The weakest martial artist? One punch and he's leveled up a whole realm!

Ye Xiao followed Fatty Wang to the side of the green SUV.

The driver in the driver's seat calmly glanced at the two of them.

"Get in the car."

Ye Xiao stared at Fatty Wang, puzzled.

Fatty Wang urged Ye Xiao to open the car door and get in.

Ye Xiao had no choice but to get into the car first.

The two sat in the back seat.

The car started, and the engine roared.

The SUV sped off and drove onto the highway leading to Xishan.

The city lights outside the car window gradually faded into the distance, replaced by the dark silhouettes of mountains.

The air began to smell of sulfur, faint, like someone burning rubber not far away.

"Wang Hou, your family asked me to tell you this," the driver said, his voice heavy amidst the engine noise, "When you get there, follow instructions and don't wander off. Chi Yuan isn't your school; there's no principal or teachers to protect you. If you die in Chi Yuan, no one will collect your bodies."

"I know!" Fatty Wang replied. "We're not stupid. We wouldn't knowingly walk into a dangerous place. We'd run away if we encountered danger."

"You don't know," the driver glanced at him, his tone icy, "You students always think you can fight. Any random Flame Demon Warrior in Crimson Abyss would be enough to give you a run for your money."

The car bumped along the mountain road for two hours.

As dawn broke, the light was not the normal morning light, but a dark reddish hue.

The light shining through the Crimson Abyss Cracks dyed the entire sky the color of rust.

A checkpoint appeared ahead.

Barbed wire, sandbags, barricades, and two sentries in camouflage uniforms, each carrying a specially made spirit-powered rifle.

The driver honked the horn twice, and the sentry, after recognizing the license plate, raised the barrier.

"Welcome to Crimson Cliff Fortress," the driver said to the two people in the back. "This is humanity's frontline outpost against Crimson Abyss. Arriving here is like entering the gates of the Crimson Abyss world."

As the car entered the camp, Ye Xiao looked out the window.

He could see a sign that clearly read: [Rift 17: Crimson Abyss].

Ye Xiao had learned about the knowledge points of boundary marks in advance.

he knows.

There are eighty-eight boundary marks in this world, located all over the world.

The world's strongest beings have reached a tacit understanding to jointly suppress these boundary marks.

At this moment, Ye Xiao arrived at Red Cliff Fortress.

It is the frontline base responsible for suppressing [Rift 17: Crimson Abyss].

Red Cliff Fortress is built on a mountain ridge, backed by a steep cliff and facing the Red Abyss Rift.

The campsite was small, only a few hundred meters in circumference, but it had everything it needed.

The surrounding area was surrounded by thick stone walls, inlaid with runes of defensive magic arrays that faintly glowed.

In the center of the camp was an open space with several off-road vehicles and an armored vehicle parked there.

Several soldiers in camouflage uniforms were doing morning exercises in the open space, practicing boxing, running, and stretching.

The camp was surrounded by rows of tin-roofed houses—dormitories, canteen, ammunition depot, medical room, and command post.

The most conspicuous thing is the tall tower on the north side of the camp.

The tower is twenty meters high, with a huge observation deck at the top. On the deck is a spiritual telescope, pointing directly at the Crimson Abyss Rift.

The tower is covered with densely packed runes, which form the core of the defensive formation.

"What is that?" Fatty Wang asked curiously.

"Watchtower," the driver said. "It keeps a 24-hour watch on the crack. If any monsters emerge, it will immediately sound the alarm."

The car was parked in front of a row of tin-roofed houses.

The driver turned off the engine and turned to look at the two of them.

"We've arrived. Get out of the car. The command center is in the innermost room. Go report to Captain Zhao; he'll make arrangements for you."

Everything seemed to have been arranged in advance, leaving Ye Xiao with no choice.

Ye Xiao pushed open the car door and stepped onto the hard, muddy ground.

The smell of sulfur in the air was stronger; one breath made my throat burn.

He looked up at the sky—the Crimson Abyss Rift was not far above him, like a torn wound, with dark red light seeping out from the rift, shrouding the entire camp in a bloody hue.

"Come on, Fatty," he said to Fatty Wang.

The command post was a tin-roofed building with a wooden sign hanging at the entrance.

The words "Red Cliff Fort Command Post" were clearly written on it.

The door was open. Ye Xiao knocked on the door frame and went inside.

It wasn't a big place; there was a long table, a few folding chairs, and the walls were covered with maps and monitor screens.

A middle-aged man in camouflage was sitting behind a table, looking at documents.

He looked to be around thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, with dark skin, a buzz cut, and sharp eyes.

The sleeve of his left arm was empty, tucked into his waistband.

Ye Xiao and Fatty Wang went inside.

Everyone in the command post saw the two unfamiliar faces.

Someone said, "Who are you? How dare you just barge into the command post?"

And just then...

The man known as Captain Zhao spoke.

"Ye Xiao, Wang Hou?"

His gaze swept over the two boys.

Both of them nodded.

Team Leader Zhao's gaze lingered on Ye Xiao for a long time.

He seemed to have thought of something, his expression showing some regret and sigh.

"You really do look a lot like him. If he were still alive, he would be very proud."

Hearing Zhao's words, Ye Xiao asked, "Zhao, are you talking about my father?"

Team Leader Zhao smiled.

The others in the command post were all surprised to see Zhao's smile.

You should know that Captain Zhao is usually the strictest and most serious person.

It's harder than climbing to heaven to see a smile on his face.

"Logically speaking, neither of you is qualified or has the right to be here."

"but......."

Team Leader Zhao was silent for a moment, then muttered, "What's the point of telling you this?"

He then took two forms from the drawer and pushed them over.

"Please fill in your name, age, occupation, skill level, and emergency contact person."

Ye Xiao and Fatty Wang picked up their pens and quickly filled in the forms.

However, Ye Xiao left the emergency contact section blank.

Team Leader Zhao glanced at the form, said nothing, and simply nodded.

"Alright. From today onwards, the two of you will be unofficial reserve personnel of Red Cliff Fortress. There will be no salary or subsidies, but food and lodging will be provided. Killing monsters will earn you military merits, which can be exchanged for items. I'll have someone take you to the quartermaster's office to see the specific rules later."

These words were spoken.

Ye Xiao was stunned. "How did we become unofficial reserve members of Red Cliff Fortress?"

Fatty Wang, standing nearby, didn't seem to have much of an objection to this.

Now it was Zhao's turn to be stunned.

"You don't want to?"

Ye Xiao's tone was sharp: "You didn't even consult us before making this decision for us?"

"Heh, this young man has quite the temper." Team Leader Zhao sneered.

He walked to the wall, took a metal plate off the hook, and threw it directly to Ye Xiao.

The iron plate is engraved with a series of numbers: Chiya-0037!

A name is written after the number.

Ye Zhenghe.

When Ye Xiao saw this line of text.

He fell silent immediately, not uttering a word.

At this moment, Captain Zhao added, "If you don't want to do this job, return your ID card."

And this time.

Team Leader Zhao saw Ye Xiao put the tag into his pocket.

Ye Xiao looked up and met Zhao's gaze, speaking firmly.

"I'll do it!"