

Now, there were no longer traces of its previous prosperity. All they could see were damaged roads, abandoned houses covered in spider webs and dust, and empty streets. Even the roadside stalls had been left to gather dust and sand.

Seeing the city’s situation, Fu Chen’an and his team members exchanged glances. Suddenly, they heard a series of footsteps and hid in a dark alley. Not long after, they saw a group of patrolling soldiers walk past their hiding place.

Judging from the current situation, the patrolling guards were not as alert as the Zhu’an Town guards. Perhaps the barbarians thought that the Great Yan Kingdom wouldn’t dare attack them, or perhaps there was another reason for them to be so lax.

No matter what the reason was, this was a good thing for Fu Chen’an and his team. After they were sure the patrolling guards had left, they continued walking.

Before dawn, they finally found the slum area. Compared to the dark alleys, this place was dirtier and more crowded. The air was filled with a sour and rancid stench.

Fu Chen’an frowned when his nostrils were assaulted by the smell. While he was still able to control his expression, his team members were not the same.

They were tired and hungry. Now, being assaulted by the stench, they couldn’t help retching.

Noticing their slightly pale faces, Fu Chen’an handed them his waterskin without a word. They quickly drank some water. After drinking the fresh water, they felt much better.

To ensure that they could stay in good condition, Fu Chen’an had filled his waterskin with water mixed with his wife’s spiritual spring water. They finished half of the water in the waterskin before going to find a spot to rest.

After looking for a long time, they finally found a clean spot.

It was located at the dead end of an alley. Since most of the people stayed near the entrance, there was no trash or human excrement nearby. Although there was a moldy smell in the air, it was still fresher than the entrance of the alley.

Since they couldn’t stand out from the crowd, they only covered the ground with rags and some dried weeds found nearby. When everyone finally sat down, they let out sighs of relief.

They rested for a moment before taking out their dried food. Fortunately, there was no one staying nearby. Otherwise, they might be attacked by desperate people and alert the patrolling guards.

While the team members ate their black steamed cakes, Fu Chen’an took out a block of compressed biscuits from his spatial bag. As he chewed on the biscuit, he took sips of water.