Advance

The ruins remained, but the mountains of Aberrant remains had vanished.

In their place, the silhouettes of hundreds of Blood Demons patrolled the ruins, alongside many humans.

Jiang Lin looked up and saw that over a dozen simple tents had been set up in the central plaza of Rusty Town.

Dozens of humans were busy clearing debris and transporting supplies.

They wore the standard gray-brown uniforms of Ember, with either "Emberflame" or "Emberfolk" badges pinned to their chests.

Further away, several modified heavy trucks were slowly driving into the ruins, loaded with construction materials and daily necessities.

"They're quite efficient."

He nodded to himself.

It seemed Ember's mobilization capability was stronger than he had imagined.

The crimson claw-wing landed slowly at the edge of the plaza, its bone wings folding inward.

The busy humans stopped their work one after another, looking up at the blood-colored figure with a mix of vigilance and curiosity.

But no one panicked, and no one picked up a weapon.

Clearly, they had been given sufficient warning before setting out.

"Mr. Matthew!"

Jiang Lin looked toward the voice and saw a figure in a gray-brown cloak with a completely crystallized right arm walking quickly toward him.

It was Ed.

"What are you doing here?"

Jiang Lin was somewhat surprised.

Ed walked closer, a complex expression flashing in her amber eyes.

"I applied to join the vanguard.

"After three years as an outer scout, it was time for a change."

She paused, looking at the busy figures around them.

"And... I want to see this world return to its original state with my own eyes."

Jiang Lin nodded, saying nothing more.

He looked around.

In the center of the plaza, the Bloodspeaker remained hovering atop the clock tower ruins, the blood-red crystal in the center of its mask flashing slightly as invisible waves of mental energy enveloped the entire outpost.

Sensing Jiang Lin's gaze, it lowered its head slightly as if in salute.

Around it, nine hundred 2nd-rank Blood Demons were dispersed everywhere.

Crimson claw-wings occupied the high ground, their dark red eyes vigilantly scanning the edges of the ruins.

Cursed blood bone dolls hovered in mid-air, the blood-red runes on their surfaces flowing slowly, ready to release curses at any moment.

Bloodblade Butchers stood guard around the plaza, their four arms hanging down like silent statues.

The entire outpost was in perfect order, without any sign of chaos.

"Good."

Jiang Lin was satisfied.

"How are the Ember people? How are they getting along with the Blood Demons?"

Ed's mouth twitched.

"They were terrified at first. After all, these guys... they don't exactly look like the obedient type.

"But it's much better now. Everyone has learned to ignore their existence and just focus on their own work."

Jiang Lin nodded slightly.

This was exactly what he wanted.

Blood Demons and humans coexisting without interfering with each other, jointly building a defensive line.

"You've come at the right time."

Ed took out a map from her cloak and spread it on a nearby stone slab.

"This is the terrain map of the area around Rusty Town that we just surveyed.

"Thirty kilometers to the northeast, there's an abandoned gas station that can serve as a forward outpost.

"Fifty kilometers to the southwest, there's a large bridge that is the only path leading to the Corrupted Plains."

Jiang Lin nodded.

"Has the news been sent back to your headquarters?"

Ed nodded.

"We've established a temporary wireless communication station and transmitted all the information from here.

"Headquarters said we can start expanding in that direction first."

Hearing this, Jiang Lin nodded.

Although he had already seen the map and had a general understanding of the area,

He still wanted to hear the suggestions of professionals regarding the specific route and marching direction.

In the next moment, a small patch of crimson began to spread from beneath his feet.

A terrifying fluctuation emanated from the blood beneath him, and a figure wearing a crystal mask rose from it.

He had consumed one-tenth of his magic power to summon another 3rd-rank peak Bloodspeaker.

"Take fifty crimson claw-wings and scout that bridge."

Jiang Lin issued the command through the mental link.

"Do not go deep. Just confirm the number and distribution of Aberrants on the other side.

"Withdraw immediately if you encounter danger."

The Bloodspeaker nodded slightly, the crystal in the center of its mask glowing as invisible waves of mental energy spread out.

In the next second, fifty of the crimson claw-wings dispersed throughout the ruins looked up simultaneously, their dark red eyes turning toward the new Bloodspeaker.

They leapt from their hiding places, bone wings unfolding, and converged into a crimson torrent beneath the dark red sky, speeding toward the southwest.

Ed opened her mouth but ultimately chose not to ask anything more.

She watched those blood-colored figures disappear into the horizon, then looked at the blonde youth beside her, an indescribable sense of complexity rising in her heart.

A few hours ago, she was just an outer scout struggling to survive among the ruins.

A few hours later, she was standing in an outpost occupied by Blood Demons, watching them execute orders like a well-trained army.

This world was changing far too quickly.

"Stop daydreaming."

Jiang Lin's voice pulled her back to reality.

"Take me to see your construction progress."

...

The cleanup of Rusty Town went more smoothly than Jiang Lin had anticipated.

Although the vanguard sent by Ember only consisted of thirty people, every one of them was an experienced veteran. They quickly partitioned the area into living zones, storage zones, and fortification zones, carrying out their work methodically.

"This side is the temporary barracks."

Ed led Jiang Lin across the plaza, pointing to a set of tents that had been erected.

"It's simple, but at least it provides shelter from the wind and rain. Once the follow-up supplies arrive, we can build sturdier prefabricated houses."

"Over there is the storage area."

She pointed to the other side of the plaza, where several heavy trucks were unloading crates of compressed food, purified water, and medical supplies, which were being neatly stacked.

"Headquarters sent enough supplies to last three hundred people for three months. Construction materials, engineering machinery, and defensive weapons will continue to arrive in batches."

Jiang Lin nodded slightly.

"What about the fortifications?"

"They're being planned."

Ed pointed to the edge of the ruins.

"Those Blood Demons have already solved the greatest threat for us. Now, all we need to do is establish a picket line, set traps, and build watchtowers around the perimeter.

"The engineers say that if the materials arrive, we can complete a preliminary defensive system within a week."

Jiang Lin's gaze swept over the busy figures.

Some were clearing ruins and sorting usable building materials.

Some were checking underground facilities to confirm if there were any hidden dangers.

Others were setting up communication equipment to establish a more stable link with headquarters.

Everything was in order.

The night in Rusty Town was exceptionally quiet under the dark red sky.

Jiang Lin stood atop the clock tower ruins, the 3rd-rank peak Bloodspeaker at his feet.

His golden eyes looked toward the southwest, where fifty crimson claw-wings were speeding through the night sky like dark red meteors streaking across the heavens.

Through the Bloodspeaker's mental link, he could clearly sense the position and status of every Blood Demon, as well as their shared vision.

Ten kilometers from the target bridge.

Five kilometers.

Three kilometers.

"Stop."

Jiang Lin issued the command with a thought through the Bloodspeaker.

The fifty crimson claw-wings hovered in the air simultaneously, their bone wings adjusting slightly as they hid within the shadows of the clouds.

Through the vision of one of the crimson claw-wings, Jiang Lin saw the bridge.

It was a massive steel structure spanning a wide river valley, once a vital artery connecting the east and west before the Great Cataclysm.

Now, the bridge deck was covered in the rusted remains of vehicles, and countless black, vine-like substances hung from the steel cables, swaying gently in the wind.

Most striking, however, was the scene on the other side of the bridge.

There, Aberrants were packed together so densely it was impossible to see the ground—at least several thousand of them.

They gathered on a patch of open ground at the bridgehead, biting, devouring, and fusing with one another.

From time to time, an Aggregate would struggle out from the pile of flesh, letting out a piercing screech.

"This isn't even the mine yet, and there are already this many Aberrants..."

Jiang Lin frowned slightly.

He had the crimson claw-wings lower their altitude, using the shadows of the ruins for cover to get as close as possible for observation.

The variety of Aberrants was even richer than in Rusty Town.

Besides the common Strollers and Piercers, he saw several types he had never encountered before.

Some Aberrants were as large as houses, moving slowly but making the ground tremble with every step—those were Devourers.

Others were almost translucent, nearly invisible under the dark red sky, identifiable only by the distortion of the air as they moved.

What made Jiang Lin most vigilant was a type of special individual he had never seen.

They were similar in size to humans, but their bodies were wreathed in visible dark red mist.

Those mists writhed like living things, occasionally coalescing into tentacles that stabbed into the bodies of nearby Aberrants.

The Aberrants that were stabbed would instantly stiffen, the crystallized patterns on their bodies flaring brightly before they withered and shriveled at a visible rate.

While the individuals wreathed in mist became more solid, the mist around them growing even denser.

"Mental Polluter..."

Jiang Lin remembered Dr. Villa's description.

Extremely rare, capable of releasing mental attacks and controlling other Aberrants or even humans.

To his surprise, there was one right here near this bridge.

"Withdraw."

Jiang Lin issued the command.

The fifty crimson claw-wings retreated silently, disappearing into the night sky.

Rusty Town, clock tower ruins.

Jiang Lin withdrew his consciousness from the shared vision of the crimson claw-wings, his golden eyes narrowing slightly under the dark red sky.

"Three thousand four hundred Aberrants, including at least fifteen 4th-rank Aggregates and one Mental Polluter."

Jiang Lin turned, his gaze sweeping over the busy engineering team in the plaza below and the silently standing Blood Demon Legion.

"Do you plan... to move tonight?"

Ed asked tentatively.

Jiang Lin nodded.

"Tell the engineering team not to sleep too soundly tonight. There might be some noise."

Ed was stunned for a moment before she realized what he meant.

"You're going... to attack that bridge now?"

"That's right."

He leapt down from the clock tower ruins, his golden hair cutting a brilliant arc through the dark red sky.

The moment he landed, the crystal in the center of the Bloodspeaker's mask flashed, and an invisible mental wave spread out.

In the plaza, nine hundred Blood Demons looked up simultaneously, their crimson eyes appearing like a burning sea of stars in the night.

"Assemble."

Jiang Lin's voice was not loud, yet it echoed clearly deep within the consciousness of every Blood Demon.

In the next second, the entirety of Rusty Town seemed to come alive.

Crimson claw-wings dove from the tops of the ruins, their bone wings folding as they lined up neatly above the plaza.

Cursed blood bone dolls drifted out from the shadows, their tiny bones making a light clicking sound in the air as the blood-red runes on their surfaces flowed slowly.

Bloodblade Butchers walked out from the depths of the streets with heavy strides, their four arms hanging down and the bone spikes on their backs gleaming with a dangerous light.

In just ten breaths, the nine hundred Blood Demons had formed ranks in the plaza.

They made no sound, standing in silent vigil as their crimson eyes all turned toward Jiang Lin in unison.

The scene was silent yet breathtaking.

The engineering team members who were organizing supplies at the edge of the camp were startled by the movement. They stopped their work and stared blankly at that sea of crimson.

Someone's tool fell to the ground with a crisp metallic clang, but no one had the mind to pick it up.

Jiang Lin said no more. He leapt onto the back of the 3rd-rank peak crimson claw-wing and raised his right hand, pointing toward the southwest.

"Depart."

A crimson torrent soared into the sky.

Nine hundred Blood Demons were like a pouring tide, whistling over Rusty Town as they sped toward the bridge.

Crimson claw-wings led the way, their bone wings unfolded and trailing long, blood-red contrails under the dark red sky.

Cursed blood bone dolls followed closely behind, their tiny bones tracing eerie trajectories through the air.

Bloodblade Butchers sprinted across the ground, every step making the ruins tremble.

Thirty kilometers was but a quarter of an hour for the Blood Demon Legion.

When the steel bridge spanning the river valley appeared in his vision, Jiang Lin raised his hand slightly, and the entire legion decelerated instantly, hovering silently in the night sky.

On the other side of the bridge, the Aberrants seemed to have caught a scent.

They began to stir, and the thousands of Aberrants crowded at the bridgehead looked up one after another, countless eyes staring into the sky at the sudden appearance of the blood-red cloud.

Jiang Lin stood on the back of the crimson claw-wing, his golden eyes reflecting the densely packed Aberrants below as the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"Go."

With that single word, the Blood Demon Legion moved.

Crimson claw-wings folded their bone wings and dove like cannonballs. Fifty, one hundred, two hundred...

A crimson meteor shower tore through the night sky, slamming hard into the densest clusters of Aberrants!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The continuous impacts made the ground at the bridgehead tremble violently, the shockwaves sending surrounding Aberrants flying.

Before the dust could even settle, the crimson claw-wings had already stood up, their bone claws tearing through the nearest targets and their bone wings severing any enemies that lunged at them.

Bloodblade Butchers advanced from the front, their four arms swinging like wheels. Wherever their bone blades passed, Aberrants fell like wheat before a scythe.

Their back spikes detonated deep within the enemy ranks from time to time, blood crystals exploding and tearing everything around them to shreds.

Cursed blood bone dolls hovered in mid-air, their tiny skeletal fingers all rising at once to trace the same trajectory in the air.

A massive crimson rune over thirty meters in diameter appeared above the densest gathering of Aberrants. The rune rotated, its light flaring brilliantly.

"Hum!"

Amidst the eerie hum, dozens of Aberrants below stiffened simultaneously as dense, blood-colored patterns surfaced on their bodies.

The patterns spread and intertwined, eventually merging into a single sheet.

"Splatter!"

The bodies of those Aberrants exploded simultaneously into countless sprays of black ichor, splashing onto their nearby kin.

...