Chapter 111: Tidings from Afar

Qian Ye’s journey back to Blackstream City was uneventful, with only occasional encounters with other squads hurrying to the war zone. Upon spotting the expeditionary army insignia on Qian Ye’s vehicle, they kept a cautious distance.

It seemed that the county city, swarming with a myriad of nobles, had become the most chaotic area in the vicinity.

Upon his return to Darkflame Base, Qian Ye distributed the weapons and armor he had acquired. Each high-ranking officer of Darkflame received a set, significantly increasing their chances of survival on the battlefield.

As soon as the remaining supplies Qian Ye brought were inventoried and stored, word came that Ningyuan Heavy Industries’ convoy had arrived. The cargo was no small matter, and Qian Ye immediately rushed to inspect it.

The convoy consisted of dozens of heavy trucks, larger than Qian Ye had anticipated. Duan Hao was directing the workers in unloading the crates. These crates were so heavy that they required officers of combatant rank to assist safely. There was even a specialized crane truck in the convoy for handling the large components of the power tower.

Although the power tower being transported was a smaller model, its core boiler alone filled an entire truck. Larger power towers would need to be shipped by medium or large airships.

Aside from the parts of the power tower, most of the other cargo was in uniform boxes.

Qian Ye approached the crates, tapping one and inquired, “What is this? Open it up.”

“Good stuff!” Duan Hao grinned, pulling open the lid of a crate to reveal dark green steel plates.

Qian Ye picked up one of the rectangular plates, about a meter square and two fingers thick, but surprisingly light. It appeared to have a hollow or honeycomb structure inside. The edges of the plate had connectors, presumably for assembly.

“Is this armor plating?”

“Modular fortress armor plates. Took me over a dozen attempts to remember the name. These are state-of-the-art designs. You can assemble them into fortifications even in the field. With enough of these, you could build a whole city!”

Qian Ye quickly grasped the potential and was elated. Dozens of such armor plates could create a fortified position capable of housing an entire regiment in the wilderness. They could also be used to build temporary defenses on the city walls. With these, the defenses of Blackstream City would be considerably bolstered.

“Well done! This is yours,” Qian Ye said, handing Duan Hao a fifth-grade gun.

Duan Hao, astounded, asked, “A fifth-grade gun?”

“That’s right!”

“I just ran an errand, how can I receive such a valuable reward?”

Qian Ye patted Duan Hao on the shoulder, smiling. “This is just a down payment. Your next task is to hold the city and survive. Once the bloodbath ends, it will be fully yours.”

Holding the gun, Duan Hao, even a rough-hewn man like him, was momentarily speechless.

Qian Ye said, “Zining entrusted you to me, showing great trust and confidence in you. If Zining trusts you, I trust you too. My only real requirement is that you survive until the end of the war. In the future, there will be more troops under your command.”

“Understood, sir!”

Qian Ye smiled and left.

Back at his quarters, Qian Ye inspected the contents of Andua’s space and his backpack, listing the supplies he needed for his next sortie.

He noticed the count-level spider egg, recalling an incident. After defeating Viscount Botu, Qian Ye had accidentally touched the spider egg with his injured hand, discovering it absorbed his blood essence and became more active, significantly increasing its viability. However, other eggs did not respond similarly.

Feeling he had already contributed significant military merit, Qian Ye did not bring up the count-level spider egg. Such items always had a market, even in the upper continent’s auction houses.

He decided to write a letter to Zining, asking about the disposal of the spider eggs, then prepare to train for a few days, adjusting his condition to the best before setting out again.

Time passed, and the bloodbath continued. The expeditionary force’s leaderboard changed, but the overall pattern stabilized. The Imperial family and the four clans finally demonstrated their strength, steadily rising in the ranks, always staying within the top ten and gradually widening the gap. Five or six high-class families managed to keep up, showing their potential, drawing attention.

However, behind the rising military merit numbers, the casualty counts climbed just as rapidly.

After a two-day respite, Qian Ye set out alone again. This time, his luck was not as good; he spent nearly half a month and only managed to kill two viscounts and dozens of fodder. He narrowly escaped a trap laid by a dark race hunting squad, fighting his way out, and returned to Blackstream City.

Covered in blood and wounds, Qian Ye rode a stolen, dilapidated bike to the city gates. Suddenly, seven cannon shots echoed from within the city, signaling the passing of someone of considerable status.

Qian Ye asked the guard, “What happened?”

The Darkflame soldier sighed, “It’s likely the funeral of Viscount Du Fangjue. His squad encountered a powerful dark race hunting team and was annihilated, with only one survivor.”

Qian Ye nodded, feeling a heavy heart. The cruelty of the bloodbath was becoming increasingly apparent.

Back at Darkflame HQ, after tending to his injuries, two unexpected guests arrived. One was Li Pei, whom Qian Ye had met before, and the other was a middle-aged man with an imposing presence, clearly a count-level powerhouse.

Li Pei, upon seeing Qian Ye, greeted him warmly, “Sir Qian Ye, after that day, I felt ashamed and finally located your whereabouts. I’ve come to pay my respects.”

He then introduced the middle-aged man, “This is my uncle, Li Duanhe, who oversees our family’s squad operations.”

Qian Ye greeted them, taking a closer look at Li Duanhe and asked, “Is it safe for your uncle to be here?” Through his True Sight, Qian Ye saw four vortexes of origin power in Li Duanhe, marking him as a 13th-level commander, the recognized upper limit of safety.

Li Duanhe, surprised, replied, “Sir Qian Ye, your keen eye is impressive. But don’t worry, using 13th-level origin power, I can handle it swiftly. The Celestial Ghosts are busy dealing with the top figures of both factions, so they won’t bother with this.”

Qian Ye nodded, not pressing further. He knew little about the Li family of Yuelu, so he remained cautious.

Li Pei bowed, “Sir Qian Ye, your Blackstream City is well-fortified. I’m eager to move our base here, though it might cause some inconvenience.”

Qian Ye smiled, “No need for formality, Sir Li.”

Li Pei’s intention to ally was clear, and relocating their base would benefit Blackstream City. They chatted briefly, and Li Pei took his leave.

Qian Ye escorted the Li uncle and nephew out of the office, watching their car drive off. Perhaps due to recent successes, Li Pei looked quite confident, ready to head out on another hunt soon.

Yet, a shadow lingered in Qian Ye’s heart, wondering how many of the warriors entering the wilderness would return.

Bloodbaths were different from regular wars. You never knew what you’d encounter next, and strategic planning was pointless. Only absolute power mattered.

For the next three days, Qian Ye entered seclusion, refining the blood essence he had absorbed, and had Nangong Xiaoniao set up a cultivation array to convert the black crystals from his military merit into origin power, aiding his training.

This array was special; Qian Ye had Nangong Xiaoniao remove the part converting dark origin power, ensuring mostly dark origin power was drawn from the black crystals. Even the most precise human arrays lost over half the dark origin power when converting it to dawn origin power. Qian Ye, needing both, refused to bear such losses.

Nangong Xiaoniao, despite her curiosity, did not ask questions.

Three days flew by, and Qian Ye had used up the black crystals. It was time to go out again.

When Qian Ye emerged, he found a letter from Zining. The letter stated the spider egg was highly useful and that he would send someone to retrieve it. Zining also mentioned another, larger caravan heading to Blackstream, without detailing its cargo, saying Qian Ye would know soon.

Curious, Qian Ye noted Blackstream City didn’t seem to lack anything. Especially since he decided to use the materials intended for Silverstream Bay Fort for city defenses, making the dark city’s defenses as strong as any in the Empire. What else could they need?

But Zining never did anything frivolous. Qian Ye put the letter away, packed, and left Blackstream, embarking on his third hunt in the bloodbath.

Meanwhile, in a distant study, Zining sat, repeatedly writing and erasing on paper. From morning to afternoon, he had missed lunch, finally finishing.

Zining rose, looking out the window at the setting sun, the clear sky, and mild wind. Compared to the Iron Curtain, this place was like heaven. Zining strolled out to the garden.

Shortly after, a knock sounded, and Ye Mulan said, “Zining, the tea is ready.”

Receiving no response, she pushed the door, finding it ajar. Entering, she saw no one and spotted the papers on the desk, her curiosity piqued. She approached and picked them up to read.