"Dad! There's still no news about Teacher Lu!"
Xu Feng had just walked into the house when Xiao Dan ran over to him, her face full of worry.
Xu Feng rubbed her head. "Don't worry. It's only a Beast Tide.
Your Teacher Lu is a Battle General. She's very capable."
"Really? Hmph, Liu Zixi was saying in class today that Teacher Lu might not make it back!
Just wait till I see him this afternoon. I'll teach him a lesson!" Xiao Dan said angrily.
Xu Feng smiled and comforted her for a while, then frowned and went into the bathroom.
With a soft hiss, the shower came on, filling the room with a misty spray. Only then did a faint trace of worry appear on his face.
The previous evening, the base had issued a notice.
A Level Three Beast Tide had erupted near District 20 in the Wumeng Mountain Region.
An exploration team out in the area had been surrounded by the Beast Tide.
The base had dispatched troops to support them, while also calling up all hunters and registered warriors familiar with the terrain.
The pay was exceptionally high.
Even Huang Sen had been unable to resist going as a guide.
Xu Feng had stayed out of it.
Though he was worried about Lu Fei too,
he knew that Lu Fei was a Battle General, while he was only a Primary Warrior.
Compared to Lu Fei, Xiao Dan was the one who needed protection most.
Still, Xu Feng wasn't worried about the situation itself.
The Level Three Beast Tide was aimed at the human warrior base in District 20.
Lu Fei's exploration team should only have been caught up in the outskirts of it. Nothing serious should—
"Knock, knock, knock!"
"Dad!"
"Dad, come quick! Something's happened!"
Xu Feng had barely thought it when Xiao Dan pounded on the bathroom door.
He jolted, hastily pulled on his underwear, and rushed out. "What happened?!"
But when Xu Feng burst out, he found only Xiao Dan in the room.
There was no danger.
"Ah!" Xiao Dan hurriedly covered her eyes. "Dad, Uncle Fatty's here! He says something's happened!"
Xu Feng was speechless.
After a moment of exasperation, he put on his jacket and opened the door.
"Old Xu! Have you heard? Something huge has happened!" Fatty said as soon as he came in, his face grim.
"What huge thing? Is it going to stop me from eating and drinking?" Xu Feng said unconcernedly, turning to pick up a towel and dry his hair.
Xiao Dan obediently took the towel and stood behind the sofa, drying Xu Feng's hair.
"A War God... A War God Grade powerhouse from Great Xia died near District 20!"
Fatty's lips trembled as he spoke.
"What?!"
Xu Feng shot to his feet, startling Xiao Dan.
"It's all right, it's all right. It has nothing to do with us."
Xu Feng snapped out of it and hurried to reassure Xiao Dan.
Then, forcing down his shock, he gave Wang Long a meaningful look. "Let's talk outside."
"Go play some games. You don't have to do your homework today. Take a break."
He managed a faint smile at Xiao Dan.
"Yay!" Xiao Dan nodded and ran off.
Only then did Xu Feng turn and leave with Wang Long.
"A War God... How could one die?"
As soon as they stepped into the backyard, Xu Feng couldn't help looking at Wang Long in shock.
"Where did you hear this? It can't be fake, can it?"
That was a War God Grade powerhouse!
A warrior at the peak of humanity!
A being who had surpassed human limits!
A godlike figure in the hearts of countless warriors!
How could a War God die?!
Wang Long seemed dazed. "You know I have a connection at the Base Pharmaceutical Department.
The vice department head himself told me. He wants to recruit me. He said the medicine I'm researching could be a huge help to soldiers surviving on the battlefield or something.
But I can't think about any of that right now!
Old Xu! He was a War God! And he died in the Beast Tide!"
But Xu Feng was worried about something else.
Lu Fei was also part of the exploration team near District 20.
If even a War God Grade powerhouse hadn't been spared, what about a Battle General?
"Do you know exactly what happened? How did the War God die?" Xu Feng asked quickly.
"I don't know. I only know a War God died, not what exactly happened.
That old man said the base would put out an official notice tonight.
A War God's death is huge news. The whole Wumeng Mountain Region is probably going to be turned upside down.
I came to tell you about it, and also to get your advice. Should I join the Pharmaceutical Department?"
Xu Feng drew a deep breath, trying to calm his shock.
After a moment, he had to admit one thing.
There was nothing he could do.
Whether it was the War God's death, the Beast Tide, or the trapped exploration team,
there was nothing he could do.
Xu Feng rubbed his face and looked at Wang Long. "I think this is an opportunity for you. If the base's Pharmaceutical Department really wants to recruit you...
I don't know much about the medicine you're researching, but I can tell you have a real talent for it.
You hate their bureaucratic ways and rigid system.
But if you stay cooped up at home, working in isolation, you'll never accomplish anything great.
A War God's death will certainly set off a series of changes. But we still have to keep living our lives.
If things in the Dimension Realm get worse, joining the Pharmaceutical Department might not be a bad thing.
A storm is coming. This is the time to find someone powerful to back you."
Wang Long's chubby face twitched slightly as he listened. "You're right, Old Xu. You're right. I'll get going, then!"
Fatty came and went in a hurry.
That left Xu Feng sitting alone in the chair outside, lost in thought.
A moment later, he sprang up, went back inside to grab his blade, and headed to the backyard.
"Hiss!"
With a faint rush of wind, Xu Feng slowly settled his mind and began practicing his blade techniques.
Worry, concern, panic, urgency—all his negative emotions gradually faded with each swing of his Battle Blade.
Little by little, only one thought remained in Xu Feng's mind.
Get stronger!
That evening, the base issued a notice to everyone.
Xu Feng received it on his communicator as well.
It was an obituary for the fallen War God Jade Blade Yao Feng, along with a report on the situation at the front.
The Martial University in District 20 had nearly been overrun during the Level Three Beast Tide.
In his hour of need, War God Jade Blade Yao Feng had chosen to leave the city alone and draw the beasts away from the base.
Ordinarily, a Level Three Beast Tide wouldn't have been enough to threaten a War God Grade powerhouse.
But to everyone's surprise, a Lord Grade Alien Race member, a Spine Feather Bird, had been hiding within the Beast Tide.
In Earth's legends,
the Spine Feather Bird was a divine bird from the Wumeng Mountain Region that helped the Butterfly Mother, a mythical being from Miao folklore, hatch her eggs.
Many human experts in history believed the mythical bird credited in Miao legends with creating all things had, in fact, originated from the Spine Feather Bird clan in the Dimension Realm.
Some human historians even believed that in ancient times, the Sky Pit Dimensional Realm had once been connected to Earth.
That connection was later severed by some accident.
That was why so many vague legends of mythical creatures had survived.
These were supposed to be basic facts from history textbooks.
But the original Xu Feng hadn't known much about history. Back in school, he had only memorized facts by rote.
He had forgotten much of it after starting work.
So as he read the notice, Xu Feng could only skim for the main points.
Caught off guard by the Lord Grade Alien Race member, War God Yao Feng had been worn down to death by the Beast Tide.
Fortunately, War God Grade powerhouses from Districts 21 and 22 soon arrived with their forces. They fought their way through the Beast Tide and killed the Alien Race lord.
The notice then called on all warriors to observe a moment of silence for War God Yao Feng at home.
It also warned that, given the situation, the Alien Races would certainly not let matters rest.
The base was therefore recruiting large numbers of highly skilled personnel and preparing for another round of battle.
Every household was also asked to make preparations in case scattered beasts caused trouble.
The notice ended with a list of job openings, the number of positions, and the requirements for education and skill.
Xu Feng immediately spotted an opening for a "Military Communications Repair Engineer."
The job required repairing military communicators, communications antennas, base-station antennas, vehicle-mounted antennas, aircraft antennas, and more.
There was no salary listed, but even a fool could guess it paid better than his current job!
His current job was already pretty good. It involved repairing military communicators, after all.
But he could only work on low-end mobile communicators, mostly Series 9 and Series 6 models.
With his hefty Martial Loan payments and other expenses, Xu Feng had to find ways to cut costs and increase his income.
So he had to try for this job.
It might even give him a chance to learn about the exploration team's situation.
And if he managed to get hired, then if the situation in the region worsened, joining an advanced military repair team would let him get the news right away.
A storm was coming. He had to prepare early.
Before you continue