Chapter 25: Blood Slave

This mission took place on another lower continent. The task was simple: a border town had been occupied by the Blood Race. Because there was a secret research base of the Empire near the town, after the local garrison failed in two assaults, the military decisively dispatched the Red Scorpions.

For this battle, the Red Scorpions mobilized an entire company, totaling one hundred Black Scorpion-class warriors, led by three Red Scorpion commanders. In addition to Qian Ye, fifty rookies accompanied them.

In the county where the small town was located, the local forces gathered over ten thousand soldiers to coordinate with the Red Scorpions. This was a truly large-scale battle, and many rookies were already excited from the preparation stage.

Qian Ye boarded an inter-continental Stellar-class airship, and after five days of non-stop flight, he arrived at the target area.

Following the main force, Qian Ye jumped off the airship and then climbed into the waiting transport trucks, heading towards the designated position.

The attack plan was so simple it was almost unbelievable: divide into three groups, directly assault the city, and kill any resistance on the spot. That was it—nothing more.

The convoy of transport trucks rumbled wildly, roaring across the wasteland, reminiscent of a herd of prehistoric mammoths charging through.

Qian Ye sat in the truck, cradling his origin force rifle, swaying slightly to keep balance as the truck bounced up and down. He was now very accustomed to these black stone steam-powered machines, even able to take a little break.

Unlike other rookies who eagerly checked their weapons, he began to recall the information about the Blood Race.

The Blood Race was one of the primary races among the dark races, often referred to as vampires by humans. True Blood Race members closely resembled humans, with extraordinary elegance and beauty, possessing a charm that humans could hardly match.

They had long lives and great strength. Theoretically, a Blood Race member at the Duke level could live for over a millennium. They could also choose to sleep for extended periods, during which their life force drained extremely slowly. It was said that deep within the Blood Race territory, there were horrifying beings that had been asleep for tens of thousands of years!

The Blood Race was exceedingly dangerous, possessing immense power and exceptional speed, along with remarkable intelligence.

Origin force rifles were originally invented by humans to compensate for their insufficient origin force, but the manufacturing method was later stolen by the dark races, who developed their own version powered by dark origin force. Among them, the Blood Race produced the most exquisite and luxurious origin force rifles, highly sought after in the upper echelons of human society. A finely crafted origin force rifle from the Blood Race could fetch astronomical prices.

Finally, there was the unique inheritance method of the Blood Race. They could reproduce with their own kind or transform humans into vampires through a ritual called “the Embrace,” injecting their primal blood into humans. Additionally, human blood was their favorite delicacy.

Thus, the Blood Race and humans knew each other well. During the time when the dark races ruled the world, the Blood Race kept the most humans. Many humans were raised to provide fresh blood for the Blood Race. In the eyes of the Blood Race, humans were no different from livestock like pigs and sheep.

In both the Netherworld Training Camp and the Red Scorpions, Qian Ye had killed Blood Race members. However, they were not true Blood Race warriors, and there were few of them, restricted by origin force shackles, allowing only scattered and isolated activities in the examination area.

This time, it was different—it was a full-scale war against the Blood Race.

As the transport trucks moved, the veterans distributed three special silver origin force bullets to each rookie.

These solid bullets could be loaded into the origin force rifles. The empty shells could be mass-produced or handcrafted, but only soldiers at least Level 3 could infuse them with origin force, forming complete solid bullets.

These three silver bullets had an extra lethal effect on vampires. Only three were given because all the rookies were Level 2 soldiers, capable of firing the origin force rifle no more than three times in a single battle, even if they had a hundred bullets.

The rookies silently loaded the silver bullets into their rifles, waiting for the battle to begin.

The transport trucks rushed straight to within two hundred meters of the small city! They screeched to a halt, forming a long line, serving as both roadblocks and excellent cover.

From the walls, people started firing old-fashioned gunpowder weapons at the trucks, but the metal bullets could not penetrate the thick steel plates. The Black Scorpion-level veterans began to counterattack, sending rounds of origin force bullets soaring toward the city walls, blasting both the walls and the shooters into the sky.

In a moment, the fire from the city walls was suppressed. Qian Ye and the other rookies immediately leaped out of the trucks, rushing towards the small city under the lead of the veterans.

The battle was simpler than expected. The Red Scorpion captains charged ahead, and whenever a Blood Race warrior appeared, a silver bullet would follow.

The Red Scorpion captains never missed, targeting only high-level Blood Race warriors, leaving the common ones to their subordinates. The Black Scorpion-level warriors further screened, eliminating most of the Blood Race left by the captains, reserving a few for the rookies to practice.

Qian Ye raised his origin force rifle, and it trembled. His accuracy was always perfect, and this time was no exception. The silver origin force bullet left the barrel, opening a large hole in a vampire’s forehead. The wound immediately emitted sizzling white smoke, the flesh blackening as if burned by a strong acid.

The vampire stood still, and two more blood flowers blossomed on its body. Two rookies, unable to control themselves, shot their expensive silver bullets into the already dead vampire, earning no combat points.

Qian Ye quickly repositioned his rifle, firing again, taking down a Blood Race warrior emerging from a rooftop. Within seconds, his rifle roared again, and another Blood Race warrior fell screaming.

Among the rookies, Qian Ye’s performance was outstanding, taking down three Blood Race warriors with three shots, matching the records of the Black Scorpion-level veterans!

On the real battlefield, Qian Ye deeply understood the uniqueness of the Netherworld Training Camp.

Nine years of brutal training between life and death had made his combat reactions a part of his bodily instinct. In almost any situation, Qian Ye would make the right response and seize fleeting opportunities to counterattack ruthlessly.

The Netherworld Training Camp aimed to train the best assassins, so the combat style focused on being motionless until striking, always a fatal blow. Once Qian Ye seized the opportunity to counter, the enemy was almost certain to die.

So, on the battlefield, Qian Ye shone brightly, his actual performance far exceeding his paper stats. Not only did he outshine most rookies, but many Black Scorpion veterans also fell short!

This was the true prowess of a Netherworld graduate!

There were hundreds of Blood Race warriors in the small city, suggesting a minor clan invasion. The local legion had mobilized tens of thousands of troops, launching two major assaults, losing nearly ten thousand soldiers, but achieving nothing.

However, with the Red Scorpions’ involvement, the frontlines advanced swiftly, capturing all key points within the city. Most Blood Race warriors were killed on the spot, none escaping.

This battle showed Qian Ye why the Red Scorpions, with just ten thousand regular soldiers, required twenty thousand support personnel. One company of Red Scorpions was as powerful as ten thousand imperial regulars. Compared to local forces, the disparity in combat power was even more pronounced.

The Empire was always pragmatic, even to the point of being ruthless. Combat power directly determined the treatment of the legion, a form of fairness based purely on strength. The number of soldiers was never a consideration.

After capturing the small city, a shocking scene unfolded before Qian Ye.

From several buildings, thousands of people surged out, crazily rushing towards the Red Scorpions and imperial soldiers. Their eyes were dull, teeth bared, and lips purple-black. These people had lost their minds, becoming beasts that recognized only fresh blood and flesh!

The Red Scorpion soldiers seemed to have anticipated this. They calmly put away their origin force rifles, switching to gunpowder weapons. Instantly, machine guns, automatic rifles, and autocannons roared, forming a metal storm that tore apart the crazed crowd!

Among those rushing forward were many in intact uniforms of the imperial local legions, clearly the soldiers who had fallen in the previous assault!

The local soldiers who followed the Red Scorpions into the city mostly stopped in shock, but the Red Scorpions continued coldly and efficiently, harvesting lives!

“No! Stop, that’s my brother!” A young soldier from the local forces suddenly shouted, rushing towards a Red Scorpion captain, grabbing his waist, trying to stop him from shooting.

But the Red Scorpion captain simply sidestepped, throwing the young soldier to the ground, then pulled the trigger, turning the crazed local soldier into a sieve.

“You killed my brother! I… I’ll kill you!” The young soldier screamed in anger, pointing his gun at the Red Scorpion captain.

A cold light flashed in the Red Scorpion captain’s eyes, and he swiftly drew his pistol, blowing half of the young soldier’s head off!

The Red Scorpion captain glanced at the local soldiers, saying coldly, “Do you also plan to rebel?”

The local soldiers, all pale with fear, immediately denied.

“Then start attacking! Those aren’t people anymore, they’re Blood Slaves!” The Red Scorpion captain shouted, raising his autocannon, aiming the dark barrel at them.

Under the threat of the Red Scorpion captain’s gun, the local soldiers finally raised their weapons, firing nervously. Outnumbering the Red Scorpions by tens, their volley was impressive, quickly cutting down the crazed horde.

Satisfied, the Red Scorpion captain raised his fist and shouted, “Attention! Begin free action, kill everyone in this city! Repeat, kill everyone, regardless of age, gender, or innocence!”

This order stunned Qian Ye. Killing soldiers and adult men seemed just, but why harm the elderly, women, and children?

However, in both the Netherworld and the Red Scorpions, obedience was the first rule.

Qian Ye slung his origin force rifle behind him, picked up a spare automatic rifle, and began searching the city’s alleys.

Just as he turned a corner, a young boy suddenly ran out of a door.