16 hours until the fortress defense battle.
Under the sand dunes, Zheng Shiduo was hopping around, trying hard to complete the tasks assigned by Ling Tong and Wang Jixuan, which involved mapping the terrain and burying detectors. Zheng Shiduo was wearing a collar around his neck. It was a self-destruct collar. It didn’t affect his ability to turn his head or observe, and it provided some protection. However, if someone pressed the remote, his head would explode instantly.
“Here you go,” Ling Tong said, handing a blue remote to Wang Jixuan. “I checked it. The energy in Zheng Shiduo's self-destruct collar is enough to kill him ten times over. He was sent by the commander. This remote is mainly to reassure you. Zhou Zhengde made him wear it, so with this, you have control over his life and death.”
Wang Jixuan looked puzzled. “Why do I need to control his life and death?”
“He’s here to protect you,” Ling Tong shrugged. “He’s actually pretty strong.”
Wang Jixuan’s expression shifted a bit. A spirit user was here to protect him? And it was someone who had previously tried to interfere with Ling Tong’s mission? He really didn’t understand these people’s thought processes.
Ling Tong shoved the remote into his hand and leaned against an ATV with him, watching the drones flying low in the distance.
“Will the upcoming battle be dangerous?” Wang Jixuan asked.
“This shows how much they value you,” Ling Tong smiled. “Spirit users are like that. They listen to whoever holds their life in their hands. Right now, Zheng Shiduo's life is controlled by the command center, and the Spirit City has also handed over control of this batch of spirit users.”
“I still don’t trust him.”
“Just keep an eye on him. He knows your secret identity,” Ling Tong said casually. “Zheng Shiduo is also my comrade, though our positions sometimes differ.”
“Fine,” Wang Jixuan shrugged. “Later, I’ll wear the helmet and act as Black Storm, and I’ll tell him not to hang around with Wang Zheng.”
“You can tell him that yourself. I find his scent a bit unpleasant.”
“What scent?”
“The scent of a creep.”
Wang Jixuan thought of that crystal plug and couldn’t help but rub his forehead, unsure how to respond. He needed a phrase that was even more serious than ‘chaos and destruction.’
14 hours until the fortress defense battle.
The situation was unfolding exactly as Ling Tong had predicted. Just after Wang Jixuan and the others finished surveying the terrain, news came from the northwest that a horde of blade beasts had broken through the defenses. A group of over three hundred thousand blade beasts had surged through the line.
The human defenses were complex, covering land, sea, air, and underground. After breaking through the line, the horde split into three groups. One group attacked the nearest fortress, another charged into the nearby human defenses trying to create a larger breach, and the last group went underground, heading toward Fortress 76 through a tunnel they had opened up.
About seventy thousand blade beasts would reach near Fortress 76 in a few hours, and along the way, they would lose some to the underground minefield. Judging by the energy readings, there were two general-level blade beasts among them.
The joint defense army was working hard to cut off the retreat of the blade beasts, engaging in intense battles near the gaps in the defenses. Weapons and supplies from various fortresses were being continuously sent to the Mid-Continent Basin war zone, pouring down on the horde of blade beasts.
Several outer expansion zones of the fortress had been cleared, and the reserve troops inside were ready. Dozens of small fortresses had been constructed on the surface, and there was a minefield surrounding the fortress that was several kilometers thick underground.
Drilling-type blade beasts had their limits too; they could only move quickly in the earth up to two hundred meters deep, using underground movement to avoid the bombardment of human long-range fire.
This was a contest between old rivals. The military assessed that the target of the blade beasts was Ling Tong, the Battle Princess. Ling Tong had set up camp in the desert outside the outer expansion C zone, where they were building a decoy military camp. Besides Ling Tong and an elite combat team, there were also some self-defense guards disguised as humans and dozens of spirit users.
As Ling Tong's support team, Uncle Tai, Sister Wan, Wan Xiaoqi, and Wang Jixuan were to stay at the supply station in the outer expansion C zone, ready to send out supplies at any moment. The main transport for supplies included two large mechanical dogs and three heavy drones.
The outer expansion C zone had become an important firepower base for the military, and it would inevitably face an attack from the blade beasts later. This would also become the front line.
9 hours until the fortress defense battle.
At the supply station, Uncle Tai stood with his arms crossed in front of a large projection screen, which displayed the ‘decoy military camp.’ In the center of the screen, Ling Tong was undergoing a mechanical arm check by Sister Wan.
“Look at those sand dunes,” Uncle Tai said with a smile. “The blade beasts will probably wait until night to launch their attack. They don’t have eyes, so day and night are the same for them. This will be the main battlefield, and we need to kill as many blade beasts as possible. The outer expansion C zone will serve as the main force to support this decoy.”
“Every time the blade beasts launch a large-scale attack, they have clear objectives. They calculate how much firepower we have and how much we’re hiding. For the blade beasts, as long as they achieve their goals, it doesn’t matter how many basic blade beasts die. That’s the nature of basic blade beasts being like worker ants.”
Wan Xiaoqi brought over two cups of industrial coffee. Wang Jixuan thanked her and quietly asked, “Is there anything else we should pay attention to?”
“We shouldn’t need to send supplies anymore. The military has dedicated supply and fire support teams,” Uncle Tai said, pretending to be excited. “Soon you’ll get to see Ling Tong pilot a mech! It may only be a few meters tall, but that’s the true value of the Battle Princess!”
Wan Xiaoqi frowned. “Dad, Xiao Wang is asking about precautions!”
“Okay, okay, the precaution is… complete the mission and stay alive.” Uncle Tai took a deep breath. “The war against the blade beasts is incredibly brutal. We are rear support personnel, and there shouldn’t be any problems until the fortress is breached. The firepower density here is much stronger than on the fortress side. The only thing to watch out for is the mimic blade beasts. These guys can disguise themselves as humans and cause havoc inside.”
Wang Jixuan raised an eyebrow. “How long until the attack starts?”
“Still over nine hours. Based on the speed of that group of blade beasts, the attack should start between three and five in the morning. There’s also a chance that small groups of blade beasts wandering underground might suddenly appear in front of us.”
“Uncle Tai, do you have any work now?”
“Nope, I’m planning to take a good nap soon to recharge!”
“Then help me out.”
Wang Jixuan thought for a moment. “I want to give my weapon a bit of a technological upgrade.”
“Sure thing,” Uncle Tai’s eyes lit up. “Let me get more involved in the Ling Tong 071 project! Just give me a few papers to write!”
Wang Jixuan smiled, even if he didn’t fully understand what that meant.
Due to the time constraints, Wang Jixuan could only make a simple modification to his long gun, adding a laser shooting device to the back and attaching a charging backpack, allowing him to turn the long gun upside down and use it as a mini laser cannon. The downside was that it didn’t handle heat very well.
A sneak attack on a blade beast or spirit user would be more than enough. There was still much preparation to do, like making talismans and perfecting some bone-piercing nails. Wang Jixuan could feel the tension in the air.
Soldiers were taking brief rests at their combat posts, while supply lines were busy with vehicles and drones. Various artillery, rockets, and air-dropped bombs that Wang Jixuan had seen in mechanical textbooks were everywhere.
In just one night, the outer expansion C zone had gained over a dozen high-speed electromagnetic cannons. The underground nuclear power station could only supply energy for seven of the cannons. Uncle Tai mentioned that if energy ran low after the battle started, they had various methods to generate power, like using firepower generation or fuel generation, etc.
Everyone was worried that their preparations weren’t sufficient. Wang Jixuan focused on improving himself. He kept three crystal cores, releasing the energy from two of them along with the remaining energy from the others, making a small but firm step forward in his cultivation.
Improving his cultivation also depended on strengthening his body and spirit, which would take some time.
1 hour and 28 minutes until the fortress defense battle.
‘It should be defendable,’ Wang Jixuan thought as he slowly wiped down his segmented long gun, wrapping it in cloth and setting it aside.
Outside the door, Uncle Tai shouted, “Damn! Where did the second group of blade beasts come from? The blade beasts are moving underground, and their numbers have suddenly increased. Now it’s estimated there are eleven thousand blade beasts and four generals heading toward Fortress 76! Is it really necessary for the blade beasts to go this crazy just to deal with one Ling Tong? Or does Ling Tong have some potential we haven’t seen?”
“Four generals?”
“Ah! Four generals!”
“What about our reinforcements?”
“The number of reinforcements is unclear. We don’t have the authority to see enemy intel. What I know is that two Battle Princesses are coming, along with mech troops and air support. This time, we didn’t detect any airborne blade beasts, so the air superiority is on our side!”
“Not necessarily… it feels like the blade beasts are going insane.”
Sister Wan, who had returned to the supply station, frowned. “If we completely wipe out this group of blade beasts, the defense army can push the front line out a good distance. Why would they do this?”
Uncle Tai pondered for a moment. “Could it be that the king-level blade beast commanding these blade beasts was previously beaten by Ling Tong? Is it here for revenge?”
Wang Jixuan blinked. He had indeed dealt a heavy blow to that vertical-eyed beast before. At that time, he had used magic to trigger it, consuming the power he had gathered from souls. That blade beast’s soul must have been severely damaged.
So the blade beasts went crazy? That couldn’t be right.
Wang Jixuan stroked his chin and decisively chose to believe it wasn’t his fault. He got up and walked to the closet in the corner, slowly opening the cabinet door.
Inside were a black helmet, a black combat suit, and two barrels of still-active green blade beast blood.
With a few hours left, he needed to make more talismans!
Wang Jixuan had previously tried soaking paper in the spirit-rich blade beast blood and refining the spirit liquid, which produced talismans that were more effective than the previous ones. Moreover, he had also obtained a thick stack of ancient raw pulp paper from Ling Tong, which contained the spirit energy of plants.
Buzz, buzz!
The text exchange device vibrated slightly. Wang Jixuan opened his right hand, and a breath of energy wrapped around the small box, flying directly into his hand.
It was a message from Ling Tong. By the way, at Ling Tong’s suggestion, he and Zhou Zhengde had changed their nicknames, and this text exchange device was a channel visible to all three of them.
[Ling Tong (Long-legged Officer): A second group of blade beasts has appeared. Five general-level blade beasts have been detected. The subsequent battle may be very intense. I suggest Wang Zheng move to the fortress.]
[Zhou Zhengde (Zhou Young Master): Hurry! Move!]
[Wang Zheng (Upright Person): No need for now. I can act as support for Ling Tong.]
Suddenly, Wang Jixuan’s spirit sensed a disturbance, and his awareness expanded toward the southwest direction of the camp.
About two hundred meters away, in a well-lit alley, there was a female soldier walking with her head down. She wasn’t carrying a weapon but instead held a shovel.
“You! Stop!”
A patrol group of three soldiers, in powered armor, slowly approached, staring at the female soldier’s back while raising their guns.
“Raise your hands! Crouch down and cover your head!”
The female soldier slightly turned her head, and a strange cold smile suddenly appeared on her otherwise ordinary face.
She suddenly turned around, her body seeming to be torn apart, but only the outer layer of light film was shredded, and a blade beast, less than two meters long, burst out from within!
It swayed its slender body like a mantis.
The three soldiers were about to open fire, but before they could pull the trigger, a thin light blade flying from the front had already severed the soldiers’ necks!
A mimic blade beast!
Wang Jixuan grabbed his helmet to put it on, but before he could make his next move, he froze in place.
Energy.
Mottled energy.
Two streams of mottled energy quickly approached the location where the three soldiers had been killed.
His spirit could barely see it.
The mimic blade beast’s body twisted and folded, drilling into one of the soldiers. That soldier, wrapped in a layer of light film, slowly stood up, and the energy fluctuations of the blade beast almost vanished.
At that moment, two figures burst out of the darkness, one of them hovering in mid-air, raising a hand toward the mimic blade beast.
The mimic blade beast turned to flee, but a muscular man with long hair on his upper body lunged from the left, slamming down a bear paw and smashing the mimic blade beast to the ground!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air as several silver-white long nails shot out, piercing the mimic blade beast’s mouth, which had a crystal film, splattering green blood everywhere.
Woo, woo—
The outer expansion C zone camp was filled with alarms!
Red warning lights flashed continuously!
Gunfire erupted in several areas simultaneously, and over thirty spirit users sent to the front were moving in pairs throughout the camp.
In the darkness, shadows swiftly crawled out of various mines, charging toward the outer expansion C zone camp.
This was not the group of blade beasts that had been monitored all along.
Seeing this, Wang Jixuan raised an eyebrow.
He set down his helmet, picked up a nano mask from the box beside him, and put it on. The mask adjusted itself, temporarily transforming him back into ‘Zhou Tiantian.’
Grabbing the text exchange device, Wang Jixuan quickly replied.
[Wang Zheng (Upright Person): It’s too late to move. I’ll leave the text exchange device here, and you can call through my helmet.]
Using regular channels to get crystal cores could attract the attention of the Thirteenth Institute.
So this war against the blade beasts was the best opportunity for him to stock up on supplies.
The energy of the mimic blade beasts was stronger than that of ordinary blade beasts, and they must have a good-quality crystal core inside them.
The war had begun.
1 hour and 23 minutes until the fortress defense battle.
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(End of chapter)