A Good Thing

Perhaps the gunshot really had served as a deterrent. During the patrol that followed, Yang Wenqing's group encountered no more demon beasts.

After the three-man team finished sweeping their two-kilometer fan-shaped sector and returned to the forest's edge, they found that the other teams had also gradually completed their tasks and returned, while the outline of the camp had begun to take shape.

A circle of two-meter-high folding metal fencing had already formed a simple defensive line across the clearing. Simple reinforcement runes were inscribed on its surface, and several thick canvas tents had been erected. The largest was clearly the command post. In the center of the camp, a portable rune generator hummed at work, supplying power to several high-mounted searchlights.

The First Squad members and logistical personnel were still busy refining the defensive details, laying simple warning traps outside the fence and setting up communications antennas.

Just then, members of the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Patrol Squads arrived as well, and the previously somewhat deserted camp immediately became lively.

Following the preassigned sectors, each squad slowly settled in under the guidance of the logistical staff. Then came the collection of dinner rations and equipment inspections.

"Building a camp in the dead of night. Who knows what those people upstairs were thinking."

As they settled in, Ye Yong grumbled irritably.

Zhu Lin bit into his dry rations as he said, "What else could they have been thinking? The leaders probably got too deep into their meeting discussion, ran overtime, and pushed the assembly time back by several hours."

Just as his words fell, a streak of light cut across the sky and stopped above the camp. The radiance faded, revealing a Flying Shuttle—the very one parked in the Public Security Office's rear courtyard—which then slowly descended.

Once the Flying Shuttle settled on the ground, Station Chief Wang Ren jumped out of the cabin. He was followed by the communications personnel from the various patrol squads, including Liu-jie from the Second Squad. The moment they appeared, they began bustling around the command tent, clearly setting up communications equipment.

After dinner, Yang Wenqing had continued practicing his punches in a corner of the Second Squad's encampment. The others had long since grown used to it. Even the station chief had heard of his diligence. Most people did not think highly of his prospects, but quite a few were looking forward to seeing when he would advance to the Qi Refining Stage.

At eight that evening, Xiao Liang returned from a meeting in the command tent. He glanced at Yang Wenqing, who was meditating in the corner, then walked over and said, "Get some rest early. Tomorrow will be a busy day."

Yang Wenqing had already emerged from his meditative state when his captain approached. Hearing Xiao Liang's words, he obediently nodded, rose to his feet, and entered their assigned tent.

The tents were assigned by group. Li Ming and Zhou Kun were also meditating, and both opened their eyes at the sound of footsteps. The three casually exchanged a few words, then began arranging their bedding. Before long, they fell into a deep sleep.

Before dawn the next day, Yang Wenqing got up. When he stepped out of the tent, he saw that several people were already doing morning exercises in the distance. Among them was the middle-aged man he often saw in the small courtyard—Kong Yu, a senior guard from the Sixth Patrol Squad. He had persisted in cultivation like this for ten years.

The others who persisted in cultivation were young people like Yang Wenqing. Their family circumstances were similar to his, and all hoped that one day they would succeed in Qi Refining and change the fate of themselves and their families.

At some unknown moment, the morning glow had draped itself across the clouds at the end of the horizon. At this time, everyone in the camp, including Station Chief Wang Ren, was carrying out their daily morning training.

Suddenly, a mechanical alarm rang out from the center of the camp. The six captains immediately stopped training and barked at their subordinates to put on their equipment. Ten minutes later, they began assigning tasks.

The task assigned to Yang Wenqing's three-man group was the area thirty kilometers south of the camp. This had been arranged by the station chief and the six captains the previous night.

The morning light was faint, and cold, damp mist filled the forest.

Following their assignment, Yang Wenqing, Li Ming, and Zhou Kun cautiously advanced southward. As they went deeper, the trees grew taller and denser. The spiritual energy in the air seemed more concentrated as well, though it was far from stable.

When the three had advanced about twenty kilometers, they discovered several deliberately cleared paths, along with crude markers piled from beast bones and stones.

"Careful. There may be clustered demon creatures nearby." Li Ming's experience showed as he immediately warned them.

The moment his words left his mouth, a sharp shriek rang out from the brush ahead. Dozens of figures then sprang from the trees and bushes, half-encircling the three of them.

"So they really are demon creatures." A chill glinted in Zhou Kun's eyes.

Most of these demon creatures retained beastlike features. At their head stood an especially large wolf demon. It walked nearly upright, its entire body covered in bluish-gray fur. Its wolfish head was savage, fangs exposed, and its claws gleamed with cold light. In its hand, it gripped a thick bone club.

Seven or eight companions with wolf heads and humanoid bodies surrounded it, though they were somewhat smaller. Besides them, there were several lizard-like demon creatures covered in dull scales and holding stone spears.

"Roar!"

The leading wolf demon gave a threatening growl. Its scarlet eyes fixed viciously on the three of them, brimming with feral savagery and the desire to kill.

"Clear them out!" Li Ming gave the combat order without another word.

"Awooo!"

Seeing that its intimidation had failed, the wolf demon leader let out a howling command to attack. Its bone club carried a foul gale as it lunged at Li Ming first, while the demon creatures behind it roared and charged as well.

The three simultaneously activated the Protective Formations on their wristguards. A pure white ring of light instantly formed, protecting them within it.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The guns in Li Ming and Zhou Kun's hands fired first, bullets whistling toward the charging demon creatures. Yet these demons were far tougher than the previous Corrupt-Claw Jackals. Unless hit in vital spots such as the eyes, they were difficult to kill with a single shot, and they knew how to use the trees for cover.

Yang Wenqing's gaze sharpened as he saw a lizard demon leap with the aid of a tree trunk, attempting to hurl its stone spear at Zhou Kun from above and the side.

"Freeze!"

Yang Wenqing threw a talisman bearing an Immobilization Spell, striking the lizard demon precisely in midair. Its body stiffened, its throwing motion warped, and the stone spear plunged crookedly into the ground beside it. Zhou Kun reacted with lightning speed, swung his gun around, and with a bang, blew its head apart.

At that moment, the wolf demon leader had already rushed close. Its bone club smashed viciously into the barrier, making it shake violently as its glow dimmed considerably.

"Cover me!"

Li Ming barked low. He held his gun in his left hand, drew a longsword with his right, and poured spiritual energy into the blade, ready to engage at close quarters.

Yang Wenqing understood at once. He swiftly locked onto the wolf demon leader and pulled the trigger without hesitation. Yet this time, his target was not the wolf leader itself, but the ground one step in front of it!

"Explosive Round!"

Yang Wenqing shouted a warning to his companions.

A violent explosion followed. What he had fired was an Explosive Round, and the immense shockwave and flying fragments from the blast sent the wolf leader's body hurtling backward.

Li Ming had already raised the protective barrier's output to maximum the moment Yang Wenqing warned him. The shockwave only made his body sway slightly. Then the longsword in his hand became a flash of cold light, stabbing straight toward the wolf leader's exposed throat as it stiffened!

"Squelch!"

The longsword pierced through with perfect precision!

The wolf demon leader let out a miserable howl. As the sword was pulled free, its massive body crashed to the ground.

With its leader dead, the remaining demon creatures immediately fell into chaos. Some fled in terror into the dense forest, while others lunged forward even more frantically.

"Clear them all out!" Li Ming ordered coldly.

The three worked in seamless coordination. Gunshots and the radiance of spellwork flashed again, and without their leader's organization, the demon creatures were swiftly exterminated one by one.

After the battle ended, the area was a complete mess, thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood.

Following the retreat routes of some of the demon creatures, the three soon found the tribe where they had gathered. It had been built beside a small stream, its structures mostly tents made from animal hides.

At the center of the tribe stood a crude altar piled from broken stones and beast bones. Enshrined atop it was a section of spine about a foot long. It possessed an eerie white-jade texture throughout, with faint flowing light circling within it, as if it were independently absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

"This thing can sell for quite a bit. I heard the West City Public Security Station obtained three of them last year while clearing out demon creatures." Li Ming circulated the spiritual energy within his body and turned his gaze toward Yang Wenqing and Zhou Kun, a faint smile on his face.

Yang Wenqing and Zhou Kun also looked at the section of spine. It was the remains of a cultivator—and a Grand Cultivator at that. The bones had already become a spiritual object and could serve as the formation core for gathering spiritual energy.

According to the City Defense Bureau's regulations, this now counted as their spoils of war, and they had the right to decide how to handle it.

As Li Ming spoke, he had already picked up the cervical vertebra. "What a marvelous feeling. Demon creatures have kept digging up things like this here. This place was probably a battlefield long ago. It's just that when those seniors cleaned up the battlefield, they took away all the good treasures and left behind nothing but a field of corpses."

"What feeling?"

Zhou Kun asked impatiently.

Li Ming smiled faintly and handed the cervical vertebra to Zhou Kun.

Zhou Kun held it for barely a second before shaking his head. "It's like a convenient Spirit-Gathering Formation, except the spiritual energy it gathers hasn't been refined. If we cultivated with the spiritual energy it gathered, we'd be finished sooner or later."

As he spoke, he passed the cervical vertebra to Yang Wenqing.

The instant Yang Wenqing took it, uncontrollable delight appeared on his face. Yet his joy was completely different from Li Ming and Zhou Kun's, because his Golden Core World could rapidly refine and absorb the spiritual energy it gathered.