Starforce Warriors

Chapter 442: Have A Drink

“Captain Feng is back!”

“The brothers who stayed behind are back!”

The long convoy erupted into a series of cheers.

The crowd celebrated, their joy spilling over in waves of excitement. On the distant horizon, the first pale light of dawn appeared, heralding a new day.

The people who had escaped from Xu Base City cheered uncontrollably when they heard that Captain Feng and his team, who had stayed behind to ensure their safety, had returned alive.

The shadow of the beast tide that breached Xu Base City the previous night still lingered in many hearts. The chaos of fleeing with their families, the desperation of running for their lives, and the apocalyptic scene of their city falling to ruin haunted their memories like a vivid nightmare.

Fortunately, the city’s garrison and leaders, including the city leader, had acted swiftly and decisively. They had made a bold move by launching a preemptive operation before the city walls were breached. They organized a mass evacuation of the residents while the beast tide was still forming and had not yet completely encircled the city. Xu Base City itself was then used as bait, luring the bulk of the beast tide into the city to buy time for the evacuation.

Even so, the garrison had paid a heavy price. Captain Feng’s Steel Blade Battalion had been strategically sacrificed as a death squad. Their mission was to hold the beast tide within the ruins of Xu Base City, giving the evacuees the time they needed to escape.

To everyone, these warriors who stood firm in the face of peril were expected to perish, devoured by the monstrous horde. Yet, against all odds, they had returned alive.

“Captain Feng is back, but what about the star beasts? Did they follow them here?”

“It doesn’t look like it.”

“Find out what happened. How did they make it back alive?”

“Word is, Captain Feng and his team got support at a critical moment.”

“Support? From where?”

“Yeah, we sent out so many distress calls before the beasts surrounded the city. The officials in Haijing City didn’t lift a finger to help us. Where did this support come from?”

“It wasn’t Haijing City. They say it was an ancient martial arts master.”

“An ancient martial arts master?”

“Yes, incredibly powerful. One of the younger soldiers from the Steel Blade Battalion said it himself. Apparently, it was a Sword Immortal; someone who flies on their sword.”

The rumor spread quickly among the fleeing survivors. Regardless of whether the rumor of the Sword Immortal was true or not, the absence of a large number of star beasts pursuing from behind seemed real. The hearts of the people, which had been gripped by fear, slowly began to settle.

The convoy’s destination was Haijing City. The straight-line distance from Xu Base City to Haijing City was 431 kilometers. However, traversing such a distance was no simple task in the post-catastrophe wilderness. The rugged terrain of mountains and hills made most city vehicles useless once they entered the wilds.

Only a few off-road motorcycles and hover vehicles could navigate the terrain effectively. As a result, the evacuation convoy moved at an agonizingly slow pace. Their pace was slowed even further by the presence of elderly individuals, children, and wounded soldiers from previous battles, all of whom required special care.

Along the way, the group also faced intermittent attacks from roaming star beasts, adding to the peril of their journey. In short, this was an escape fraught with danger at every turn.

Based on their current pace, even with the most optimal route calculated by the light core, it would take at least four days to reach Haijing City. Without military reinforcements to assist them, the city officials had estimated that more than half of the evacuees would perish along the way.

“Are there any warriors here? Even those in the Qi Refining Realm, we need help transporting and caring for the wounded!”

“Are there any doctors?”

“Warriors in the Acupoint Opening Realm, step forward! We need more hands to clear the path ahead!”

“Does anyone here know mechanical repairs?”

“The city government is purchasing surplus energy blocks; please don’t hold back!”

Various calls and announcements echoed through the convoy. And some stepped forward.

“Are there any disciples of the Grandmaster of Heaven here? I am a follower of the Bald-Headed Celestial Sovereign. Who will join me in forming a vanguard escort team?”

A burly man with a towering physique handed his young daughter to his disheveled wife before raising his arm and rallying others.

“I... I cultivate under Brother Dao...”

“I am under Sister Su...”

“Me too, I practice the Graceful Step of the Waves.”

“I only recently attended my first lecture by the Grandmaster of Heaven. Though I haven’t yet started cultivating the first layer of the Nine Yang Divine Art, I cannot bring shame to the Grandmaster’s disciples.”

“So am I...”

“And I as well.”

Many of the men and women who had hesitated earlier found themselves suddenly filled with courage upon hearing the words disciples of the Grandmaster of Heaven.

To embody righteousness. To cultivate a spirit of heroism. To protect the weak. To defend the homeland.

The words of the Grandmaster of Heaven echoed in their minds, igniting a fiery passion within them. One by one, they stepped forward, their hesitation replaced by determination.

Before long, a temporary team of over three thousand volunteers had been formed.

“Thank you,” said Huang Fulai, the city leader, who appeared before them. His head was wrapped in bandages, and one arm hung useless at his side. He bowed deeply to these disciples of the Grandmaster of Heaven.

Several other injured city officials quickly stepped in to assess the volunteers’ combat abilities and professions, efficiently assigning them to crucial roles within the evacuation effort.

A faint expression of relief appeared on Huang Fulai’s face. He, too, was a practitioner of ancient martial arts. He had regularly attended the Grandmaster of Heaven’s live-streamed lessons and had cultivated many of the martial art’s true legacies.

He had marveled countless times at the profound and comprehensive nature of the Grandmaster of Heaven’s teachings, which were so intricate, yet so grand in scope. He had also wondered what kind of vision and magnanimity it would take for someone to openly share so many ancient martial art legacies with the world, allowing anyone to learn and cultivate them?

In this era, the true legacies of ancient martial arts were closely guarded treasures of the great families of the Saints. For ordinary people, cultivating such arts was almost impossible unless they pledged themselves to one of these families, signing binding contracts that reduced them to little more than servants or slaves.

Otherwise, they could only access basic or heavily truncated versions of martial techniques, mass-market commodities stripped of their true power. Even the nation’s universities often fell short of offering their most prized skills to the public in their entirety. Academic institutions themselves were not immune to power struggles, as academic oligarchies often dominated the field.

The leaders of Great Xia had labored tirelessly for generations, dedicating their lives to establishing public schools in every base city. Yet these schools faced immense pressure from the powerful families who competed for dominance. Resources and talent were constantly poached away, leaving public institutions struggling to keep pace.

Even the once-prestigious White Deer Academy, a former cradle of Saints, now stood on the brink of obscurity. In the past, there had been others who dared to dream, people who tried to spread their teachings through the light-network’s virtual world. But in the end, they had all been suppressed and silenced, disappearing without a trace.

The Grandmaster of Heaven, however, had persevered. Huang Fulai had tried cultivating nearly every martial art the Grandmaster of Heaven taught, but his favorite remained the foundational Great Strength Vajra Fist.

This martial technique embodied an indomitable spirit, radiating righteousness that vanquished evil. It strengthened the practitioner’s mind, cultivated their willpower, and honed their character, filling them with an overwhelming vitality that kept inner demons at bay.

When he saw the disciples of the Grandmaster of Heaven step forward during this disaster, Huang Fulai felt a deep surge of pride

I am one of them too.

He saw the brave and determined faces of these men and women and suddenly realized that perhaps this was the right path. In the distance, the sound of gunfire and explosions echoed. The crowd grew tense, but the sounds of battle soon ceased.

A low-flying drone quickly broadcasted a calming message, explaining that the garrison patrolling the southeast had encountered a pack of grade four star beasts. After a brief skirmish, the beasts had been driven off, and there was no imminent danger.

“Thankfully, the Sword Immortal came to our aid last night,” Huang Fulai muttered, his gaze sweeping over the long convoy of evacuees. “Otherwise... I dare not imagine the consequences.”

He couldn’t hide the trace of worry on his face. Huang Fulai had only been the city leader of Xu Base City for barely a year. He hadn’t even had the chance to achieve anything significant when disaster struck, and the city fell. Losing a city was an indelible stain on a city leader’s record, a failure that would follow them for life. But such concerns no longer mattered to him.

His sole focus now was ensuring the safety of the 360,000 citizens of Xu City and delivering them to Haijing City with as few losses as possible. He was determined to make this happen even if it meant dying on this treacherous road.

“Many people can’t walk any further. Discuss with Commandant General Kang about stopping for a twenty minute rest,” Huang Fulai instructed. “Also, take out some of the city’s emergency food and water reserves. Distribute them to the civilians who lack supplies and include my share.”

“Yes, sir.” His secretary immediately set off to carry out the orders.

The evacuation convoy came to a temporary halt. In the crowd, a small, thin girl with a disproportionately large head huddled in her grandmother’s arms. Her eyes were filled with confusion and uncertainty.

Her parents and grandfather were all warriors who had volunteered to join the escort team. During the most intense moments of last night’s breakout battle, every one of her family members had fought on the front lines.

Now, as daylight broke, the only family member she could see was her grandmother, who held her tightly. None of her other loved ones were anywhere to be found. She had asked about them several times, but no one gave her an answer.

Her gaze wandered aimlessly to the open skies of the wilderness. When she had lived within the city walls, she used to dream of running freely through the wilds without a care in the world. But now, her only wish was for her parents and grandfather to return safely to her side.

A worker approached with food and water. The little girl took her allotted 20 milliliters of clean water, wet her lips, and was about to drink when she noticed something. Just two meters away, a boy in his teens, dressed in a tattered green robe, leaned weakly against a rock. His robe was stained with blood, and the sword he held in his arms was rusted and battered. His lips were cracked and parched, his face pale.

The girl thought of her parents, who had fought so hard to protect them. Without hesitation, she stood up from her grandmother’s embrace.

“Here, have a drink,” she said as she walked over, holding out her small bottle of water.

The boy stared at her, stunned. After a moment, he replied, “I’m not thirsty.”

“You’re lying,” the girl said stubbornly. “Your lips are all cracked.”