The Storm Approaches

As the young man bid farewell to his elders, inside Revival City, Cuika'ao, the Primal High Priest of the Primal Angry Owl Sect, was performing his daily ritual.

This was a bright hall, and a statue of a deity that resembled both a bear and an eagle stood prominently in the center. Carved from white jade-like stone, the Statue of the Primal Angry Owl wore an expression of violent rage. Anyone standing before it felt as if a storm were rushing toward them; those with weak minds would have their sanity shattered by the gale.

Cuika'ao, the Primal High Priest, stood calmly before the Statue of the Primal Angry Owl.

He was receiving the baptism of the storm while simultaneously listening to the deity's fury.

At that moment, a priest wearing a grey-white hood appeared quietly behind the High Priest.

Standing at a distance, he did not feel the wind, but he knew exactly what would happen if one stood directly before the stormy statue.

Yet the High Priest had been standing there for a long time.

The priest's eyes were filled with fear and piety as he reported in a low voice: "High Priest, our operations in Revival City have encountered some obstruction. That governor, who is not in the city, has put too much pressure on the Alliance government, and they have significantly intensified their investigations into us. Many supplies can no longer be moved through official channels with such fanfare, and our proselytizing among the refugees in the outer city has been forced underground."

The High Priest turned around, his gaze deep, as if peering into the priest's very soul. Though his lips did not move, his voice resonated in the priest's ears like a gentle breeze: "The power of the storm is infinite. We will overcome all difficulties to achieve our sacred mission. Minor obstacles will eventually be destroyed by the storm, even if the one blocking us is that governor."

The priest was convinced: "You are right. The Howling Wind Divine Envoy sent word earlier that the enemy has taken the bait, and surely good news will arrive soon. Once that governor is dead, the entire Revival City will fall into chaos! They cannot afford the price of the governor's unnatural death; they will fear the starships in the sky, and by then, no one will have the energy to care about what we are doing."

The High Priest sighed: "Time flies, and humanity continues to sink into ignorance. Only the storm can lead them out of the darkness. Our mission is to spread the glory of the god to every corner of the world."

The priest responded respectfully: "As you say, High Priest. We will give our all and not fail the expectations of the storm."

The High Priest prayed silently once more, lamenting: "May the storm guide our path and let us be the beacon that leads people forward in this darkness. Go, my child, the blessing of the Lord is with you."

The priest bowed respectfully and then quietly departed, leaving the High Priest alone before the Statue of the Angry Owl.

Yan Fangxu had deeply sensed that something was wrong.

He was leading the 3rd Infantry Battalion, which had only recently been formed and had just finished receiving their equipment, on a clearing operation in the Xenomorph Forest.

Four hours ago, his unit was purging a monster nest.

They had killed the dozens of monsters near the nest, and the subsequent tasks were no different from what they had done before. Although this incubation nest was larger than any they had encountered previously, it was not beyond their imagination.

After destroying the nest, they prepared to leave for the next location.

Then, dense gunfire erupted from the surrounding woods.

Yan Fangxu's command style had always prioritized stability. Even though he had already destroyed many incubation nests, he had not relaxed his vigilance in the slightest when encountering this one. He had deployed all necessary perimeter guards, and he had not neglected to establish a temporary defensive position while destroying the nest. In short, he fought a methodical war, leaving no room for flaws.

He knew that old man Pobov often grumbled behind his back about his slow efficiency, wanting to lobby for the 2nd Battalion to take over this job while letting the newly formed 3rd Battalion guard the base. But clearly, the Governor trusted him, a proper Imperial Astra Militarum captain, more than the hastily trained Pobov.

And he had not let the Governor's trust go to waste. Since the operation began, the casualties in his unit had been very low.

Especially today, his caution had paid off.

The soldiers on perimeter guard duty had discovered a massive cluster of monsters approaching. They opened fire first, delaying the monsters' advance and buying time for Yan Fangxu.

As the perimeter soldiers fought and retreated, Yan Fangxu had already directed his troops to construct a triangular defensive position by the time they returned. Each of the three infantry companies held a side, with parts extending outward to form a mutually supporting formation, ensuring that their firepower could cover and support one another.

That they could achieve this in the ten-plus minutes gained by the perimeter guards was due to Yan Fangxu's excellent command and prior preparation, as well as the troops strictly following discipline without relaxing. Furthermore, it was because the 3rd Battalion's various military skills were completely solid.

Although they had not yet fought a hard battle, the soldiers' tension was visible. Yet, their morale remained high, and their execution of orders was meticulous, fully reaching the standard of the Imperial Astra Militarum.

Every time he saw this, Yan Fangxu would marvel.

Units like this were not common on the starship Quintet. Most slave-laborer troops or Servitor soldiers could not reach this level. Only a few marine regiments had such capability; while the marine assault team he brought down was indeed more elite, there were only a thousand such soldiers on the entire starship.

The soldiers smoothly constructed the defensive position, easing the tension Yan Fangxu had felt due to the sudden attack.

Once the enemies appeared before them, the soldiers began to fire fiercely.

Under the crossfire, the monsters fell in droves.

They quickly repelled the monster cluster's assault.

Those disgusting, varied Abscess Monsters lay dead all over the ground. The dark green pus flowing from their bodies was incredibly foul-smelling.

Disgusting as they were, they posed no real threat. Enemies that could only rely on biting, close-range corrosive pus splashes, and dying when shot had no chance under the wall of fire.

But before they could relax for long, the enemy's second wave arrived.

It was still a large group of Abscess Monsters—humanoid, beast-like, and unrecognizable shapes covered in boils—rushing out of the woods, shrieking as they lunged at the position. And in this second wave, some creatures with long-range attack capabilities appeared.

Abscess Sprayers.

These monsters looked similar to ordinary Abscess Monsters, except they had an extra nozzle on their chest or head. When they charged to a distance of about fifty meters, they would stop, accumulate energy for a moment, and then spray large amounts of yellow-green pus from their nozzles.

These monsters, capable of spraying highly corrosive pus, brought a great threat to the defensive position.