Qian Ye looked down to see that his light armor had been torn in several places, with blood seeping from the wounds. These were from being hit by force guns, but the damage from such low-grade firearms was negligible to him now. As for the gunpowder weapons, they couldn’t even penetrate his defenses, leaving only the scent of gunpowder behind.
Seeing Qian Ye stand as if nothing had happened after being hit by multiple shots, the slave warriors charging towards him were momentarily stunned. This scene was something they had seen before on formidable dark race beings, but here, it was a human, a sniper.
Qian Ye furrowed his brow and slowly said, “It does hurt a bit!” His cold gaze swept over the menacing faces close at hand, and he added with a touch of mockery, “Not giving up until all hope is lost should be considered a virtue.”
Suddenly, Qian Ye charged into the slave warriors, and two illusory flowers bloomed on the battlefield. The unique roar of the Twin Blossoms echoed in the air, and the immense energy surge not only shredded the bodies of those directly hit but also sent everyone within a few meters flying. In front of a level-four force gun, the bodies of level-one soldiers were extremely fragile.
After firing two shots, Qian Ye drew out the Glowing Fang, and crimson light streaks lit up the air, causing the slave warriors to fall one after another. However, these desperate men, in their dying struggles, tried to tear off a piece of Qian Ye’s flesh with their hands and teeth.
Qian Ye’s robust body and pure strength far surpassed these soldiers, even without relying on force. He moved freely across the battlefield, unstoppable. Yet, the more he killed, the harder it was to suppress the rage in his heart. With such ferocity, why didn’t they use it against the dark races instead of their own kind?
Qian Ye let out a long howl, and force surged into the Glowing Fang. This time, along with the force, came the advanced blood qi! The sword radiated a vivid red light, and before its sharpness, capable of slicing through werewolves and spider-swords, the bodies of human soldiers seemed even more fragile. Often, merely being grazed by the overflowing force light would split them in two!
Gunfire suddenly rang out near Qian Ye, with the rumble of force guns and more sounds of ordinary gunpowder weapons. The slave warriors charging towards him suddenly sprayed blood, several of them swaying and falling.
Qian Ye turned to see that the people who should have been hiding behind the vehicles had climbed onto the rooftops, taking advantage of the height to fire continuously in his direction.
Among the slaves were many skilled soldiers and warriors, with shooting skills that could be described as excellent. Those without guns took up knives and military daggers, and those without any weapons simply picked up stones from the ground and rushed towards the battlefield!
The slave warriors began to retaliate, and after a burst of gunfire, several slaves fell. But they only charged faster, their roars louder! The overwhelming killing intent made even the fiercest slave warriors tremble with fear.
When the battle ended, only a few dozen people remained alive in the town. This number meant that more than half had perished. Even by the standards of the Imperial main forces, such a casualty rate would be considered a force with martial spirit. Yet, this wasn’t an army; the only ones officially in the Seventh Regiment were a single squad, the rest were private guards. Their opponents weren’t the dark races, but fellow humans.
Qian Ye could never understand why some people could unleash such combat power when facing their own kind.
However, the battle was over. The gap in strength between Qian Ye and these people was so great that numbers could not make up for it. Fortunately, the slave warriors finally broke down in the face of the bloodshed, losing their fighting spirit. Otherwise, they might have had to massacre the entire town. Qian Ye could have done it, but he wouldn’t have felt good about it.
In the settlement, they found a large amount of supplies, including two warehouses full of black stone, dozens of industrial black crystals, a warehouse of metal ingots, and a large amount of grain and dried meat. There were also plenty of weapons and armor, enough to arm hundreds of seeds. Additionally, there were many vehicle parts and a few spare trucks in the tool shed. All of these became spoils, and Qian Ye ordered them to be moved away.
As for the surrendered captives, they were disarmed and packed into a vehicle, with the facilities for transporting slaves used to hold the prisoners.
The convoy headed toward the city of Broken River overnight. The journey was bumpy and exhausting, and several trucks broke down along the way. Fortunately, among the seeds, there were quite a few who knew mechanical repair, and with the tools and parts scavenged from the town, all the vehicles could continue forward.
Qian Ye did not intend to stop for rest. He arranged for the drivers to take turns, while the others rested in the vehicles to conserve their strength. They had to leave the Seventh Regiment’s territory as quickly as possible. Only when they reached Broken River City and connected with the Wei family’s base personnel would they be safe.
In the dead of night, the command center of the Seventh Regiment resounded with the sound of hurried footsteps. An aide almost ran at full speed across the vast training ground, heading towards Wu Zhengnan’s residence.
Moments later, Wu Zhengnan, still wrapped in a bathrobe, entered the reception room, his face dark as he looked at the aide. His expression conveyed that he was in a very bad mood, and even if this aide was his favorite, he would still be severely punished if he couldn’t provide a satisfactory explanation.
“General, the caravan has encountered trouble.”
This single sentence made Wu Zhengnan jump from the sofa. He grabbed the aide’s collar and shouted, “Which caravan?” Despite being a strong warrior, there was a hint of trembling in Wu Zhengnan’s voice.
The aide’s answer shattered Wu Zhengnan’s last shred of hope: “It was the caravan that just completed the transaction yesterday. The goods were the seeds.”
Wu Zhengnan released the aide, sinking back into the sofa, and let out a heavy sigh. “Those seeds?”
“Yes.”
In truth, the confirmation was unnecessary. Wu Zhengnan knew that in the past half month, only one caravan had carried the seeds. Because this transaction was so important, he had not scheduled any other transactions during this period to avoid complications.
“What about the seeds? Weren’t they handed over to the dark races?”
“They had already completed the transaction, but the werewolves and spider-demons didn’t get far before they were ambushed. The escort team was almost completely wiped out, and reportedly, only two werewolves escaped. All the seeds were lost.”
Wu Zhengnan asked in a grim voice, “And what about the seeds? Have they been found?”
“They were led by a young man back to our base, and then a battle ensued.”
“A battle? Don’t tell me we lost!”
The aide’s face paled, but he steeled himself to say, “We… indeed lost. Commander Zhou Jinyong was killed in action, and most of the soldiers were lost. The rest were captured. A few managed to hide and were not found. The young leader seemed in a hurry, moved everything that could be moved, and then left.”
Wu Zhengnan’s face grew even darker. “A young man? What are his features?”
“All we know is that he used Eagle Strike.”
“A sniper? A single sniper defeated all the soldiers at the base?” Wu Zhengnan roared, furious. He stood up and grabbed the aide’s collar again, shouting, “Do you know how much time I spent finding those seeds? How much this failed transaction will cost me? Fifty thousand gold coins! Exactly fifty thousand imperial gold coins!”
The enormity of fifty thousand gold coins made the aide dizzy, but the dizziness was more from Wu Zhengnan’s hand, which was cracking the bones in his neck.
Wu Zhengnan snorted and threw the aide back onto the sofa, saying slowly, “There aren’t many who can use Eagle Strike in this place. You have one week to find this person. Also, what’s the point of keeping those cowards at the base who don’t even have the courage to fight the enemy?”
The aide said in a low voice, “General, please rest assured. I know what to do.”
Wu Zhengnan waved his hand, and the aide hurriedly left. Wu Zhengnan paced back and forth in the living room, his expression dark. It was deep into the night, but he felt no sleepiness.
By dawn, Broken River City was in sight. The journey had been arduous, but fortunately, it was peaceful, with only two encounters with wild beasts and none with dark races or humans. Qian Ye commanded the convoy to stop at a hilly area outside the city, where there was a grove of trees suitable for building a temporary camp. After assigning all the tasks, Qian Ye headed to Broken River City first.
Broken River City had a population of around ten thousand, much smaller than Dark Blood City, roughly comparable to Black Flow City. The city and its surrounding hundred square kilometers were under the control of the Tenth Regiment. Geographically, Broken River City was closer to the human realm’s heartland, while Black Flow City was on the front lines. Thus, Broken River City was more prosperous, with a larger Perpetual Tower and neater public facilities.
Qian Ye took out the Hunter’s Guild badge, paid the entrance fee, and entered the city. He compared the map in his mind with the streets before him, easily finding the place he sought. It was a magnificent seven-story building, newly decorated inside and out, unlike the old buildings on the Continent of Eternal Night. In all of Broken River City, this building stood out like a crane among chickens.
Qian Ye stood at the door, looking up at the plaque above the entrance, which read “Far East Heavy Industries.” The four characters were bold and powerful, exuding a martial aura, each stroke sharp like a drawn sword.
Far East Heavy Industries was one of the major pillar industries of the Wei family, similar to other noble families, producing a range of products from machinery to weaponry. Based on Qian Ye’s recent understanding, these families had a tendency to produce everything themselves to avoid dependence on others. This was especially true for the Wei family, which had governed the border regions for generations.
For Broken River City, Far East Heavy Industries was a giant. Just the imposing building that occupied half a block testified to its grandeur. While on the upper continent, Far East Heavy Industries was only second-rate among its peers, as the Wei family’s expertise lay elsewhere.
Qian Ye stood at the entrance for a moment, and two guards approached, eyeing his hunter’s attire, and shouted, “What are you looking at? This isn’t a place for you. Get lost!”
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