Chapter 95: Rescue

Chapter 95: Rescue

"...The last time we received communication was about three days ago."

On the starship, Xu Qingran was learning about the situation from Xie Nanjun.

Just as Mu Ziyu had mentioned, Shen Tingyu, bearing the responsibility of his role as a camp commander, had volunteered to go to a certain base defense line on the 60-light-year line. This in itself wasn't a problem; if it were Xu Qingran himself today, he would also be quite eager to tackle such a challenge.

It was just that Shen Tingyu's reaction was somewhat unusual.

Rather than being concerned about the high-risk nature of the mission, it seemed more like he knew in advance that something might go wrong on this mission, hence his instinctive reluctance to be forthright. Xu Qingran wasn't worried that he would easily lose his life, but—there were many things they needed to have a good talk about.

"Strictly speaking, it was just a faint signal," Xie Nanjun added. "Their communication base—including the starship they were on—seemed to have some issues, unable to maintain clear communication with the Empire's central command, and could only notify us that they were still alive through signal transmission."

The Kayan Empire's domain encompasses a total of 13 major galaxy clusters, which are well-known to the public as we know them.

To draw a parallel with the world Xu Qingran was in before his reincarnation, each galaxy cluster is roughly equivalent to our Milky Way galaxy. Within each galaxy, there are countless solar systems, with only a small portion containing habitable planets suitable for human residence. The rest mostly serve as military outposts or defensive positions in space, as well as resource collection sites and scientific research areas, among others.

"You know, once you leave the Empire's public zones, the communication system isn't as perfect and convenient as it is domestically," Xie Nanjun shrugged. "It's all thanks to the daring efforts of our predecessors to set it up, and it's already impressive that it functions at a basic level."

If we were to summarize the entire Empire's domain, it would be a somewhat irregular circle.

An invisible boundary line encircles all the star systems that belong to Kayan. Once you cross the line displayed on the radar, it's akin to 'going abroad.' The distances between other empires or alliances are also counted in light-years, with many 'public areas' that don't belong to any country in between.

Various empires or alliances can build defensive bases within a maximum distance of 500 light-years from their own boundary lines.

—This is for the exceptionally powerful nations.

As for Kayan, within Glair, it's only considered a medium to small-sized empire.

Given the Empire's current capabilities, the defense line only extends about 100 light-years. But even so, the bases encircling the entire Empire number in the thousands, and the military forces Shen Tingyu and his troops went to are only within the range of a few places that are currently breakthrough points for the devil hordes.

Xu Qingran flipped through the public zone map Xie Nanjun had pulled up and asked in confusion, "These numbered bases are at a longitudinal distance from our target location and are closer than the distance from the Empire. Why not directly call for reinforcements from there?"

After a pause, he added, "...Logically speaking, such bases should have military garrisons, right?"

Xie Nanjun chuckled and shook his head, "Right, you were transferred to Tianlong right after graduation and haven't had the opportunity to be briefed on the military situation outside the domain."

"In fact, the Kayan Empire's military resources aren't as plentiful as one might think," Xie Nanjun said.

"Especially in the past few centuries, we've been facing a surge in alien invasions, with ongoing wars and significant personnel losses. Just the disaster areas within the Empire are quite a headache, so the number of military personnel in those public zone bases isn't large."

"It's more like, barely sufficient."

In places like the public zone, unexpected events can occur at any moment.

Such as attacks from aliens, extraterrestrials, or even other countries, or the legendary space pirates. In the open areas unseen by the populace, intense defensive battles could be happening daily.

Therefore, the Empire has stipulated in recent years that no matter what happens at other base stations, priority should be given to dispatching troops from within the country to provide support.

"Yes, it's a somewhat foolish decision," Xie Nanjun said. "But it's indeed the current state of the Empire."

Those public zone bases can't spare many people to begin with, and if the problem isn't resolved after they're dispatched, it might even turn into a situation like 'the gourd brothers rescuing their grandfather.' That's not all; the alien creatures are particularly clever, and there's a fear that they might follow the rescue route to find other bases to attack.

The losses could then become even greater.

Xu Qingran didn't comment further on this point.

According to Xie Nanjun, it's been about three days since Shen Tingyu and his team stopped sending signals from their location. After 24 hours of signal disconnection, the support would be ready to depart.

"Before we lost contact, the frontline report stated that the B33 site in Sector 60 had already fallen."

Xie Nanjun frowned: "The staff stationed there initially were unharmed, but that was because the situation wasn't that bad before the army arrived. Later, as the power station's systems went offline one after another, an increasing number of aliens gathered there."

"Our primary mission this time is to rescue personnel."

"When the site enters the radar scanning range of our warship, we will assess the situation based on the feedback from the radar," Xie Nanjun said, raising his coffee and making a helpless expression at Xu Qingran. "If the enemy numbers are too overwhelming, we'll leave after rescuing the people."

Xu Qingran: "What about the base's status?"

Xie Nanjun took a few sips of coffee, unusually silent at first.

After a long while, he stared at the empty plate and said, "Actually, their final report before losing contact sounded grim."

It appeared the devil horde had surged forth, with more high-level devils than predicted by simulations.

Even with Shen Tingyu aiding soldiers in tracking source crystals, most lacked the mental strength to defeat high-level devils. Even with high-ranking officers leading the teams, everyone's mental energy reserves were limited.

They couldn't withstand the alien horde's overwhelming numbers.

Xie Nanjun told Xu Qingran the truth: "The truth is, reclaiming that place is unlikely, even with our intervention."

"The empire projected the worst-case scenario two days ago."

"If the devil horde decides to go all-in against the empire, holding the open zone route is improbable," Xie Nanjun's tone was unprecedentedly heavy. "...and it's even possible that all the empire's star systems could fall."

Xu Qingran remained composed, sitting across from him.

Xie Nanjun, on the other hand, was more distraught: "The two factions continue to debate without reaching a consensus, and we don't know what's going on in the palace."

"Only the military is bracing for the worst. The empire may ultimately fall to the devil horde. We must either fight to retain our limited territory or migrate elsewhere."

This was the worst-case scenario.

After finishing, Xie Nanjun glanced at Xu Qingran.

The latter's expression was no different from when he was eating, and he didn't show a hint of worry after hearing this, only asking, "The cafeteria's sweet and sour pork was excellent today. Any idea what's for dinner?"

Xie Nanjun: "..."

?

The warship stands as the empire's largest military transport.

Correspondingly, its speed through the star sea rivals that of standard aircraft. Traveling from the Tian Shen system to the devil horde's attack site takes several days.

During these days, Xu Qingran and Xie Nanjun had little to worry about besides monitoring the radar for surrounding situations.

Until the warship approached the target location, and aliens began to appear, blocking their path. Each commanding their troops, they cleared a path from the warship's front and rear.

Events unfolded with surprising ease.

Xie Nanjun had been quite worried that Xu Qingran would be frustrated.

—In the end, it was he who was frustrated.

"...Collaborating with prodigies like you and Shen Tingyu is exasperating."

In the office, Xie Nanjun angrily threw his hat on the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down heavily.

With a scowl, he unwrapped a new lemon-flavored lollipop and stuck it in his mouth.

Xu Qingran came in after him, closed the door, and gave him a knowing smile.

Xie Nanjun couldn't help but complain, "I was such a fool."

"I was afraid someone might give you a hard time or refuse to follow your orders, so before the operation started, I transferred most of my closest and most trusted team members to assist you. And now, when I try to bring them back, they’re actually acting like they don’t want to come back?!"

It didn’t even take multiple operations.

After just one mission with Xu Qingran, they did a complete 180 on him and were thoroughly impressed. The entire crew on the battleship praised his abilities, and even his own team members grew particularly fond of him. They were over the moon!

Xu Qingran leaned against the door with his arms crossed, chuckling, "They’re just messing with you."

"They’re a bunch of people who don’t tell the truth in front of you. I’ve talked to them, and they’re always singing your praises to me."

Hearing this, Xie Nanjun’s face relaxed a little.

He coughed lightly, his tone still serious, "I’m their captain. Isn’t it just par for the course that they praise me?"

Xu Qingran’s eyes crinkled with a smile.

He didn’t sit down. After resting in place for a few minutes, he said to Xie Nanjun, "We’re about to arrive, right? I’ll take care of a few things first and be back in half an hour to prepare for landing."

Seeing him about to leave, Xie Nanjun asked, "You’re heading back to the aircraft again?"

Xu Qingran didn’t deny it.

Xie Nanjun was puzzled, "There’s something I’ve been wondering about for a while now."

"Isn’t White Dog outside? Why don’t you completely shut down the systems in your aircraft? And why do you keep going back every other day? Are you stashing someone away in there or what?"

He grew more serious as he spoke, "In the face of major events, don’t let love and romance mess with your head!"

Xu Qingran raised an eyebrow, "I’ve got something hidden, but it’s nothing pleasant."

A spark lit up in his eyes as he remembered Xie Nanjun also had a grudge against Mu Ziyue. He invited him, "Since you’re so curious, why don’t you tag along?"

Xie Nanjun was the type who couldn’t sit still.

Hearing the proposal, he only pretended to hesitate for a second before agreeing.

"...Xu Qingran, are you out of your mind?!"

However, when Xie Nanjun actually boarded Xu Qingran’s aircraft, he immediately had second thoughts.

Xu Qingran had actually done something he had once wanted to do but never managed to—no, how dare he?! That was the Empire’s Crown Prince, and he’d reduced him to this pitiful state?!

"I think I’m perfectly sane, thanks for your concern."

Xu Qingran was unfazed and even asked him, "Haven’t you always wanted to beat up Mu Ziyue? I’m giving you the chance now. If you pass this up, you won’t get another shot. So, are you in or not?"

Xie Nanjun: "..."

Half an hour later—

The commanders from the gold and silver sides stepped down from the aircraft together.

The soundproofing in the aircraft was excellent. The surrounding staff thought they had just gone up to rest and discuss official matters, noticing nothing unusual. They even gave them a respectful nod.

Only Xie Nanjun's clothes had some almost imperceptible wrinkles.

His face showed satisfaction.

——Finally, I understood why Xu Qingran loves to go crazy.

This is so fucking satisfying!

Unbeknownst to them, the battleship finally entered the open area 60 light-years away, the domain of B33 station.

Two rows of fighter jets cleared a path for the battleship ahead.

The radar on the main control console was already able to retrieve information about the target location and was scanning the life forms there.

The data results weren't great.

Xu Qingran stood alone in front of the screen, staring at the different colored dots and regional maps, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Xie Nanjun was nearby, discussing the next steps with other leading officials.

The colors on the data map represented different alien races.

Apart from the largest proportion of red, which was confirmed to be devils, the other colored species were still unidentified, but it was speculated that they were common species around the empire.

The defense stations and bases were constructed on planets.

The main one was the largest planet, with smaller planets strung like beads on either side, also housing other defense stations.

Except for a few on the outskirts, most had already been overrun.

The battleship stopped tens of thousands of miles away from the planets.

As a support battleship, they couldn't recklessly land the entire starship like the first wave of troops—though, in principle, the first wave shouldn't have done so either, but it seemed they were ambushed by a group of devils and shot down, so no one could be blamed.

"All units of the First Army, follow me. Our target is the main station planet of 60B33."

"The Second Army will split into four groups, each heading to one of the Four Heavenly Kings' auxiliary planets in order."

"The Third Army..."

Over the earpiece, Xie Nanjun was skillfully coordinating all the military personnel on the battleship.

Xu Qingran didn't intervene, as Xie Nanjun indeed had more experience in extraterrestrial combat, so he left the personnel deployment and arrangements to him.

He sat in his own aircraft, his fingers gliding across the control panel's screen.

On the screen was the data map saved from the radar scan.

The coverage area of the stations on the main planet was vast.

He flipped through the data map to the reverse side, focusing on a particular area where the devil groups were densely concentrated. The concentrated red data in that area showed high energy levels, indicating that the devil groups within the range were mostly high-tier, and they were still gathering there.

He recalled his experience with Shen Tingyu in West City.

Since then, he had conducted numerous tests in the West City area, including retracing their route, even using the same car model. However, he never witnessed the miraculous event from that night again.

After ruling out many possibilities, he reached only one conclusion.

That is, the abnormal behavior of the IV-class devils was specifically targeted at Shen Tingyu.

Earlier, he had found a chance to ask Xie Nanjun about this on the ship.

Xie Nanjun said, "What you're talking about... we don't usually pay much attention to it during missions because most of the time, Old Shen's up there giving orders. The areas around him are always packed with military forces, so it's no surprise devil swarms charge his way."

"Don't worry about it."

"Shen Tingyu's pretty reliable. He's been on missions forever - there's no situation he hasn't handled. Even high-level devils get their asses kicked when they run into him. They don't stand a chance against him."

As he zoned out, Xie Nanjun's voice crackled through the earpiece.

He asked, "Xu Qingran, so you're set on heading to the back of the main station, huh?"

"But I checked the data map, there are over twice as many aliens back there compared to the front. It's gonna be tough. This is your first major outer domain mission, I..."

Xu Qingran interrupted, "I've got this."

"You know me - everything I do is a first." He gave a quiet chuckle, pulling the aircraft's control lever, "When have I ever screwed up?"

Xie Nanjun had no comeback for that confidence.

He didn't push the issue: "Alright, if there are any problems or if you need support, notify me immediately."

After the arrangements were made, hundreds of mechs, fighters, and combat craft of all sizes emerged from the starship, rushing towards their respective destinations.

·

Station 60B33, a certain defense base.

A massive, multi-story creature that looked like a giant centipede swayed its body as it charged towards the base.

The guards outside raised their rifles and unleashed a hail of bullets, knocking it off course. It stumbled right into a minefield, and the mines tore it in half.

It crashed to the ground, still thrashing.

Another group of guards saw this and immediately unleashed a barrage of attacks on its vital points, preventing it from recovering and turning into two giant creatures to continue the assault.

Inside the base behind them, another group of exhausted military guards were sitting or lying down.

There were Silver Dragons and Golden Wings. Most of them had already exhausted their spiritual energy in the days-long battles and could only find a shelter to rest briefly. Once their spiritual energy recovered a bit, they would have to take shifts with those outside to ensure that no one would die from excessive spiritual energy depletion.

Military doctors were busy in every corner.

Some military guards with lower spiritual pool levels, who couldn't contribute much in the current battles, also took on the responsibility of caring for their comrades. Regardless of faction, they helped each other, creating a rare harmony and unity.

"Miss, you can't inject any more MT agents!"

A passing nurse promptly discovered a female soldier trying to inject herself with the agent in the corner by the cabinet.

She wore a dark blue bracelet on her wrist.

This was a mark made by medical staff for those military guards who had already reached the maximum number of MT agent injections within the stipulated time, indicating that their bodies could no longer recover spiritual energy through MT agent injections temporarily, or it would harm their spiritual pools.

The female soldier, who had her MT agent taken away, shed tears of frustration and shouted hoarsely, "Give it back to me!"

"I must recover quickly, my boyfriend is still out there, he's been missing for days!"

"Sir! Sir! Please try to stay conscious!"

On the other side, a Silver Dragon guard who was being examined by a military doctor turned pale and fainted during the check-up.

The military doctor examined for a moment, his expression growing increasingly grim: "This is serious. He's overdrawn his mental energy reservoir, affecting the recovery rate of his mental energy—slower than the rate at which his heart consumes energy."

"If this continues, he'll die from an insufficient supply of mental energy!"

As the military doctor spoke, he rolled up the patient's sleeve.

On the wrist was a blue identification bracelet.

He was deep in thought when a soldier, holding his injured arm, walked step by step toward him.

He said, "I'm a Type D... even though I'm only at A level, I might be able to help replenish his mental energy."

The military doctor looked up and saw a Golden Wing soldier.

He paused: "I need to confirm your mental energy reserves first, to make sure you won't get hurt, before I can allow your help."

"No problem."

The base had lost power.

The power supply had been destroyed in the attacks by the insect race allied with the devil factions, and the people inside could only rely on portable lights they'd salvaged from the starship for illumination. However, they were running low on batteries, and what they were using now was the last batch.

"Doctor, our MT agent reserves are almost out!"

"Oxygen supply is also about to run out!"

"Ah! Someone come quickly! Doctor Liu has fainted!!"

The base was in chaos.

After days of nonstop work, whether they were soldiers or support staff, everyone was nearing their limits.

If rescue didn't come soon, they might not make it.

"Damn it!! Fuck!!"

Amid the noise, a furious shout brought the base to a standstill.

Everyone turned their gaze to the person who shouted.

It was a young soldier around thirty years old.

Wearing the Golden Wing uniform, his left shoulder bore a gaping wound from a battle with a high-level devil.

At that moment, a distant explosion suddenly rocked the area.

The sound was like a massive meteorite crashing down. The base, miles away, still shook from the impact.

This wasn't their first explosion.

After a pause, they went back to work without a word.

Only the man who'd cursed was losing it, yelling, his eyes bloodshot: "I've had enough!"

"Why hasn't support come yet? Has the Empire written us off?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the air became even heavier.

A military doctor squatting to treat someone frowned and said, "Cut the doom and gloom—we need to stay focused!"

"If you want to give up, that's your call, but don't drag the rest of us down—we still want to live and keep our spirits up!"

Amid the quarrels, chaotic noises suddenly came from outside the base.

The guards outside were chattering, and the chaotic sounds of battle echoed around them.

This sent a wave of panic through the people inside the base.

They wondered if the last line of defense was about to collapse, breached by those outsiders.

Then, someone rushed down from above and shouted excitedly to those resting underground, "Reinforcements are here!"

"The empire's reinforcements have arrived!"

Hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted.

However, their expressions turned serious again.

The head military doctor immediately began arranging: "Everyone, get ready, we're evacuating immediately!"

"Only take what's essential to keep the wounded alive—leave everything else!"

"Move now!!"

On the ground, Xie Nanjun and his troops arrived at the largest main base.

They cleared out a layer of enemy forces trying to approach the base.

The disheveled guards sighed in relief at their arrival.

"Colonel Xie! We've been waiting for you!" A guard from the Golden Wing, eyes red and tearful, rushed to him and saluted.

Xie Nanjun exhaled in relief.

Seeing most guards alive, he felt a temporary sense of relief—the situation wasn't as bad as he'd feared.

He asked, "What happened? With so many defense stations, how is there no way to contact the empire?"

The man shook his head. "It's complicated. This station... can't be repaired as long as that thing is still around."

Xie Nanjun frowned. "What thing are you talking about?"

The guard was about to explain when he spotted fighter jets overhead. His expression turned serious. "Colonel Xie, those jets..."

"They're heading to rescue the other sub-bases," Xie Nanjun replied quickly.

But the guard grabbed his arm in panic. "No! You can't let them go further—call them back now!!"

As the guard spoke, a deafening explosion erupted from the direction the jets had flown.

Looking up, they saw one of the jets struck by what looked like a psychic energy ball—it exploded mid-air.

"That's the big one! The devil swarm's... we've never seen anything like it!"

It loomed like a mountain.

Its body was covered in countless chimeric structures, rigid and flower-like.

Its overlapping 'petals,' as numerous as peonies, unfolded to release random types of devils. The giant devil flower itself wielded the powers of countless devils.

At the same time, it can also compress psychic energy into spherical attack formations for tracking assaults, specifically targeting all power stations and any moving or stationary objects that generate electricity or possess generator engines.

Since it was a type of devil they had never encountered before, the inexperienced first batch of arrivals were caught off guard.

Several warships from the first batch were shot down in this manner, and many lives and fighter mechas were lost before they figured out the trick.

The guard became increasingly fearful as he spoke.

As if recalling some terrifying scene, he said with tears: "General Shen actually suggested that the warships should not land directly and reminded us to scout on foot first to avoid alerting the enemy prematurely, but those officers refused to listen to him..."

Xie Nanjun, who had just urgently recalled the pilots, frowned and asked, "What are you talking about? Isn't General Shen... General Shen the main commander of this operation? How could those people have the right to ignore him?"

The guard shook his head: "That was the plan."

"But for some reason, after the warships departed, the Commander-in-Chief suddenly changed his mind and transferred command to two older, more seasoned generals."

Shen Tingyu, widely beloved by the citizens, was not as well-received among the high-ranking military officials.

While there were rational high-ranking officials and civil servants from the Ministry of Civil Affairs who supported him, there were also 'old-timers' who were dissatisfied with the young man climbing above them. Most of these people were close associates of Mu Ziyue.

Especially after Mu Ziyue's recent purge, the officials in the military were also affected, with personnel changes.

The newly promoted officials were quite arrogant and were still in an adjustment period with Shen Tingyu. They were originally officers who had contributed significantly to the empire, with a plethora of achievements, and were highly confident in their abilities and decisions. After taking command from Mu Ziyue, they were even less tolerant of Shen Tingyu's objections.

Thus, they insisted on their own views and decisions, intentionally opposing Shen Tingyu.

Overconfidence and underestimating the enemy led to substantial losses.

Upon hearing this, Xie Nanjun was at a loss for words.

He asked them, "Where is General Shen?"

The guard replied, "His designated task area is on the other side."

"After the communication was cut off, we also lost contact with the various sub-bases, so we don't know the current situation."

On the other side.

This referred to the area under Xu Qingran's responsibility.

"The number of aliens here is twice that of the other half. Given our numbers, it's disadvantageous to confront them head-on."

"From now on, we can't continue to approach. You need to land at the safe points I've marked for you and proceed to those bases on foot. Any questions?"

Aircraft bearing the golden wing insignia landed on a rocky mountain.

Surrounded by hard rocks and with no accessible energy sources nearby, it was a place that the alien creatures were not interested in.

The man in the rear compartment lay on the ground, writhing, his mouth parched with layers of skin peeling off, hoarsely complaining: "Thirsty... hungry... thirsty..."

The white dog slapped him with its paw, and he instantly quieted down.

Xu Qingran did not immediately get out of the vehicle but communicated with his team via the headset.

The team members trusted his judgment and followed his instructions, all agreeing—mainly because those who previously disobeyed orders indeed met their demise.

After receiving responses from all the teams, Xu Qingran grabbed a bottle of water and got up from the driver's seat.

He walked to the rear compartment, squatted down, and pinched Mu Ziyue's cheeks, poured the bottle of water over his head and face. Mu Ziyue didn't mind, opening his mouth to drink as much as he could.

The person offering water chuckled, his eyes crinkling with amusement.

He crushed the empty bottle and tossed it into the corner trash bin before exiting the aircraft with the white dog by his side.

Xu Qingran still carried a smart telescope.

Raising it, he could not only observe the mission points of the several squads but also retrieve data such as the target's distance, temperature, coordinates, and estimated number of lives on the lens.

The defense station's asteroid was nothing like a habitable planet.

The lighting here was dim, particularly in this small, perpetually shadowed area, making it a hotspot for devil groups to be active around the clock, resulting in a higher number of alien creatures.

Once he confirmed that all squads were advancing along the route he had provided, Xu Qingran paused his observation and shifted his gaze to another direction.

In that direction stood only one base.

Likely the largest in this shadowed area and the most densely populated with devil groups, where he suspected Shen Tingyu might be.

Xu Qingran gazed there for a long moment before looking away.

With his gear in place, he secured the hook to the rocks at the cliff's edge and then leaped straight towards the base at the mountain's base. The white dog bounded alongside him, hopping down the mountain.

Around the base, a few Class I and Class II devils roamed.

Before Xu Qingran even touched down, he had already scanned their source energy and source crystals, aiming his gun directly at the targets to strike.

A thin beam of psychic energy, charged with thunderous power, pierced through the devil's shell, striking the source crystal directly.

Unlike before, when it took several shots to shatter the source crystal of a high-class I mother body, Xu Qingran could now take down a major devil with just one shot. With his special abilities, it was like giving wings to a tiger, conserving psychic energy and saving time.

He felt quite pleased.

After eliminating all the alien creatures obstructing the base, Xu Qingran made his way towards it.

It was eerily quiet, with numerous corpses scattered outside.

He took a few more glances and found that most of the people had their throats slit. Rather than being killed by aliens, it seemed more like... they were killed by their own kind?

Anyway, it very much resembled the modus operandi he would use when killing.

Xu Qingran didn't knock or call out.

He pushed the door, found it wouldn't open, and then kicked it flying.

The flashlight's light shone into the room.

In a chaotic corner of the space, a dozen Silver Dragon and Golden Wing guards huddled together, shivering. They were all injured, apparently in a state of severe psychic energy depletion, temporarily unable to continue dealing with the alien creatures.

"Xu... Colonel Xu?"

Someone recognized him.

Their eyes immediately lit up, asking, "Are you here to save us?"

Xu Qingran smiled.

Raising his gun, he replied, "No, I'm here to kill you."

"..."

The room was instantly plunged into dead silence.

Watching those people shift from hope to despair.

Xu Qingran gave a light chuckle, holstering his gun as he said, "Wasn't that a pointless question?"

"Do you think I came here on vacation?"

"..."

They had almost forgotten that their Silver Dragon Colonel Xu was a little lunatic, not easy to communicate with.

Xu Qingran urged them to stand up and step out, then jerked his thumb towards the corpses outside and asked, "What happened to those people outside?"

At this mention, their faces turned pale.

Suddenly remembering something, they looked horrified and told him, "Colonel Xu! General Shen... he's gone mad!"

"He killed all those people outside!"

"Not just from Silver Dragon... but also some Golden Wing soldiers. We saw him throw those people into a pit, blow them up, and feed them to the devils..."

Xu Qingran's eyebrow shot up, intrigued.

Deep in thought.

Noticing his serious expression, they asked, "Right, Colonel Xu? You think it's terrifying too, don't you?"

Xu Qingran glanced up and replied, "No."

"A General Shen like that is just awesome."

"..."

?

Xu Qingran then asked, "So why didn't he kill you too?"

"..."

What a brutal question.

Their view of Xu Qingran shifted from savior to demon.

Immediately terrified.

Xu Qingran's smile faded as he asked, "So then?"

"After Shen Tingyu was done killing, where did he go?"

Someone from the crowd timidly raised their hand, "He... he headed to the opposite mountain to rescue us."

It turned out that most of the people in this base came from another base, the largest one Xu Qingran had just seen.

"That place has fallen hard, with all sorts of aliens."

"At that time, someone needed to be responsible for delaying and leading away the aliens, including X-class and flying devils. General Shen gave up his aircraft for us to leave first, while he stayed behind to cover for us."

"Right!"

"And those devils are clinging to General Shen, refusing to let him go. I wonder if he'll be alright..."

Xu Qingran looked down.

Just as he had learned about Shen Tingyu from these people, he received a communication from Xie Nanjun.

Xie Nanjun asked, "Qingran, how's it going over there?"

Xu Qingran replied, "It's going pretty smoothly."

Xie Nanjun said, "Alright, once you find Shen Tingyu, quickly retreat with the surviving soldiers!"

Xu Qingran hesitated for a moment.

So Shen Tingyu is indeed in this area?

"The Empire's guess was right. Our war with the devil horde is almost impossible to win... at least in this open area base, we can't take it!"

Xie Nanjun informed Xu Qingran about the ultra-high-level devil, suspected to be the 'king' of the devil horde.

"It tracks all power generators. Power stations under repair get destroyed by its psychic energy during the process... neither aircraft nor armored vehicles can get close, and it's guarded by many high-level devils. Breaking through the defense line with just handguns is tough."

So they decided to follow the original plan and abandon the base here at 60.

They would return to the Empire to report this to the research institute, so they can study and develop countermeasures against the new devil types. Otherwise, given the current situation, humanity basically has no chance of winning.

Xu Qingran's tone stayed calm as ever, "I understand."

After hanging up Xie Nanjun's communication, he used his earpiece to contact the leaders of various task teams, conveying Xie Nanjun's intentions.

Going up the mountain was a hassle.

Xu Qingran had the white dog help carry those people up.

Before those people got into the vehicle, he remembered someone in the back.

He told them, "Wait a moment, I need to handle something first to make room for you."

The soldiers nodded like scared chickens, not daring to ask more.

Not long after, Xu Qingran came out and opened the back cabin door for them to get in.

The people hesitantly got into the vehicle and were shocked to see a person tied up in the corner, covered in wounds with a sack over his head.

They suddenly hesitated whether they should get in.

Xu Qingan didn't explain or indulge them, "Get in the car, or stay here and wait to die, choose one."

At these words, the rescued soldiers obediently got in.

Between them and the person who seemed to have been beaten unconscious, there was a white dog with a cold, fierce stare.

Suddenly, they felt—

General Shen wasn't that scary after all.

Xu Qingran covered the retreat of the other teams from the backlight area. When they got back to Xie Nanjun, their situation was also pretty bad.

The arrival of a new batch of rescue teams had caught the attention of nearby alien races.

They surged towards the human gathering points, not just devils but also other interstellar insect races, forcing the rescue team to split off some personnel to deal with them, to ensure the evacuation went smoothly.

With help from other ground troops, Xu Qingran's team made it safely into the secure zone.

Other rescue ships from nearby bases flew straight back to the starship with the survivors.

Only Xu Qingran's ship touched down near Xie Nanjun and his team, letting the passengers off, and said to Xie Nanjun, "Lend me a ship so they can help get these people back to the starship."

Xu Qingran basically handed the reins to Xie Nanjun, putting him in charge of calls and logistics.

Xie Nanjun got updates from all sides, knowing the rescue op was nearly wrapped up, and the last few bases were already on their way back.

Xu Qingran first sent people off the ship, and he didn’t think much of it.

Until he saw Xu Qingran get back in the ship and head back to the same area, he angrily called him on the comms: "Xu Qingran, where are you going??"

The alien forces on the planet were growing in number.

The rescue team’s 'safe zone' was shrinking fast, and the pressure was mounting. With their limited manpower, they wouldn’t last much longer.

And the starship reported they’d been spotted by alien patrols in space, who were trying to attack it.

They probably wouldn’t last long either.

This starship was their only way out, and they had to leave before things got worse.

After the initial shock wore off, Xie Nanjun caught on and asked him, "Where’s Shen Tingyu?"

Xu Qingran replied casually, "I’m going to find him now."

Xie Nanjun gritted his teeth, "How long will it take?"

Xu Qingran glanced at the radar data map.

He smiled and said, "Don’t wait for us. Get them out of here first."

Xie Nanjun: "?"

"Are you trying to pull some self-sacrificing hero act?"

After a few seconds of silence, Xu Qingran's tone suddenly became serious: "Xie Nanjun."

"Do you think after I caused a scene at the Tower of Evil, abducted Mu Ziyue, and destroyed his mental consciousness, the Empire would let me off?"

Xie Nanjun was silent.

"Letting me vanish from the mission is the best way to help me," Xu Qingran added.

Xie Nanjun clenched his fist.

He wanted to say something but didn’t know what to say.

"And the place where Shen Tingyu is, is too troublesome, almost guarded by groups of devils, so I have to go alone."

"Don’t worry, my ship can take us away from this hellish place."

Only after Xu Qingran hung up did Xie Nanjun process his words.

—What does it mean that because the place is too troublesome and there are too many devil groups, only he can go?? Isn’t that the opposite?!

"Colonel Xie! All rescue teams have evacuated the main station airspace. Should we withdraw too?!"

"Colonel, over a dozen X-class devils are heading our way!"

Xie Nanjun stared in the direction Xu Qingran's aircraft had vanished, gritted his teeth, and ordered, "Fall back to the starship!"

·

The aircraft touched down roughly a kilometer from the base.

Xu Qingran first attempted to break through using the aircraft. However, the area was swarming with III-class devils, experts in aerial combat and harassment. Worse, it was under the watch of an ultra-high-level devil. If he hadn't acted quickly and been ready, a single psychic artillery shell could have obliterated him.

After multiple failed attempts to break through from above, he had no choice but to land.

—Though, landing made it easier for him to cause some serious chaos.

The system warned, "I advise you not to."

Xu Qingran ignored it.

He gripped his psychic blade and charged into the horde of devils, cutting them down one after another.

The white dog stayed close, fighting fiercely by his side.

Together, the man and dog were more than a match for most of the devils.

But their numbers were staggering. For every devil he killed, another took its place, relentlessly blocking his path.

Xu Qingran glared at the distant dark gray metal structure, frustrated by the devil horde's persistence.

A fierce killing intent flashed in his eyes, his pupils glowing with psychic energy as a thunderstorm brewed.

An electric aura crackled around him, forcing the devils back and keeping them at bay.

A few dared to lunge at him, only to recoil instantly from the electric psychic field.

They circled him warily, eyes locked on him, refusing to back down.

The system protested, "Host, no, this is too much! Your internal injuries have only just healed!"

Xu Qingran sneered, "You said it yourself—they’ve healed."

So now, his body could handle it.

Before the system could protest further, thunder surged through his psychic aura, radiating outward.

The force was unstoppable, a tsunami of energy crashing across the field at lightning speed.

The lightning drew thunderclouds, echoing its power. Bolt after bolt rained down, obliterating swathes of devils on impact.

Such a display was not meant for the eyes of this world.

Xu Qingran mused that he might become the empire’s next target, second only to the devils.

It was the white dog’s first time witnessing this power.

Puzzled, its fur bristled with static, even from a distance.

This thunderstorm covering the entire field lasted for several minutes. Until all the enemies on the field were blasted into fragments, and everything temporarily quieted down.

The faint glimmer in Xu Qingran's eyes slowly faded, his gaze locked onto the building still some distance away.

After standing still for a moment, he took his first step, only to be hit by a sudden, searing pain that shot through his entire body, forcing him to collapse and catch himself on one knee to avoid a full fall.

It was inevitable.

If it hadn’t been for the thunderclouds that coincidentally absorbed some of the force, his internal injuries would’ve been even worse.

"You only have 20 days left, ahhh!!!"

The system screamed.

His vision was still blurry from the fainting spell.

He had no choice but to stay put and recover for a bit.

Fortunately, after such a commotion, the area was still crackling with residual lightning energy.

A new wave of devil hordes probably wouldn’t show up anytime soon.

The system snapped, "Your target’s so strong, he’s not gonna die. Why the rush?"

Xu Qingran’s fingers tightened slightly.

He replied calmly, "No, he’s dying. I can feel it."

That's why he was in such a hurry.