Gaining a tiny bit of weight every day, my weight is a billion tons.

Zhou Ke's gaze was fixed on the upper right corner of the projection.

That line of military records was very short.

But every word felt like a hammer blow to his heart.

Huangfu Jing.

Anyone who has spent years on the front lines of Yuanyuan has heard of this name.

Thirty years old, the youngest colonel in the Southern Military Region.

A peak fifth-tier awakener.

He single-handedly guarded the abyss defense line for one hundred days.

The high-level source beasts slain by his blade fill an endless page in the military merit system.

And the Vermilion Bird Legion!

That was no ordinary field unit.

That was the sharpest blade in the entire Southern Military Region, the trump card guarding the entrances to the thirteen abysses!

Those who can join this unit are at least Tier 3 Silver, and each of them has killed a Source Beast of the same tier!

Zhou Ke's Adam's apple bobbed.

What did he just do?

He pointed at the student's nose and roared.

To call someone a hothouse flower?

And they want him to go back to Jiangcheng?

This isn't a landmine.

This is like carrying thunder and jumping into a bonfire.

Zhou Ke's back was instantly soaked with sweat.

The communicator nearly slipped from his hand.

Su Ming sat in the passenger seat, silently watching this scene.

He originally thought that Shen Qingci had just brought an ordinary instructor.

did not expect.

This backing is ridiculously powerful.

No wonder Miss Shen was so composed, as if she were taking a stroll in her own backyard.

So it turns out they did see the danger.

Her teacher was more dangerous than any of these dangers.

In the projection.

Huangfu Jing seemed oblivious to the stiffness on the other side of the checkpoint.

Someone was calling from behind her.

"Commander! The left flank is advancing again!"

Huangfu Jing turned her head and casually took a long knife from the person next to her.

The blade was still covered with the blood of the source beast that hadn't dried.

She didn't turn off the projector.

There was no explanation.

He simply raised his hand and waved it.

A muffled thud came from afar.

The communication screen shook twice.

Several veterans' eyelids twitched wildly.

This colonel was indeed receiving communications on the battlefield.

Zhou Ke abruptly pulled his outstretched neck back.

With a powerful push from his heel, the military boot slammed onto the ground with a loud "thud".

He straightened his back in the most standard posture he had ever had in his life.

His remaining right arm swung with lightning speed toward his temple.

A flawless military salute!

"Southern Military Region 32nd Outpost! Zhou Ke, Station Chief of the Third Checkpoint at Entrance No. 3! All guards—"

His roar tore through the air, carrying a tremor and frenzy he himself was unaware of.

"—Greetings, sir!"

The roar was like an invisible electric current, striking the spine of everyone present.

All the veterans who had gathered around.

Almost simultaneously, they holstered their guns, stood at attention, and brought their legs together.

They gave the most solemn military salute, facing the direction of the off-road vehicle.

Those gazes were no longer cold and disgusted.

It transformed into a burning, bone-deep reverence.

Even Su Ming in the passenger seat couldn't help but glance at it.

He had witnessed Zhao Kuo using money and power to oppress people, and he had witnessed Shen Hongyuan using strength to oppress people.

But based on just a name.

Let a group of battle-hardened veterans who have just crawled back from the brink of death perform this grand salute together.

This is something you can't buy with money.

A fanatical light gleamed in Zhou Ke's eyes as he continued to shout into the communicator:

"Request the Independent Regiment to grant special permission to proceed with the mission sequence first!"

Heavy-duty gate number one leading to the core area—fully open!

After saying that, he reached out and handed the communicator back to Shen Qingci.

The movements were so respectful, as if they were presenting a sacred object.

There was no longer a trace of doubt in his eyes, only a sense of natural relief.

No wonder.

No wonder he has such a mindset and strength at such a young age.

It turns out he was that woman's student.

Then everything makes sense.

Holographic projection in progress.

Huangfu Jing's gaze indifferently shifted away from Zhou Ke.

It landed back on Shen Qingci's face.

Her tone was as ruthless as a soldier's.

A rare touch of warmth, which only those close to them could understand, surfaced.

"The achievements of the dead are worthless."

"To be alive is the only perfect score."

After she finished speaking, her gaze inadvertently swept across the passenger seat.

Her gaze lingered for a moment when she saw Su Ming's face.

The tail of her eyebrow twitched very slightly.

Su Ming's heart skipped a beat.

Appealing to all ages?

...Has the charm of my face transcended class?

Even this iron-blooded war god couldn't withstand it?

Su Ming remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was already creating his own dramatic scenario.

Rumble!

Before he could figure it out, a deafening metallic scraping sound came from ahead.

A heavy, explosion-proof alloy gate, several meters thick.

It slowly rose amidst the ear-piercing roar of hydraulic pressure.

Behind it, a vast, deeper, and gray expanse was revealed.

Shen Qingci stepped on the gas.

The engine of the military off-road vehicle roared.

Without hesitation, they drove into this gray restricted area, which the federal soldiers called a "meat grinder."

As the car passed through the gate, Su Ming subconsciously glanced at it through the rearview mirror.

Amidst the swirling ashes.

Those remnants of soldiers who just moments ago wanted nothing more than to devour them alive.

They remained perfectly still, maintaining their military salute.

Figures stood amidst the smoke and dust.

Like a steel spike driven into the soil.

I solemnly watched them go until the off-road vehicle completely disappeared into the mist of the abyss.

Su Ming withdrew his gaze.

There was a silence for several seconds.

Then, turning his head to the side with a cheeky, gossipy smile, he broke the silence inside the car.

"Miss Shen, your teacher is so capable, what's his background?"

Shen Qingci gripped the steering wheel.

He kept his eyes fixed on the increasingly rugged road ahead.

But a rare, almost fanatical, awe appeared in his eyes.

"In the Southern United Army, there are two types of instructors."

Her voice remained cool and clear, but it carried a different meaning.

"One method teaches you how to get high scores in simulation battles and how to receive medals at the graduation ceremony."

The car ran over the remains of an unknown beast.

It makes a crisp "crunch" sound.

"The other one teaches you how to come back alive from every mission."

Shen Qingci stared straight ahead at the gray, desolate sky.

"My teacher was the latter."

It consisted of just a few words, without any fancy language.

But what appeared before Su Ming's eyes was a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

A woman stood bathed in blood, stepping on the corpses of countless source beasts.

She pulled her students back from the brink of death one by one.

Su Ming did not respond.

He recalled Huangfu Jing's beautiful yet sharp face.

And the giant beast's corpse, split in two, behind her.

This world...

That's fucking interesting.

He licked his slightly dry lips and looked out the window.

As the off-road vehicle ventured deeper into the area...

More and more clearly visible signs of battle began to appear along the roadside.

Huge claw marks, charred craters left by energy cannons.

And... the remains of strange beasts scattered everywhere.

Su Ming's expression changed instantly.

He completely forgot about legendary mentors and iron-blooded military spirit.

In his eyes.

All that remained were twisted flesh and blood, radiating residual energy.

That's not a corpse.

That's a mass point that can walk.

It's the stairway to the third tier of Silver!

Su Ming began to freely imagine his wonderful days of eating rice.

……

Deep within the source.

A front designated as the "Scarlet Forbidden Zone".

A high-intensity hunting operation has just ended.

Huangfu Jing stood beside the corpse of the Six-Eyed Ghost Spider.

Pull the two-meter-long, wide greatsword out of the source beast's eye socket.

It left a trail of dark purple flames.

She stood up.

His short red hair was disheveled by the heat.

The combat suit was splattered with the thick, dark fluid of the source beast.

It has a pungent, fishy-sweet smell.

She casually shoved the greatsword into the ground, then turned to look at the three members of her group behind her.

All three people were still standing.

The armor was damaged, and some people were clutching their ribs and panting, but no one fell down.

Huangfu Jing's lips relaxed almost imperceptibly.

It was a close call, but everyone survived.

This is enough.

"Collect the body properly, we can report the situation to headquarters now."

Her tone was as concise and efficient as ever.

But the members who have followed her for many years know this.

The officer did not check their injuries immediately after the battle ended.

For this red-haired female demon who had seen countless corpses and seas of blood...

The fact that no one lost an arm or a leg is already the best battle report for today.

The three members responded in unison.

They swiftly began dealing with the battlefield.

Huangfu Jing narrowed her eyes.

His gaze drifted towards the deeper reaches of the abyss.

Under a gray, desolate sky.

The outline of some enormous creature could be vaguely seen moving slowly through the thick fog.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The earthquake trembled.

Five heavy energy mechs, each ten meters tall, spewed out dazzling tail flames.

It crashed down heavily from above the broken valley, forming a semi-encirclement around Huangfu Jing.

A hiss of depressurization came from the chest compartment of the silver commander mech in the center.

It slowly opens.

A person wearing a high-grade radiation protection military uniform.

A young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses stood on the driver's seat.

The young man wore a gentle and refined smile.

He wore a silver badge on his chest representing the Federal Research Institute.

He slowly and deliberately adjusted his gloves.

He looked down at Huangfu Jing.

"Colonel Huangfu, how have you been?"

"The Lu family of the capital has come to extend their greetings to you."

……