Ran into the Muzzle

As he stepped into the hall, he was slightly taken aback by the scene before him.

Several candles had been lit inside, their dim yet warm glow dispelling the deep darkness.

Awakened by the sound of the helicopter, no one had gone back to sleep. They had already heard about Lin Yi's situation, and upon seeing him enter, they swarmed toward him in a flurry.

"Xiao Yi! No, Major Lin!"

His uncle, Zhou Jianjun, was the first to speak. He clapped Lin Yi on the shoulder with force, his eyes even turning red. "Good lad! You've truly brought honor to your grandfather's family, and to our country as well!"

"Brother Yi! That's incredible, a Major!" Chen Yu lunged forward, clearly wanting to give Lin Yi a hug. His eyes lit up as he looked at the box in Lin Yi's hands. "And the authorities gave you so many crystals all at once!"

His parents stood a little further back. His father, Lin Ruiming, held his wife's shoulders tightly. He looked at his son and nodded heavily, a thousand words conveyed through that profound gaze.

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

Lin Yi was instantly submerged in a chorus of congratulations and questions.

Feeling the warmth of the fervent atmosphere, Lin Yi felt a gentle glow in his heart.

He raised his hand and pressed it downward, signaling for everyone to be quiet.

"Thank you, everyone." His voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly. "This honor does not belong to me alone. Without the armor and weapons Ah Yu gave me, and without everyone guarding this place together to resolve our worries, none of this would be possible."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over their eager and curious faces before finally settling on the silver-white box in his hands.

"I know what you all want to see. That's right, the research materials from the General Staff are inside this box."

Lin Yi smiled slightly, and then, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he opened the box in front of them all.

In an instant, a soft radiance burst forth. The white and green crystals in the center, in particular, emitted a light that nearly eclipsed the candlelight, drawing an irrepressible gasp from the crowd.

"Wow!"

"So many!"

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

Lin Yi did not explain the specific meaning behind the colors; he simply reached out and, as if inspecting treasures, carefully touched each crystal one by one.

His movements were calm and earnest, as if he were performing a solemn ritual rather than counting spoils of war.

He first examined the gray crystals.

Just as he had expected, all fourteen were Tier 1 Source Energy Crystals.

Then, under the burning gazes of the crowd, Lin Yi's fingers brushed across the six Spirit Radiance Crystals that emitted a warm, white glow.

With every touch, a stream of information flooded his mind, and he read the contents aloud clearly.

"The first, a movement technique: Wandering Star Steps."

"The second, a combat style: Star-Splitting Spear Art."

"The third, a cultivation method: Nine-Layer Source Origin Method."

"The fourth, a cultivation manual: Micro-Dust Art."

"The fifth, equipment: Flowing Cloud Type I light combat armor."

"The sixth, a weapon: Abyss-Splitting Type I spear."

With every name he announced, the breathing of those around him grew more rapid, and their eyes grew brighter.

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

When he had touched all six crystals, Lin Yi already understood.

Movement, combat style, primary cultivation method, auxiliary manual, defensive armor, and primary weapon.

How could this be a random drop of rewards?

This was clearly a complete, one-step configuration for a Stardust Rank low-level cultivator, tailored specifically for him!

From cultivation to combat, from defense to mobility, the General Staff had considered almost all of his shortcomings and needs.

In his past life, he had struggled until he reached the third stage of the Stardust Rank before he could scrape together such a set of equipment. Yet now, the General Staff had provided it all at once.

Although these items were not incredibly precious—Lin Yi reckoned that with his plan to reveal his strength, he could have acquired them all within half a year—the thoughtfulness and importance placed upon him still made him feel quite satisfied.

After all, in his past life, the authorities were too overwhelmed during his growth period to provide such treatment. By the time he reached the Star Core Level, although the authorities had grown stronger, it was already the era where he and other high-level figures were the ones cultivating the younger generation.

He had truly never experienced being showered with resources for such intensive cultivation before.

I have to say, this feeling is actually not bad at all.

While marveling at this brand-new experience, Lin Yi let his gaze linger for a moment on the crystals for the Star-Splitting Spear Art and the Abyss-Splitting Type I spear, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind.

However, it's a bit strange. I clearly used a staff in the video. Although there are many similarities between a staff and a spear, configuring a set of spear techniques and a long spear specifically still seems a bit deliberate. The General Staff couldn't possibly make such a low-level mistake.

His gaze drifted involuntarily toward the Spirit Radiance Crystal that lay quietly in the center, emitting a deep, emerald green light.

Could it be... the reason lies here?

Lin Yi reached out his finger and cautiously touched the green crystal.

In an instant, a torrent of information, far more vast and complex than that of the white crystals, surged into his sea of consciousness.

At the core of the information were three large characters, brimming with the aura of slaughter.

Annihilation Strike!

In addition, there were the associated techniques for channeling energy, methods for constructing source energy circuits, and various profound precautions.

This was an incredibly domineering, single-target spear technique that pursued the ultimate in destruction.

Its principle involved highly compressing the source energy of the entire body, concentrating it at the tip of the spear, and unleashing it the moment it struck the target, producing a tearing and annihilating effect that approached the level of universal laws. Its power was terrifying, far exceeding ordinary Stardust Rank methods.

However, the threshold for practicing and using it was also extremely high, placing rigorous demands on one's control over source energy.

Annihilation Strike was divided into three layers; reaching the Stardust Rank was merely the minimum requirement for practice, and to perfectly unleash its power, one needed to reach the high stage of the Stardust Rank.

So, it's a move that touches upon a sliver of universal laws. If cultivated to the extreme, it could reach the level of a pseudo-Star Core.

Lin Yi ignored the flashy information in the crystal and grasped its essence at a glance.

It is nothing more than a crude imitation and utilization of the fundamental laws of the universe.

Although he could create moves of this level himself if he spent the time, having something ready-made to practice would be more reasonable for the future, saving him a great deal of effort in maintaining his disguise.

Moreover, it could lay the groundwork for him to comprehend the fundamental laws of the universe in advance.

It was quite good.

At this point, Lin Yi's mind cleared, and all his doubts found their answers.

The think tanks and analysts at the General Staff must have repeatedly studied his combat footage.

They likely noticed that while his staff techniques were forceful, he did not seem very proficient, nor had he used any exquisite staff moves; it was more like an instinctive application based on his formidable physical constitution.

And this extremely precious green crystal they obtained happened to record an incomparably powerful spear technique: Annihilation Strike.

Thus, an optimal solution formed in their minds: rather than letting him continue using staff techniques that seemed to have low potential and limited ceilings, it was better to simply make Annihilation Strike the core, complete the entire system, and have him switch directly to a long spear that had greater potential and could perfectly complement this ultimate move.

Therefore, they sent the Star-Splitting Spear Art and the "Abyss-Splitting Type I" spear to pave the way for him.

Of course, there was another very important reason: crystals above white involved more profound knowledge of source energy. If one could not understand and grasp it, the information could not be accurately expressed even if it were imprinted in one's mind.

The authorities giving him these, besides wanting him to use them, also truly hoped he would study them.

What a thorough and far-sighted consideration.

Lin Yi sighed inwardly.

He had also understood the hidden meaning behind the authorities' actions.

If he were unwilling to share after learning them, then these things would simply be his reward, and they would be even.

However, Lin Yi felt no resistance toward this kind of "utilization."

After all, the benefits were tangible, and he was happy to share them with the authorities as well.

Although his primary cultivation, the Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique, had not yet reached the Stardust Rank, making it impossible to practice the strongest Annihilation Strike, the other items—the Wandering Star Steps, Star-Splitting Spear Art, Nine-Layer Source Origin Method, Micro-Dust Art, as well as the "Flowing Cloud" light armor and the "Abyss-Splitting" spear—were not impossible to use in advance, even though they were designed for the Stardust Rank.

It was merely that the effects would be discounted, the source energy consumption would be greater, and the duration would be shorter.

For instance, wearing the light armor now might only trigger a very weak defensive effect, and using spear moves would consume a lot of source energy, but they were ultimately usable, allowing him to familiarize himself and practice ahead of time.

But who made the decision this time?

A flicker of curiosity crossed Lin Yi's mind.

Li Zhenguo would at most set a broad range for the rewards; he wouldn't bother with such minor details. This configuration was clearly decided within the General Staff.

"Xiao Yi." His uncle Zhou Jianjun's voice pulled Lin Yi back from his thoughts.

Looking at the dazzling array of crystals in the box, the gloom on his uncle's face caused by the threat of the Abyss Beasts had been largely dispelled, and his tone carried irrepressible excitement and anticipation.

"With these things, if those beasts really dare to come tomorrow, won't things be much easier for us?"

Hearing this, Lin Yi looked up, his gaze sweeping over the others who were also filled with expectation.

This time, he did not maintain his usual composure and calm. Instead, like a youth who had received something good and couldn't wait to show it off, a smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

"Uncle, you're right."

"I'm only afraid they won't come. If they dare to show up tomorrow..."

"Then they will truly be walking right into the muzzle of a gun!"