First-Level Alert

The two martial artists hesitated, but they still set Researcher Xie down.

She opened her eyes and looked at Zhang Zhenyun.

They were beautiful eyes, but they were bloodshot now, exhausted to the very limit.

"Are you the captain?"

"Yes."

The woman's voice brooked no doubt. "Have your students escort me back to the city. Now. Immediately."

Zhang Zhenyun's expression changed. "But we're in field training—"

Something struck his chest.

It was a token.

A black token, engraved with an intricate spirit energy pattern. At the center of the pattern was a single character: Garrison.

Zhang Zhenyun's hand trembled.

"Garrison Command..."

Even his voice had changed pitch.

The woman had already closed her eyes again. "Escort me back to the city now. Hurry."

Zhang Zhenyun took a deep breath and turned to the five people in the vehicle. "Everyone, get out."

The five of them jumped down.

The two martial artists immediately carried the stretcher over and shoved it into their armored vehicle.

The Third Rank martial artist grabbed Zhang Zhenyun by the shoulder. "Run back. Don't stop. No matter what you hear, don't look back."

"What about you?"

The Third Rank martial artist glanced back toward the ruins, an ugly smile appearing on his face. "We... will hold them off for a while."

He said no more, turning and leaping into his own vehicle.

The three battered armored vehicles turned around and charged back toward the ruins.

Song Chen stood where he was, watching the three vehicles disappear into the distance.

He sensed nothing—no aura of mutated beasts, no spirit energy fluctuations, nothing at all.

But the fear on those martial artists' faces was real.

"Get in the car!" Zhang Zhenyun roared.

The five of them jumped aboard, and the armored vehicle raced toward the city walls like it had gone mad.

Inside the cabin, Researcher Xie lay on the stretcher, her face growing paler and paler.

The wound in her chest was still seeping blood, staining a large patch of the stretcher red.

Li Wei and Liu Tingting frantically helped bandage her, but the wound was too large. They simply could not stop the bleeding.

Song Chen looked at her. She was not much older than him, but three stripes marked her researcher uniform—the symbol of a top-tier researcher.

Who was she?

Why had she suffered such grievous injuries?

What exactly had happened inside those ruins?

But he asked nothing, because this was not the time for questions.

The armored vehicle sped all the way back.

An hour later, the city walls appeared in view.

But today, the atmosphere atop the walls was different.

The battlements, where only a few soldiers usually patrolled, were now packed shoulder to shoulder with people.

Those enormous Spirit Energy Cannons were charging, their muzzles faintly glowing.

Squads of martial artists poured out from the city and rapidly climbed onto the walls. Every face was grave.

The city gates stood wide open, but the entrance was jammed with people. They were not leaving the city—they were entering it.

Large numbers of people and supplies surged madly into the city: martial artist squads, engineering vehicles, huge trucks laden with supplies, and civilians dragging their families along with them.

Zhang Zhenyun's vehicle was trapped behind the crowd, unable to move an inch.

He slammed a fist against the steering wheel. "Damn it!"

Just then, a booming voice rang out from the city walls, echoing through the sky:

"Attention, everyone! By order of Anning City's Garrison Commander: effective immediately, Anning City is entering First-Level Alert!"

"All personnel return to the city at once! All martial artists report in immediately! I repeat, First-Level Alert! All personnel return to the city at once!"

First-Level Alert.

Song Chen's breathing stopped for an instant.

Of course, he knew what First-Level Alert meant.

It was the highest level of emergency, issued only in the most dangerous of times.

The last time First-Level Alert had been declared was during the Third Rank beast tide ten years ago. Anning City had nearly been breached then, and over ten thousand martial artists had died.

"Move! Get the hell out of the way!"

"There's someone important in my car!"

Zhang Zhenyun laid on the horn like mad, but the crowd was too dense. There was no way through.

Just then, a squad of martial artists in black uniforms squeezed their way over.

Every one of them wore the Garrison Command emblem on their chest. Their leader was a middle-aged man with a square face and eyes like lightning.

Hearing Zhang Zhenyun's words, he strode over.

"Who's inside?"

Zhang Zhenyun rolled down the window and handed over the black token. "Researcher Xie from the Garrison Command. Seriously injured."

The middle-aged man's expression changed dramatically. He snatched the token, confirmed it was genuine, and immediately waved his hand.

"Clear the way! Clear it now!"

The black-uniformed martial artists immediately sprang into action, forcibly opening a passage through the crowd.

Zhang Zhenyun's vehicle shot down the passage and drove straight into the city.

The moment they passed through the gates, Song Chen looked back.

Countless martial artists were gathering atop the walls.

Those massive Spirit Energy Cannons had all been activated, their muzzles aimed at the distant Wilderness.

Farther away, crate after crate of ammunition was being hauled up onto the battlements, piled as high as small mountains.

Everyone was looking in the same direction.

Toward the end of that Wilderness.

Toward Evergreen City.

The vehicle door opened, and several researchers in white coats rushed over. They carried Researcher Xie out of the vehicle and quickly vanished into the crowd.

Song Chen stood beside the vehicle, watching the chaos around him.

The streets were packed with people: crying children, silent elders, and martial artists hurrying past at a run.

In the sky, swarms of drones flew overhead in dense clusters, their buzzing roar filling the air.

Zhang Zhenyun walked over and lit a cigarette. His hand trembled slightly, but his expression remained fairly composed. He lowered his voice. "Don't tell anyone about what happened today."

Song Chen looked at him. "Captain, in those ruins..."

Zhang Zhenyun shook his head.

"Don't ask."

"Don't pry into things you don't know. Once you know, you might not be able to sleep."

"But I can tell you one thing: I recognized a few of those martial artists. They were all Third Rank or above—people who normally strutted through the city sideways. I'd never seen them panic like that."

Song Chen fell silent.

He recalled the expression on that Third Rank martial artist's face, those battered armored vehicles, and the savage wound in Researcher Xie's chest.

What exactly was inside those ruins?

Zhang Zhenyun patted him on the shoulder. "Let's go. During First-Level Alert, all field training will probably be suspended."

He turned to leave, then stopped again. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Oh, right. Keep that little secret of yours hidden. Don't let anyone set their sights on you."

Song Chen nodded. Looking at the distant city walls, he had a feeling that Anning City was about to see the sky change.

Just as Zhang Zhenyun had expected, they soon received the news: the field training had ended early.

The order had come personally from Chief Instructor Chen Tieshan. All students were to return to the city immediately. Their training grades would be assessed based on their performance over the first five days, while further compensation would be announced separately.

When the news arrived, Li Wei and the others were packing their things.

Li Wei walked over with her bag in hand. "Brother Chen, aren't you packing?"

"In a moment."

Song Chen touched the large, heavy bag of Life Crystal Cores in his backpack.

They were his harvest from the past five days.

A total of 132 Life Cores from First Rank mutated beasts.

Before this, he would not even have dared dream of such a number.

But now, those Crystal Cores lay in his pocket, cold and hard, like silent medals.

Li Wei seemed to see what he was thinking. "I heard there's a point exchange office at the base. It's open for the last day today. Do you want to exchange them for something?"

Song Chen raised his head. "Let's go together."

Before the field training began, the instructors had said that killing mutated beasts allowed students to exchange Crystal Cores for points, and points could be traded at the base for all kinds of cultivation resources.

It was both a benefit provided by the school for its students and an incentive.