The following afternoon, a gray-green military transport plane landed at the A74 Army Group headquarters airfield in the northern suburbs of Yuanxing City.
Luo Yang was still a bit dazed when he stepped out of the cabin.
It wasn't motion sickness; it was simply because Qiu Shubai hadn't said a single word to him the entire way. She had spent the whole trip resting with her eyes closed, leaving him to do nothing but sit and flip through a combat manual for two hours.
The wind at the airfield was much fiercer than in the city. Even though they were in the riverlands of the south, the dust and smoke kicked up by the wind were still thick enough to make it hard to keep one's eyes open.
In the distance lay continuous rows of barracks and training grounds. Over a dozen gunships were parked on the apron, their rotors reflecting cold light under the sun.
“Luo Yang, Qiu Shubai, right?”
A resonant voice came from ahead.
Luo Yang looked up and saw a middle-aged man in a military green fatigue uniform walking toward them with large strides.
The man appeared to be in his fifties. He had a burly build, and the lines on his face were as rugged as if carved by a knife, yet his eyes betrayed a certain shrewdness.
Cao Tianlin.
Deputy Commander of the A74 Army Group, with the rank of Major General and a Level 6 Dao Manifestation Punisher.
“Hello, Deputy Commander Cao,” Qiu Shubai said with a nod.
Luo Yang was a beat slow to react before raising a hand in greeting as well.
He didn't know Cao Tianlin, so he naturally didn't know the man's position.
However, he was very aware that in the military, a middle-aged man who looked this dignified yet carried a hint of leisure could not be low in status.
But Cao Tianlin clearly didn't care for such formalities.
“That’s enough of that. None of those empty pleasantries,” Cao Tianlin said with a wave of his hand, looking the two of them up and down.
His gaze lingered on Luo Yang for an extra second.
“You must be Luo Yang. That old geezer Zhang Xian was singing your praises to high heaven, saying you’re exceptionally good at fighting.”
Luo Yang gave a sheepish smile. “The Principal is too kind.”
“Too kind? Like hell he is.”
Cao Tianlin grinned. “The people whose names he remembers are either those who owe him money or those who actually have talent. Tell me, which one are you?”
“...Maybe both?”
Cao Tianlin was stunned for a moment before bursting into a loud laugh that echoed across the open airfield.
Several passing soldiers glanced over, likely wondering who could make the notoriously strict Deputy Commander laugh like that.
“Good, good, you’re an interesting kid.” Cao Tianlin pulled back his smile, his eyes turning more serious. “Come on, let’s go to my office first.”
The two followed Cao Tianlin through the camp, drawing many curious looks along the way.
As the saying goes, three years in the barracks makes even a sow look like a beauty—let alone an ice-cold beauty like Qiu Shubai.
Her gray-white long hair was incredibly eye-catching among the sea of buzz cuts and crew cuts. Combined with her cold, refined face that looked almost unreal, it was impossible for her to keep a low profile.
As for Luo Yang, while there were plenty of handsome guys in the military, a student who looked as refined and easygoing as he did was clearly of a different breed than the soldiers.
The two of them, unsurprisingly, caught the attention of many soldiers.
“What are you looking at! Never seen a pretty girl before? Never seen a handsome guy?” An old squad leader had clearly noticed the wandering eyes of his young recruits. “Keep your eyes front! If I catch anyone looking the wrong way again, you’re going for a ten-kilometer weighted run!”
Cao Tianlin’s office was on the third floor of the command building. It was reasonably spacious but simply furnished. There was a desk, a few chairs, and two sofas with a coffee table for guests.
Large military maps hung on the walls, and a slightly worn tea table sat by the window.
The few things in the room that could be called decorations were probably the military medals displayed in a glass cabinet and an old-fashioned ceremonial sword.
“Sit.” Cao Tianlin pointed to the chairs by the tea table and sat down first, skillfully beginning to brew tea.
Luo Yang and Qiu Shubai sat as instructed.
The aroma of tea soon filled the air—a mellow, lingering scent of aged tea that was worlds apart from the “leaf scraps” he had brought to Zhang Xian’s office that day.
“Brother Luo.” Cao Tianlin poured the tea, pushed a cup toward him, and got straight to the point. “I heard from Old Zhang that your ability burns through equipment quite quickly. Is that right?”
“It is.” Luo Yang didn't intend to hide it and admitted it frankly.
“Give me some specifics. For example?”
“Well, a first-tier weapon lasts between thirty seconds to five minutes in my hands. A second-tier one lasts about ten minutes. A third-tier one can last over half an hour. I won’t speak for anything higher; they’re too expensive, and I usually can’t afford them.”
“I see.”
Cao Tianlin picked up his teacup and downed it in one go, as if he were drinking plain water.
“How long would a fourth-tier one last?”
“Based on the patterns and my limited past experience, it should be around two to three hours.”
Cao Tianlin set down his cup, walked to the storage cabinets against the wall, opened them with an authorization code, and took out two identical black weapon cases, placing them on the table.
A blade and a handgun.
The blade was a straight sword, about eighty centimeters long. The blade itself was pitch black, with a faint blue glow shimmering along the edge.
The hilt was wrapped in non-slip textured tape, and the guard was inlaid with a dark red diamond-shaped crystal, within which a faint light of blood energy flickered.
The handgun was a size larger than a standard-issue pistol. Its silver-gray body was etched with dense energy circuits, and its grip also featured a dark red crystal.
A small rail was attached beneath the barrel for tactical accessories.
“Fourth-tier mass-produced weapons, military codename ‘Night Owl’ series.” Cao Tianlin placed the two weapons on the tea table with a heavy thud.
“This blade’s official designation is ‘Night Owl-Slash,’ and the gun is ‘Night Owl-Strike.’ Both are new models just issued this year.”
“I haven’t tried them myself, but my soldiers have high praise for this series.”
Luo Yang’s gaze fell on the two weapons, and something lit up in the depths of his eyes.
Fourth-tier mass-produced.
In the Ninth Commercial District, the cheapest fourth-tier mass-produced weapon would cost at least fifty thousand.
And these were products supplied directly to the military; their quality and performance were naturally top-tier. Combined, even with a discount, they would likely cost over a hundred and fifty thousand.
“This is...”
“A gift for you.” Cao Tianlin sat back down and poured himself another cup of tea. “In my personal name. Not from public funds, so it doesn't count as a formal favor. Just consider it me finding you a likable kid.”
Luo Yang fell silent for a moment.
He had never met this Deputy Commander before. For the man to offer such a heavy gift right away was truly unusual.
“Why?”
“Because you’re going to be blocking blades for my soldiers next,” Cao Tianlin said as casually as if he were talking about the weather.
“I’ve seen your file and have some understanding of your strength. This time, I’ve sent the most elite squad in the entire headquarters below the fifth level of Clear Heart.”
“According to military regulations, Level 3 Rifts are usually only handled by the Core Consolidation rank. The Clear Heart rank leading the team this time has only just broken through and hasn't been transferred to another squad yet. Although their combat power isn't bad, no one knows what the situation is really like in there. The stronger you are, the higher the probability they’ll come back alive.”
“Trading two fourth-tier weapons for the lives of seven of my soldiers is a bargain I’ll take any day.”
Luo Yang looked down at the two weapons. After two seconds, he reached out and picked up the Night Owl-Slash.
The blade felt cool, and the curve of the grip perfectly fit his palm. He injected a sliver of blood energy into it, and the faint blue edge suddenly flared. The entire sword let out a low hum, as if responding to him.
A good blade.
“I would be honored to accept, then.” Luo Yang sheathed the blade and picked up the handgun, skillfully checking the slide and energy circuits. “Thank you, Deputy Commander Cao.”
“Don’t thank me. Bringing them back alive is the best thanks you can give me.” Cao Tianlin stood up. “Let’s go to the drill grounds. The mobilization rally is about to start.”
The drill grounds were on the east side of the camp—a vast open space about the size of two football fields.
When Luo Yang and Qiu Shubai followed Cao Tianlin there, several rows of teams were already lined up neatly. There were regular soldiers in fatigues and Punishers in various combat suits, totaling at least a thousand people.
Everyone’s attention was focused on the reviewing stand at the front of the grounds.
Cao Tianlin strode onto the platform. Without needing a microphone, his voice, bolstered by blood energy, boomed like thunder over the entire drill grounds.
“Listen up! You all know my style. I don’t talk much, just a few words.”
He pointed toward Luo Yang and Qiu Shubai below the stage.
“These two are reinforcements sent by the Yuanxing City Punisher Academy. You don’t need to remember their names, just their faces. Don’t go attacking our allies as enemies inside the Rift.”
A low ripple of laughter broke out among the ranks.
“What are you laughing at? I’m being serious.” Cao Tianlin kept a straight face, though a hint of a smile touched his eyes. “You all know the mission objectives. I’ll reiterate: the regular forces are responsible for the outer perimeter blockade and clearing low-level mutant beasts. The Punisher squads are responsible for the precision elimination of Level 2 mutant beasts.”
“The core area will be spearheaded by the ‘Blade’ squad, and these two experts from the academy will be coordinating with you. Is that understood?”
“Understood!”
The collective response of the crowd made the ground vibrate slightly.
Standing below the stage, Luo Yang’s gaze swept over the squad in the front row.
Seven people—six men and one woman.
Leading them was a man in his early thirties of average height and ordinary looks, but the steadiness and sharpness in his eyes were impossible to ignore. He wore a custom gray-black combat suit with a small silver sword-and-shield badge on his arm.
Luo Yang didn't know if that was a special forces patch, but he assumed it was the insignia of an elite Punisher squad.
Level 1 Clear Heart. This must be the captain of the Blade squad Cao Tianlin mentioned.
Their eyes met in the air, and the captain gave him a slight nod in greeting. Luo Yang nodded back.
The mobilization rally was indeed quick. Cao Tianlin briefly went over some precautions for coordinated combat, and the whole thing was over in less than ten minutes.
The regular forces and lower-tier Punishers began boarding their vehicles by unit. They would arrive at the Rift’s perimeter first to handle the clearing and blockade.
The Blade squad, Luo Yang, and Qiu Shubai were left behind. Cao Tianlin led them toward the other side of the airfield.
Three aerospace crafts were parked there.
Calling them ships was a bit of a stretch; they were more like large, floating troop carriers. The silver-gray armored hulls were covered in energy patterns, with a pair of foldable short wings on each side. Two jet thrusters were at the rear, and various support weapons were mounted on the bow and hull.
Each of these crafts could hold about fifty people and was the primary equipment used by the military for Rift penetration operations.
“The other two ships are already full. They’ll be entering the Rift as well to perform missions in areas outside the core.”
“This one is specifically for you. Get on,” Cao Tianlin said to the two as he stood by the aerospace craft’s boarding ramp. “The outer clearing is expected to be finished within three hours. You’ll be on standby on the ship. Once the signal comes, jump straight into the Rift.”
Luo Yang stepped onto the ramp, walked a few paces, and suddenly turned back.
“Deputy Commander Cao.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll make good use of those two fourth-tier weapons.”
Cao Tianlin grinned.
“You better. If you don’t use them well, I’ll come settle the score with you myself.”
The boarding ramp slowly retracted, and the hatch closed. The engines of the three aerospace crafts let out a low roar simultaneously as the hulls began to rise slowly.
Luo Yang sat by the window.
Through the porthole, he could clearly see the camp below rapidly shrinking.
At the far end of the horizon, a massive dark red crack spanned the sky. The surrounding space constantly twisted and rippled, as if a wound had been forcibly torn into the fabric of reality.
That was the Rift.
“Why does it look so much like something the Yapool would make?” Luo Yang couldn't help but mutter.
Before crossing over, he had been a die-hard tokusatsu fan.
Qiu Shubai sat in the seat next to him. She turned her head to look at the crack outside the porthole, her hand gripping her sword noticeably tight.
“Nervous?” Luo Yang asked.
Qiu Shubai didn't answer.
After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice very soft.
“I’m just wondering how many people will die inside there.”
Luo Yang didn't respond.
Below them, countless artillery pieces were roaring incessantly, as explosions and flames began to sweep across the land.
Hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles of various models followed preset formations and routes, charging toward the gathering swarms of mutant beasts.
Most of these mutant beasts were Level 1—pure cannon fodder, numerous but not very strong in combat.
The crews driving the vehicles didn't even need to aim precisely; they simply fired as they moved, each shell taking out swaths of mutant beasts.
The lower-ranked Punishers formed combat groups of various sizes, mostly following behind the vehicles and constantly unleashing their abilities and skills at the clustered beasts.
As comrades-in-arms, they coordinated seamlessly, each collective strike harvesting a vast number of mutant beast lives.
In the sky, dozens of fighters and attack aircraft streaked across the clouds, some chasing flying mutant beasts and others raining down their payloads onto the ground.
The three aerospace crafts adjusted their formation and slowly flew toward that dark red crack.
The energy patterns on the hulls lit up one by one, looking solemn and sharp under the setting sun that was about to sink below the horizon.
The Rift grew closer and closer, near enough to see the distorted spatial ripples.
Luo Yang withdrew his gaze and looked down at the blade and gun at his waist.
He wasn't quite willing to use Weapon's End, Ember's Birth to control these two weapons directly yet. He decided to keep them on him and rely on his own combat skills to use them for a while first.
Luo Yang took a deep breath and began to adjust his blood energy state, preparing for the upcoming battle.
Rate on N.U.
