Cosmic Demon

Chapter 301 The Sea of ​​Decay and the Labyrinth: The Ultimate Battlefield of Infinite Division!
Old Zhou?

Qin Shi was somewhat surprised. He never expected that the first acquaintance he would encounter on the front lines would be Zhou Yuanchen!
The other person was wearing a camouflage military uniform and a beret. His face, amidst the sandstorm and smoke, carried a familiar sharpness, while his brows were etched with the weariness characteristic of frontline soldiers.

Overall, there haven't been many changes.

It just makes her look more mature.

"Qin Shi?"

Zhou Yuanchen jumped off the lead armored vehicle, his gaze sweeping over the somewhat dilapidated outpost as if habitually observing his surroundings.

Then we see Qin Shi, who has just finished blocking the black tide of pollution.

He was clearly taken aback for a moment, then strode over:

"It really is you! I knew that Lieutenant Qin from the front line sounded a lot like you! But the report didn't mention your name."

Zhou Yuanchen was overjoyed. Although he and Qin Shi were not close friends, it was always a good thing to run into someone he knew in the past in an unfamiliar environment.

"Didn't you watch the live stream of Poplar Fortress?"

Qin Shi laughed.

"They were on a sweep mission at the time. A first-class combat hero, and the Great Star Sea Medal—it's something to be envied."

Zhou Yuanchen was much more composed than before. In Qin Shi's perception, the other party's life force was more refined, like fine steel that had been repeatedly forged.

Both the quality and the quantity have more than doubled.

With each breath, the light intensifies, energy surges, carrying a sharpness and resilience honed on the battlefield.

Late stage of professional level 7.

Qin Shi gave an estimate.

I wonder if Lao Zhou's debt crisis has been alleviated?
"Thanks to your fundraising plan, I managed to attract a lot of sponsorships through that 'Everyone Invests' project."

Zhou Yuanchen talked about this with great enthusiasm. If he hadn't been called up to the front lines, he might have been able to pay off all his "debts" with Entropy Sea Bank and leave the country.

"Old Zhou, your professional skills are very strong."

Qin Shi was also a little surprised. His small-scale fundraising project belonged to the "gray market" that had not been notarized by Taijun.

How did it manage to develop so many "members" despite its limited reach?
"The main reason is that Representative Zhou from the Education Department of the Central City is very helpful. He has brought in all his relatives and friends, and now they are all shareholders of Renrentou."

Zhou Yuanchen coughed lightly twice.

"how about you?"

Qin asked.

"I gave my share to Representative Zhou."

Zhou Yuanchen looked up at the sky, indicating that Renrentou was no longer relevant to him.

"Old Zhou looks like he has thick eyebrows and big eyes, but he's actually full of bad intentions."

Qin Shi pondered that Renren Tou was already skirting the edge of Hengzhou Xinxing's legal rights, and once it was hit, it was destined to lose everything.

This kind of fundraising game, like passing the buck, inherently carries enormous risks.

Old Zhou successfully made it ashore, but Zhou Shu got trapped.

"Your vitality development is showing very obvious results."

Qin Shi and Zhou Yuanchen arrived at the outpost's rest area, where everything was very simple.

"We took too many detours in the past, and it was only through the tempering of the battlefield that we were able to barely solidify our foundation."

Zhou Yuanchen smiled wryly. He had only managed to reach the threshold of "genius" in the past by relying on loans from Entropy Sea Bank.

But borrowed power is ultimately superficial and not stable enough.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Qin Shi to break through the professional barrier and defeat them in the top 100 competition.

"This will allow you to go further in the future."

Qin Shi could sense that every bit of Zhou Yuanchen's current life force was permeated with the aura of blood and fire.

By the standards of geniuses in Central City, Lao Zhou should have already broken through to the sixth dan and started aiming for the fifth dan.

After all, in the meat grinder of the Western Front, as long as you survive, you will continuously improve and progress.

“Speaking of cultivation, I entered the professional field even earlier than you, and now you can already directly repel the subordinates of the fourth level of disaster.”

Zhou Yuanchen licked his chapped lips, poured himself a glass of water from an enamel mug, and gulped it down.

Conditions at the front were quite harsh, and often even the most basic military supplies were difficult to obtain.

The treatment Qin received was actually "extraordinary," not the norm.

"It's just a fluke."

Qin Shi smiled. It was only after meeting Zhou Yuanchen that he realized how terrifying his progress was.

Old Zhou, placed in the central city, is a rising star promoted by the Education Department, absolutely one in a million.

Even with the loan benefits offered by Entropy Sea Bank, he barely managed to reach the sixth rank.

"And I'm already in the middle stage of stage four, close to the late stage."

Qin Shi couldn't help but rub his chin. Maybe if he killed a few more powerful familiars, he could advance to the third stage.

Thinking about it carefully, it really is quite extraordinary!
"In this godforsaken place, it's not easy to even catch your breath."

Zhou Yuanchen sighed:
"I am now the captain of the 'Broken Halberd' assault team, responsible for clearing the remaining contaminated nodes in this area and clearing obstacles for the main force to follow."

I just received Captain Zhao's distress signal and came by to check it out.

Qin Shi was too embarrassed to say that he led the "Ox and Horse Brigade".

Zhou Yuanchen paused, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry:
"Your strength... how did you improve so rapidly?"

He had fought against Qin Shi.

I have also witnessed the "powerful numerical values" of the Qin Dynasty.

But it had only been a short time since they last met, and the other person had already gone from amateur to professional level four dan, feeling like they were flying in a rocket, getting stronger at an incredible speed.

"The front line brings immense pressure, but also immense opportunities."

Qin Shi gave a brief response, without going into detail about the dangers of combining martial arts and spiritual energy.

"I have found the path I want to take, and all I need to do is to follow it to the end, and there will be no obstacles ahead."

Zhou Yuanchen sensed the pure and unwavering spiritual fluctuations emanating from Qin Shi.

He shook his head and said:

“I have seen some very skilled military experts on the front lines, but the erosion in the polluted area is very serious. If you are not careful, you will be affected and you will not be able to devote yourself to cultivation wholeheartedly.”

After Zhou Yuanchen finished speaking, he looked at Qin Shi, who was sitting opposite him, with a strange expression.

"No matter how fast your power increases, you still need to be alive to use it. You... didn't you feel that erosion?"

Qin Shi recalled that every time he took a step forward, he did feel as if his body and mind were being dragged down.

He raised his hand and touched the space between his eyebrows, where a faint platinum-gold mark appeared:

"The path I've taken has enabled me to restrain delusion and resist pollution."

The life furnace formed through two pathways forges the purest and truest will.

No amount of pollution or erosion can break through that incredibly strong and extraordinary barrier.

Zhou Yuanchen's eyes were filled with complex emotions, which ultimately turned into a sigh:
"We can't be envious. Those of us who follow the new martial arts path can only rely on injections and stabilizers to tough it out, and the results are less than satisfactory."

He attributed his rapid progress and unimpeded progress in cultivation during the Qin Dynasty to the old martial arts.

Qin Shi smiled slightly without explaining. To be honest, he was indeed the only "orthodox" standard-bearer of the old martial arts tradition among the new generation.

Having inherited the teachings of both Lao Qi and Lao He, he is far more authentic and upright than those old men from the Martial Arts Association.

The reminiscing is over.

The two discussed "important matters" at the front. Zhou Yuanchen pointed outside and said:
"The western front is currently facing a major problem, and the command headquarters is so worried they're practically losing all their hair."

Qin Shi became interested:

"What's going on? Has the advance of the front line been stalled? I haven't received any related information."

Zhou Yuanchen said:
"This news hasn't spread yet. Right on the main axis of the battlefield advance, there's a huge thing lying across it, called the 'Maze'."

It is not only the core of a colossal, polluted furnace, but also a being connected to the deep consciousness of the Sea of ​​Corruption, a fourth-level disaster.

"The fourth level of disaster?"

Qin Shi's eyes narrowed.

Beings at this level already possess the rudimentary ability to distort rules.

Blood River Typhon is a technique that activates everything, forcibly altering the form of matter—it's quite terrifying!
"Yes. The most troublesome thing is not its hard power, but its 'domain' rules."

Zhou Yuanchen shrugged.

"That hellhole is like a moving spatial maze; any army of any size that enters will be forcibly 'divided' by it."

The entire force was instantly scattered, and the soldiers were randomly thrown into countless independent 'battlefield spaces,' forced to fight one-on-one against powerful familiars who had been prepared inside!

"Forced matching? Spatial partitioning?"

Qin Shi captured crucial information.

This rule... seems interesting.

It's like a giant arena, dividing intruders into different cages for duels.

Zhou Yuanchen's tone carried a hint of helplessness and anger:
"Heavy firepower? Coordinated operations? Superior numbers? All that's bullshit once you're inside! You can only rely on yourself! One-on-one, fight to the death!"
Several reconnaissance teams went in, and the last message they sent back was this one, and then the signal disappeared.

The strongest leader, a professional-level third-tier peak major, lost all life signs within twenty minutes.

Qin Shi realized the seriousness of the problem; this creature named "Lost Nest" had completely weakened humanity's greatest advantage.

Because, on an individual level, family creatures are naturally stronger than humans.

They have larger body sizes and more efficient absorption and circulatory systems.

Zhou Yuanchen couldn't help but slam his fist on the table, but thankfully he managed to control the force, producing only a dull thud.

"Our scouts were like being thrown into countless separate arenas!"
The Western Front Command's strategy was to advance to the edge of the Corruption Sea and establish a bridgehead, but the 'Maze' was like an insurmountable chasm, firmly blocking our throat!

"Without removing it, the western front won't advance an inch!"

Qin Shi pondered that this fourth-level disaster-level kin seemed to be much more troublesome than Blood River Typhon.

It rendered the human wave tactics employed by organized armies—including supercomputers, airships, and cannons—ineffective.

"The command center is going crazy. 'Ironthorn Fortress'—the largest forward fortress in front—has now become the main base."

All the officers who were active on the western front and were full-time officers of the fifth rank or above, and even a few full-time officers of the third and second rank, were urgently recalled!
I've heard that the leader is devising a plan for a full-scale assault, preparing to gather all top-tier forces to breach the maze and destroy its core!

"Ironthorn Fortress...has gathered all the experts?"

Qin Shi was puzzled.

Why didn't I hear about it?
Does that mean my performance is not worthy of the title "expert"?

"Yes, there are many experts gathered over there, and the atmosphere is extremely tense."

Zhou Yuanchen sighed.

"I heard that there are several top-tier professionals at the second level, all of whom are well-established figures."

"We're just small fry at level six, we wouldn't be of much use there. We'd probably just be there to provide support from the outside, coasting along and fishing."

Qin Shi had no interest in listening to what Lao Zhou was saying. He was eager to get started and head to Ironthorn Fortress City.

Spatial rules for forced matching?
This is precisely the area that Qin Shi considers his greatest strength!
Individual combat power, especially the ability to overwhelm opponents in one-on-one combat, will have its advantages amplified in this environment.

After finishing his chat with Zhou Yuanchen, Qin Shi returned to the airship and asked Long Qiuyuan to inquire about the Ironthorn Barrier City.

The latter quickly provided feedback.

"There is indeed a secret operation codenamed 'Broken Army.' I don't know why, but it wasn't sent to our team."

Long Qiuyuan was puzzled. According to military regulations, the missions assigned to the boss's squad had extremely high priority, and they could directly contact the Western Front Command.

There's no reason for it to be ignored.

"Actively apply to participate in Operation Breaking Army".

Qin Shi said.

"Okay, boss."

Long Qiuyuan flicked his fingers, striking the keys with lightning speed.

About fifteen minutes later, the western command responded.

"Uh, boss. Command doesn't want you to participate in Operation Breaking Army because... the risk is extremely high."

They believe your strategic value far outweighs the benefits of completing the operation.

Qin Shi was not surprised at all; even a major at the third rank of professional level had fallen into the trap and disappeared without a trace.

The command center must consider the worst-case scenario. If something were to happen to them, it would inevitably trigger a series of chain reactions and affect the morale of the front lines.

"You should discuss it with the command headquarters and say that I personally have a strong desire to participate in the war and a burning desire to contribute to the western front. I hope the command headquarters will consider this matter."

Long Qiuyuan was somewhat bewildered, wondering what exactly this "Broken Army Operation" entailed.

She chose to do as instructed.

This time it only took ten minutes.

"Boss, command has approved it and sent over the information. You can go there yourself."

Long Qiuyuan clicked on it and his expression changed drastically.

"A fourth-level disaster? And a natural retinue?"

The so-called natural relatives are non-living entities, objects that resemble those existing in nature.

For example, a forest or a river.

After being corrupted and polluted, they can also sink into the chaotic camp and transform into some kind of "fellowship creature".

Generally speaking, natural relatives are the most difficult to deal with.

Because their range is very wide, even covering an area of ​​hundreds or thousands of kilometers.

It is impossible to solve or destroy without a massive, annihilating attack.

Do you have the coordinates?

Qin Shi filtered out Long Qiuyuan's shock.

"Nine hundred and seventy kilometers to the northeast lies 'Iron Thorn Barrier City'."

"Boss, are you sure you want to go? This is a high-risk operation. The records clearly state that a rank 3 major has already been killed."

Long Qiuyuan asked, as if to confirm.

Although in her mind, Qin Shi was almost invincible and unstoppable.

But... those are the natural relatives of the fourth level of disaster.

It possesses extremely strong recovery and survival capabilities; in some respects, it is a huge ecosystem in itself.

Without using planetary-level strategic weapons, how could it possibly be erased?

"Forty minutes later, the airship will take off. Target: Ironthorn Fortress City! Full speed ahead!"

Qin Shi did not answer Long Qiuyuan's question, but calmly issued orders.

(End of this chapter)