They Had Walked Right into the Line of Fire

The moment he entered the hall, he was taken aback by the sight before him.

Several candles had been lit inside, their dim yet warm light driving away the deep darkness.

After being woken by the helicopter, no one had gone back to sleep. They had already heard about Lin Yi, and the moment they saw him walk in, everyone surged toward him.

"Xiao Yi! No, Major... Major Lin!"

His uncle, Zhou Jianjun, was the first to speak. He patted Lin Yi hard on the shoulder, his eyes even reddening a little. "Good lad! You've brought honor to your grandfather's family—and to our country!"

"Brother Yi! That's incredible—you're a major!" Chen Yu rushed over, practically wanting to hug Lin Yi. His eyes lit up as he looked at the box in Lin Yi's hands. "And the government gave you so many crystals, too..."

His parents stood a little farther away. His father, Lin Ruiming, held his wife tightly by the shoulder. He looked at his son and nodded firmly, all the words he could have said conveyed in his profound gaze.

Ye Qingyu, Zhou Yuxuan, Zhang Haotian, Li Jie... every familiar face was alight with excitement.

Congratulations and questions instantly engulfed Lin Yi.

Feeling the warmth of the crowd, Lin Yi felt a little warmth stir in his own heart.

He raised a hand and pressed it down, signaling for everyone to quiet down.

"Thank you, everyone." His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone clearly. "This honor doesn't belong to me alone. Without the armor and weapons A Yu gave me, and without everyone working together to defend this place and secure our rear, none of this would have happened."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone's eager, curious faces before settling on the Silver-white Box in his hands.

"I know what you all want to see. That's right, what's in the box is the research material General Staff gave me."

Lin Yi smiled faintly. Then, under everyone's watchful gaze, he opened the box in full view of the crowd.

In an instant, a gentle light spilled out. The row of White and Green Crystals in the middle shone especially brightly, almost outshining the candlelight and drawing a chorus of uncontrollable gasps from the crowd.

"Whoa!"

"So many!"

"Those white ones... and the green ones! They look so high-grade!"

Lin Yi didn't explain what the different colors meant. He simply reached out and carefully touched the crystals one by one, as though inspecting precious treasures.

His movements were calm and deliberate, as if he weren't taking stock of spoils, but performing a solemn ritual.

He first examined the Gray Crystals.

As he'd expected, all fourteen were "Tier 1 Source Energy Crystals."

Then, under the crowd's heated gaze, Lin Yi's fingers moved across the six Spirit Shine Crystals that gave off a gentle white glow.

Each time his fingertip touched one, a stream of information flowed into his mind, and he clearly recited its contents aloud.

"First: movement technique, Flowing Star Step."

"Second: combat art, Star Splitting Spear Art."

"Third: cultivation method, Nine Heavens Primordial Method."

"Fourth: cultivation manual, Mote Secret Art."

"Fifth: equipment, Flowing Cloud Type I Assault Light Armor."

"Sixth: weapon, Abyss Rift Type I Long Spear."

With each name he announced, the crowd's breathing grew more hurried and their eyes grew brighter.

These names sounded far more advanced and powerful than the basic Source Energy Guidance Technique!

Once he had touched all six crystals, Lin Yi understood everything.

A movement technique, an attack technique, a primary cultivation method, a supplementary manual, defensive armor, and a main battle weapon...

How could these be random rewards?

They were clearly a complete set of equipment and techniques, carefully selected for him—a low-tier Stardust level cultivator, outfitted from head to toe in one fell swoop!

From cultivation to combat, from defense to mobility, General Staff had accounted for almost all his needs and weaknesses.

In his previous life, he hadn't assembled a set like this until he'd reached Stardust level Tier 3. But now, General Staff had given him a complete set right off the bat.

None of it was particularly valuable, and Lin Yi reckoned that, given his plan to reveal his strength gradually, he could have gathered it all within six months at most. Still, the thoughtfulness and regard behind the gesture pleased him.

After all, the government had barely been able to look after itself during his growth in his previous life. He'd never received this kind of treatment. By the time he'd reached Star Core level, the government had grown stronger, too, but people at his level had already taken on the task of training the next generation.

He'd never experienced the feeling of having resources poured into him like this.

This feeling... I have to admit, it's pretty nice...

As he marveled at this new experience, Lin Yi's gaze lingered a moment longer on the crystals containing the Star Splitting Spear Art and the Abyss Rift Type I Long Spear. A trace of puzzlement passed through his mind.

Still, something's strange... I clearly used a staff in the video. Although staves and spears have a lot in common, putting together a whole set of spear techniques and a Long Spear for me still seems a bit deliberate... General Staff couldn't have made such a basic mistake.

His gaze turned involuntarily to the Spirit Shine Crystal resting quietly in the middle, its deep green glow radiating out.

Could the reason be here...?

Lin Yi carefully reached out and touched the Green Crystal.

In an instant, a torrent of information far more immense and complex than that from the White Crystals flooded into his mind.

At its heart were three characters brimming with murderous force:

Meteor Strike!

Along with it came the related methods for channeling force, the way to construct its Source Energy circuit, and all manner of esoteric notes.

It was an exceptionally domineering spear technique for a single target, one that pursued absolute destruction.

Its principle was to compress all the source energy in one's body and concentrate it at the tip of the spear, releasing it the instant the weapon struck its target. The result was an almost law-level tearing and annihilation effect, with terrifying power that far surpassed ordinary Stardust-level techniques.

At the same time, its requirements for training and use were extremely high, demanding strict control over one's source energy.

Meteor Strike had three stages. Reaching Stardust level was the bare minimum to begin training in it, but to unleash its full power, one needed to reach the high tier of Stardust level.

"Uh... so it's a move that touches on a trace of the universe's laws. Trained to the limit, it can reach pseudo-Star Core level..."

Lin Yi ignored the flowery details in the crystal and saw through to its essence at a glance.

"It's nothing more than the crudest imitation and application of the universe's fundamental laws..."

He could create a move of this level himself if he spent some time on it. But if he had one ready-made to train in, creating similar techniques later would seem more natural and save him a lot of effort in pretending and acting.

Besides, it could lay the groundwork for him to comprehend the universe's fundamental laws ahead of time.

Not bad at all.

At that point, everything became clear to Lin Yi. All his questions had been answered.

The strategists and analysts at General Staff had certainly studied his combat footage over and over.

They might have noticed that, although his staff techniques were powerful, he didn't seem particularly skilled with them and hadn't shown any sophisticated moves. His use of the staff seemed more like instinct, relying on his powerful physique.

And among the crystals they'd acquired was an exceptionally precious Green Crystal containing a tremendously powerful spear technique: Meteor Strike.

So they had come up with the optimal solution. Rather than let him keep using staff techniques that seemed to have limited potential and room for growth, they would build his whole system around Meteor Strike and have him switch to the spear, a weapon with greater potential that perfectly complemented the technique.

That was why they had sent him the Star Splitting Spear Art and the Abyss Rift Type I Long Spear, paving the way for him.

Of course, there was another very important reason: above the White Crystals, the knowledge concerning source energy was much more profound. If he couldn't understand and master it, he wouldn't be able to accurately express the information even if it had been imprinted in his mind.

The government had given him these things not only for him to use, but also in the hope that he would study them.

"What thorough, far-reaching consideration."

Lin Yi marveled inwardly.

He also understood the deeper meaning behind the government's actions.

If he learned the techniques but didn't want to share them, they would simply be his reward, and they'd be even.

But Lin Yi felt no resistance to this kind of "use."

After all, the benefits were real, and he was happy to share what he learned with the government.

His current primary cultivation method, the Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique, hadn't yet reached Stardust level, so he couldn't practice the most powerful move, Meteor Strike. But the other things—Flowing Star Step, Star Splitting Spear Art, Nine Heavens Primordial Method, Mote Secret Art, and the Flowing Cloud light armor and Abyss Rift Long Spear—had all been designed for Stardust level cultivators, but that didn't mean he couldn't use them in advance.

The effects would simply be reduced, the source energy consumption higher, and the duration shorter.

For instance, if he put on the light armor now, he might only be able to activate a very weak defensive effect. Using spear techniques would also consume a lot of source energy. But he could still use them, and start getting familiar with them and practicing.

"But who made the decision this time...?"

A trace of curiosity passed through Lin Yi's mind.

At most, Li Zhenguo would have set a broad range for the rewards. He wouldn't have concerned himself with such minor details. This specific set had clearly been chosen internally by General Staff.

"Xiao Yi..." His uncle Zhou Jianjun's voice pulled Lin Yi out of his thoughts.

Looking at the dazzling array of crystals in the box, he seemed to have shaken off much of the gloom caused by the threat of the Abyssal Beasts. His voice was filled with barely contained excitement and anticipation.

"With all this... tomorrow, if those animals really come, will things be a lot easier for us?"

At that, Lin Yi lifted his head and looked around at the others, who were just as expectant.

This time, he didn't keep up his usual calm, collected demeanor. Instead, like a boy who'd gotten his hands on something good and couldn't wait to show it off, he smiled.

"You're right, Uncle."

"The only thing is, I hope they come. If they dare show up tomorrow..."

"Then they'll have walked right into the line of fire!"