CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42 DAD’S MILK

Though the flags moved only short distances, their direction was exceedingly orderly. If one only looked at a single squad, there would seem to be no issue, but with ten squads all moving away from the Central Command, there could only be one explanation.

"How did the Demon Clan pinpoint the Central Command? And the surveillance team hasn’t reported anything?" Fu Qiaoshi cursed, his face grim.

"Fu, hold your anger for now. Things might not be as we suspect," said Wu.

"Right. I suspect that the Demon Clan still doesn’t know the exact location of our command center. But they are in the process of confirming it..." Wang Lan said in a deep voice, stroking his chin.

"Wang Lan, share your thoughts."

"The Demon Clan squads that were discovered are all on the periphery—about twelve of them, not all. And these squads are chasing the Biochemical Demon Soldiers in a direction away from us."

"Report! Squad 25 has sent out red and blue signals!"

"Report! Squad 3 has sent out red and blue signals!"

"Just as I thought. Squads 3 and 25 are closer to us now; the Demon Clan has successfully narrowed the search area. This indicates they’re using a very effective method to rapidly eliminate possible locations for our command center. If they had already pinpointed our location, all squads would have been drawn away in a very short time."

"Hahaha... The Demon Clan certainly hasn’t disappointed me. They’re smart enough to lock down our location so quickly."

"Report! The Twenty-fourth Squad has escorted a group of Trialists back."

"What? There are still Trialists? Bring Squad 24 in."

"Report!"

"How did you find the Trialists? Where were they discovered?"

"Report, we found them here," the captain said, indicating a position on the sand table. "By the time we found them, they had been starving for many days. According to their account, they were driven to desperation by the Snow Spiders and then, unfortunately, trapped in an ice cave, out of ammunition and provisions. They had lost their signal flares and had been trying to send a distress call, but no one heard them. If we hadn’t scouted that location—right here—they would have starved to death undetected."

"What route did you take on your return?" Wang Lan quickly asked.

The captain of the Twenty-fourth Squad hesitated slightly but soon began to draw on the sand table.

"We passed the Anti-Golden Beast Tribe, crossed the glacier, went through Wind Valley, and circumvented the vine forest..."

"It seems I was right. There’s something wrong with this group of Trialists."

"Oh? How did you figure that out?"

"Isn’t it obvious? The first subsidiary squads discovered just happened to be in the areas along this route. When Squad 24 passed by, those squads were drawn in the opposite direction. Even if they weren’t certain of our command center’s exact location, they made sure the general direction was correct. This group of Trialists is the Demon Clan’s tracking device. And since the squad has come to the command center, the Demon Clan has pinpointed its location."

"Ah?" The captain of Squad 24 went pale upon hearing this, and everything became clear in an instant. The Demon Clan didn’t know the exact location of the command center, so they had used the Trialists with tracking devices. And he, cheerfully, had brought the Trialists with the tracking device straight to the command center. What was this called during wartime? Treason!

In an instant, the captain’s face turned as black as ink. "Damn it, I’ll kill them myself!"

"Wait! Would it work if we took them away again?" Fu asked anxiously.

"Definitely not. As soon as the tracking stops, the Demon Clan will have fixed the coordinates. Their next plan will be to attack the command center."

"Take out that squad!" Fu Qiaoshi ordered murderously.

"No! First, confirm their identities. What if they’re not truly traitors? What if they don’t even know they’re carrying the Demon Clan’s tracking device?" Wu Changfeng quickly intervened. "We are soldiers of the people, not bandits!"

Wu Changfeng turned and walked outside, Wang Lan swiftly following. In the center of the camp, seven haggard-looking Star Martial Warriors huddled together, trembling. It was unclear what they had endured these past days.

"Your names, your identities, to which faction do you belong?" Wu Changfeng stepped outside and questioned the group of Trialists.

"We belong to the Ninth District Pioneer Corps... we came back last month for rest and reorganization... we..."

"Wu, just take them all out," Wang Lan said flatly, barely glancing at them.

"Why?"

"I’ve seen these guys before. They are the culprits who stole from the Snow Spiders and sparked their rampage. When I last saw them, they were being pursued by the Spider King. With their capabilities, there’s no way they could have survived. The only possibility is that the Demon Clan saved them, or that they *are* Demon Clan."

"No... we’re truly human, we’re not demons... please believe me..."

"Stop right there!"

"ROAR—"

Suddenly, the seven people before them let out a ferocious roar, their bodies twisting and transforming in an instant. Almost in the blink of an eye, they turned into seven fearsome and daunting Demons.

"Kill them!"

Seven low-level transformed Demons, caught within the headquarters of the Star Martial Forces with their identities exposed—their fate was predictable. Any single person present could have killed them alone, let alone over a hundred elite masters. In less than a second, the squad of seven was blasted into nothing but residual fragments.

As the dust settled, everyone looked up at Wu Changfeng, whose eyes also showed gravity.

"The prelude has played out long enough. It’s about time for the main act. All units, be on maximum alert! The Demon Clan might launch a decapitation strike on the command center at any moment. Too bad for them, those Demon Bastards probably don’t know that I’m a Gold Attribute Star Martial Warrior, with a head too tough to be chopped off."

"Yes, sir!"

Three seconds later, a piercing alarm sounded.

"Wang Lan, our medical tasks are in your hands. With you here, even if the Demon Clan has triple our forces, I’m not afraid. Bring up any requests you have, because once the battle starts, I’m afraid I won’t be able to pay attention to you."

"Wu, that puts a lot of pressure on me... As long as there are enough Soul Beads, I promise I can bring our brothers back in one piece, even if they’re only half-alive."

"That’s great! I’ll give you all our stock of Soul Beads. However, it’s not much, so use them sparingly."

"If that’s not enough, don’t we have all those Exotic Beasts?"

"Those are national assets. We can’t touch a single one without the nation’s permission. Does that sound too pedantic? But that’s discipline!"

"I understand, not to take even a needle or thread..." Wang Lan said with a respectful smile. He suddenly stood at attention, saluted Wu Changfeng, and declared, "I guarantee I will complete the mission!"

"I’m counting on you!"

Wang Lan returned to the rear to await orders, his heartstrings suddenly taut.

"Enemy attack! Report! Around three hundred Biochemical Demon Soldiers have been discovered in the canyon due south of headquarters!"

"Only three hundred?" Wu Changfeng tapped his fingers, puzzled.

"Commander, isn’t three hundred a lot? There are only a hundred of us at headquarters..."

"Notify the recon squads. Tell the brothers to stop messing around; it’s time for the main course."

"Yes, sir!"

"Report! Squad Seven has fired a green signal!"

"Report! Squad Nine has sent a green signal!"

"Report! Squad Seventeen has sent a green signal..."

One after another, the reports rang out. The previously quiet primary trial site suddenly erupted into war, the conflict spreading instantly throughout the whole area.

"Commander, something’s not right. The paths for our scattered brothers to return for support are all blocked. Not a single squad can make it back! We... we haven’t fallen into a trap, have we?"

"I get it now! Well done, Demon Clan. I thought I had overestimated them, but it turns out I still underestimated them. I was wondering why only three hundred Biochemical Demon Soldiers came for a decapitation strike; so that was their actual plan. This move is brilliant. I’ll have to report this to Command HQ after this is over. The Demon Clan’s commander isn’t an idiot—a stroke of genius, to level the playing field between us. We sent out four hundred brothers to confuse the Demon Clan, and they turned our ruse to their advantage, directly cutting those four hundred brothers off. They’ve long known how many people we have in our camp. They figured out that the command post only has a hundred men, so they sent three hundred. This gives them a three-to-one advantage in numbers, and their actual strength is by no means inferior to ours. The remaining Demon Soldiers only need to stop our scattered brothers from returning, which puts less pressure on them than on us. To eliminate our entire command post with three hundred Biochemical Demon Soldiers—that’s a profitable deal for them."

"Then what do we do?"

"The bayonets are already fixed, what else is there to do but fight? Let’s see if those three hundred Demon Soldiers are enough for us to chew on."

"Commander, are you going to take action?"

"Unless a Demon General shows up, I can’t make a move. Who knows if the Demon Clan is targeting our rear command post? Ren Xingwu!"

"Present!" Ren Xingwu appeared before Wu Changfeng in a flash.

"You take the lead. Bring all members to hold off the Demon Soldiers."

"I guarantee I will complete the mission!"

The battle outside suddenly commenced. Apart from Wu Changfeng and ten personal guards, all the warriors went to the frontlines to block the Biochemical Demon Soldiers. The fighting erupted just outside the command post, less than five hundred meters away.

Wu Changfeng stood atop a hastily constructed watchtower, observing the battlefield through binoculars.

They faced off against three hundred Biochemical Demon Soldiers with just one hundred warriors. Considering these Biochemical Demon Soldiers were specifically engineered for warfare and killing, the pressure was immense, even though all the warriors remaining were elites.

Wang Lan’s heart suddenly tightened. This was a real war.

Damn exciting. Just half a month ago, I still thought I was living in a peaceful era, in a strong and prosperous country. Becoming a Star Martial Warrior indeed meant facing dangers, but those dangers could be managed with caution. Yet, in just half a month, I’ve witnessed a war and am right here on the battlefield, a part of it. Life’s experiences are truly as dreamlike and illusory as they come.

The battle of an entire battalion could hardly be described as a minor skirmish.

The Demon Clan, that nightmare lurking throughout human history, was awakening once more, sharpening its knives as it loomed over human civilization.

"Hurry, hurry—"

A shout came from outside the door; a warrior covered in blood was carried into Wang Lan’s room by two personal guard soldiers.

"Damn it, I’m such a waste... to be the first one down... fuck... fuck..."

"Calm down, there will be plenty of chances to fight back. Tear open the clothes on the wound quickly!"

"AH—"

As Wang Lan’s palm pressed down, the warrior suddenly screamed, "Mommy... gentler... gentler... it hurts!"

"With that form of address, I’ll have to apply more force."

"No, I was wrong! Daddy, Daddy... Can I call you Father, huh? Oh... oh... it’s warm, feels good..."