As the young man said his farewells to his elders, in another part of Revival City, Cuika'ao, the Primal High Priest of the Primal Angry Owl Sect, was performing his daily ritual.
It was a bright hall, where a statue of a deity that looked part bear and part eagle stood brazenly on display. Carved from stone as white as jade, the Statue of the Primal Angry Owl wore a furious expression. Anyone who stood before it felt a storm rushing toward them. Those with weak minds would have their sanity shattered beneath the gale.
Yet Cuika'ao, the Primal High Priest, stood calmly before the Statue of the Primal Angry Owl.
He was receiving the storm's baptism, and listening to the deity's fury.
At that moment, a cleric in a gray-white hood quietly appeared behind the High Priest.
From a distance, he felt no wind, but he knew all too well what would happen if he stood before the storm-wreathed statue.
The High Priest had already been standing there for a long time.
The cleric's eyes were full of fear and reverence. He reported in a low voice, "High Priest, our operations in Revival City have run into some obstacles. That governor who isn't even in the city has put too much pressure on the Alliance government. They're cracking down on us much harder now. We can no longer move many supplies openly through official channels, and our proselytizing among the outer city's refugees has been forced underground."
The High Priest turned around, his gaze profound, as if he could see into the cleric's heart. Though his lips did not move, his voice sounded in the cleric's ear like a gentle breeze. "The power of the storm is boundless. We will overcome every difficulty and fulfill our sacred mission. These minor obstacles will ultimately be swept away by the storm. Even if the one standing in our way is that governor, the same fate awaits him."
The cleric was thoroughly convinced. "You're right. The Howling Wind Divine Envoy sent word earlier that the enemy has taken the bait. We should hear good news soon. Once that governor dies, all of Revival City will descend into chaos! They can't afford the consequences of a governor's unnatural death. They'll be afraid of the starships in the sky, and then no one will have the time to worry about what we're doing."
The High Priest sighed. "Time flies, yet humanity still languishes in ignorance. Only the storm can lead them out of the darkness. Our mission is to spread the glory of God to every corner of the world."
The cleric replied respectfully, "As you say, High Priest. We will do everything in our power and not fail the storm."
The High Priest fell silent and prayed once more, then said with a sigh, "May the storm guide our path, and let us be beacons that show people the way through this darkness. Go, my child. The Lord's blessing be with you."
The cleric bowed respectfully, then quietly departed, leaving the High Priest alone before the Statue of the Primal Angry Owl.
Yan Fangxu had already sensed that something was seriously wrong.
He was leading the newly formed 3rd Infantry Battalion, which had only just received its equipment, on a clearing operation in the Xenomorph Forest.
Four hours earlier, his troops had been purging a monster nest.
They had killed dozens of monsters near the nest. What came next was no different from before. Although this Incubation Nest was larger than any they had encountered so far, it still wasn't beyond anything they could have imagined.
After destroying the nest, they had prepared to leave for the next location.
Then dense gunfire erupted from the surrounding woods.
Yan Fangxu's command style had always favored caution. Even after destroying many Incubation Nests, he had not let his guard down for a moment when they encountered this one. He had set up every necessary outer perimeter watch, and had not neglected to establish a temporary defensive position while destroying the Incubation Nest. In short, he preferred to fight the slow, methodical way, leaving no openings.
He knew that old Pobov had been grumbling behind his back about how slow he was, hoping to get 2nd Battalion assigned to this work and leave the newly formed 3rd Battalion to guard the city. But clearly, the Governor trusted him, a bona fide Imperial captain, more than he trusted Pobov, who had been rushed through his training.
And he had not let the Governor down. Since the operation began, the troops under his command had suffered few casualties.
Today in particular, his caution had paid off.
The soldiers on the perimeter watch spotted a massive horde of monsters approaching. They opened fire first, slowing the monsters' advance and buying Yan Fangxu time.
The perimeter soldiers fought as they fell back. By the time they returned, Yan Fangxu had already directed his troops to form a triangular defensive position. Each of the three infantry companies held one side, with sections jutting outward to support one another, while ensuring their fire could cover and reinforce each other.
They had managed all this in the ten-odd minutes the perimeter soldiers had bought them. That was partly thanks to Yan Fangxu's excellent command and advance preparations, and the troops' strict discipline; partly because every soldier in 3rd Battalion had excellent military skills.
They had yet to fight a tough battle, and the soldiers' nervousness was plain to see. But their morale remained good, and they followed orders to the letter, fully meeting the Imperial Astra Militarum's standards.
Every time Yan Fangxu saw this, he couldn't help but marvel.
There weren't even that many troops of this caliber aboard the Quintet. Most of the slave laborers serving as auxiliaries and the Servitor soldiers couldn't measure up. Only a few marine regiments could manage it. The Marine Assault Team he had brought down was indeed more elite, but there were only a thousand soldiers of this caliber aboard the entire starship.
The soldiers smoothly established their defensive position, easing some of the tension Yan Fangxu had felt at the sudden attack.
When the enemies appeared in sight, the soldiers opened fire furiously.
Under their crossfire, the monsters fell in droves.
They quickly repelled the horde's attack.
The disgusting Abscess Monsters, all misshapen, lay dead everywhere. The dark green pus leaking from their bodies stank horribly.
They were disgusting, but they weren't much of a threat. Enemies that could only bite or splash corrosive pus at close range—and died when shot—stood no chance against a wall of fire.
But before they could relax for long, the enemy launched a second attack.
Once again, hordes of Abscess Monsters charged out of the woods, their bodies covered in lumps. Some were humanoid, some animal-shaped, and others too bizarre to identify. They shrieked as they rushed toward the defensive position. Among this second wave were several creatures capable of ranged attacks.
Abscess Sprayers.
These monsters looked much like ordinary Abscess Monsters, except that they had a nozzle either on their chest or atop their head. When they reached a distance of about fifty meters, they stopped, charged up for a moment, then sprayed great gouts of yellow-green pus from their nozzles.
These creatures could spray highly corrosive pus, posing a serious threat to the defensive position.
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