Front No. 1 Is Tough

After seeing Tian Yi off, Chen Fan turned to look at the members of Fan Domain still busily working below him, and once more admired his two bases before cheerfully boarding a flying boat and heading for Cave No. 1 on Nameless Mountain. Nowadays, the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage—once his exclusive mount—had basically retired from the stage. The main reason was that it couldn't fly. It wasn't as nimble as a flying boat. The times were changing; even something like the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage had to start preparing for retirement. These days, within Fan Domain, it held more symbolic meaning than practical use. For the next half month or so, Chen Fan stayed in Fan Domain, mainly overseeing the work of perfecting various aspects of the domain—for example... the refinement of the "earthgold circuit." Fan Domain now had two cruise missile reserve bases, and he had assumed the original single earthgold circuit would surely be insufficient. Unexpectedly, the earthgold's carrying capacity was far stronger than he'd imagined. It was more than enough to supply the charging of the two cruise missile reserve bases—there was even plenty to spare—saving him a good deal of trouble. After finishing up the various scattered, trivial matters, half a month after the rainy season had ended, Chen Fan stood on the deck of the flying boat and looked down at Wang Kui and the others who had come to see him off, giving his instructions: "This trip will take roughly a few months. I'll lay signal towers along the way to make sure communications are never cut off." "While I'm gone, Wang Kui, you'll be in charge of managing Fan Domain's affairs." "Contact me promptly about anything you're unsure of." "Everyone else, keep carrying out your tasks as planned." "Understood!" Standing on the wasteland, Quehou and the others nodded. Each person had their own task, and Quehou's own was extremely simple—roughly divided into two parts. Devote thirty percent of his energy to supervising pavilion masters like Wang Mazi and Qi Chong. And the remaining seventy percent to supervising Wang Kui. After a few more simple words of instruction, the flying boat slowly rose into the air. It went straight up above the Jiangbei Wasteland, where Chen Fan, standing on the deck, continued laying the sky rail in the air—an aerial track made of "illusory copper pipes." This track would lead directly to the "Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1." It was a relatively time-consuming task. But it was also something that had to be done, of the utmost importance to Fan Domain. It wasn't just about that blue-grade building blueprint—it carried far greater strategic significance. After watching the domain lord fade into the distance, Wang Kui and the others who remained exchanged glances, chatted a while, and then dispersed. They would have plenty to keep their hands full next. Although the rainy season had ended, Fan Domain still had no shortage of matters to attend to—after all, there would be another rainy season. At this time, the vast majority of Fan Domain's Hundred Grains Pavilion members were concentrated over on the New Continent, planting all manner of crops, ghost plants, and raising livestock on a large scale. After all, the New Continent was in its protection period—for three years no one else could go there; only their group, who had bathed in the golden rain, could reach it. As for the remaining newly joined members of the Hundred Grains Pavilion, they rode the Fan Domain high-speed rail to various regions such as Jiangnan and the Guanxi Plain, gathering all sorts of crop seeds, young poultry, and the like on a large scale. Batches of logistical supplies were sent to the New Continent through the undersea tunnel, taking root everywhere. Under all this cultivation over the past days, the New Continent had gradually become a huge granary. Even if the most critical situation truly came, and Fan Domain fell back to defend the "New Continent," the food they had stockpiled by now would be enough to feed them for a very, very long time. Throughout Fan Domain, after all the development of recent days, every person was already perfectly clear about their own responsibilities. The whole domain was like a vast machine, able to run with precision and order even without Chen Fan. Of course, the prerequisite was that he be gone only a short time—say, away for a few months laying track. Disappearing for three years, though—that definitely wouldn't do. "How long do we have to travel, exactly?" At a Fan Domain high-speed rail station near the Tuxian Sacred Land on the Guanxi Plain, a dozen or so Shadow Pavilion members had gathered. Their leader, a Shadow Pavilion squad leader, was currently studying the ghost-hide map in his hand, judging the direction. Their mission was to pass through the Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line and then head for the "Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1," just as they had once gone to Defense Line No. 7. And to lie low within it. They were the first group to go; the Shadow Pavilion had dispatched them in batches. Some of those who came later would go after the "sky rail" was finished. But those would be out in the open—one group in the open and one in the shadows; combining the intelligence the two produced would make it more accurate. "About a month or so, I'd say." The Shadow Pavilion squad leader was a middle-aged man with a strong air of a farmhand about him. Having estimated the distance, he gave a vague answer, but quickly added, "Provided the road stays peaceful the whole way." "Time to go. Let's hit the road." "Captain, could you use a different word? That one sounds a little unlucky." "Out in the field, don't call me captain. Call me Uncle Zhang." "Got it, Uncle Zhang." "So cold." Wrapped in a leather coat as he stood on the flying boat's deck, Chen Fan felt the biting cold wind scraping across his cheeks. He raised his head to the snowflakes drifting down from the sky, tiny as grains of millet, then gazed down at the land—the whole land lay a dazzling white. From the tray held by the maid standing to the side, he poured himself a cup of hot tea. After a sip to drive off some of the chill, he began once more to lay the sky rail. "One, two, three..." He counted silently to pass the time. As the repetitive construction continued, his gaze gradually went unfocused. When he came back to his senses, an utterly breathtaking defense line had come into view. Three months had already passed. Chen Fan, standing on the flying boat's deck, stared blankly at that "Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1" rising on the coast in the distance. It stretched a full 108 kilometers. That was the information he had received. He estimated it to be about a hundred meters tall. A hundred-meter-tall wall was the equivalent of a thirty-story building. A defense line of such height could absolutely be called an impassable natural barrier. In his previous life, he had watched many zombie-themed movies. The most stunning scene in them was always the zombie siege of a city. Without exception, those cities would fall in the end. He had marveled at the time that the zombies were simply a bit too ferocious. Looking at it now, though, it seemed the walls just hadn't been tall enough. If the walls had all been a hundred meters tall like this defense line before him, and the zombies could still climb up them, then he'd take the zombies' surname. Compared to this defense line, his Jiangbei Defense Line felt like it paled considerably. "Is this the front?" Chen Fan drew a deep breath, a sudden sense of security welling up in his heart. With a defense line of this caliber guarding the front, the Eternal Night Continent should be very hard to overrun. But then, he quickly remembered that over on the New Continent, seven level-ten defense lines had still fallen in the end. Just then, a flying boat suddenly sped toward him, and a voice, laced through with the wind, faintly reached his ears. "This is the 'Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1.' Unauthorized personnel keep out!" "Who comes there?" "Chen Fan of Jiangbei Fan Domain!" After first announcing himself, Chen Fan drew from his robes the token Old Qiu had given him and waved it in his hand. Before long, the flying boat that had been holding position ahead of him at a wary distance—as though it had received some word—slowly drew closer. A middle-aged man stood on its deck, regarding him with a grave expression. "Domain Lord Chen, please!" "Our commander is currently inspecting the front. He'll receive you personally." He did not know just what standing this young man had; he only knew that after he reported the message up the chain, a reply had come very quickly. The front's commander had contacted him personally, instructing him to respectfully invite the man in. This was the first time he had ever spoken directly with the commander. He had never heard of Jiangbei Fan Domain. But... from now on, he would. "All right." Chen Fan gave a light nod, and his flying boat slowly approached this magnificent defense line, following the one ahead. It was clear Old Qiu must have notified the people here in advance. The closer they came to this defense line, the more he could feel its terrifying scale. The flying boat beneath him was not small, but before this defense line it seemed rather tiny, like a bamboo dragonfly. Behind the defense line, countless people thronged the ground, hurrying back and forth, and he could see wooden cabin after wooden cabin packed tightly together, providing shelter for the people of the line. When the flying boat drew level with the top of the defense line, Chen Fan, leaning on his jade cane, stepped down from the boat. As he landed on the rampart, he saw a woman with an extremely voluptuous figure, dressed in a qipao with an overcoat draped over it, standing on the rampart and regarding him with a smile. And behind this woman stood seven or eight others. These seven or eight must have held no small status within the Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1; they carried an air of authority about them, giving off a sense of gravity. Yet at this moment, each of them was forcing out a smile. It was obvious they didn't smile often. And when they did, it came out most peculiarly. Like a vicious dog painfully and with great effort forcing out a grin at the sight of a chicken drumstick. Chen Fan set foot on this front, which sheltered one of the Eternal Night Continent's vital lifelines. Qi Yue, too, came down from the flying boat and stood behind him, his face utterly blank. For this trip, Qi Yue was in charge of basic security. He looked over the group before him, paused for a moment, and then asked rather hesitantly, "May I ask which of you is the commander here?" Judging by how they were positioned, it should be this woman in front. But he had never seen a defense line whose commander was a woman—especially a woman who looked to be no older than about thirty. How could the commander of a front possibly be such a young woman. "It's me." His words had barely fallen when the alluring woman standing before the crowd came forward with a smile. She stepped before Chen Fan, tucked her hair behind her ear, and shot him a glance. "What, do you look down on women?" Chen Fan frowned deeply and took a slight step back. He was beginning to regret laying this sky rail—no one had told him the commander of the Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1 was a woman. He didn't like doing business with women. Women were often very hard to handle. They had only just met, and she was already trying to pin a label on him. "No, I simply didn't expect the commander of the Eternal Night Front to be so young." "Young, you say?" The woman seemed delighted. Her alluring manner vanished at once, and she grinned so wide she could hardly close her mouth. "Domain Lord Chen is so young himself, and haven't you built a Jiangbei Defense Line too? Which just goes to show we've both accomplished a great deal while still young." But then her tone shifted, and her eyes rolled about. "I saw it half a month ago—you laying a track in the sky. Can that sky rail carry your Fan Domain high-speed rail?" "My poor little brother." "Toiling away laying it in the biting wind for so long—it nearly broke my heart." "Come, let big sister give you a hug." With that, the woman spread her arms and stepped forward, making as if to gather Chen Fan into her embrace. Chen Fan's frown deepened, and he took a step back. Behind him, Qi Yue stepped forward. His blank expression did not change in the slightest, yet somehow he came between the two of them. "What?" "So big sister isn't even allowed a hug?" The woman stood there as though a little wronged, while behind her the several middle-aged men who reeked of authority stood rooted to the spot, eyes lowered, faces blank, without the slightest superfluous expression. Truly worthy of men of authority—seeing their superior act like this, and still they could pretend they'd seen nothing at all. And not a single person passed along the rampart. Clearly the place had been cleared in advance. Chen Fan drew a deep breath and instinctively glanced back at the flying boat behind him. He was starting to want to go home. This woman was off; back in Jiangbei she'd be a prime target for inspection as a suspected fake-human ghost. This trip might well have been for nothing. He adjusted his mood and decided to proceed with the plan as set. After all, she was the front's chief commander; she might behave a little unrestrainedly, but on a matter of great principle, she ought to know what to do. "Chen Fan of Jiangbei Fan Domain." "I greet the chief commander of the Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1." "The ghost tide runs rampant, and all must contribute their strength." "Fan Domain is no exception." "On this visit I have specially built a sky rail connecting Fan Domain and the front. This sky rail can carry certain supplies, such as ample grain—only..." The words had barely left his mouth when the several middle-aged men behind the woman all turned in unison, their backs to Chen Fan. And the woman gave a shrug of her shapely shoulders, and the overcoat at once slipped off her, revealing the figure-hugging qipao beneath. Curves at front and behind. It was still winter. Her skin, in the cold wind, was frozen pale, looking utterly delicate and pitiable, enough to make one's heart ache. The woman hugged herself and shivered, gazing at him pleadingly. Chen Fan's lips pressed tight, and he took another step back. He swept his eyes around and began to suspect that this defense line had already been overrun—that everyone here was a fake-human ghost. This was a trap. Whoever came would die. "Little brother, big sister is cold..." A coy, delicate voice came from the woman's mouth. Chen Fan drew a deep breath. The words "what the hell do you actually want?" that had risen in his throat ultimately went unsaid. Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and strode toward the flying boat behind him. Time to go home! This place was damn eerie! Something was off. Better slip away fast. Seeing this, Qi Yue likewise did not hesitate in the least. He too felt something was wrong—this front had most likely already fallen, filled with fake-human ghosts. Master and servant, as though fleeing for their lives, strode quickly toward the flying boat that sat level with the rampart. "Chen Fan!" A voice laced with anger and grievance came from behind him. "Just say it—how many ghost stones do you want? If the price is high, we can negotiate." Chen Fan stopped in his tracks, turned, and frowned at the woman behind him, who had draped her overcoat back over her shoulders. About the time it would take to burn a stick of incense later, in the command room atop the rampart of the "Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1," Chen Fan looked at the woman before him and said with a frown, "So the message Old Qiu gave you was that I have the ability to transport grain for your front, but that your front would need to pay a certain price." "And the price you came up with..." "was yourself?" "Mm." By now the woman's ears had gone rather red. She didn't dare raise her head to look at Chen Fan, only stared at the teacup in her hands, steeling herself, and spoke in a low voice, in as official a tone as she could manage. "Front No. 1 has fully 770,000 people." "The amount of grain consumed daily is no small figure. I want them to eat better. I'm not asking for rations as good as your Jiangbei Defense Line's, but at least every few days they could have a meal with meat, a hot meal to eat." "Quite a few of Front No. 1's supply lines have been cut, and the remaining ones have no spare capacity to haul grain. As for buying it with ghost stones..." "We... probably couldn't afford it." After a long silence, Chen Fan rubbed his temple with a hint of a headache and said, "The grain is free. Fan Domain will aid you at no cost. But I certainly can't match the rations of the Jiangbei Defense Line." "One hot meal a day, with meat, vegetables, and soup—that, I can guarantee." "Free?" The woman froze where she stood and raised her head to look at Chen Fan in disbelief. She had assumed Chen Fan would want a good price, but she had never expected—free? "Truly free?" "Mm." Chen Fan gave a light nod. "This is aid from Fan Domain, in thanks for the front holding the Eternal Night Continent back. This transaction requires nothing from you—" "But" "there are other transactions." "For example, Fan Domain needs a good number of building blueprints. Whatever building blueprints your front has captured, so long as they're duplicates, you can send them to Fan Domain, and we'll give a certain amount of ghost stones in return." "Including that 'blue-grade' building blueprint." "That's all?" "That's all." Chen Fan nodded. They had only just established contact; this was enough for now. Once the two sides had cooperated pleasantly for a while, they could deepen it slowly. "So..." The woman looked at Chen Fan, somewhat puzzled. "So this visit from Fan Domain is purely to freely supply the front with grain, and also... to take back some blueprints." "Yes." "Wonderful!" After being stunned for a long while, the woman suddenly leaped up and shouted excitedly through the room. The corner of Chen Fan's mouth twitched slightly. He walked out of the command room to the edge of the rampart and looked out at the magnificent, surging sea beyond the defense line, the bone-chilling sea wind striking his face. Even after stepping outside, he could still faintly hear the woman's excited voice echoing from within. "Domain Lord Chen." Just then, one of the middle-aged men who had earlier stood behind the woman strode toward him and said in a low voice, with a somewhat apologetic air, "I am the deputy commander of Front No. 1." "Sister Chan—her, um, her teacher was originally the chief commander of Front No. 1, but during this rainy season her teacher was killed." "She took over the position." "Her teacher was the only family she had left in the world. On top of that, the heavy burden of Front No. 1 was suddenly placed on her shoulders. The pressure has been a little much, and her emotions have become somewhat unstable..." "I hope you'll forgive her." "It's fine." Chen Fan shook his head. This way he could roughly understand. Though he very much wanted to ask whether the chief commander's post was hereditary, this was clearly not the time. Then the middle-aged man said with some feeling, "Domain Lord Chen, you're so young, yet you've taken on the duty of guarding Jiangbei. Your own pressure can't be small either." "I'm not young anymore." Chen Fan gave a light laugh. "Nearly thirty." He had been in this world five years now—wasn't he already close to thirty? "Still very young. At your age, I didn't have your abilities." The man smiled, then looked at Chen Fan with a serious expression. "Domain Lord Chen, on behalf of all 770,000 people of Front No. 1, I thank Fan Domain for its grain aid." "It truly means a great deal to us." "Setting that aside—is Front No. 1 really so short on ghost stones right now?" Chen Fan asked a question he genuinely cared about. If they were this short, could they even hold the line? "Not exactly." The man caught on quickly and said, half-laughing, half-crying, "This is a front, after all; the daily output of ghost stones is quite substantial." "It's just that... it's Sister Chan's first time in this position, and she's a bit reluctant to spend them, always worrying there won't be enough." Chen Fan studied the man's eyes closely. Strangely, he saw not a trace of jealousy in them. By rights, with the chief commander dead, this deputy commander should have been the most likely to take the post. To be beaten to it by a woman younger than himself—even if well concealed, there ought to be some hint of resentment. But he saw not the slightest bit of it. Either this man was simply too good at putting on an act. Or else the chief commander's post was one where the occupants died all too often. As if he had read Chen Fan's thoughts, the man smiled. "Come, Domain Lord Chen, let me show you around Front No. 1." "This way." The two walked side by side along the rampart. Qi Yue followed a few steps behind, arms crossed over his chest with a long sword tucked beneath them, a stalk of foxtail between his teeth, gazing at the sea beyond the defense line, his eyes somewhat stirred, as though he were thinking of something. "The rainy season is when the ghost tide is at its most ferocious, and during this time the Ghost Clan often carries out a decapitation plot." "The death of a chief commander—" "deals a great blow to the morale of everyone on the defense line, and there's also a brief window when no one is in command." The middle-aged man walked along the defense line, now and then reaching out to touch the rampart beside him. "Such decapitations usually make use of traitors." "For instance..." "Sister Chan's teacher died of a poison slipped into the teapot. We found the one who did the poisoning, but that was only damage control after the fact." "It's a poison known as the 'Great Ghost Flower.'" "A single drop refined from a highly venomous great ghost—colorless, odorless, extremely potent. It kills the instant it goes down the throat." "It can only be guarded against." "Once it's in the body, no method can save the victim." "After Sister Chan's teacher died, Sister Chan took the post of chief commander of Front No. 1 at the very first moment. And Sister Chan's seniority is actually quite deep—even deeper than mine." "I joined Front No. 1 partway through, but she was born and raised on the defense line." "The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was not her mother." "It was a ghost creature." The middle-aged man paused before continuing. "Her parents were defending the wall at the time. The ghost tide surged up onto the defense line and slashed open her father's throat and her mother's belly." "And so, crying and wailing, she came into this world." "After that she was taken in by Front No. 1 and began working from a young age—at first carrying water for the various uncles, then, when she was a little older, hauling supplies, and finally, taking on an official post." "You could say that from the day she was born, she has never once left Front No. 1." "All the while following behind her teacher." Chen Fan, walking along the rampart, frowned slightly, and only after a while spoke. "So the post of a front's chief commander is very dangerous?" "Not really." The man shook his head helplessly. "If the Ghost Clan could erode the Eternal Night Continent to that extent, the continent would have fallen long ago." "It's true that some people do get turned." "But everyone around a chief commander is strictly vetted and trained. Sister Chan's teacher served as commander of Front No. 1 for several decades without a thing happening." "But guarding against thieves a thousand days—sooner or later there comes a slip." "The reason she sits in this post, recognized not only by all of us but by the Eternal Night Hall as well, is that her seniority and ability are sufficient—not because the people in this post die too often." Chen Fan gave a light nod. Then he pointed at the cannon towers not far off. "Front No. 1 is tough." On this defense line, there was no gap between cannon tower and cannon tower. The Jiangbei Defense Line had one God-Slaying Cannon every twenty meters; here they stood one hard against the next, with no space between them at all. Speaking of the defense line, the middle-aged man said with some pride, "The Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1 is a level-nine defense line. The pressure from the ghost tide here is enormous too—with even a few fewer cannon towers, we couldn't hold." "If you get the chance to come here during the rainy season—" "it's a spectacular sight." "Since this defense line was built to this day, it has never once fallen." Chen Fan nodded. For the next while, the two simply walked along the rampart, talking as they went, and the man told him a great deal about Front No. 1. Of course, nothing too secret—the information he shared was all the kind anyone who had been at the front a while would know. But to him it was still quite novel. After they had walked a long while, Chen Fan stood on the rampart, feeling the weighty solidity beneath his feet, and looked out beyond the defense line. He, too, wanted a defense line like this—this sort of line simply gave one more of a sense of security. "Time to go." On the rampart, Chen Fan waved to Sister Chan and the assembled commanders without saying much more, then boarded the flying boat. As the flying boat rose into the air, he made ready to head home. He had been away three months. He was a little tired. He stood on the deck and looked down at the blue-grade building blueprint in his hand. After he had flatly refused Sister Chan's demand, the woman had become much more normal, and their exchanges had gone fairly smoothly. And he had successfully brought this blue-grade building blueprint back as well. "Anomalous Treasure Name": Black Tortoise Cannon. "Anomalous Treasure Effect": Blue. "Anomalous Treasure Grade": Building blueprint, city-defense structure. The panel's introduction was extremely simple, just a few plain lines, confirming that it was a city-defense structure. Like the God-Slaying Cannon, Front No. 1 had two copies of this blueprint, one of which was in his hands. As for the other—Front No. 1's architect was still trying to comprehend it, and had not yet worked it out. Comprehending a blue-grade blueprint was no simple matter. This first exchange had been a fairly pleasant contact. He looked at the bundles and packages of all sorts piled on the deck, among them quite a few lower-grade building blueprints. "Home first." He stretched and gave a weary yawn. He'd go back first and get a good sleep—everything else could wait. "Finally found it." Deep in the heart of the Eternal Night Continent, in a city belonging to the "Eternal Night Hall," Qiu Yisi stood in a room packed with all kinds of information on jade slips, kraft paper, and the like, murmuring as he looked at a worn, aged sheet of kraft paper in his hand. "In the ancient era..." "Jiangbei was attacked, and the Undying Celestial Master came to support the Jiangbei Defense Line." "In the Undying Celestial Master's possession was a building blueprint called the 'Heaven-Reaching Pillar.' It's said he never finished comprehending it, and the other architects who tried all failed as well." Ever since he had learned that the building in Fan Domain was called the Heaven-Reaching Pillar, he had spent these days holed up in the Archive Pavilion. Because he kept feeling he had seen those three words somewhere before. "Could it be..." "that Fan Domain has discovered ghost ore left behind by an ancient battlefield?" Qiu Yisi nodded thoughtfully. As things stood now, that building blueprint the Undying Celestial Master had failed to comprehend back then had most likely been fully comprehended by Chen Fan—and built. Just then, "Master." Tian Yi's voice sounded from outside the Archive Pavilion. "Come in." Qiu Yisi put away the kraft paper and looked toward the doorway with a smile. Tian Yi had survived a calamity and escaped with his life; Qiu Yisi had been very glad to learn it, especially after learning that Tian Yi had gone through a Heavenly Dao blessing, just as he had. The negative effects of the "Huo Xing Sun" had completely vanished, and his strength had grown tremendously. Soon, Tian Yi stepped into the room and stood there with a serious expression. "Over these three months, I carefully investigated everyone you assigned me, Master. Among them I've confirmed that one man is already a traitor, and the news of the last mission to support Defense Line No. 7 was leaked by this very man." Qiu Yisi laughed, laughing very happily. He looked Tian Yi up and down, and only after a while beckoned him over. "Come, sit here." "The one who leaked the intelligence—is his name Wang Fa?" "You knew, Master?" Tian Yi was somewhat astonished. "Of course I knew." Qiu Yisi smiled. "This is a test paper I set for you, so naturally I need to know the correct answer." "But if you already knew, Master, why have you taken no action?" "Because that would be too wasteful." Qiu Yisi rose and walked toward the far end of the Archive Pavilion. "A traitor who has passed along correct intelligence and is trusted by the Ghost Clan is, to us, an extremely useful chess piece. At certain critical moments, we can use him to feed the Ghost Clan some false intelligence and turn the tide." He came to a wall and looked at the painting hanging on it. "I've already reported to those above." "In a few years I won't be able to keep working." "You are the 'Eternal Night Hall Western Operations Group leader' I've chosen, responsible for the deployment and appointment of all Western Operations Group members. In these final few years, my main task is to train you." "What you are about to see are the highest secrets of the Eternal Night Hall Western Operations Group." The next moment, the painting before him suddenly burst into flames, with no wind at all. Right after, the wall split open down the middle with a crack and slowly opened, revealing a flight of steps lit by oil lamps, leading downward. "Follow me." Fan Domain. Chen Fan, who had been busy for three months, returned to Fan Domain and at once gave the order for a batch of grain to be sent to the front along the sky rail. Only then did he collapse into bed and drop into a dead sleep! Right now he didn't want to think about anything; he just wanted a good sleep. Even if the sky fell, it could wait until he'd woken up. Once Chen Fan had drifted into dreams, Fan Domain, too, began to run at full speed. Sack after sack of grain was loaded onto the high-speed rail, quickly filling a whole train. Soon after, this Fan Domain high-speed rail, fully loaded with grain, reached the end of the dedicated track in the dusk and began to climb steadily. It climbed straight up to a thousand meters in the air. Only then, upon the sky rail a full thousand meters above the ground, did it race off toward the Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1. This was an extended high-speed rail, carrying no small quantity of grain—enough to feed Front No. 1's 770,000 people for three days. "It's a bit high, isn't it." A member of the Fan Domain Logistics Pavilion, standing inside the carriage, looked toward the distant ground and spoke with a slight tremble. Truth be told, he really was a little afraid. "It is a bit high." Another Logistics Pavilion member out on this shift with him was also a little shaky. At this height, a fall would likely kill a man. Several hours later, the Eternal Night had fully descended. The high-speed rail slowly arrived at the "Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1." The track lay level with the rampart and led directly onto it. Thanks to advance word sent through the voice transmission talisman, people were already waiting to receive them. A Logistics Pavilion member strode out of the high-speed rail and held his identity token high. "Sanmao, member of the Jiangbei Fan Domain Logistics Pavilion." "By the domain lord's order, escorting grain supplies to aid Front No. 1." "Good, good, good." Sister Chan had personally brought people to hold this post and receive them. When she saw the grain packed full in carriage after carriage, and even quite a few lively pigs and sheep, she was already grinning so wide she could hardly close her mouth. "Thank you both for your trouble." "Please have some tea over there for now—we'll be quick." Immediately after, a great crowd surged in from all around to haul the grain, delivering it straight to several kitchen areas. They would light the fires tonight so that tomorrow morning everyone could have a hot meal. They couldn't remember how long it had been since they'd last had a hot meal. As the sky gradually brightened, the long-missed smell of hot food once again drifted over the skies of Front No. 1. Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1. "Shift change, shift change—time to go back and sleep." A man in a vest, a large blade resting on his shoulder, rode a hanging basket down from the rampart to the ground, yawning as he headed toward the cabin district not far off. All around him, great numbers of people were coming down from the rampart too. They were all on the night watch last night. Dawn had broken. It was time for them to sleep, and time for the logistics crew to get up and head out of the city to collect ghost stones and dissect ghost creatures. He quickened his pace a little. He hadn't eaten all night, and his stomach was a bit hungry. He'd get some fried noodles to fill up, then hurry back to sleep. This defense line stretched a full 108 kilometers, so not everyone could gather in one place to eat. Otherwise, just to get a meal they'd have to run dozens of kilometers—never mind whether they could even run that far; even if they could, they'd have digested it all after running that circuit right after eating. Below the defense line, there were a dozen or so areas responsible for the daily meals. That is, the kitchen areas. Don't look down on simple fried noodles—even simple fried noodles, with so many people stationed here, still needed someone to wield the ladle. Muttering to himself, the man headed toward the mess area closest to him. He had been fairly relaxed on last night's watch—after all, it wasn't the rainy season, and there was basically no chance of the line falling. He'd even slacked off and dozed a little. If only every night could be this safe. Yet the next moment his body suddenly froze in place. How was it that he seemed to faintly catch, in the air, a whiff of a scent that shouldn't be there? That seemed to be... the smell of cooked meat? Right after, he saw countless people carrying pots and bowls, sprinting almost madly toward the mess area. First a look of disbelief flashed through his eyes, and then it hit him all at once. A feeling beyond words instantly surged up in his heart. He let out an excited shout. And charged toward the crowd at a run! One step, two—by the third step, to his astonishment he was already airborne, treading on air, sprinting through the sky. Only, at that moment he was completely unaware of it. He just felt that he was running very fast. In an instant he reached the mess area. When he saw the dozens of great pots filled with steaming pork and cabbage stew with glass noodles, his throat bobbed hard. Eyes reddening, he charged to the very front and thrust out his bowl. "Fill it up, fill it up!!!" The cook wielding the ladle looked at the man before him, a little stunned. "Brother, you ran so fast." "Fill it up first!" Without a moment's delay, the man took a bowl heaped full of pork and cabbage stew with glass noodles, then speared four steamed buns from a basin nearby with his chopsticks, and only then went to the side and began to wolf it all down. Delicious. He couldn't even remember how long it had been since he'd eaten a proper meal fit for a person. Ever since their defense line's supply lines had been cut, they had basically eaten nothing but fried noodles—never mind meat; they rarely even saw a scrap of green vegetable. Eating and eating. The man even began to cry. Not because it was so tasty. He'd bitten his tongue from eating too fast—it hurt like hell. "Eat slower." A middle-aged man nearby, likewise holding a bowl of pork and cabbage stew with glass noodles, came over and squatted down on the ground. Unhurriedly, he lifted some glass noodles with his chopsticks and shook them in the air to let the heat drift off. "You cultivated all the way to Martial King just to be first in line for a meal?" "This might even be a condemned man's last meal, you know." The man wolfing down his food suddenly froze in place and raised his head to look at the middle-aged man. "Just kidding." The middle-aged man laughed and pointed at a large jar not far off. "There's chili powder over there. This pork and cabbage stew with glass noodles tastes best when you sprinkle in some dried chili powder and stir it all together." "You know how to eat." The man gave him a thumbs-up and hurried off toward that large jar not far away. The middle-aged man looked at the back of the man hurrying off and felt a pang of emotion. Under special circumstances, a cultivator could achieve a sudden enlightenment—creating their own martial skill, for instance.