The fleet of more than a dozen vessels still lay anchored far out in the distance. Instead, another ship arriving behind them came straight ashore, and people disembarked.
Faced with this unexpected development, the chaotic scene—including both sides locked in combat—fell into an eerie hush. Only the crackle and pop of flames atop several abandoned lighthouse structures broke the silence, accompanied by the whistle of the wind.
The brief exchange of words that followed was distinct. Some did not understand it, while others caught it clearly, hearing mention of a "Second Lieutenant Wen."
A heavy wooden crate dropped onto the sandy slope with a dull thud.
The tide of the battle seemed poised to shift, but how exactly it would change and what was about to happen, no one knew.
Most onlookers felt tense and uneasy. Yet since they hadn't run before, they dared not run now, terrified that a reckless move might turn them into a target. A daring few, or those confident their strength surpassed most present, were driven more by curiosity—even harboring faint anticipation for what would unfold next.
"Bullets?!"
The dull thud of the crate landing sent Wen Jifei’s heart pounding furiously.
Once, he had fantasized countless times: *What if the Elegy of the Square wasn't so brittle...?*
Later, the Elegy of the Square had ceased to be brittle, fortified by the bone and blood of Han Qingqing.
Then he had begun longing for another thing: *What if I had infinite bullets?*
Judging by the crate's dimensions, there had to be at least five to six hundred rounds inside.
All his fantasies and hopes were realized right here, right now!
Clutching the sniper rifle that had essentially been reduced to a useless fire poker moments ago, goosebumps erupted across Wen Jifei's skin. His heart hammered—*thump, thump, thump...*
"Wait, calm down, Plague Chicken." He looked up again and confirmed, "Only a dozen or so people came off the ship."
Far too few. That couldn't change anything.
On top of that, there were the enemy supers: Theodore was one, and the other was fucking Alphonse! Ranked fifth on the Dome Leaderboard, Alphonse was on the scene...
"Where's the super?! Where is our super?! Didn't you say we had a super?!" Wen Jifei shouted anxiously toward the dozen Azure soldiers sprinting over from the flank.
The soldier who had just hurled the crate pointed back over his shoulder as he ran. "Suppressing Alphonse."
Wen Jifei and the others had never seen Alphonse, but that didn't mean Huaxia officers across various ranks hadn't. After all, Alphonse had been very active over the past year or so seeking revenge.
Among the newly arrived soldiers, someone had seen Alphonse before. Long before landing, he had already recognized him through binoculars from the ship and swiftly reported the situation up the chain.
"Oh." Wen Jifei nodded. He reasoned that this made sense: a single super should indeed be dedicated to neutralizing Alphonse. Alphonse was vastly more terrifying than Theodore.
At the same time,
"Alphonse? The Azure one?!"
"The one Shu You swore to kill and forbade anyone from having dealings with!"
"What is Theodore trying to pull?!"
Muffled murmurs rippled through the onlookers. Some were bewildered, others pondered Shu You's stance and whether he would intervene... and some immediately connected this to the rumors of the Azure Xilang Peak Incident from over a year ago, snapping their heads toward the group.
They remembered that it was precisely that incident which led to Major Qing's subsequent disappearance.
Back then, he was said to be dead. Now it seemed he had been forced into exile.
"Wait, Plague Chicken... Did he just say suppressing Alphonse? Did he say *suppressing* Alphonse?!" He Tangtang asked from behind, his voice laced with dazed disbelief.
Wen Jifei's mind buzzed as he snapped to his senses. He rarely fell into a state of disorientation, yet tonight, it had happened three times in a row.
In truth, the concept of "suppressing Alphonse" was simply too staggering!
Counting the super combat powers of the Huaxia Front, there was really only one person to whom that phrasing could apply.
*Did Old Chen come?! ...No, if Chen Buer had truly arrived, this whole thing would already be over. The moment he appears, it ends, regardless of where Alphonse ranks on the leaderboard.*
*So it definitely isn't the Legion Commander. Who on earth is it?!*
Baffled, Wen Jifei raised his rifle, swinging the scope toward the sea and sweeping across the beach.
The circular sight swept past, then jerked back.
It locked onto a somewhat indistinct silhouette.
Judging by the back, the figure appeared to be thirty to forty years old. He wore not the combat uniform of the Sole Witness Legion, but that of the Alliance Council system. A saber hung sheathed behind his shoulder, and he stood calmly on the sand with hands clasped behind his back, facing Alphonse's fleet in the distance.
*Huh?! Why does he look kind of familiar?!*
By familiar, he meant that after ruling out Old Chen, Captain Shao, God Lü, and Old Man Jiang, he should not have known this person—yet the silhouette still carried a lingering sense of recognition.
Wen Jifei racked his brains, but came up empty. He shifted the muzzle slightly and noticed that Alphonse's fleet had not stirred, and Alphonse himself remained motionless at the bow.
*He really suppressed him?! What is going on?!* Wen Jifei wondered if Huaxia had produced a brand-new super over the past year—one who emerged instantly as a top-five force on the Dome Leaderboard.
*That's impossible. If that were the case, word couldn't have stayed completely hidden.*
*...Whatever. Don't think about it for now.*
Even if their own super truly kept Alphonse in check, it merely countered an additional threat. The peril here remained dire, with little fundamental change.
Even the dozen Huaxia soldiers who had landed were cut off by the advancing swarm of khaki figures.
Which meant they effectively had no reinforcements.
Wen Jifei gestured for them to fall back rather than sacrifice themselves in a futile charge. Glancing once more at the beach, he lowered his rifle and turned.
By then, the three-hundred-man formation had already shifted to cover the sandy slope. Wen Jifei used a combat knife to pry open the wooden crate. Layer upon layer of black cartridges, conveying a heavy visual heft, were neatly arranged inside...
"Phew!" Wen Jifei tilted his head, pulled out two magazines, looked around, and handed them to the only idle person on the scene, Zhe Qiuhong. "Doctor Zhe, do you know how to load bullets?"
***
"Why aren't they coming over?" In that same moment, Theodore was equally perplexed.
Alphonse's fleet hadn't budged, and no one had disembarked. Instead, another signal flag was hoisted: *Kill!*
*Am I supposed to do the killing?!*
*Didn't he say it was best for him to torture and butcher them with his own hands?!*
*What the hell is going on?!*
Faced with this unknown dread, Theodore grew intensely anxious. Yet he was already riding the tiger, unable to dismount.
Snapping his gaze back, Theodore's eyes darkened, glinting with the ferocious desperation of a cornered beast.
***
"Can you do it?!" Wen Jifei pressed, dropping the magazine from his rifle and casually stripping out the ordinary bullets.
"I can." Zhe Qiuhong held the two empty magazines in hands accustomed to performing surgery, nodding. She was one of the finest doctors in the world, possessing exceptionally steady and dexterous hands.
"It has to be fast, and without mistakes."
"Understood."
"The design isn't fully refined. These rounds aren't easy to seat," Wen Jifei explained, calmly demonstrating how to load them.
Zhe Qiuhong watched in silence.
"I'm leaving it to you."
With that, Wen Jifei slapped the magazine into place with a crisp *clack* and turned.
He then addressed Wu Xu and the Little Prince, who had already retreated into the formation, "Go to the rear and help Qingzi and Rusty Sister."
Given their current condition, Rusty Sister and Qingzi couldn't hold out against Theodore. Even with four of them, it might not be enough, but this was their only option.
Wu Xu and the Little Prince exchanged a look with him, then turned and headed back.
"Two men, push forward," Wen Jifei commanded, standing behind the three-hundred-man line.
Black Tooth and He Tangtang stepped forward from the winged formation of their own accord, advancing roughly a dozen paces.
There were simply too many enemies. They needed to stall the advance for Wen Jifei's kills, especially when he had to swap magazines.
Another figure strode out alongside them.
"Uncle Shiliang, what are you doing?" Wen Jifei asked.
"Reporting, Second Lieutenant Wen, I... I am very strong." Xu Shiliang lowered the hand he had nearly raised in a salute. After a brief hesitation, he ultimately chose not to state his former unit designation or rank.
If he did, Wen Jifei would have had to salute him first.
Leaving those words behind, he walked over and took his stand beside Black Tooth and He Tangtang.
Under the circumstances, Wen Jifei did not stop him.
Then, the Elegy of the Square was raised. Wen Jifei stood on the high ground, head tilted slightly behind the scope, pointing the muzzle toward the stirring enemy ranks.
Nearly a thousand khaki figures remained over there.
Wen Jifei and the Elegy of the Square would hold them at bay.
"Time is short! Quick, kill them!" Finally, Theodore cast aside his doubts to stake everything on a single throw, roaring from the high ground behind them.
Next came the roar of erupting source energy as he hurled himself downward.
A thunderous blast of clashing forces detonated.
The crowd gasped.
At the same time, the enemy host surged forward, forming ranks for a full charge.
*Bang!*
At the very first movement, a figure waving his arms at the front of the ranks to rally the charge collapsed. Blood gushed from his temple, spilling into the sand.
The khaki horde stalled for an instant.
"Don't be afraid! That was his fourth shot, he's out of—"
*Bang!*
A second man dropped.
Wen Jifei's voice rang out from the distance:
"Step forward, and you die!"
"Speak aloud, and you die!"
Chapter 498