O White Nation, My Homeland!

Ji Jue suddenly noticed something utterly bizarre. He could no longer say for sure where his hometown was! When he went to Quancheng, he was a local of Quancheng. When he visited the Sacrificial Temple of the Ancient Beginning, he was an elite native from beneath the Imperial City's roots. Now that he had arrived at the Kingdom of the Woods, he had become a native werewolf of the White Nation... Why did he turn into a local wherever he went nowadays? Making the whole world one's home wasn't supposed to work like this! Yet the facts lay right before his eyes. The moment he logged into the server, he had signed straight into an account—and his ranking seemed even higher than that of the local wolves of the White Nation. Historically, it had always been wolves infiltrating the crowd, so how in the world had he infiltrated the pack? Forget the fact that the White Stag Hunter sitting right next to him hadn't noticed anything amiss; even Shangri-La itself, which currently sustained the entire Kingdom of the Woods, hadn't detected anything strange. There wasn't the slightest rejection or abnormality. Instead, it was like a brand-new game launch showering him with a hundred free pulls right off the bat, generously pouring down vast amounts of essence and making the blood-red brambles coiled around the Hole grow increasingly vibrant and lively. "Emmmm..." Ji Jue's expression turned exceedingly complicated. He was sorely tempted to sever this connection, but when a free gift was delivered right to his doorstep, he would be a fool not to take it. Yet if he kept feeding it like this, the metamorphosis and growth would become more and more thorough. The more he killed, the higher his ranking would climb... In the end, would the Wolf in the Woods turn out to be himself? He had spent half his life as a Celestial Chosen, matching wits and strength with Kanemoto. How had he suddenly ended up joyfully welcoming a Great Sin? In the dead silence, Ji Jue raised his eyes to glance at the colossal tree high in the vault of heaven and sighed helplessly. "You people have really done me dirty." "Everyone, get ready. Stay on high alert." From the walkie-talkie came Tong Shan's voice from the lead vehicle: "We have officially entered the territory of the Kingdom of the Woods. Keep a close watch on all traces and report any anomalies immediately. "Maintain formation and do not fall behind. Check in with the other squads every five minutes. That is all!" Voices responded in succession over the channel. After her initial stress response, An Ning had returned to her usual self. Yawning, she reclined in the passenger seat once more. She rolled down the window of Little Niuma, lazily glancing up on occasion, spending most of her time half-asleep. Suppressing her spiritus and aura, she discarded all unnecessary exertion and trivial matters, causing her entire presence to turn faint and indistinct. This not only avoided provoking the suppression of the Kingdom of the Woods, but also concealed her presence to the greatest possible extent. If hunters strolled everywhere swaggering and firing shots into the air, they might as well give up on hunting wolves. Escaping being surrounded and kicked to death by a pack would be considered lucky. In the brief silence, her nostrils twitched slightly as she caught a strange scent. "It's going to rain, Brother Ji Jue." No sooner had the words left her mouth than dull thunder rumbled across the gloomy wasteland ahead. It wasn't loud or sharp; the distant sound felt like grains of sand rubbing against the eardrums, back and forth, grating on one's nerves. Up in the sky, somber storm clouds converged out of nowhere and slowly rolled open. Before long, bean-sized raindrops plummeted from the sky one after another, slamming against the roof panels. They rapidly intensified until the continuous clatter sounded like beans popping in a hot pan, blurring into a dizzying, endless roar. Within the gradually thickening moisture, everyone felt waves of chill wash over their bodies. Ji Jue reached out his hand and caught a droplet. He clenched his fist. —*Hiss!* Under the analysis of Non-Offensive, the water droplet suddenly began squirming like a living creature, thrashing from side to side. Sensing that it could not escape the clasp of his palm, it trembled slightly, preparing to transform, only to be brutally crushed by Dissociation Art. As it evaporated, it actually let out a shrill scream. Within the faint plume of steam, a fleeting, blurry human face emerged, carrying the venomous, icy remnants of spiritus... If anyone failed to realize that this sudden rain was problematic at this point, their head had to be the problem. Ji Jue simply hadn't expected the Kingdom of the Woods to react so quickly. Faced with the blatant intrusion of the Federation and the Empire, it hadn't even been half an hour before it delivered such an intimidating opening gambit. Tension spread through the convoy, yet the lead vehicle continued forward without the slightest hesitation. "Keep going," Tong Shan said. "Everyone, stay on high alert." Others might still have room to retreat—if you know there are tigers on the mountain, you simply don't go there. But their vanguard unit was explicitly sent to clear the minefield. Right now, forget the Kingdom of the Woods; countless eyes from the Federation, the Empire, and even the Wilderness Market were watching them. To cower before battle and flee without fighting—did they want to be dragged before an internal military tribunal? Surviving until the trial started would be a defeat for Tianyuan! Never mind uncanny rain; even if mountains of blades and seas of fire lay ahead, they could not take a single step back. Ignoring the hair-raising downpour, the convoy pushed forward without slowing down, plunging headlong into the torrential storm. At some point, the wind blowing through the rain turned into whimpers and wails, interspersed with screams and roars that rose and fell in waves. The scenery remained a scarred, desolate wasteland, but beyond the glare of the searchlights, the distorted curtain of rain made it impossible to see one's own fingers. The rain fell like tears. Amidst the endless tears and weeping, a flare suddenly shot up, rising into the sky like a crimson star. In its flickering red light, it illuminated the dense rain around the convoy—and the uncanny silhouettes that had appeared within the deluge at an unknown moment. Above stiff, numb faces, pitch-black eyes stared unblinkingly at the uninvited guests who had broken in. Under the flare's illumination, their expressions twitched and warped frantically. Yet, like a hallucination, they vanished an instant later. No, they hadn't vanished... Little Niuma's engine suddenly roared like an enraged beast. The entire vehicle shuddered violently, shaking off the strands of rainwater clinging to its chassis. The viscous rainwater seemed alive, extending a hand to claw at the sheet metal, seeking any opening to seep inside. It was as if countless vengeful spirits lurked within the rain, seeking to drag every living creature on land down into the water! —The Living Water Calamity! Having been shaken off, the thick water wriggled in waves, trying to slip through the vehicle's seams. Upon finding that the entire vehicle had long been reinforced by Ji Jue to utter perfection, it turned into mist and surged into the interior through the air-conditioning vents. Within that faint mist, venomous human faces and hands took shape, lunging toward the living souls inside. Only then did they realize the script seemed off. An Ning yawned. She remained entirely unmoved. Ji Jue acted as if nothing was there, not even shifting his gaze. To the point that even the venomous faces seemed momentarily dumbfounded. It was like an actor playing a chainsaw-wielding maniac in an escape room who lunged right into a customer's face, only for the customer to keep laughing and chatting, refusing to provide any emotional feedback whatsoever. Not only did they refuse to react... They beat up the actor too! *Snap—* Within the Thunder Pool, Zhanlu trembled slightly. Dark purple lightning flashed into existence for a split second. Before those faces and hands could even scream, they were completely evaporated, vanishing without a trace. The lingering malice and venomous spiritus were swept up and dragged into the Thunder Pool, serving as trivial nourishment. Zhanlu hummed softly. Like a gourmet smacking its lips, it felt the portion was too small to even savor the flavor, sending Ji Jue a faint sense of hunger, asking for a couple more bites! However, Ji Jue didn't need to trouble himself. The moment the Living Water Calamity revealed itself, shrill shrieks erupted from within the rain curtain, one after another. Throughout the entire convoy, in every gap, corner, and cabin, countless droplets of rain, strands of animated water, and the venomous evil spirits hiding within them all wailed and evaporated as if encountering their natural predator. The dense rain abruptly thinned out. Though a torrential downpour still lashed just beyond the windows, everywhere the convoy passed quickly became dry and pleasant. Tong Shan, who had waited for who knew how long, had finally seen the Living Water Calamity strike and unleashed his power decisively! —*Domain Expansion: Calamity Prevention Codex!* Amidst the pouring rain, a blank rift suddenly expanded. It didn't merely hold the storm at bay; it utterly crushed the countless vengeful spirits hidden within the living water. Within the coverage of the massive domain, not a single drop of rain could penetrate. Various gleams of flame, winds shifting in five colors, and even faint traces of lightning flickered and vanished within telekinetic power, constantly testing the phenomenon. Once they recombined, they had completed a targeted countermeasure against the Living Water Calamity. Within Tong Shan's grasp, the thin book in his hands thickened by an imperceptible fraction. On the newly generated page, extensive records, analyses, intrinsic qualities, and countermeasures concerning the Living Water Calamity emerged. As the phenomena shifted, lines of dense text rapidly materialized on the paper. Thus, no matter how the countless figures in the storm threw themselves against the barrier or tried to seep through, it was entirely futile. The moment they crossed into the hundred-meter radius around the convoy, they were like fish foolishly leaping onto dry land, meeting only annihilation and death as they desiccated. For a domain like the Calamity Prevention Codex, which had been forged from its inception to counter natural disasters, any calamity's disturbance or assault would only augment its foundation and strength! Unless they could utterly crush Tong Shan right at the start, then in a war of attrition, the more experience and analysis the Calamity Prevention Codex accumulated, the less impact the calamity would have, until it was rendered entirely useless. In this damned place called the Mid-Continent, there might be a shortage of everything else, but there was never any shortage of varied natural disasters. In less than a year, this newly formed domain had undergone transformation after transformation amidst the tempering and erosion of countless calamities, realizing its full potential! "Brother Shan is incredible! Brother Shan rules!" Seeing the sudden turn of events, cheers echoed across the convoy's radio channel, mixed with Ji Jue's discordant voice chiming in: "Spare some, spare some!" Before Tong Shan could even feel smug, he saw a wisp of spirit essence floating right before his eyes, swaying back and forth, gazing at him eagerly with longing. It was waiting for dinner! "..." Tong Shan sighed helplessly, opening his mouth only to stop himself, completely at a loss for words. He had dragged his feet for so long that he couldn't bring himself to say he was busy. Left with no choice, he carved out a small opening in the Calamity Prevention Codex's domain, treating Zhanlu to a lavish buffet. And then, he immediately began to regret it! This little thing was practically a bottomless pit. It devoured as much as was offered, never getting full, and if the flow slowed down, it even hurried the kitchen. *Delicious, love it, want more, hurry it up!* After finally eating its fill, it rolled around in the Thunder Pool twice to finish digesting before popping back out to eat again. After just a few rounds, the lightning, which had shifted from deep blue to purple-black, revealed a new change. Its color turned faintly translucent, and as it darted through the air, its passage produced a subtle wail and whimper identical to that of the Living Water Calamity. Two hours had passed since the battle began. Amidst the endless downpour, the domain of the Calamity Prevention Codex had completed its targeted evolution, feeling no pressure whatsoever. Seeing Tong Shan's calm and unruffled demeanor, everyone felt admiration and gradually relaxed, even rotating their shifts once. Who could have imagined that behind this facade of effortless poise, Tong Shan was already sweating profusely and tearing his hair out? Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that the pressure wouldn't come from the enemy, but from his own teammate! To the point that when a chorus of shrill howls echoed from the edge of the rain curtain, he almost wept with joy. An opponent had finally arrived! Otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to hold out! Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one struggling to hold on... In the gloom beyond the storm, the corrupted one from Decaying Wind was drenched in cold sweat, his face deathly pale, pushed to his absolute limit and barely able to catch his breath. Two hours! Two whole hours! Even within the Kingdom of the Woods, fueling a calamity was an arduous and exhausting task. A natural disaster was vast and magnificent; even with the aid of numerous secret rituals and the creations of Stagnant Rot, guiding and sustaining it demanded every ounce of his strength. Yet for two whole hours, the Living Water Calamity had received neither sacrifice nor life, leaving it increasingly starved and frantic. The frequency of its rampages grew higher, as if it were hemorrhaging blood, teetering on the verge of slipping out of control several times. It was even continuously draining his own life and spiritus... The backlash was turning increasingly savage. The sacrifices and vitality he had hoarded were nearly outstripped by the consumption! To make matters worse, his teammate kept shooting suspicious glances his way. After so long, there hadn't been the slightest result. Was he slacking off? Was he actually putting in the work? Had he paused to reflect on his own shortcomings? Finally, his companion couldn't resist muttering: "Can you people from Decaying Wind get the job done or not?" "Like hell you could do better!" the corrupted one from Decaying Wind roared in fury, his eyes bloodshot. "If we're no good, why don't you bastards go in yourselves? Show me what you've got!" "Why didn't you just say so earlier?" Delamelian sneered, gulping down the heart in his hand in a few bites. He threw his head back and let out a wild, piercing howl that tore into the clouds. As that sharp howl echoed, amid the muffled rumble of rain and thunder, a chorus of roars and shrieks rose one after another. Across the barren wasteland, in the dark shadows, mutated monsters were jolted from their slumber, overcome with an insatiable hunger! The Kingdom of the Woods was inherently the domain and hunting ground of wolves. All mutated creatures possessed an innate, uncontrollable greed and an ever-intensifying starvation. Under the call and pull of the wolf's howl, their primal nature descended into madness once more. The initial rustling quickly spread until pairs of scarlet and emerald eyes ignited across the dim landscape. Countless eerie eyes converged like a ravenous tide. Amidst rumbling tremors, countless jackals, hyenas, giant birds, insects, and snakes answered the summons. These mutated creatures hungrily preyed on their own kind, yet lured by the light, their gazes involuntarily turned toward the nearby convoy. However, the sharp aura radiating from the vehicles pressed down upon their consciousness like a blade, making them pace back and forth, hesitant to strike. Until Delamelian opened his jaws and howled wildly once more. Fueling hunger, inciting madness... At that instant, An Ning's eyes lifted from the passenger seat, gazing toward the distant darkness as she declared flatly: "A Wolf of the Heart!" The wolves of the mountain roamed alone. Because they were too greedy to tolerate their own kind and so famished they would devour their companions, their bones and sinews were sturdy, their movements untraceable. In contrast, the Wolf of the Heart preferred to mingle among its prey, disguising its face, concealing its claws and fangs, slowly inciting friction and infighting among them. They would even coordinate with tacit understanding, calmly and coldly slaughtering their quarry to suck blood and feast on death. Now, infected by the howl, the hunger of countless mutated beasts was easily provoked, driving them to serve as tools to attack the convoy. Once the intruders revealed a flaw and fell into disarray, the wolves could strike at their leisure. The tremors in the ground grew increasingly violent. Amidst rising shrieks, a massive shadow suddenly swooped down from the clouds. A bizarre giant fish resembling a manta ray plummeted from the sky into the storm. Dozens of eyes covering its body burned with hunger. A colossal mouth running from head to tail snapped open, revealing dozens of rows of razor-sharp teeth as it bore down directly upon the convoy's lead vehicle. Tong Shan's eyes lit up as he prepared to strike, but Ji Jue's voice called out: "Don't move, don't move, don't move! Brother Shan, you keep doing your thing, leave this to me!" Seeing that he could lie back while Zhanlu's proficiency soared on its own, how could he let such a golden opportunity slip away over these minor pests? There was no need to mobilize Zhanlu; let the music play, let the dance go on, the feast could not be interrupted. The first to engage was the anti-drone system that had long since been modified across the convoy. Following its latest upgrade, the entire defense system had been linked with the convoy's weaponry. The instant an attacking target was confirmed, the fire-control radar guided the weapons, and electro-optical trackers locked on. Immediately after, the two trucks laden with supplies in the center of the convoy shuddered. Two tightly sealed steel containers rose from their roofs. Without even waiting for the covers to be removed, a blinding streak of fire tore through the gloom, blazing across the air. The steel containers were shredded like cardboard boxes, along with the manta ray plummeting from the sky. In less than half a second, a brief burst rang out. Under the firepower of an autocannon with a theoretical rate of fire reaching four thousand two hundred rounds per minute, the mutated beast had barely opened its jaws before detonating into mincemeat midair. Blood erupted and scattered in the gale, spraying shredded flesh everywhere, leaving the Celestial Chosen inside the vehicles who had just drawn their weapons utterly dumbfounded. Wait... what the hell was that just now? Damn it, did I wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Why am I seeing a naval close-in weapon system? Is this normal? Whether it made sense or not, as the gray tide rolled forward, countless mutated creatures driven mad by the wolf's howl descended from the sky, charged across the earth, and even burrowed from beneath the ground, swarming forward in a black, suffocating mass... The fastest of them, a grotesque giant insect, flashed forward and was practically right on top of them. Then, it detonated once again into a ball of foul-smelling slime, its carapace and wings dissolving in the high heat, its ashes swept away by the wind. After a few quick bursts to calibrate their accuracy, the two autocannons atop the trucks opened fire with full fury amidst a deafening roar! The entire trucks shook violently, barely able to suppress the ridiculous recoil, bobbing up and down on the spot like dancers. Meanwhile, an overwhelming barrage of blazing light howled forth as the rotary barrels spun. Prior to this day, none of them could have imagined just how terrifying the firepower of a close-in weapon system—designed to intercept missiles at point-blank range—would be when turned against a horde of mutated beasts. Now, they finally bore witness. Bones, shredded flesh, blood... One mutated beast after another was completely blasted apart under the sweeping barrage, popping like overfilled balloons trampled underfoot, splattering crimson everywhere. Not even the torrential rain could wash away the thick coats of gore. Mountains of minced flesh and severed corpses flew into the sky, fluttering like petals, barely able to hit the ground. All anyone could see were streaks of fleeting metallic fire, and all they could hear was the deafening, continuous roar. In the blink of an eye, the overwhelming horde of mutated monsters was reduced to heaps of mush at a pace visible to the naked eye. So much shredded flesh and bone carpeted the ground that even the vehicles trailing behind began to skid... Staring in shock, everyone couldn't help squinting and nodding repeatedly. *Right on, right on, brother, this is so right!* *That's the way!* *Why didn't you say so earlier, brother? If you'd told us you had this kind of firepower, would we have needed to do so much mental gymnastics to accept being cannon fodder?!* Apart from the Knights of the Swarm accompanying an army, what Celestial Chosen could ever enjoy such absurd fire support? *It's like New Year's, it's New Year's come early!* *Drifting through half my life without finding an enlightened master—from now on, I swear fealty to my godfather!* One could only say that right and wrong in this world were rarely clear-cut. While the Security Bureau felt this was entirely right and proper, Delamelian stood dumbfounded beyond the storm, desperately wanting to demand where on earth this had gone wrong! "What the fuck..." Delamelian froze, instinctively whistling. Soon, a blood-stained serpent emerged from the mud, opening its mouth to deliver a scalding cartridge casing to his feet. A cartridge casing as long as an upright palm, as thick as a thumb! With such a dense aura of spiritus and the lingering scent of quicksilver—wait, was this an alchemy bullet?! He commanded the serpent to scout again. Shortly after, the blood snake returned carrying an identical cartridge casing. A third time, a fourth time, all identical—but there was no fifth time. On the fifth run, the blood snake strayed too close to the front and was shredded by the crossfire! Now, Delamelian looked down at the four cartridge casings lined up before him, his vision swimming. An alchemy bullet, another alchemy bullet, yet another alchemy bullet! They were all alchemy bullets! This made no sense, what the fuck was going on?! Why were they firing alchemy bullets as if they were free? Spraying them out like water! No, at this rate, it wasn't spraying water—it was a dam bursting! For an alchemy bullet of this specification, buying a single round from those damned craftsmen of the Profound cost him sixty thousand! Sixty thousand a round, two autocannons, even assuming a rate of fire of three thousand rounds a minute, and they had been firing for at least five or six minutes... In other words, in this brief span, the other side had sprayed out over a hundred and eighty million Imperial currency just in ammunition, and they were still going, still pouring it out! They weren't stopping at all! The only difference was that when your opponent could casually drop a hundred and eighty million in seconds, you'd better be able to match it. Otherwise... Heh, some very fun things were about to happen~ And so, within the gloom, standing beside the corrupted one from Decaying Wind, Delamelian began to sweat. The two exchanged a glance, seeing the sweat pouring down each other's faces like rain. Several times they opened their mouths, only to stop themselves. They had no words. What else could they say?! Just as Tong Shan and his group were bait thrown out to fish and cannon fodder sent to clear mines, their own position wasn't much better! Just thinking about how many pairs of eyes were watching their backs made their hearts turn ice-cold. Believe it or not, the moment he opened his mouth to suggest retreating, a wolf claw would rip through the air and crush his skull into paste! He swallowed dryly, glancing back at his companions, only to see identical grim, funeral-sour faces. A wave of sorrow washed over him. Just as he was preparing to incite another wave of beasts, rally everyone for a desperate charge, and hang back on the flanks to slip away, his ears suddenly caught silence—the distant roar of the autocannons abruptly ceased. It stopped! It had actually stopped! "Haha, hahaha! They're out of money! They ran out of money!" Delamelian's eyes lit up, and he could no longer resist throwing his head back in wild laughter. Yet even he didn't know what he was so happy about. A pauper mocking a pay-to-win player was a dry, hollow laugh, and it almost made him want to shed a few bitter, destitute tears. Still, at least the enemy's strength was exhausted! "Don't hesitate, everyone, charge with me!" Delamelian raised his arm in a rallying cry, morphing into a wraith and lunging forward without hesitation. In an instant, every corrupted one poured out. Mingling with the large numbers of surviving mutated beasts, they surged toward the convoy in a suffocating black wave. Yet the farther he advanced, the more Delamelian felt something was wrong. Why wasn't there any reaction from the other side? Suspicious, he couldn't help slowing his pace slightly. Just as he was about to usher the others ahead of him as meat shields, he saw the two red-hot autocannons casually ejected and cast aside. Then, right before the eyes of all the corrupted ones, two brand-new autocannons rose from the trucks. Six barrels spun, their preheating complete. Immediately after... with a deafening roar, they fired once more!! "No, the guns just overheated. I swapped in fresh ones to keep shooting." In the distance, amid the sharp laughter that had not yet faded, Ji Jue turned his head in bewilderment, looking at An Ning: "What are they so happy about?" "Hmm..." An Ning pondered for a moment before offering a conclusion: "Maybe they're just happy for you!" "Is that so?" Ji Jue had an epiphany. Looking at the figures wailing, shrieking, and scattering in utter panic under the autocannon fire, he nodded in admiration: "What nice people."