The rain poured.
The battle on the high wall raged on. Gu Ning lay face-up on the ground, subrged in icy rainwater and the blood of Mutant Species corpses.
The world around her was a cacophony of chaos, a grotesque spectacle. Amid the colossal Mutant Species, her tiny figure seed utterly insignificant.
"Is she dead?"
The Bird Clan squad that had just cleared the area gathered around.
Their attention wasn’t on the Dwarf hybrid lying on the ground, but on their captain, Philinos, who stood before the little Mixed Breed.
As for the little Mixed Breed, whose fate was unknown, their question was rely an afterthought.
Just monts ago, a dozen or so Mutant Species had surrounded this spot. If this little Mixed Breed was still alive after that, they’d have to be cautious.
In fact, the little Mixed Breed was still alive.
Philinos stared at the little Mixed Breed on the ground, his brow furrowed slightly. A flicker of doubt crossed his eyes.
’He’d thought she was a Mixed Breed on the verge of transforming into a high-level Mutant Species. Turns out she wasn’t?’
Just then, other mbers of the squad also detected the little Mixed Breed’s faint aura. One of them stepped forward, about to kick it to check its condition, when a figure charged over, shoved him aside, and roared, "Get away! Don’t touch her!"
The squad mber stumbled back from the imnse force. Philinos reached out, steadying him from behind.
Kloer cradled Gu Ning halfway up from the ground, calling her na anxiously, "Little Gu Ning, Little Gu Ning! Wake up!"
"Let’s go," Philinos said. He figured the little Mixed Breed must be related to this Beastman; it had been the Beastman’s whistle that drew them here earlier.
He gave his disgruntled squad mber a push. But just as he was about to turn and leave, he saw two Beastn approaching.
The two Beastn didn’t even give them a glance, walking straight past them and hurrying over to the little Mixed Breed.
"Kloer, how is she?!"
Hearing the anxiety in their voices, Philinos couldn’t help but glance back.
He saw the Beastman called Kloer just as he was about to remove the little Mixed Breed’s mask.
"Kloer, give her to ." One of the Beastn took the little Mixed Breed from him, interrupting Kloer’s movent. Her small fra vanished into the Beastman’s embrace.
The Beastn’s protectiveness over the little Mixed Breed struck Philinos as odd, but the shrieks of the Mutant Species didn’t allow him ti to dwell on irrelevant matters.
Philinos averted his gaze, spread his wings, and followed his squad into the night sky. The special longsword forged from Crystal Stone in his hand traced arcs of silver-blue light through the air.
...
...
Southern Defense Fortification Base.
War Room.
The chief of Zone 19, high-ranking officers from the Military Departnt, and the managent of Zone 19’s defensive fortifications were all gathered in the conference room. They thodically discussed upcoming battle plans against the Mutant Species, troop deploynt, and other matters.
This was an annual affair, so the eting lacked any real sense of urgency.
Alex sat in a corner at the far end of the conference table, head bowed as he listened to the reports from the other departnts.
"Winter ca early this year, and the Mutant Species population is up by a third compared to last year. How are the military’s preparations coming along?"
"We worked ourselves to the bone to finish the defensive fortifications ahead of schedule. They’re not just for show. You military types need to get in here, and fast. The Mutant Species have already started their assault."
We can’t deploy our weapons until the military enters Zone 19. Otherwise, we risk friendly fire and slowing their advance.
"Our troops are held up far behind the lines," an officer said. "According to frontline recon, the Mutant Species swarm has several more King Seeds this ti around."
Mutant Species swarms led by a King Seed are far more intelligent; they use tactics to outmaneuver their enemies.
Upon hearing there were more King Seeds, everyone in the conference room began to murmur amongst themselves.
"Gentlen, there’s no need to worry." A deep, resonant voice cut through the chatter.
The speaker was the military’s highest representative, Admiral Andrew. "We’ve already dispatched an advance force. They’ll be more than enough to protect Zone 19’s beautiful high walls."
Alex looked up at the admiral.
"An advance force?" one of the Zone 19 officials asked. "Bird Clan soldiers?"
In previous years, under various circumstances, the military’s advance forces had usually been the Bird Team.
"Correct," Andrew said. "This unit is our ace in the hole. Every soldier is an elite, handpicked from the various Bird Team squads. They excel at both air and ground combat."
This news imdiately put everyone’s minds at ease.
The greatest threats to Zone 19’s high walls are the flying Mutant Species and the ones that excel at burrowing.
The ground-based ones were manageable, but those in the sky were far more trouble.
Especially in the initial stages, the flying Mutant Species would launch sporadic, harassing attacks, specifically targeting the defensive installations and weaponry on the walls.
Such clear-cut objectives were a clear sign that a King Seed was in command.
Andrew continued, "To counter the Mutant Species’ penchant for burrowing, we’ve also dispatched a subterranean advance team to protect the fortification personnel from attack."
"Very thorough, Admiral," Alex said.
Andrew clasped his hands and looked over at him, smiling. "Your work this year has been very satisfactory. The Military Departnt is naturally inclined to contribute more as a result."
Alex was about to say sothing more when several ssages popped up on his terminal in quick succession. He glanced down at the screen...
Seeing the look of appreciation Andrew gave Alex, the Zone 19 chief at his side imdiately chid in. "Alex was sent from the Upper District. The reason our defensive fortifications were completed so well this year is all thanks to the importance the higher-ups placed on the project..."
Before he could finish, Alex suddenly shot to his feet. His chair scraped harshly against the floor, and everyone in the room turned to look at him.
The chief, thinking Alex was about to attack him out of displeasure with his words, instinctively shied away.
But instead, Alex turned and strode out of the room. Before anyone could react, he had vanished from sight.
Seeing Alex leave the conference room in such a hurry, Andrew raised an eyebrow. He glanced at the chief next to him and asked, "What was that about?"
The chief gave an awkward laugh. "Young people from the Upper District just have short fuses..."
Just then, Andrew’s aide-de-camp stepped forward. "Admiral, the eastern defensive fortifications are under attack by a wave of flying Mutant Species."
Andrew ignored the chief’s rambling. He glanced at Alex’s empty seat and asked his aide, "Where are our n?"
The aide replied, "The Bird Team is already on their way. They should have it resolved shortly."
Andrew nodded. After a mont of thought, he said, "Notify the subterranean unit. Tell them to be on alert. It’s probably not just an aerial wave."
The aide complied.
The thought of having to communicate with the Dog Team already gave him a headache.
"What is it?" Andrew asked, catching his aide’s subtle expression. "Are the puppies protesting again?"
The aide cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "They’re a bit temperantal—might be all the digging. Plus, this new formation combined units from two different military regions. There’s a lot of friction. The Dog Team and the Wolf Team are always at each other’s throats."
Andrew chuckled. "Don’t worry about it. A few more days of digging, and they won’t have the energy to stir up trouble."
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