Star Farming, the eldest lady relies on alchemy to counterattack

Chapter 312 Meritorious Service
Huo Shan was actually afraid, because he only had the strength of a top-level A-rank, and was definitely no match for an SS-rank star beast. But no matter how afraid he was, he couldn't show it, after all, he was the instructor.

He calmly directed the various squads to retreat and form a defensive formation in case an SS-class star beast suddenly appeared.

Having learned that the star beast nearby possessed SS-level strength, Huo Shan had long since abandoned his plan to hunt down the star beast for merit. Currently, he only wanted to save the lives of his newly recruited troops.

He directed the team to run towards a relatively open square, away from the scene of the incident. However, Ning Xuan used her mental perception to discover that the SS-level star beast was fleeing in that direction.

Five minutes later, Huo Shan looked at the star beast that had suddenly appeared in front of him. This star beast was 4 or 5 meters tall, with a tail with spikes, a triangular head, and its whole body was covered with stone armor. When it ran, the whole ground shook.

The star beast had mottled bloodstains on its body, and a deep wound on its triangular head, from which purplish-black blood flowed. The star beast's two eyes were red, and one of them was still bleeding. Clearly, this star beast was seriously injured.

"Pfft!" Upon seeing Huo Shan and the others, the star beast suddenly opened its massive mouth and spewed out countless ice arrows.

"Shield defense!" Huo Shan shouted, and the new team members, who had been training together for more than ten days, hurriedly picked up shields and formed a defensive formation.

However, those ice arrows were extremely penetrating. Once hit, they would pierce through the shields, and the icy cold air would quickly freeze their hands and arms. The cold air would spread from their arms to all parts of their bodies, greatly affecting the warriors' agility.

"Second team, attack, cover," Huo Shan issued the order again.

The soldiers in charge of the attack immediately raised their unit-issued thermobaric guns, aimed at the star beast, and fired. Blazing energy beams tore through the air, striking the star beast's massive body. The intense heat instantly melted the star beast's rocky armor, revealing its skin glowing blue beneath.

The star beast let out a deafening roar, and puffs of white smoke rose from the hit parts, filling the air with the smell of burning.

"Effective! Continue the attack!" Huo Shan's voice was tinged with excitement.

However, this action did not deal a fatal blow to the Star Beast; instead, it thoroughly enraged it.

It roared to the sky, and the surrounding temperature plummeted, with thick layers of ice forming on the ground at a visible speed. The star beast's eyes turned from red to blue, and the rocky armor on its back stood up, radiating suffocating energy fluctuations.

"Oh no! It's about to unleash an extreme cold wave!" Huo Shan's expression changed drastically. "Everyone, retreat immediately!"

But it was too late. The star beast opened its blood-red maw, and a blinding blue-white beam of light shot out, freezing the air in its path and forming a path of extreme cold. The warriors watched in despair as death approached, their weapons malfunctioning due to the low temperature, making even movement incredibly difficult.

At this critical moment, a slender figure suddenly rushed out of the group. Ning Xuan held a softly glowing energy stone tightly in her hand and stood in front of everyone.

"Ning Zhi, it's dangerous, come back quickly!" Huo Shan exclaimed. Ning Xuan turned to look at him, a slight smile playing on her lips, and mouthed, "Don't worry."

Just as the blue-white beam of light was about to touch her, the energy stone suddenly erupted with a dazzling golden light, forming a hemispherical energy barrier. Ice and fire collided violently in mid-air, producing a deafening explosion.

Incredibly, Ning Xuan's barrier completely blocked the blue-white beam of light. She looked at the SS-class star beast with great interest, grabbed the energy stone, and rushed forward. In a flash, she was right in front of the star beast. Ning Xuan climbed onto its back, stepping on its armor, and pressed the thermobaric gun she held in her other hand against the wound on the star beast's head.

Ning Xuan aimed carefully and pressed the fire button. The scorching beam of the thermobaric gun shot out with a "bang," piercing down from the head to the throat. The star beast let out a mournful howl, and its massive body crashed to the ground.

The newly formed extremely cold ice path immediately shattered into countless ice crystals after the star beast died, as it lost its energy support.

From the moment Ning Xuan stepped forward to the moment she killed the star beast, it took less than a minute. At first, many warriors were holding their breath for her, feeling both grateful and worried about her courage. However, in the blink of an eye, Ning Xuan had killed the star beast. Only when the Frost Road shattered into a pile of ice crystals did a frenzied shout erupt from the crowd.

Ning Xuan killed the SS-level star beast, and everyone was very excited. Although it was Ning Xuan's achievement, they were all very proud and honored, after all, Ning Xuan was their teammate.

Huo Shan immediately reported the news to his superiors. In less than ten minutes, a team of fully armed special defense personnel arrived. The leader was a handsome young officer who exuded S-level mental energy fluctuations. The rank indicated on his shoulder insignia was colonel.

"Colonel Hua, this is the SS-class star beast that Ning Zhi killed. According to base rules, the star core of this star beast should belong to Ning Zhi. I have a complete battle video here, please take a look." Huo Shan was very respectful to Colonel Hua.

Hua Shangnan nodded, watched the video Huo Shan showed him, and then said to Ning Xuan, "The video is verified to be correct. You are quite strong to be able to kill an SS-level star beast. You can take the star core. In addition, I will report the merits and rewards you deserve to your superiors."

Although this was Ning Xuan's first time killing a star beast, she was still familiar with the fact that the star beast's core was located in its heart.

Ning Xuan deftly cut open the star beast's chest and took out an ice crystal-like star core, which was about the size of a fist and emitted a bone-chilling cold.

Hua Shangnan watched as Ning Xuan quickly and accurately retrieved the star core, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

He walked slowly to her side and said gently, "Ning Zhi, with your strength and potential, it's a waste of your talents to stay in a regular combat unit. Why not join our special defense force?"

Ning Xuan put the Ice Crystal Star Core into her spatial button, looked up at the commander of the special defense force, and was somewhat surprised that he had suddenly extended an olive branch to her.

Hua Shangnan smiled slightly and continued, "Special forces receive three times the pay of regular combat troops, are equipped with the most advanced weaponry, and perform high-value missions, naturally earning more merit points." He paused, his tone becoming more serious, "Most importantly, we have the most comprehensive protective measures and medical teams, resulting in a much higher survival rate than regular troops."

Huo Shan, who was listening nearby, noticed a slight change in his expression and couldn't help but interject, "Commander Hua, Ning Zhi is an important member of our team."