Wallfacer?

Gravel Scale Desert, stone-patterned altar.

Hairspring stood before the long stone table, her fingertips resting on a list of the Chamber of Commerce's assets.

The "fish out of the rut" plan of the Four Directions Chamber of Commerce was not hastily formulated after anticipating the current predicament.

Only six months remain before Eden's army arrives.

The "dimensional gap" that facilitates teleportation requires a massive amount of materials, and the more the better.

Therefore, the Hairspring decided to extract every last drop of juice from everything.

Starting four years ago, he systematically began to strip away the actual assets of the Plundering Clock across various continents, converting floating wealth and real estate into large sums of supplies.

The work is now largely complete, but progress in the final stage has not been smooth.

"We used empty assets as collateral to extract goods worth tens of millions of gold coins from the goblins and halflings," the bell-ringing priest reported.

"What about Stars and Chuxu?" Hairspring looked up.

"----Only a few million gold coins in profit." The priest's voice lowered slightly.

Hairspring's brows furrowed slightly.

"Are the Star Empire and the Rising Sun Republic currently taking any action against us?" he asked.

"No." The bell-ringer slowly shook his head. "The Chamber of Commerce's various operations are running normally, and some assets are even being disposed of one after another."

The Hairspring remained silent for a moment.

The lack of action does not mean they are unaware.

Su Ming and Xialike, in particular, are not to be underestimated.

"Continue for three more days. If it can't be dealt with, then leave it alone. All personnel directly under the organization should be evacuated," Hairspring ordered in a deep voice.

"Yes, sir," the priest replied respectfully.

Within the organization, the Clock Hand held a position second only to the highest-ranking priest.

Everyone else must obey orders.

"By the way, should we start the work of burying the plague totem now?" the bell-ringing priest asked at the opportune moment.

The Hairspring hesitated for a moment.

"Once such a device is deployed in a sensitive water source area, it is extremely easy for a perceptive superhuman to detect its presence."

"Especially after the key management personnel, such as the clergy, have withdrawn, then let the chamber of commerce employees carry it out."

"Yes."

The Hairspring gathered the list, and the light returned to the map on the long table.

"Let's prepare to evacuate from the Gravel Scale Desert as well."

The bell-ringing priest was slightly taken aback. "Shall we begin now?"

"Let's begin preparations first," Hairspring said calmly.

"The Star Empire and the Rising Sun Republic's step-by-step advancing strategy has left us no room to maneuver."

"I plan to launch a large-scale attack once the plague I've introduced into the dry skincare oil has spread."

"By draining the entire Gravel Scale Tribe's resources, we can probably sustain two wars, which would buy us about a month's time and deplete a large amount of personnel and supplies from both countries."

This is far from the initial estimate of a three-month delay, but there is no other way at the moment.

"Plan the evacuation route first, and transfer supplies in batches to ensure that we can leave whenever we need to."

"Yes, sir." The bell-ringing priest quickly wrote it down.

Several lizardmen pulled a sand sled, slowly returning from the sand path outside the altar.

The sled carried a small wooden box, about half a person's height.

Hairspring stepped forward and lifted the lid of the box.

Inside was a curled-up, shriveled corpse, completely devoid of moisture, its grayish-brown skin tightly wrapped around the skeleton.

His face was no longer recognizable; only a wisp of faded red hair clung to his bones, like dried moss.

Hairspring crouched down and examined him carefully. He saw that his body was covered with fine wounds and realized that Shadu had not lied. These were indeed the marks left by his combat skills.

"This is Leonite," Hairspring sighed softly.

The bell-ringing priest gazed at the mummified corpse, a look of pity on his face. "My lord, shall we hold a brief funeral so that Leonite may rest in peace?"

Hairspring glanced at him, a slight smirk playing on her lips. "What's there to bury? She's a member of the Qi Nian tribe."

The bell-ringing priest suddenly realized.

The Qi Nian Clan is a parasitic race; this body is merely her former host.

"Leonite's soul core is long gone; she should be re-inhabited," said the Hairspring.

Suddenly, he frowned, reached out and tore open the corpse's dry flesh, pulling out a red crystal from the heart.

The crystal was about the size of a fingernail, with a dark color, and a faint ray of light seemed to be slowly flowing inside.

"Is the situation so urgent that there's only time to parasitize the core of the soul?" the Hairspring murmured softly.

Without this original crystal, even if Leonite's soul successfully parasitizes the host, it cannot control the host and can only fall into a deep sleep.

Hairspring, clutching the dull red crystal, stood up. "Bring Shadu here."

Shortly after, Shadu was brought out of the dungeon.

He was still firmly bound, but his wounds had been treated.

The thin porridge he'd been eating these past few days had also improved his complexion considerably.

Hairspring held up the red crystal in her hand to Shadu's eyes and said in a deep voice, "This is Leonite's true form, the core crystal of the Qi Nian Clan."

Shadu slowly raised his eyelids, glanced at the crystal, and did not ask what the Qi Nian Clan was—he had never heard of them before anyway.

"So what?" he asked coldly, with a hint of disdain.

"Leonite's soul isn't in this crystal," Hairspring said grimly. "I need to know, when you killed her, whose body did she inhabit?"

Shadu recalled the bizarrely injured appearance of Jielusi from back then.

The attack was real, but Leonite's true purpose was to use it as a cover for her parasitic existence.

This so-called "Qi Nian Clan" has never been recorded in the Taya Plane, which is why even Stacy was unaware of it.

But Shadu clearly wouldn't reveal a single word, responding with complete silence.

Hairspring raised his foot and stepped on Shadu's shoulder blade, exerting force suddenly.

Click -

A cracking sound of bones dislocating rang out, and Shadu let out a muffled groan.

Do you know how important Leonite is?!

The sound of the Hairspring rose higher, and the force under his feet increased, pressing Shadu firmly to the ground, veins bulging on his forehead.

"She's connected to the Wallfacer!"

The Wallfacer.

"Another word I've never heard before, "Shadu thought to himself.

"There are six more 'Children of Calamity' like the Wallfacer." Hairspring was unusually talkative today. "Leonite is closely connected to one of the Wallfacer."

The bell-ringing priest standing to the side was filled with doubt.

He knew of the Wallfacer and the Sons of Calamity, but he had never seen anything about Leonite and them in the oracle of the Supreme God.

However, upon further reflection, it's reasonable that Hairspring, as the Clock Hand Master, would know some top-level secrets that he didn't.

Hairspring stared intently at Shadu, her tone icy. "At least two of these children of calamity must die to avoid hindering my god's plan—that's all you wanted!"

He increased the force again, and a dull thud of bones cracking came from beneath his feet.

Shadu coughed up a mouthful of blood, which splattered onto the gravelly ground, turning greenish.

"Tell me, who exactly has Leonite parasitized!"

Shadu suddenly laughed.

He lifted his face from the pool of blood, a bloody gash running down his lip, his voice hoarse.

"Your subordinate was already completely dead back then!"

Hairspring slowly lowered his body, looking directly at Shadu.

"You think Leonite's death is bad news for me?"

A slight smile even appeared at the corners of his mouth, and his voice was kept extremely low.

"If Leonite dies, the Wallfacer will die after her."

So I wasn't saving her.

"I'm hunting down Leonite!"

Shadu's laughter stopped abruptly, and his expression froze.

Hairspring gently patted Shadu's face, her tone icy and chilling. "Think carefully before you answer."

"If I don't get a satisfactory answer before sunrise tomorrow..."

"Then you'll never see the sun again!"

****

Advance to Camp 2.

From the outside, everything appears normal.

Inside the camp, however, a scene of intense activity unfolded.

Logistics soldiers hurried back and forth carrying supplies, alchemists squatted on the ground adjusting magical weapons, and staff officers presided over pre-battle meetings, carefully explaining the formation and tactical details to the frontline personnel.

The air was thick with tension, as if swords were about to be drawn.

"The transport battalion is about to arrive; it's a large convoy of forty vehicles!" came the communications soldier's voice.

"Received. The logistics team is ready to receive you."

According to Su Ming's plan, the transport vehicles must be assembled on the largest possible scale and the delivery mission must be carried out in a manner that involves fewer trips but larger quantities.

The concentration of vehicles means that security forces can also be deployed in a concentrated manner.

This is a basic tactic that has been proven countless times in the history of warfare.

The staff officer quickly reported the troop assembly status to Su Ming: "The Second Battalion of the Final Bone Mad Machines and the Initial Dawn Desert Regiment have completed their deployment; the Third Battalion of the Final Bone Mad Machines will arrive along with the transport battalion."

A staff officer from the Star Empire stepped forward and added, "Our First and Second Desert Divisions are all in position."

The head of the logistics team looked troubled and hesitated, saying, "Our current supplies can only support us for about three days of military operations."

A brief silence fell over the tent.

The chief of staff of the Star Empire frowned and said bluntly, "Chairman Su, this window of opportunity is too short. This is a desert; once the war becomes protracted and logistics are disrupted, it will be catastrophic."

"Don't worry."

A clear voice came from the tent entrance.

Xialike lifted the curtain and came in.

He was dressed in light desert gear and had a sand-proof scarf wrapped around his head, indicating that he had just arrived at the camp.

"With Chairman Su's eyes in the sky," this battle can begin whenever we want, and end whenever we want.

He walked to the table and sat down.

The officer standing nearby quickly picked up the kettle and respectfully poured a cup of water for the emperor.

Intelligence is the key to control.

Su Ming possesses extensive high-altitude reconnaissance capabilities, leaving no room for any large-scale enemy deployment to escape detection.

This one-way, transparent information advantage is the greatest source of confidence for this operation.

"Execute according to Chairman Su's plan. The entire army will launch an attack first thing tomorrow morning!" Xialike Like finished his water, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Yes, sir!" the officers replied in unison.

"Where is the Executioner, Zhapulai?" Su Ming asked, sitting down on the other side of the table.

"He will arrive later tonight with the Heavenly Pivot Battle Group," Xialike replied.

"Including the Heavenly Pivot Battle Group, I brought a total of two High Rank battle groups," he then added.

"Even a Saint Rank expert would find it difficult to withstand an encirclement and attack by a well-organized high-level military force."

"The enemy has no more than two Saint Rank enemies; we can take them down directly."

Su Ming didn't reply, but got up and walked to the map hanging in the tent.

The map is marked with numerous arrows.

According to the plan, the army will move out in full force tomorrow and surround the stone altar from four directions.

"I'm afraid the higher-ups of the Plundering Clock won't bring their troops to confront us head-on tomorrow," Su Ming said slowly.

Xialike raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "They didn't even fight, they just ran away immediately?"

"That's right." Su Ming nodded.

"When we arrive at the altar, we'll most likely be faced with just some lizardmen and cannon fodder at the rear."

"Their key personnel will definitely evacuate in advance."

Xialike also turned his gaze to the map and remained silent for a few seconds.

If the enemy's top combat force insists on fleeing, then even a large army will be powerless to stop them.

Unless an elite squad of equal strength is dispatched to flank and intercept them, there might still be a chance to stop them.

"----When they killed you, they weren't this timid; they were all so fierce," Xialike said, his face full of confusion.

"It's because I looked so weak back then that they thought they could easily kill me," Su Ming said, shrugging innocently.

"Can't you just keep being 'weak' until you take them all out?" Xialike complained half-jokingly.

"There's nothing I can do; my abilities simply don't allow me to keep a low profile any longer," Su Ming said apologetically.

****

Night falls.

After a busy day, Camp 2 finally quieted down.

The soldiers took early rest to conserve their energy.

The personnel on duty diligently patrolled the surrounding area, keeping watch for any possible enemy opportunistic actions.

Su Ming had the logistics department arrange a fairly lavish banquet to entertain Xialike, as well as Zhapulai, who had just arrived, and several senior officers.

After working together for a day, they became more familiar with each other, and Su Ming spoke much more casually.

As he ate, he couldn't help but lament, "The supplies that the two major powers have accumulated and transported for over a month are only enough to sustain the war for three days. With so many people, they really can eat and endure!"

"You bet it's too expensive!" Xialike sighed as well.

The Star Empire has a vast territory and abundant industries, but the wealth in its treasury did not come from nowhere.

The war was taking a much faster turn than anyone had anticipated.

"Moreover, this battle was fought very sluggishly, pushing forward step by step, which was both time-consuming and laborious," Xialike continued. "This is unlike the usual style of 'Bone King Time'."

The desert campaign has lasted longer than all of Su Ming's previous wars combined.

Su Ming smiled calmly.

"That was all because we were too poor before, it forced us to do that." He shrugged.

Flashy tactics may look impressive, but they are only used when there is no other option.

Now that we have the means, why take the risk?

The two looked at each other and then burst into laughter.

Outside the tent, the desert night wind swept by, carrying fine sand and a touch of coolness.

At daybreak, the army set out on its campaign.