The night was cool as water, and all was silent.
Even the sounds of slaughter on the battlefield gradually died down.
By the time the sixth Beast Tide had finally been repelled through the Dragon Breath Squad's desperate fighting,
a pale strip of dawn had already appeared on the horizon.
At the very front of the position, Lu Chen dragged his heavy iron spear and rasped, "Sound off!"
"One, two, three... seventeen!!"
This time, far fewer voices answered.
When he heard the number "seventeen," even the steadfast Dragon Breath Captain staggered sharply.
He forcibly suppressed the grief and fury in his heart before continuing his orders.
"Take the brothers with you. Fall back and rest!"
After saying that, Lu Chen gently carried a squad member on his left arm, his heart growing heavier still.
During the most recent Beast Tide, they had encountered an unprecedented crisis.
Twelve High-level Beast General Tiger Mastiff Dogs and more than sixty Primary and Intermediate Beast Generals had charged at them, nearly dealing them a devastating blow.
If the Dragon Breath Squad had been at full strength, they naturally would not have feared these sixty-odd Beast Generals in the slightest.
However, after five life-or-death battles, their stamina had been drained by seventy or eighty percent.
The Dragon Breath Squad, nearly at the end of its rope, naturally could not withstand this pack of Beast General-level Tiger Mastiff Dogs.
Most of the Dragon Breath members had sacrificed themselves after injecting the Divine Spirit Potion from their medals, using their lives to wipe out that wave of the Beast Tide.
Even he had lost an arm.
After the surviving Dragon Breath Squad members passed through the main battle tank formation, Lu Chen ordered them to rest where they were.
As for himself, he leaned against a massive boulder, lit a Huazi stained with blood, and smoked in silence.
"Captain, Vice Captain Wang... he's gone too!"
A squad member's low, grief-stricken voice reached him. Lu Chen's hand trembled violently as he smoked, and he immediately crushed the cigarette butt beneath his fingers.
"Rest in peace, little Wang Teng!"
Lu Chen walked over to Wang Teng and crouched down. With his remaining left arm, he gently wiped Wang Teng's cheek, silently staring at the comrade who had fought beside him for four years, his expression filled with sorrow.
At that moment, a faint, contented smile still lingered on Wang Teng's pale face.
Hideous wounds, deep enough to expose bone, covered his body. The sight was horrific, and nearly all the blood had drained from him.
Whenever he fought monsters, he had always been fearless, charging at the very front.
Lu Chen lowered his gaze and looked at the medal still bearing an extended needle. He slowly closed his eyes, and the blood-red haze in them faded away as his pupils shifted.
"Keep his medal safe. Once the battle is over, take it back to the Heroic Spirit Wall..." Lu Chen said softly, afraid of waking his sleeping brother.
Then, he picked up Wang Teng's saber and tucked it into his combat suit.
With only one arm left, his spear's killing power had been severely affected. He might as well use a saber and kill to his heart's content.
Returning to the boulder, Lu Chen bandaged himself in silence, just like the other Dragon Breath members.
At the same time, he moved the "Ember NO.17" on his chest to a spot more convenient for his left hand.
After finishing all that, he raised his head toward the gradually brightening horizon and quietly waited for the next wave of monsters to charge...
"Everyone, check your equipment. Ditch the excess weight... prepare for battle!"
Having just arrived at the Owl Wolf Regiment's position, Qi Ling removed his Saber Case and held an Alloy Battle Saber in each hand.
Everyone answered, "Preparations complete!"
Lin Ye also drew his Battle Saber and held it in a reverse grip.
"Good... we'll go support the Dragon Breath Squad. Momo... go report to Regiment Commander Jia Wangqiang at the Owl Wolf Regiment Command Center. Tell him the Lingxiao Squad has arrived."
Yang Xiao stopped the female War General who was preparing to charge forward and said softly, "After you report in, find a suitable sniper position and provide us with long-range support."
"Got it!" Momo nodded and resolutely ran toward the Owl Wolf Regiment Command Center.
Then, the group gripped their sabers, bypassed the fortifications, swept past shrubs, weeds, and jagged rocks... and sprinted toward the third defensive line.
Broken blades.
Blood.
Corpses.
And the remaining Dragon Breath Squad members, silently resting.
"How should we position ourselves?" Yang Xiao asked.
"Same positions as before!" Qi Ling raised his head to glance over the devastated battlefield and said in a low voice, "The three newcomers will follow Deputy Captain Yang."
"Got it!" The response was crisp and without hesitation.
"Lin Ye, having you join the formation would limit your strengths, so act freely on your own!" Qi Ling said as he ran, glancing at Lin Ye.
"Yes!" Lin Ye answered. His gaze remained fixed on the Dragon Breath Squad, his expression somewhat complicated.
Back when he had still been a Junior Warrior, he had already heard Dragon Breath's great name.
He had never expected that he would now be able to fight alongside them.
An indescribable feeling rose in Lin Ye's heart.
Soon, the Martial Artists of the Lingxiao Squad had met face-to-face with Dragon Breath.
Since they shared the same goal, there was no need to say much.
A mere exchange of looks between the members of both sides was enough for them to understand one another.
"Captain Lu, the seventh wave of Beast Generals is coming!"
A Dragon Breath member called out.
After Li had died in battle, he had taken over as the observer, monitoring the movements of the battlefield monsters in real time.
"Captain, it's a pack of One-eyed Giant Lizards. There are nine High-level Beast Generals leading them, followed by nearly forty Beast Generals. No Beast Soldier Level monsters!"
Momo's voice came through the Lingxiao Squad channel.
Lin Ye looked ahead. Through the thin mist, a group of massive creatures could vaguely be seen rapidly approaching...
Now this is more like it! Lin Ye was delighted.
Although he had killed quite a few monsters along the way earlier, they had been too weak and had only contributed a tiny amount of Attribute Points.
That left Lin Ye rather dissatisfied.
But now, the big ones had arrived...
"Mm... got it!" Qi Ling nodded slightly, his expression turning grave.
They had only just arrived and were already facing such brutal opponents. No wonder the Dragon Breath Squad had fought so tragically.
Yet even so, excitement flickered in Qi Ling's eyes instead.
He exchanged a glance with Lin Ye and saw the fighting spirit slowly igniting in the latter's eyes.
"This time, I'll lead the attack. You deal with anything that slips through!"
His voice was confident and composed, as though he did not consider these dozens of Beast General giant lizards a threat at all.
"As for Captain Lu Chen... your Dragon Breath Squad should rest for now. There's still a hard battle ahead!"
Lin Ye looked toward the one-armed Dragon Breath Captain, his voice low and firm.
However, Lu Chen merely frowned at those words and shook his head. "Dragon Breath will not hide behind others!"
As he spoke, he used his saber as a cane and slowly pushed himself to his feet against the boulder.
His gaze was resolute. A trace of unwillingness and... hatred filled his clear eyes.
The other Dragon Breath members were just as stubborn.
They shakily rose to their feet and readied their weapons.
Though they were covered in wounds, fighting spirit burned from every one of them.
The sight made everyone in the Lingxiao Squad look over.
So this is Dragon Breath. They really are strong! Lin Ye took it all in.
"Since that's the case, let's see who can snatch the most." A confident smile spread across his face.
Lu Chen: "..."
To Lin Ye, this wave of Beast Generals was nothing more than free Attribute Points. He would never let them go.
"Captain Qi, Captain Yang, let's move!"
Lin Ye exchanged glances with Qi Ling and Yang Xiao. All three nodded faintly.
Everything was understood without words.
Whoosh!!
Lin Ye stomped the ground fiercely. With a thunderous boom, the earth cracked beneath the unbearable force.
His High-tier War General strength erupted in full, and he shot forward like a cannonball.
The slaughter had officially begun!!
Thank you all for your advice, recommendation tickets, and monthly tickets. Here is the third update. Please continue supporting me.
I'll focus the later chapters around the protagonist, so don't worry.
Before you continue