308: Chapter 243: Deployment Order, Deep Reconnaissance Mission Behind Enemy Lines

Time passed quietly amidst post-war recovery and cultivation; in the blink of an eye, it had been five days since Lin Zhou's squad completed the defense mission of Watchtower No. 7 in the KT-73 Star Field.

Lin Zhou's Divine Power had recovered to 45,000/60,000, not far from its maximum. Promoting to the Advanced stage of Lesser Divinity brought not only an increase in Divine Power capacity and recovery speed but, more importantly, a sublimation of the godhead's essence, allowing him more precise control over Divine Power and a sharper perception of rules. The Soul-level fatigue had basically faded, replaced by a steady and vibrant state.

The operation of the naturalized Orc camp was gradually getting on track. Under the leadership of Grom Benevolence and the rotating guidance and assistance of the Literary Heart Elves, Tiangong Dwarves, and Law Fishmen, over three hundred Orcs gradually adapted to a new way of life. A simple but sturdy village had been built, and the first batch of sown [Hard-Shell Spirit Wheat] was growing well under the continuous fine-tuning of School of Agriculture Spells and the meticulous care of the Orcs. The lush green seedlings brought vigorous life to this once desolate camp. The number of Orcs providing steady "Civilization Power Of Will" daily had increased to nearly two hundred; although the amount provided per person was still small, the collective sum was quite considerable, and the quality was slowly improving. Lin Zhou selected several more batches of Orcs with slower learning progress and performed a shallow [Civilization · Enlightenment], significantly accelerating their skill mastery, further consolidating the camp's foundation, and making the faith links of the earliest naturalized ones like Grom clearer and firmer.

Zhao Hao, Wang Meng, Li Mo, and Qin Qing also used their respective merits and post-war rest time to exchange for much-needed resources, with their strengths each improving. Zhao Hao's Red Dragon, nourished by Dragon Soul Crystals, had a deeper luster on its scales, showing signs of evolving toward a higher-tier Bloodline. Wang Meng replaced some of the Behemoth Warriors' equipment with better gear and began attempting to integrate some basic School of Military formation concepts taught by Lin Zhou into the Behemoth's combat style. Li Mo's research workshop added several new pieces of equipment, and preliminary external scanning and research on the [divinity extraction device] had begun; although core data was inaccessible, it still made him ecstatic. Qin Qing's Judgment Angels, with the assistance of the [Seal of Order], had more complete Law Armaments, and the power and accuracy of [Adjudication of Legal Principle] had improved.

Having undergone the baptism of bloody battle, the entire squad's coordination was more seamless, and their overall strength had reached a new level. Besides their individual cultivation and handling of affairs, they would gather daily to review previous battles, exchange insights, and discuss possible future mission directions—after all, the Fledgling Eagle Project lasted two months, and they had only spent less than a third of it.

This morning, Lin Zhou was in the independent meditation room provided by the base, trying to further combine his newly promoted rule insights with the [Civilization · Enlightenment] divine art, exploring more subtle ways to use it (such as whether he could solidify a weak enlightenment effect or perform targeted strengthening for specific knowledge fields). Suddenly, his military-issue tactical tablet vibrated with a top-priority alert, and simultaneously, the communication formation in the rest area lit up with urgent red light.

"Emergency assembly order?" Lin Zhou raised an eyebrow slightly, stopped his cultivation, and picked up the tablet.

The message was from the Fledgling Eagle Project Frontline Command, its content concise and serious:

"To Second Lieutenant Lin Zhou, Captain of Fledgling Eagle Project Squad Three: Please lead all team members immediately to Briefing Room Three of the Command Center. An important mission is being assigned. Time limit: 30 minutes."

No mission details were provided, but the use of "important" and "emergency assembly" clearly indicated it was out of the ordinary. Lin Zhou immediately notified Zhao Hao and the others through the squad's internal communication channel.

Thirty minutes later, the five arrived on time at Briefing Room Three of the Command Center, located in the core area of the base. The briefing room was small and simply furnished, with a holographic projection table in the center and several rows of seats around it. A middle-aged military officer with colonel insignia, a cold face, and eyes as sharp as a hawk was already waiting there. Behind him stood two adjutants with steady auras, clearly of True God rank (at least mid-tier Lesser Divinity or higher).

"Reporting! Fledgling Eagle Project Squad Three, five members expected, five members present!" Lin Zhou stepped forward and stood at attention with a salute. Zhao Hao and the others followed suit.

The colonel's gaze swept over the five like something substantial, pausing slightly on Lin Zhou before nodding and returning the salute: "At ease. I am the Deputy Director of the Seventh Army's Reconnaissance Department, code-named 'Night Owl.' I will be assigning the mission to you directly this time."

He motioned for everyone to sit down and took the main seat himself. Without wasting words, he activated the holographic projection. A star map unfolded, showing a local view of the KT-73 Star Field and its surrounding Star Domains. On the map, blue representing the human-controlled area and red representing the Orc-controlled area were interlaced, with large grey conflict zones in between.

"First, on behalf of the Army Command, I want to again acknowledge your outstanding performance at Watchtower No. 7," Colonel Night Owl said straightforwardly. "Your battle achievements, especially successfully wounding and repelling Skullcrusher Mogrosh, as well as the special tactical capabilities you demonstrated, have caught the attention of the army's high command."

He changed the subject, pointing to a specially marked location deep within the red area on the star map, flashing with a dangerous blood-red light: "Because of this, a high-risk mission that would normally require a more senior reconnaissance unit has, after evaluation, been decided to be given to your squad as a trial."

The holographic image zoomed in, focusing on that blood-red marker. It appeared to be a giant artificial structure orbiting a shattered planet, shaped like a ring gate composed of countless bones and twisted metal, with an unsettling vortex of blood-red energy surging inside. The image was somewhat blurry, clearly obtained through long-distance or stealth reconnaissance.

"Based on scattered information intercepted by our intelligence department and monitoring of abnormal energy fluctuations on the front line, the Orcs have secretly built a [blood sacrifice star gate] in the 'Red Rock Galaxy' on the edge of the 'Bone-Crushing Star Domain' deep within their controlled area," Colonel Night Owl's voice was cold. "What you encountered at Watchtower No. 7 was merely their peripheral cover and diversionary forces. This stargate is the true core of their recent series of abnormal deployments and offensives."

"[blood sacrifice star gate]?" Li Mo couldn't help but repeat in a low voice, his fingers sliding quickly across his recording tablet to pull up relevant data. "A forbidden technology that uses large-scale life blood sacrifices as an energy source to forcibly open unstable cross-starfield passages... usually used for deploying large-scale troops or conducting ultra-long-range raids. It has a long construction cycle and consumes massive resources; once completed, the threat is immense."

"Exactly." Colonel Night Owl glanced at Li Mo. "The Orcs are clearly planning a large-scale offensive, likely targeting resource planets or transportation hubs behind our defensive lines. We know very little about the stargate's specific location, guard forces, construction progress, or estimated activation time. Conventional reconnaissance methods struggle to penetrate so deep into their territory and are easily detected."

His gaze fell on Lin Zhou again: "And you, in the battle at Watchtower No. 7, demonstrated potential in concealment, infiltration (referring to the previous disguised reconnaissance), and communication with alien races in extreme environments (referring to the naturalized Orcs), in addition to conventional tactical abilities. Especially you, Second Lieutenant Lin Zhou, your method of disintegrating enemy morale... although the principle is unclear, the results show that your influence on the mental and rule levels may help in evading the perception of certain Orc Shamans or dealing with unexpected situations."

Lin Zhou's heart tightened, knowing the military had noticed some characteristics of the river of civilization, but they had clearly categorized it as some kind of special "mental/rule influence" ability. To him, this was both attention and an underlying risk.

"Therefore, the mission content is as follows," Colonel Night Owl said solemnly. "Fledgling Eagle Project Squad Three is temporarily incorporated into the 'Night Shadow' reconnaissance unit directly under the army. Mission code name: 'Eye of Scarlet Rock.' You must secretly infiltrate the 'Bone-Crushing Star Domain - Red Rock Galaxy' within seven days and conduct close-range reconnaissance of the [blood sacrifice star gate]. Specific requirements:"

Confirm the stargate's precise coordinates and physical structure (high-precision imagery and spatial coordinate data must be collected).

Scout the guard force configuration (including permanent troop size, composition of units, and the presence of powerful individuals, particularly noting if there are demigod-level or higher existences).

Assess construction progress and energy readings (to determine how much longer until it is fully operational).

Collect as much information as possible about the surrounding environment, defensive systems, and energy nodes.

If conditions permit, without exposing yourselves, attempt to obtain more core intelligence (such as information on the connection point at the other end of the stargate, specific offensive plans, etc.). This item is non-mandatory.

"Mission duration: You must return to our controlled area or send a safety signal within seven days of accepting the order; those overdue will be treated as missing or killed in action."

"Infiltration method: Experts from the 'Night Shadow' unit will assist you with initial disguises and route planning, and provide one-way stealth teleportation coordinates (the drop point is located in the chaotic asteroid belt on the outskirts of the Red Rock Galaxy). Subsequent infiltration, reconnaissance, and extraction will be completed entirely by you independently."

"Communication: Use the specially made [Shadow Communication Rune], which can only be used for internal squad short-code communication at very close range (within one million kilometers) and in stable environments; it cannot contact the base directly. In an emergency, you can activate a one-time emergency distress signal in the rune (which will expose your position, and the arrival time of reinforcements cannot be guaranteed)."

"Mission risk assessment—" Colonel Night Owl paused and uttered two cold words: "S-rank."

The briefing room fell silent. An S-rank mission! This meant the mission failure rate was extremely high, and the participant mortality rate was equally high! Usually, only elite special forces led by senior Mid-Tier Divine Power experts would carry out such deadly missions deep behind enemy lines! And now, it was being handed to their "Eaglet" squad, whose average godhead was less than LV250 (except for Lin Zhou)!

Zhao Hao and Wang Meng's expressions changed slightly, their breathing becoming a bit heavier. Li Mo's finger pushing his glasses stopped. Qin Qing's eyes were sharp, her posture even straighter. Lin Zhou remained as calm as still water, listening quietly.

"I know the danger of this mission," Colonel Night Owl said slowly. "So, this is not an order, but... an inquiry. You have the right to refuse. If you refuse, you will continue to perform the Fledgling Eagle Project's regular rotation missions, and there will be no record of punishment."

He changed the subject again, his voice carrying a hint of temptation: "However, if you accept and successfully complete it... the rewards will also be unprecedentedly generous."

He pulled up another interface showing the details of the merit rewards for this mission:

[Basic mission completion (confirming coordinates, guards, and progress—the three core pieces of information)]: 50,000 military merits.

[Additional completion of environment and defensive system reconnaissance]: Extra 20,000 military merits.

[Obtaining core intelligence (such as connection points, offensive plans)]: Extra 30,000 military merits.

[Excellent overall mission evaluation (such as obtaining extremely high-value intelligence, successfully evading major dangers, or making a decisive contribution to subsequent military operations)]: Additional commendation, with no upper limit.

[Guaranteed total reward for mission success: 50,000 military merits. No upper limit; estimated total for complete success could exceed 100,000 military merits!]

In addition, there are corresponding special permission upgrades, eligibility for high-level resource exchange, and rank promotions (Lin Zhou can be promoted directly to First Lieutenant, and others' ranks will increase accordingly) among other additional rewards.

One hundred thousand military merits! This number made everyone's hearts skip a beat! One must know that they had fought desperately to complete the Watchtower No. 7 defense battle, and the squad's total merits were only a bit over thirteen thousand. One hundred thousand military merits were enough to exchange for several epic-grade items or support the high-speed development of a Lesser Divinity's divine kingdom for a long time! Not to mention those additional permissions and status upgrades!

Both the risk and the reward had reached a suffocating level!

Colonel Night Owl stopped speaking, just quietly watching them, waiting for an answer. The two adjutants behind him were also expressionless.

Time passed second by second. In the briefing room, there was only the faint sound of the holographic projection operating and the slightly heavy breathing of several people.

Finally, everyone's gaze focused on Lin Zhou once again. He was the captain, the core, and the person who created miracles every time. His decision would affect the fate of the entire squad.

Lin Zhou closed his eyes and pondered for a full minute. He weighed the options rapidly in his mind.

Danger? Without a doubt. Going deep into Orc territory, facing unknown guards (likely demigods or even stronger), once exposed, death was almost certain in the enemy's home field.

Reward? One hundred thousand military merits were enough for him to exchange for a large amount of scarce resources much earlier, accelerating the development of his divine kingdom, and even... providing a huge boost for obtaining the "raw materials" of the [divinity extraction device] that might appear later. More importantly, the record of completing such an S-rank mission would be an extremely brilliant stroke on his resume, with incalculable benefits for his future development in the military or the upper echelons of the entire Human Race.

Capability? He had just been promoted, his strength had increased greatly, and [Civilization · Enlightenment] might have miraculous effects in reconnaissance and response. The squad members each had their strengths and coordinated well. The experience with naturalized Orcs might provide unexpected ideas for disguise and intelligence gathering.

More importantly... the adventurous spirit and the will to refuse mediocrity that belonged to him as a transmigrator and a bearer of civilization's Legacy were stirring. Easy, routine missions would not allow him to climb to the Peak quickly. Danger often coexisted with opportunity.

He opened his eyes, which were now clear and decisive. He looked at Colonel Night Owl, his voice steady and firm:

"'Fledgling Eagle Project' Squad Three accepts the mission 'Eye of Scarlet Rock'."

A flash of hard-to-detect appreciation crossed Colonel Night Owl's eyes, and he nodded slightly: "Very well. Your courage is commendable. You have 24 hours to prepare. Assemble here at this time tomorrow; 'Night Shadow' experts will provide your final pre-departure briefing and disguise processing. Remember, you only have seven days. Wishing you... good luck."

The mission was accepted. The blade going deep behind enemy lines was about to be unsheathed. The temptation of one hundred thousand military merits and the S-rank risk of death hung over everyone's hearts like two ends of a scale.