Chapter 40: The Coming Storm
As the young man bid farewell to his elder, elsewhere in Revival City, the Original High Priest of the Original Owl Beast Sect, Trico, was performing his daily rituals.
This was a bright hall, dominated by a statue of a deity that resembled both a bear and an eagle.
The statue, crafted from jade-like stone, exuded an aura of rage.
Anyone standing before it would feel the force of a storm bearing down upon them, and those with weak minds would have their sanity shattered by the tempest.
The Original High Priest Trico, however, stood steadily before the Original Owl Beast deity statue.
He was undergoing the baptism of the storm while also listening to the deity’s wrath.
At that moment, a priest wearing a gray-white hood quietly appeared behind the High Priest.
From a distance, he did not feel the wind, but he knew well the consequences of standing before the storm deity statue.
And the High Priest had been standing there for a long time.
The priest’s eyes were filled with fear and reverence as he reported in a low voice, “High Priest, our operations in Revival City have encountered some obstructions. The Governor, who is not in the city, has exerted too much pressure on the Alliance government. They have intensified their scrutiny of us. Many supplies can no longer be transported through official channels openly, and our missionary work among the outer city refugees has been forced underground.”
The High Priest turned around, his gaze deep as if peering into the priest’s soul.
Though his lips did not move, his voice sounded like a gentle breeze in the priest’s ear, “The power of the storm is boundless. We will overcome all obstacles and achieve our sacred mission. Any hindrance will eventually be destroyed by the storm, even if it is that Governor.”
The priest wholeheartedly agreed, “You are right. The Howling Wind Emissary has already sent a message, the enemy has taken the bait, and good news should come soon. Once that Governor is dead, Revival City will descend into chaos! They cannot afford the consequences of the Governor’s untimely death; they will fear the starship in the sky. No one will have the energy to care about what we are doing.”
The High Priest sighed, “Time flies, and humanity remains mired in ignorance. Only the storm can lead them out of darkness. Our mission is to spread the deity’s glory to every corner of the world.”
The priest respectfully responded, “As you say, High Priest. We will do our utmost and not disappoint the storm.”
The High Priest prayed silently once more, lamenting, “May the storm guide our path, making us the beacon leading people through this darkness. Go now, my child, and may the deity’s blessing be with you.”
The priest bowed reverently and quietly departed, leaving the High Priest alone before the Owl Beast deity statue.
…
Yan Fangxu had already deeply sensed that something was amiss.
He was leading the newly formed 3rd Infantry Battalion, which had just received their equipment, on a mission to clear the Alien Species Forest.
Four hours ago, his unit was purging a monster nest.
They had killed dozens of monsters near the nest, and their subsequent tasks were no different from before.
Even though this hatchery was larger than any they had encountered before, it was still within their expectations.
After destroying the nest, they prepared to leave for the next location.
Then, the dense sound of gunfire erupted from the surrounding forest.
Yan Fangxu’s command style had always been one of steadiness.
Even though they had already destroyed numerous hatcheries before, he did not relax his vigilance in the slightest when encountering this one.
He had set up an outer perimeter, and during the destruction of the hatchery, they also established a temporary defensive position. In short, he fought methodically, leaving no room for error.
He knew that the old fellow Pobov often grumbled behind his back about his slow efficiency, trying to argue that the 2nd Battalion should handle this task while the newly formed 3rd Battalion stayed back to guard the base.
However, it was evident that the Governor trusted him, a legitimate Imperial Captain, more than the hastily trained Pobov.
And he lived up to the Governor’s trust. Since the start of the operation, his unit had suffered very few casualties.
Especially today, his caution paid off.
The soldiers on the outer perimeter detected a massive swarm of monsters approaching.
They opened fire first, delaying the monsters’ advance and buying time for Yan Fangxu.
As the perimeter soldiers fought and retreated, Yan Fangxu had already directed his unit to construct a triangular defensive position.
Each of the three infantry companies took one position, with parts extending outward, mutually supporting and covering each other with their firepower.
Within the ten minutes or so that the perimeter soldiers had bought them, they managed to accomplish all this.
This was partly due to Yan Fangxu’s excellent command and prior preparations, with the troops strictly following orders without any slack; it was also due to the high level of military skills throughout the 3rd Battalion.
Even though they had not yet faced a hard battle, the soldiers’ visible nervousness did not affect their morale, and they executed their orders meticulously, fully reaching the normal standards of the Imperial Starfleet Marines.
Every time Yan Fangxu saw this, he couldn’t help but sigh.
Such a unit was rare even on the Quintet starship.
Most labor conscripts or mechanized soldiers couldn’t reach this standard.
Only a few Marine battalions had this capability; and as for the Marine assault squad he had brought down, they were indeed more elite, but there were only about a thousand soldiers of this caliber on the entire starship.
The soldiers smoothly constructed the defensive position, easing Yan Fangxu’s anxiety over the sudden attack.
When the enemies finally appeared, the soldiers opened fire fiercely.
Under the crossfire, the monsters fell in droves.
They quickly repelled the monster swarm’s attack.
The repulsive, variably shaped pustule monsters lay dead on the ground.
The dark green pus that seeped from their bodies was incredibly foul-smelling.
As disgusting as they were, the threat they posed was indeed not much of a threat.
Enemies that relied on biting, short-range pus splatter for corrosion, and could be killed by gunfire, had no chance under the net of firepower.
But before they could relax for long, the second wave of the enemy’s attack arrived.
Again, a large number of pustule monsters—humanoid, beast-like, and indescribable forms—charged out of the forest, howling as they rushed towards the defensive position.
And within this second wave of attacks appeared some creatures capable of ranged assaults.
Pus Sprayers.
These monsters looked much like the ordinary pustule monsters, except for an additional spraying orifice either on their chest or atop their head.
When they reached a distance of about fifty meters, they would stop, accumulate energy for a moment, and then spray out a swath of yellow-green pus from their orifice.
These monsters, capable of spewing highly corrosive pus, posed a significant threat to the defensive position.