Chapter 97 Yu Xing’s Hero Plan, The Plan is Hindered by Commander Di…

Chapter 97 Yu Xing's Hero Plan Thwarted by Commander Di...

"Prepare for battle!"

Everyone, including those inside the vehicles, saw the dark cloud.

Miao Yuanjin gasped in shock, staring at Yu Xing in disbelief. "You heard that from so far away?"

Yu Xing was equally surprised—she'd never had such an ability before. It seemed like after that incident in Mingri Village, where she slept with the Spirit-Nourishing Warm Jade under her tongue and experienced something akin to soul separation, her senses had sharpened significantly.

"Will it be okay?" Yu Xing avoided answering Miao Yuanjin's question, her eyes fixed worriedly on the distant flock of birds.

"It'll be fine," Zhao Lan said, her tone firm despite her tension. "Commander Di has extensive experience operating outside the Wall. If he couldn’t handle something like this, he wouldn’t have made commander."

At that moment, Commander Di was all business, serious and focused, but not panicked.

After a quick assessment, he noted that while the number of birds was overwhelming, they had enough firepower. Everyone outside was suited up, so as long as they remained composed, they could manage.

Amid the tension, the flock finally drew near, filling the air with an awful racket of harsh bird cries.

Soon, the dark mass of birds closed in on the convoy. Once they were within range, Commander Di gave the order: "Fire!"

The soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons and opened fire at the flock.

Against contaminants beyond the Wall, firearms remained the most effective means of defense. Divine Chosen were few and far between, and even fewer possessed the high-level Divine Skills capable of large-scale attacks. While Divine Chosen were crucial in combating pollutants, it was humanity as a whole that protected their world.

"Brrrrrrt..."

Outside, everything went nearly pitch-black as the swarm blotted out the sun and obscured vision. Those inside the vehicles could barely make out what was happening.

Gunfire, shrieks from the birds, and occasional human screams filled the air.

Fortunately, the vehicles were equipped with top-mounted turrets, preventing the birds from attacking them directly—for now.

Miao Yuanjin latched onto Yu Xing's arm, listening to the chaos outside. She realized she had been naive—about the world beyond the Wall, about her own abilities. She had thought this would just be a routine field exercise outside the Wall, nothing dangerous. Now, she wasn’t so sure.

Yu Xing let Miao Yuanjin hold onto her while she kept her eyes locked on the window. She wondered if she should step out to help, but quickly dismissed the idea.

The situation outside was too chaotic. In such disarray, her Broom Star Skill could easily backfire and harm allies. In conditions like this, a single stroke of bad luck could be fatal.

At first, the soldiers managed to hold the flock back beyond the perimeter. But soon, birds broke through and began assaulting the vehicles.

"Thud-thud-thud..."

No fewer than five birds were attacking Yu Xing’s vehicle, pecking and clawing at it with wicked-sharp talons, blade-like feathers, and even squirming tendrils sprouting from their bodies.

Thankfully, these vehicles were specially armored, their defenses strong enough to withstand the assault—for now.

"Disgusting," Da Ya muttered, eyeing a large black bird outside the window, its eyes completely overtaken by squirming worms.

Yu Xing studied the bird for a moment before cracking the window.

Zhao Lan was stunned. "What are you doing?"

The bird immediately tried to force its way through the gap. Yu Xing swiftly removed her left glove, then struck like lightning with her right hand—snagged the black bird in her grip.

The bird thrashed violently, pecking at her hand. But Yu Xing’s right hand was protected by the Celestial Serpent Feathered Robe, now shaped like a glove, making the attacks useless.

Then, she raised her left hand and gently stroked the bird’s back.

It was a bizarre sight—Yu Xing looked like a retired old man in Beijing’s hutongs, idly playing with his pet bird.

"Oh my god..." Miao Yuanjin shuddered. "That’s revolting. Do you actually like keeping these things as pets?"

Of course Yu Xing didn’t. She was using her Broom Star Skill on the bird. After a few strokes, she tossed it back out through the gap.

Once outside, the bird flapped wildly, crashing into others nearby.

Yu Xing quickly rolled the window back up, satisfied. In those ten seconds, the black bird had collided with several others—all now jinxed.

The fight dragged on for nearly two hours before the remaining birds finally fled, leaving behind a field littered with corpses and spent shells.

"Knock-knock-knock."

Someone rapped on the window.

Yu Xing opened it to find Di Shensi standing outside, his protective suit torn. He waved them out. "Everyone, out."

The four stepped out and saw that nearly every soldier’s suit was damaged. Some lay on the ground, others leaned against vehicles, exhausted.

Commander Di, none of his usual sharpness, looked utterly drained, his voice low as he addressed them. "Go to the rear vehicles for medical supplies. Assist the wounded."

The four immediately got moving to comply, but Di Shensi grabbed Miao Yuanjin. "Where do you think you're going? Start Purifying, now!"

After such an intense battle with pollutants, many were injured. Their energy was shot, and exposure to the environment—especially wounds tainted by pollutants' blood—left them wide open to corruption.

This corruption might not show right away. Many wouldn’t show clear symptoms. But over time, as the contamination accumulated, they'd start changing, and eventually, even their appearances would change.

This was the Moon God Chosen’s duty beyond the Wall—to Purify the soldiers, keeping them clean.

This time, Miao Yuanjin didn’t hesitate. She got right to it.

Yu Xing and the other two helped give shots. In the end, they found that aside from one soldier—whose visor had shattered, leading to getting his eyes pecked out before he was overwhelmed—everyone else had survived.

Soldiers who died beyond the Wall were burned right there, their ashes the only thing brought back.

As the fallen soldier’s body burned, the group stood quiet. Yu Xing observed them carefully—while the newcomers were somber, the old hands looked numb.

Some even slung arms over each other’s shoulders afterward, shooting the shit as they grabbed MREs.

Commander Di leaned against a vehicle alone, injecting himself. He had peeled off his ruined protective suit—useless now. There were spare compressed suits in the vehicles; no use wearing torn gear.

Frowning at the relaxed atmosphere around him, he spotted Yu Xing passing by and immediately called out, "You—yes, you! Come here!"

Yu Xing, taking a swig of lemon-flavored go-juice, grimaced and ambled over. "What?"

Di Shensi glared. "When talking to an officer, it's 'Yes sir.'"

"..."

"Yes, sir," Yu Xing drawled, her tone irreverent.

Ignoring her attitude, he got right to it. "How did you hear the birds? They were still far away at the time."

Yu Xing had already prepared an answer. "I’ve got sharp hearing. Just born that way."

Di Shensi studied her, unable to tell if she was lying. After all, some people were naturally different in certain ways.

He had no further questions for Yu Xing, but she had one for him.

"Sir," Yu Xing looked at Di Shensi's bloodstained, prominent nose. "Why did you trust me so much? Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if I’d heard correctly."

Di Shensi lifted his eyelids to glance at her briefly before lowering them again.

He didn’t seem inclined to answer her question. Yu Xing scratched her head, thinking that men’s minds were as inscrutable as the ocean.

Just as she was about to walk away to complain to her friends about how awful the lemon-flavored nutrient solution tasted, the ground beneath her suddenly shuddered, and she felt a wave of dizziness.

Yu Xing quickly steadied herself against the vehicle, meeting Di Shensi’s gaze. "Earthquake?"

Di Shensi immediately shouted, "Get in the vehicles! Everyone, get in now! Evacuate now!"

With that, Di Shensi was the first to jump into the vehicle. Shen Tanrong chugged the rest of his nutrient solution and sprinted over to join him. Within a minute, everyone was inside.

Once inside, they realized the ground was still shaking, and even the vehicle vibrated.

"Move, now!" Di Shensi urged.

Ignoring his tattered protective suit, Shen Tanrong slammed the accelerator, and the vehicle surged forward.

Though they had already started moving, Di Shensi regretted stopping there earlier. They had just fought a fierce battle with the birds, leaving a huge disturbance that might have attracted something else. He should have left immediately after everyone was treated. The thought filled him with regret.

Suddenly, his comms device crackled to life. "Commander, something’s following us!"

Di Shensi frowned. "What is it?"

"Don’t know," the voice replied nervously. "Underground. Huge!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a deafening blast erupted from the rear of the convoy.

Turning back, they saw a vehicle tumbling through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

Yu Xing’s eyes widened—the vehicle had been launched into the air. The thing that had sent it flying was a massive, pinkish, worm-like creature, wider than a barrel, emerging from underground.

It looked like… a gigantic earthworm!

"Open fire!" Di Shensi snapped the order without hesitation.

"Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat…"

Gunfire erupted from the convoy once more, but soon the comms device buzzed again.

"Bullets aren’t working! That thing’s skin is too resilient—it’s even deflecting bullets! Our vehicle almost got hit by a ricochet!"

"Requesting artillery fire!"

Each vehicle was equipped with mounted weaponry, which hadn’t been used earlier due to the birds’ small size. Now was the time.

"Artillery fire approved," Di Shensi said.

"BOOM—!"

The convoy slowed as explosions rocked the ground behind them.

Yu Xing watched as the people from the flipped vehicle clambered out and struggled to flip it back.

"Commander, commander!" The comms device buzzed urgently. "Artillery isn’t working! No effect! No effect!"

Di Shensi’s face hardened. If artillery couldn’t stop it, what else could they do? Send in the Divine Chosen?

But aside from him, the Divine Chosen in their ranks were only Tier 1 or Tier 2, each with different Divine Skills. Could they really take on something so massive and heavily defended?

Just then, another vehicle was flipped over.

Di Shensi was stunned to realize the monstrous worm outpaced their vehicles.

"Hold formation!" he ordered through the communicator. "Form up and use fire!"

The drivers, all veteran soldiers with Beyond-Walls experience, didn’t panic. They swiftly coordinated, arranging the vehicles in a semicircle around the worm.

Then, the vehicle-mounted flamethrowers roared to life, engulfing the colossal worm in flames.

An eerie, pained shriek echoed from within the inferno.

Seeing the flames seemed effective, hope surged among them.

But then, a barrel-thick tail lashed out from the fire, smashing into a vehicle and sending it flying.

The monstrous worm emerged from the flames, its gaping maw grotesque. Now fully out of the ground, they realized it was far larger than they’d initially thought.

Di Shensi held his breath. If fire didn’t work, what else could they try?

He knew damn well his Divine Skill wasn’t enough to handle this thing. If only the Bull Warrior were here…

"I can deal with it!"

Di Shensi turned to see Yu Xing speaking up.

"My Divine Skill brings misfortune," she said. "If I keep attacking it, it’ll eventually succumb to sheer misfortune."

Truthfully, Yu Xing wasn’t certain. Her Broomstick Star Skill worked, but she’d never faced anything this formidable.

Her actual plan was to separate herself from the group and confront the worm alone—that way, she could use her magic staff or the Divine Fire Gourd.

"I request to lure the worm away alone!" Yu Xing declared with false bravado. "If this continues, the convoy will suffer heavy losses. The smartest move is for me to draw it away and deal with it elsewhere."

"Xingxing!" Zhao Lan grabbed her sleeve anxiously. "Get a grip! This isn’t the time to act the hero!"

Yu Xing smiled at her. "Trust me."

Di Shensi eyed her coldly. "What makes you think you can handle that thing?"

"Right now, my Divine Skill is the only option left," Yu Xing argued, gesturing at the worm still gaining on them. "Bullets, bombs, flames—nothing works. My skill ignores defenses, so it has to be me."

Di Shensi scoffed. "Can you even drive?"

Yu Xing: "..."

She blanked. She’d thought of everything—except her inability to drive.

Di Shensi scoffed again before turning to Shen Tanrong. "You, get out."

Shen Tanrong stiffened in surprise, but Di Shensi was already addressing Zhao Lan and the others in the back. "You three, out too."

"Wait—what?" Miao Yuanjin gaped. "You’re actually sending Yu Xing to bait that monstrosity alone?"

Di Shensi answered with action. He pressed a button, and the rear doors suddenly swung open. Leaping up from his seat, he extended his long legs and kicked Zhao Lan and the other two out—one after the other.

"What are you doing?!" Yu Xing went pale with shock, quickly turning to look. She saw the three had already scrambled to their feet, chasing the car and shouting curses, and she felt slightly relieved.

Di Shensi locked eyes with Shen Tanrong.

Shen Tanrong glanced back at Yu Xing and said, "No need, Commander—I’ll step out on my own."

With that, Shen Tanrong opened the driver's door and jumped out on his own.

Di Shensi slid smoothly into the driver’s seat, and he wrenched the wheel, sending the car into a sharp swerve. He commanded through the comms, "All units, hold fire! Keep advancing—no stopping!"

Then he said to Yu Xing, "Fasten your seatbelt."

Yu Xing hurriedly buckled up as Di Shensi drove straight toward the worm.

His driving was far wilder than Shen Tanrong's, incredibly fast, weaving left and right until they were alarmingly close to the worm. He fired at it while activating the flamethrower to bait the worm’s attention.

Sure enough, the worm was lured—it was that small thing that kept hurting it.

Once he successfully diverted the worm's focus, Di Shensi made another sharp turn and sped off in a different direction.

As he drove, he said to Yu Xing in the back seat, "I’ll be your driver. Have you figured out how to kill the worm yet?"

Yu Xing: "..."

Yu Xing froze, at a loss, thinking, *With you here, I can’t exactly do my thing. Shen Tanrong would’ve been easier to work with.*

She had no choice but to roll down the window and halfheartedly chuck things at the worm. "Guess I’ll just... kill it like this..."