Clash on the Xia-Buddha Country Border

"Here's your first assignment: find out exactly what mission my son Zhang Bing is carrying out."

After handing the Life-Extending Vitality Pill to Lin Kui, Zhang Hongxing took the opportunity to make his request. He had been back from the immortal realm for several days, and this youngest son was the only family member he had yet to see.

"Senior, I've actually asked around about this. Your son Zhang Bing's rank is already above A-Level. Right now, he should be on guard duty along the border with Buddha Country.

"Recently, Buddha Country has deployed over a hundred thousand troops to the border. There have already been more than a dozen clashes, big and small. I'm afraid your son won't be able to send any word home anytime soon."

Lin Kui's words confirmed Zhang Jun's earlier suspicions.

"Could this turn into a war?"

"A full-scale war is out of the question, but small-scale armed clashes are inevitable."

"Then can you get me over there to see him?"

"Well... all right. If you really want to go, Senior, I can arrange it tomorrow."

Going to the border was no small matter, especially when war could break out there. Even though Zhang Hongxing's current strength allowed him to withstand ordinary rifle fire, he still could not guarantee his safety.

To give himself a little extra protection, Zhang Hongxing found two metal rods that night and inserted them into the electrical outlets in his hotel room.

The hotel's electricity meter spun furiously all night.

Zhang Hongxing's cultivation advanced just as rapidly. By the time the sun rose in the east, he had officially entered the highest cultivation realm currently attainable on Earth: the Golden Core Realm.

At the Golden Core Realm, nothing short of a direct missile hit could kill him.

And the odds of scoring a direct missile hit on a Golden Core Realm expert were practically zero.

The border between Buddha Country and the Xia Kingdom was extremely long, but most of it lay on a snowbound plateau. Even if war broke out, it generally could not last very long.

After all, the most important prerequisite for war was securing logistics and supplies.

Transporting supplies to a place with extraordinarily complex terrain, temperatures below minus ten degrees year-round, and frequent winds of force seven or higher was tremendously difficult.

Even in the modern age, with technology advancing by leaps and bounds, it remained a daunting task.

Biler Red Valley was a relatively level stretch of valley along the border between the Xia Kingdom and Buddha Country, and both nations maintained garrisons there year-round.

On the Buddha Country side was the Buddha Country Divine Church's First Infantry Regiment, led by a colonel.

On the Xia Kingdom side was the Third Infantry Squad, led by squad captain Zhang Bing.

At around nine that night, Zhang Bing was on duty when he suddenly spotted a large number of Buddha Country soldiers charging toward his position. He immediately sounded the alarm.

Then he stepped forward to confront them.

"This is Xia Kingdom territory. Stop immediately."

"This is Xia Kingdom territory. Halt at once."

"Damn it, back off, or don't blame me for what happens next!"

When his repeated warnings had no effect, Zhang Bing drew the military knife at his waist. As long as the other side did not use guns, he would not use one either.

The enemy drew closer and closer, until he could make out their expressions.

They carried shields and telescopic batons, without a single blade in sight. Clearly, they had come merely to provoke them.

"Damn it, you want to use your numbers to beat us in a fight without blades? Fine. I'll oblige you."

"Brothers, the enemy wants to gang up on us! What do you say we do?"

"Fuck them up!"

"Good! Today, we'll show these circus performers what real soldiers look like!"

"Third Infantry Squad, attack!"

"Kill!"

Zhang Bing's men numbered only sixteen in total, while several hundred had come from the Buddha Country side. Yet not one of his men showed any fear.

When the fighting began, they were even the first to charge.

In the opening clash, they could not afford to lose in fighting spirit.

Even when a battle involved only relatively nonlethal iron batons and shields, it bore no resemblance to the sweeping, dramatic fights in movies, let alone anything beautiful.

Every strike the Xia Kingdom soldiers made went straight for a vital point. A one-hit kill was the most useful move on a battlefield.

In just five minutes, Zhang Bing had taken down ten enemies. He had also suffered serious injuries, and several of his soldiers lay on the ground, their fates unknown.

Just as all fifteen of them were about to be wiped out, reinforcements finally appeared behind them.

Five people had arrived, there to escort Zhang Hongxing.

Seeing the fighting ahead, the four soldiers charged in without a word.

After observing for a moment, Zhang Hongxing leaped past them and landed in front of Zhang Bing. With one kick, he sent a Buddha Country soldier who was swinging an iron baton flying.

He truly sent the man flying, knocking over three more Buddha Country soldiers in the process.

That alone showed how powerful his kick had been.

The entire battlefield froze for a moment at the sight, but then more Buddha Country soldiers charged toward him.

Zhang Hongxing had only one way of dealing with enemies: kill.

With his Golden Core Realm strength, charging into these ordinary men was like driving a steel tank into a formation of barehanded infantry. Every time he struck, someone died.

Soon, more than half the Buddha Country soldiers were dead.

Seeing this, the remaining soldiers made a point of avoiding him. Some even chose to turn and flee.

Bang!

Finally, someone lost his nerve and drew a gun. A bullet whistled toward Zhang Hongxing, only for him to reach out and catch it.

"That's impossible! Mamma mia, I must be dreaming!"

"Oh God, this can't be real!"

"Damn it, he must be bluffing!"

More bullets flew toward Zhang Hongxing, while the Xia Kingdom soldiers drew their pistols and began returning fire.

So many gunshots could very well trigger a chain reaction.

Neither the people of Xia and Buddha Nations nor their leaders wanted to see that happen. Putting on a show through an unspoken mutual understanding served both sides' interests better.

Unfortunately, Zhang Hongxing knew none of this.

Even if he had known, he probably would have dismissed it with contempt.

The enemy had drawn guns on him, so there was even less chance he would spare them. True qi surged through his body, and the bullets he had caught shot back at an even greater speed.

The Buddha Country soldiers began dying even faster.

Only when not a single Buddha Country soldier remained standing on the battlefield did this small-scale battle finally come to an end.

Afterward, Buddha Country immediately issued a battle report, declaring itself the victor.

Hostile voices abroad who had been eager to see the Xia Kingdom humiliated instantly erupted in celebration. All manner of comments attacking the Xia Kingdom flooded the internet.

Soon, the Xia Kingdom issued its own report and posted the corresponding video online. The release of that report was nothing short of a slap in Buddha Country's face.

It also left those hostile voices feeling as sick as if they had swallowed flies.