The sight inside the Portal froze the excitement and joy on the faces of every Expeditionary Force soldier at the Forward Base.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Kael, Thorin, Muyu, and the other representatives of the nonhuman races looked even more bewildered.
Thorin the Dwarf rubbed his eyes hard as he stared at the dark cannon muzzles beyond the Portal.
"Oh, God of Craftsmen... do you humans always make such a grand affair of coming home?"
Grom, the Half-Orc chieftain, was even more direct. He pointed to the other side of the Portal and asked Elder Muyu beside him in his deep, muffled voice.
"Honored Elder, those iron things don't seem to be welcoming them, do they?"
Elder Muyu's aged face creased in a frown, eyes full of confusion.
Were the people of Great Xia fighting among themselves?
Yet up ahead, Lin Mo, Long Zhan, and Zhao Gang exchanged glances without any surprise on their faces.
This was part of the plan, after all. They had known about it long ago.
Beep-
An emotionless electronic voice came through the loudspeakers inside the Portal.
"Anti-Invasion Security Protocol activated."
"Please state the correct identification code!"
Lin Mo stepped forward, his voice ringing out.
"Great Xia's First Expeditionary Army!"
"Beep-identification code correct!" Without the slightest pause, the mechanical voice continued:
"Commander-in-Chief Lin Mo, Deputy Commanders Long Zhan and Zhao Gang, please enter the Identification Area in sequence for identity verification!"
As the voice fell silent, a mechanical arm pushed a silver-white device covered in probes and scanners up to the entrance from inside the Portal.
Without hesitation, Lin Mo walked forward and pressed his palm against the device's cold identification pad.
"Fingerprint verification passed."
"Iris scan commencing... verification passed."
"Voiceprint comparison... verification passed."
A blue beam shot from the top of