Chapter 29: The Trap

Over two hundred warriors were split between two large interstellar skyships, bound for their mission’s location.

Qianye felt a familiar thrill of excitement before the battle, which only intensified as he surveyed the supplies provided for the task. It was said that there would be more than one champion-level powerhouse in that base!

A full ten solid origin force bullets were issued, and they were not made of ordinary silver, but mithril specially treated with dawn origin power. Even the short swords and daggers had been replaced with special weapons coated in a layer of mithril. These were truly top-tier goods!

At the same time, all the warriors going on the mission were equipped with specially designed Red Scorpion combat armor.

This type of armor bore intricate etchings of origin power arrays within. Once activated, these arrays formed a shield of origin power that greatly enhanced defenses against dark origin power in a short time. Such armor was typically only issued to officers of Red Scorpion rank or higher, but this time, every warrior, including Qianye, received a set.

The skyship would fly for five days straight before reaching the Western Frontier.

As the ship ascended, Wei Lishi’s voice echoed through the copper pipes in the troop compartment: “This mission order was personally signed by Grand Marshal Lin Xitang. The dark race base has been confirmed as the support point for the rebels. Our mission is to destroy the base at any cost, and not let a single dark warrior escape!”

All the warriors held their breaths involuntarily!

To them, Lin Xitang was a name too illustrious, his life itself a legend! But for the Red Scorpions, his presence held a special significance.

It had been a decade since the Empire faced the dark races in a major battle. The Red Scorpions, one of the main forces on the front lines, suffered a catastrophic defeat.

Imperial reinforcements were delayed by the rare celestial phenomenon known as the “Prismatic Flux,” which trapped them in the void, unable to land. But Lin Xitang, leading the Northern Army, miraculously bypassed the deadly star route and appeared at a critical point on the battlefield, holding off several times the number of dark forces and allowing over a hundred thousand Imperial soldiers to escape.

Had it not been for Lin Xitang’s miraculous performance, the Red Scorpions might have been removed from the Imperial ranks. For each Red Scorpion warrior participating in this mission, the fact that the order was personally signed by Lin Xitang was an unparalleled honor!

Wei Lishi’s voice turned somber: “You all know the difficulty of this mission. All of us, including myself, must be prepared to die. The Red Scorpions fear nothing. For the Empire! For Marshal Lin!”

The warriors did not respond with fiery enthusiasm, but solemnly repeated, “The Red Scorpions fear nothing. For the Empire! For Marshal Lin!”

The two interstellar skyships flew tens of thousands of kilometers, crossing vast mountain ranges and plains, finally arriving at the Western Frontier. When they appeared outside the target city, the night was thick.

Night was when the dark races were most active, and most human warriors would avoid fighting them at this time. But this mission chose to strike at the height of night, when the dark forces were at their strongest.

Precisely because the Empire would never be expected to attack at such a time, the element of surprise was assured. This was why the Red Scorpions were chosen; among the five elite corps of the Empire, they were the best at night battles.

As the skyship hovered above the city, Red Scorpion warriors leaped down, landing within. They split into several small teams, advancing and searching separately.

The night was deep, with a full moon hanging in the sky, casting a pale, dismal light. The city was eerily silent, devoid of any lights or signs of life, like a ghost town.

Qianye walked down the streets, alertly scanning his surroundings, but his unease grew stronger by the second.

According to the Empire’s intelligence, the city was functioning normally and even maintained regular contact with neighboring cities. But now, inside the city, even a true novice could sense that something was amiss.

No human city would be so still and desolate. The city was unnaturally clean, as if someone meticulously cleaned it daily. The streets were free of trash and dust, almost as if no one lived there.

In the empty streets, Qianye’s footsteps echoed, seemingly never fading. He frowned and slowed his pace, and the sound vanished. However, the other veteran soldiers in his team continued to walk steadily, not caring about the noise.

By now, all the warriors knew that the dark races must have sensed them. A stealth attack was no longer possible. But with thirty Red Scorpion squads and Colonel Wei Lishi leading, they were ready for a full-scale assault.

Qianye grew increasingly tense. He gently pulled back the bolt, loading a mithril bullet into the chamber. A single shot of mithril could send any dark warrior below the fourth level to the heavens. Qianye had no intention of holding back; he would unleash a thunderous strike at the first sight of a dark warrior!

The streets remained deathly silent, and mist began to rise, enveloping the entire city in a haze. Through the fog, the buildings seemed to come alive, twisting and eyeing the hundreds of invading scorpions with ill intent.

As Qianye passed a street corner, he suddenly sensed movement in the alley.

He quickly retreated two steps and peered into the alley. What he saw made his eyes widen in shock!

Countless dark shadows had appeared in the alley, silently advancing!

“Dark races!” Qianye shouted, pulling the trigger without hesitation. His origin power instantly drained, and the mithril bullet, glowing with blinding white light, shot into the alley!

The silver light illuminated the entire alley, and this light was extremely harmful to the dark races. Some with strong night vision could even be blinded by the intense glare!

Amidst the silver light, pained cries filled the alley as countless dark warriors clutched their faces, crouching in agony. The leading shadow was hit directly by the mithril bullet, igniting a faint silver flame of origin power!

This silver flame was highly adhesive and burned fiercely upon contact with dark origin power. In moments, the silver flames spread to a dozen shadows, engulfing them in flames.

This single shot was more effective than he had imagined, but Qianye’s hair stood on end. There were too many, far too many! The entire alley was packed with dark warriors, and at the end of the alley, there were countless more, impossible to count!

Qianye shouted and swiftly retreated, reloading another mithril bullet. As expected, several dark shadows launched out of the alley, streaking towards him like lightning! These were the real dark warriors, while the others were just cannon fodder meant to distract and deplete ammunition.

Qianye continued to retreat, then suddenly halted, raised his gun, and fired again. The silver light shot out, sending a dark warrior flying backward, engulfed in silver flames and screaming in agony.

Qianye didn’t have time to load a third mithril bullet, but two more dark warriors were already airborne, diving towards him!

Just then, two loud booms sounded behind Qianye, and silver light flashed past him, blasting the two dark warriors away.

Qianye turned to see two veteran soldiers desperately gesturing for him to fall back. No matter how talented Qianye was, he was still a rookie. His Second-Rank Warrior status was a glaring weakness compared to these Fifth and Sixth-Rank Red Scorpion veterans.

Retreating behind the veterans, Qianye finally caught his breath. He looked around, seeing flames and the silver trails of origin force bullets cutting through the night sky.

The battle erupted in an instant, turning the entire city into a battlefield. The Red Scorpions, who had believed they had the advantage, were quickly overwhelmed by countless dark warriors, splintered into dozens of isolated groups, their situation perilous.

Qianye gasped for air, having used up most of his origin power firing the two mithril bullets. He felt like a fish thrown onto the shore, with his lungs burning.

“How could this happen? Something is wrong!” Qianye’s mind screamed, but his thoughts were stuck, unable to pinpoint exactly what was amiss.

The battle quickly reached a fever pitch, with the glow of origin power and flames illuminating the city like daylight.

Several powerful dark auras rose in the city, like towering columns of smoke. These were the true masters of dark origin power. Red Scorpion-level warriors released their power, engaging these formidable foes.

In a distant block, a series of explosions shook the area, buildings crumbling one after another, leveling the entire block in moments. From that direction, Wei Lishi’s voice rang out.

Colonel Wei’s body glowed as he shot up into the night sky, soaring a hundred meters. Four hulking, menacing dark figures followed, and the aerial battle commenced!

Qianye looked around, seeing enemies everywhere. Dark warriors streamed out of alleys, buildings, and rooftops, their faces twisted with madness.

Their skin was purple and black, and they were wreathed in dark auras, lunging at the Red Scorpion warriors with reckless abandon. These were the dark races’ cannon fodder, humans tainted and assimilated by dark origin power. True dark warriors often hid among them, waiting to strike.

Each Red Scorpion warrior’s gun blazed, spraying metal rounds at the highest speed. Layers of cannon fodder were mowed down, but more surged from all sides, their numbers endless!

In moments, Qianye emptied all his magazines. In this environment, even the origin gun was useless. He quickly discarded the automatic rifle, slung the origin gun over his back, and drew his silver-coated dagger and stiletto.

Around him, many veterans had already engaged in close combat with the dark warriors.

A Red Scorpion captain shouted, “It’s a trap!”

“Everyone, retreat immediately! All Red Scorpions, stay behind to cover the retreat!”