A Greeting

"Holy shit..." Lu Feng was dumbfounded. Staring at the neat formation and the beaming, eager faces before him, he stood in dazed shock. If the timing and setting hadn't been so off, his first instinct would have been to wave his hand and tell them to send in the next batch of girls. After spending so long as an exploited grunt, suddenly turning the tables to become the master felt indescribably gratifying. Forgetting all his past bitterness and exhaustion, Lu Feng grinned from ear to ear. He suddenly had the urge to emulate the old navy, pulling out a spirit-injection baton to beat some morale into them. "Hey, not bad at all! Looking good! Keep up the great work!" Lu Feng patted the grunts on the shoulders, thoroughly delighted. He walked the line from head to tail, then back again, never tiring of it. So this was what it felt like to be the client? Loving it. Absolutely loving it! Yet as they passed each other, Slan—ordinarily unflappable in the crowd—stiffened slightly. His body instinctively tensed as his eyes darted toward Lu Feng's arm. More precisely, toward that tattoo. He pulled his gaze away almost instantly. Lu Feng paused for a fraction of a second. Catching his expression, he understood. "Seen it before?" "Heard of it, but not much," Slan replied. Behind his superficial smile came a faint trace of emotion. "Doesn't matter anyway. It's not like the Red States haven't cut deals with devils before. Besides, a paying devil is far lovelier than an angel. Still... can people like you actually survive long enough to be discharged?" "Just lucky." Lu Feng shrugged. Neither of them said anything more. They exchanged lighters for their cigarettes, traded a polite "pleasure to meet you," and brought the conversation to an end. These days, the Mid-Continent had sunk into an inescapable quagmire. The Federation and the Empire took turns playing out their drama, and the Nine Cities and Four States were nothing more than an arena for their life-and-death struggle. There was no dignity to speak of, much less sovereignty. Caught in endless warfare, the people of the Mid-Continent generally had only two choices: lie down and wait for death, or pick up a gun to fight for survival. Back when the former Priest-King was still alive, people could still stand together, clinging to some semblance of devotion to their homeland. But after the new king ascended the throne, he treated his subjects like beasts of burden. Even vital traditions and forces like the Knights of Homecoming were reduced to tools, leased out everywhere to turn a profit. Between two expendable tools, any grudges that had nothing to do with them were best forgotten. If killing and arson were just a job, then once off the clock, you put down the gun and didn't spare another thought for what the work entailed. "Let me reiterate your objective one last time." Standing before the cargo bed, Ji Jue spoke in a calm, steady voice. "A straightforward ambush and annihilation. No survivors, no prisoners, no surrenders. All captured spoils will be split fifty-fifty. If there are items in your share you don't need, I can buy them back at a discounted rate. "As for these tools, consider them a gift. If you have further needs down the line, feel free to contact me. As regular clients, I can offer you a discount." Behind him, Little Niuma's cargo bed swung open. Heavy iron crates were hauled out one after another and unlocked, revealing brand-new firearms, custom protective gear, and bulletproof vests. Before long, everything had been distributed. Most of the items were defensive equipment and firearms crafted for ordinary men, which the Celestial Chosen scarcely spared a glance. Soon, however, their eyes locked onto the mountain of alchemical ammunition, unable to look away. And the moment they noticed the inscriptions, spiritus circuits, and intricate construction on the weapons, all pretense of restraint evaporated. They obediently queued up in a long line, pulling their pockets wide open to stuff them full. No kidding—anything stamped with the Ring of Taiyi would see its price skyrocket to insane proportions. It was sheer madness. To say nothing of the firearms, even a standard alchemical round that had undergone only the most basic spiritus processing and reinforcement cost over a thousand a pop. Let alone quicksilver armor-piercing rounds paired with proprietary Fluid Alchemy found nowhere else— No matter how rigid a man's spine was, after watching Ji Jue casually test-fire a shot through an armor plate right in front of them, his posture would soften as if he had danced ballet for three lifetimes. Not a single person remained reserved. Come on, everyone had come out here to be mercenaries; nobody gave a damn about dignity! What mattered was wandering half a lifetime until you found someone worth kneeling before and calling 'adoptive father'! Besides, if you didn't take any and I didn't take any, how were we supposed to haul in the boss's loot? If you slacked off and I slacked off, how were we supposed to wipe out the boss's enemies down to the last man? Generous boss! Healthy boss! Long live the boss! Old Tom was especially shameless, grabbing six rifles all by himself. Belts of ammunition were wrapped tightly around his torso, and a cluster of grenades dangled behind his rear. He didn't look like a mercenary so much as a man heading back to his hometown to launch a startup. At the very end, Ji Jue dug out a special case, pulled out the anti-materiel sniper rifle he had specifically reinforced earlier, and tossed it into Lu Feng's arms. "Here, this one's yours." Along with it came two tightly sealed boxes of ammunition. "I threw in some heavy-duty ingredients. When you fire them, you'd better be careful." Lu Feng slid out a single cartridge and brought it up to his eyes. As thick as a thumb and as long as a palm, the sharp tip of the bullet was formed entirely from pure spiritus crystal, clear as glass. Sealed within the crystal was an irregular tiny shard of iron. In a fleeting trance, the iron fragment seemed to come alive, twitching ever so slightly as capillary-thin veins of crimson pulsed silently between the metal and the crystal in a rhythmic thrum. A collective sharp intake of breath echoed through the clearing. Every single person present, without exception, stepped back in unison to clear space and put distance between themselves and the round. Instinctively, their hair stood on end. What kind of ungodly thing was that?! Such terrifying malevolence and vicious intent... The Swarm members on site looked as if they had seen a ghost, their skin prickling all over. *What pure Sovereign Virtue essence... Swarm? No—that's the aura of Frenzied Slaughter!* Slan was especially wary. Having fallen behind on current events since they last parted, he had never witnessed Ji Jue's ruthlessness firsthand, and his expression was fraught with alarm. *Damn it, I almost forgot this guy is an Embers!* *He wouldn't be eyeing us as prime crafting materials after the battle, would he?!* "Ah, don't worry, I've already neutralized the hazards." Ji Jue's smile remained steady as he produced over a dozen magazines from his pocket. "For now, I'm offering sample packs. Give them a spin and let me know your feedback. Once the final batch is ready, I can throw in a few extra for free. If you want to place an order... well, we're all friends here, so the price is negotiable." In an instant, countless pairs of eyes lit up. "For real, Adoptive Father?!" "Give us some! Give us some!" "Boss Ji, you know I've been an orphan since I was little—" "If my lord does not cast me aside—" Even someone as cautious as Slan caved under Ji Jue's barrage of sugarcoated artillery. After a coy routine of "Oh, no, really, you shouldn't have...", he pocketed the gear. When the cash was right, heads rolled tight! After another wave of free bonus bundles, having eaten and taken their fill, the men's morale surged visibly. Seeing the commotion grow louder in the distant settlement, with vehicles already about to roll out the main gates, Uncle Lin grew anxious. "When do we start?" "No rush. Wait for the signal." Ji Jue smiled and offered one last reminder: "Everyone, double-check your identification wristbands. If your wristband gets damaged, pull out immediately. Don't hesitate." Seeing Ji Jue treat it so seriously, Slan looked down and twitched the rubber band on his wrist, skeptical. *What good is a cheap trinket like this?* "You'd best listen to him," Old Tom warned, slipping several more bands onto both of his arms in one breath, terrified the system might misidentify him. Otherwise, when a grenade sprouted legs and sprinted straight at you, trying to shout that you were on the same side would be useless—by the time you cooled off, the only hot thing left would be the food at your village funeral feast. *Boom!* Without warning, a dull rumble rolled in from the distance through the dark night. The damp air grew increasingly freezing. Accompanied by the approaching thunder, faint arcs of lightning suddenly spread across the sky, sweeping over with the howling gale and dark clouds. In that instant, the last dim light in the temporary camp was extinguished by Ji Jue's hand. In the darkness, everyone scattered. Amidst the fleeting flashes of lightning, armored, modified vehicles cut their headlights and roared toward the distant settlement under the cover of gloom and rolling thunder! And before that... "Let's say hello first." Ji Jue raised his hand and snapped his fingers. In the pause between thunderclaps, the crisp snap echoed out. Wherever it reached, countless minute sounds stirred within the camp. In the open center of the clearing, inside opened crates, rows of drones began to shudder in unison. It was as if they had awakened at a spoken command, infused with life. A sheen of steel rippled and spread, accompanied by a relentless scraping of metal. Immediately after, hundreds of silver birds spread their wings and shot into the sky amid the piercing shriek of whirling blades! Braving intense magnetic interference, flashing lightning, and the steadily thickening curtain of rain, they soared into the heavens. Requiring no manual controls or orders, they dispersed into dozens of formations and hurtled toward the distant settlement. Pushing their modified electric motors into overdrive, they crossed the distance of over a dozen kilometers in a mere half-minute. Wherever they passed, they left only a sharp, ear-splitting scream in their wake. They made no attempt to conceal their approach. Skimming over high walls, vaulting over guard posts, they plunged into the town and swept across the entire settlement. Looking down at the chaos and bustle below, countless people looked up in shock through the torrential downpour. Some stood frozen in place, while far more suffered a drastic change of expression. Where had these drones come from? In weather plagued by such heavy magnetic disruption, how could any drone take flight—and why were they hovering directly overhead?! "Enemy attack—!" Terrified shrieks erupted one after another. Some raised their rifles to aim, but their targets moved too fast, and there was no time to grab jammer guns. Amidst the crowd, someone abruptly waved an arm, drawing a cascade of lightning from the dark clouds. It swept across the sky, instantly scorching more than a dozen drones into blackened charcoal. Others deployed their own abilities, unleashing a flurry of countermeasures— Unfortunately, it was already too late. Ji Jue lowered his gaze, looking down at the phantom vision pieced together by the drones, noting the highlighted spiritus signatures and numerous high-threat targets. He raised his other hand and beckoned toward his rear. Beneath a heavy waterproof tarp, a colossal entity surged to its feet. Gears ground and mechanisms shifted, its razor-sharp edges tearing the flimsy disguise to shreds. The massive steel spider rose from its dormant state, its cluster of indicator lights converging into glowing crimson compound eyes. Its eight mechanical limbs moved in tandem, easily scaling the boulders and wedging themselves into the rock. And then, upon its back, a monstrous thirty-two-tube rocket pod began to spit venomous light. Streak after streak of meteors rose from the earth, tore across the sky, and rained down from the heavens!