152: Ultimate goal

The sound of horse hooves was still ringing, and the dust had not yet settled.

Shen Xiaochuan rode on the storm chariot, gripping the reins, his eyes fixed on Black Cliff Fortress ahead.

The sky had just brightened, and enemies could still be seen walking back and forth on the city walls.

Aminos rode closer, wiping the dust from his face: "The South Gate is heavily guarded, but there is no one on the West Ridge side; it should be easier to attack."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded: "Take two thousand men and flank around from that side; light a fire as a signal. I will attack from the front; don't give them a chance to join forces."

Just as he finished speaking, a troop of cavalry charged over from behind. The leader was an officer in silver armor, holding a token in his hand. He reined in his horse and shouted loudly: "By order of the Imperial Guard! F-rank Deity Aminos, return to the capital with me immediately to report for duty! Those who disobey will be treated as traitors!"

Aminos's expression changed, and he remained silent.

Shen Xiaochuan waved his hand, and his Personal Guard immediately blocked the front. He jumped off the storm chariot, walked up to the officer, and reached out to take the token.

The officer recoiled: "What are you doing? This is an order from the Imperial Court!"

"Tear it up," Shen Xiaochuan said.

"What did you say?"

"I said," Shen Xiaochuan stared at him, "I'm tearing this thing up right now."

He snatched the token, tore it into three pieces in two swift motions, threw it on the ground, and stomped it into the mud with his foot.

"Go back and tell your superior," he said, "This is not the capital; no one listens to commands from afar. On the battlefield, only the commander's word counts. Aminos is not leaving; we will talk after this battle is won."

The officer's face turned pale: "You... do you know what the crime of disobeying orders is?"

"I know," Shen Xiaochuan looked at him, "I also know what will happen to the common people of Black Cliff Fortress if we retreat now. Have you been to the east side of the city? Yesterday, I saw a woman holding her child dead in a ditch, her face gnawed away by rats. She didn't die in battle; she starved to death. She said loyalty to the monarch was important, but she didn't even get a single bite to eat."

The officer opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.

"Go," Shen Xiaochuan turned around, "Don't block the way, and don't send anyone else. Next time you send a token, I won't accept it; I'll burn it directly."

The cavalry troop was stunned for a few seconds before finally turning around and leaving.

Aminos looked at Shen Xiaochuan and asked in a low voice: "Aren't you afraid?"

"I am," Shen Xiaochuan smiled, "But I'm more afraid of looking back and seeing those people hiding in cellars again, waiting to die."

He climbed onto the storm chariot and picked up the communicator: "Attention all squads, proceed according to plan. South Gate is the main attack, West Ridge is a sneak attack; the city must be breached within three quarters of an hour."

The storm chariot started, its rumbling shaking the ground. Aminos spurred his horse and led his troops charging toward the West Ridge.

In less than two hours, a great fire broke out at the West Ridge. The enemy's provisions were ignited, billowing black smoke. Shen Xiaochuan led the main force in a fierce attack on the South Gate, using explosive lightning talismans to blast open the city walls. Three thousand elite soldiers charged into the city, and street fighting lasted all morning. By three in the afternoon, Black Cliff Fortress was taken.

That evening, good news came from another troop: Fengling Pass had also been recaptured.

A scout rode over at full speed to report: "General! The entire territory of Loulan has been fully liberated!"

The camp erupted. Soldiers clapped each other on the shoulders and laughed, some threw their helmets into the air, and others hugged their comrades and wept. A few veterans knelt on the ground and kowtowed toward the north: "Father, Mother, our land has returned!"

Shen Xiaochuan stood on the city tower, looking at the crowd below. He took out a flag, deep blue with a gear pattern in the center, and hung it on the flagpole with his own hands. Beside it was the national flag. When both flags fluttered together, deafening cheers erupted below.

Aminos walked up and handed him a bowl of wine: "A toast to the living."

Shen Xiaochuan took it and took a sip: "And a toast to those who didn't live to see this day."

The two stood there, saying nothing more.

A victory banquet was held at night, with dozens of bonfires lit, and the aroma of meat filled the city. The common people brought wine, and children danced around the soldiers. Shen Xiaochuan was sitting at the main table and had just raised his bowl when he suddenly stood up and said to his Personal Guard: "Bring the map."

The Personal Guard was stunned: "General, please rest for tonight."

"No," Shen Xiaochuan was already walking toward the tent, "Call Aminos here."

Five minutes later, Aminos entered, still smelling of alcohol: "What's wrong? Can't we even drink after winning?"

Shen Xiaochuan spread out the map and pointed his finger at the forest on the border: "Look here, the energy has been rising for the past two days. Scouts say there are many demons in the forest, not fleeing, but running deeper inside. It's like... something is calling them."

Aminos leaned in to look: "You mean the lair is here?"

"Not a lair," Shen Xiaochuan shook his head, "It's the source. All evil energy is coming from the middle of this forest. I checked the records of the Faith Mall, and there is a very strong dark energy point that hasn't moved."

The tent fell silent.

"You mean... we're not going back?" Aminos asked.

"Go back?" Shen Xiaochuan looked up, "Loulan has returned, but the roots haven't been severed. These demons won't disappear on their own. Today they are hiding in the forest, but tomorrow they will slaughter their way back. The people we saved will have to die all over again."

Aminos didn't speak for a long time, then suddenly laughed: "You really are... never able to relax."

"It's not that I don't believe in fate," Shen Xiaochuan looked at him, "It's that I don't believe in fighting so many battles and losing so many people, only to end up with an empty city."

"So you want to keep fighting?"

"Fight until it can't come out anymore."

Aminos sighed and sat down: "Fine. I'm with you. But this time, let me lead the charge at the front."

"Are you crazy? You're a commander!"

"But I also want to hack those demons to death with my own hands," Aminos looked at him, "Last time at Cloud Sea City, I watched the pregnant woman Lola die in front of me, clutching half a piece of cake in her hand, wanting to save it for the child in her belly. That was when I knew, some debts must be settled by oneself."

Shen Xiaochuan didn't try to persuade him further.

Early the next morning, the entire army assembled. Shen Xiaochuan announced to everyone: The five-hundred-thousand-strong army will march to the border forest to completely wipe out the demons; the goal—to thoroughly eradicate the source.

When they set off, the common people stood at the city gate to see them off. An old man leaned on his cane, squeezed through, and shoved a pair of cloth shoes into Shen Xiaochuan's hands: "Child, change into these, don't tire your feet."

Shen Xiaochuan bowed his head to accept them and nodded.

Three days later, the army arrived at the outskirts of the forest.

Shen Xiaochuan ordered a three-pronged encirclement to seal all exits. He himself led fifteen hundred elite Believers, carrying illumination talismans and detection scrolls, and walked step by step into the depths of the forest.

The trees grew denser, and the air grew colder. There were scratch marks and bloodstains on the ground, and occasionally half-buried bones could be seen. At night, low-level demons began to ambush them, crawling out from tree hollows, ground fissures, and dry wells, pouncing and biting.

The fighting lasted all night.

At noon the next day, the vanguard discovered a large group of demons in a low-lying area, numbering in the tens of thousands. Shen Xiaochuan ordered an encirclement, using lightning talismans and fire oil to burn them; it took six hours to clear them out.

Early on the third morning, they saw the meteorite in the center of the forest.

It was huge, pitch black, and its surface was covered in cracks, like a dried-up riverbed. There was no grass within three hundred zhang, the ground was scorched black, and there was a metallic smell in the air. Over three hundred thousand low-level demons surrounded it, as if guarding something.

"That's it," Shen Xiaochuan stood on high ground, squinting as he watched, "All signals point here."

Aminos walked over, panting: "The ones outside are basically wiped out; the rest are all inside."

"No rush," Shen Xiaochuan shook his head, "They can't get out, and we won't go in. Surround them first; not a single one can escape."

He took out his communicator: "All squads report your positions."

"East line in position."

"West line blockade complete."

"Traps set in the northern valley."

"Good," Shen Xiaochuan put away the communicator, "The five-hundred-thousand-strong army has completed the encirclement. Everyone stand by in place, take turns keeping watch, and do not slack off."

Aminos looked at the meteorite and asked in a low voice: "What do we do next?"

"Wait," Shen Xiaochuan said, "The System just prompted—the final main quest has been triggered. There's no news on the next step yet, but we've arrived."

The wind blew through the forest, and the leaves rustled. The black meteorite stood silently, and dark light flowed faintly within its cracks.

Shen Xiaochuan stood on high ground a hundred zhang away, wearing a deep blue work uniform, the copper gear pendant on his cuff swaying gently in the wind. His eyes shimmered with a faint golden light, staring intensely at every crack on the meteorite.

Behind him, fifteen hundred elite Believers stood in a row, no one speaking.

In the distance, Aminos stood at the eastern defense line, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his gaze never leaving the area shrouded in black mist.

The sky was growing dark, and the first patrol team began to change shifts.