57: Chapter 57 The First Night on the Border

The moment all three bonfires were extinguished, a rustling sound of something crawling along the ground immediately erupted on the dark slope outside the camp.

The next second, an iron whistle from the high platform pierced through the night.

"Every camp, defend yourselves!"

"Hold the fire line; tonight will be recorded in the border logs!"

"Those who can't hold, get lost to logistics tomorrow to clear corpses; you aren't allowed to touch front-line reconnaissance missions!"

At this shout, the entire rear camp line sprang into action.

On the left, someone was dragging wooden stakes.

On the right, someone was igniting fire powder.

Further away, one camp position had already fallen into chaos, and screams mixed with the roars of beasts pressed in from the other side of the dark slope.

Instructor Han Tiecheng's words from the day, "No one here will call a halt for you," finally struck home in everyone's hearts at this moment.

Lu Jin raised his hand and pressed down, his voice steady and calm, quick without a shred of hesitation.

"Ning Yanqiu, hang your Mirror Frost Crow sentry posts on the left wall, the front stakes, and the drainage ditch opening. I need to see clearly where they are coming from first."

"Wen Zhao, start a fire in the waste pit on the right immediately. Ignite only one of the two oil-bone carts; keep the other as a backup. Don't burn through everything at the start."

"Qiao Ye, take the Shield Bear and guard the entrance. If anyone dares to enter within six yards, shove it back into the fire for me."

"I'm going to open the forward rat nests and bury the drag chains while I'm at it."

Ning Yanqiu had already vaulted onto the short wall.

She flicked her sleeve, and four palm-sized, silvery-white mirrors were nailed into the wall corners and wooden stakes. Several Mirror Frost Crows landed beside them, and as their claw tips touched the mirror surfaces, white frost immediately crept along the edges.

This was the Mirror Frost Crow sentry post.

Once any living creature swept past in front, the mirror surface would frost over first, then reveal the outline. It was the most suitable tool for catching stealthy creatures at night.

"Give me three breaths of time."

Ning Yanqiu stared at the outermost mirror, speaking rapidly.

"I see something. The ones crawling on the ground in front are a group of Fire-Extinguishing Insects; they have black paste sacs bulging on their backs, specifically for smothering fire."

"There are larger ones behind, four-legged, running in a scattered formation, as if they are waiting for the fire line to die out before charging the camp directly."

Lu Jin nodded, his hands not stopping.

He kicked aside the old chains by the wall, dragged two thick chains eight yards in front of the wall, hooked the ends into old anchor nails in the ground, and then completely buried the middle sections with grey soil.

This was the drag chain.

When the creatures charged close, pulling from the back would cause the ones in the front row to flip over first.

On the other side, he simultaneously opened three shallow pits, positioned exactly between the front of the wall, the drainage ditch, and the waste pit on the right.

The pit openings were not deep, but just enough for the Red-Eyed Rats and Burrowing Spear Rats to hide inside.

This was the forward rat nest.

Usually buried and motionless, when a real fight broke out, the rat swarm could emerge right in the enemy's face from underground, strike once, and retreat.

Qiao Ye, while dragging the Shield Bear to block the entrance, asked very directly.

"Should we relight the outer bonfires first? If they really manage to sneak close, this short wall of ours won't hold for long."

Lu Jin glanced at the dark slope and shook his head quickly.

"If we light them now, we'll be the first ones to be exposed."

"Wait until they press up to the drag chains, then have Wen Zhao start the fire."

Wen Zhao pressed the fire-bee box against the edge of the waste pit on the right, already holding the ignition rod in his hand.

"I have no problem on my end."

"Once the right pit ignites, the slope entrance will light up. As long as you give me an opening to pile up corpses, I can pull the fire up."

Deep in the Sea of Consciousness, Grey Pupil had already taken over command.

"Release one hundred and twenty Red-Eyed Rats first."

"Twelve Burrowing Spear Rats into the forward rat nests."

"Hard-Shelled Gatekeeper Rats behind the wall; do not reveal the Bone-Armor Furnace Guards yet."

Wu Fu also immediately chimed in.

"Half-pool on standby."

"Nest-Paste Worker Rats, open the casualty transport line."

"For the three forward rat nests, I can directly reinforce troops from the back."

As soon as these words were spoken, Lu Jin felt even more steady.

In the academy tournament, Wu Fu's value was already quite high.

In this kind of real night battle with no ceasefires and no chances to restart, her troop reinforcement line would be even more effective.

A series of short whistles sounded from the high platform again.

The next instant, the Mirror Frost Crow sentry post on the far left flashed white.

Ning Yanqiu's voice immediately dropped.

"They're here."

"More than forty Fire-Extinguishing Insects in front, followed by about twenty Split-Back Night Hyenas."

Split-Back Night Hyenas were a common type of Night Beast in the Shattered Realm; their shoulders and backs were split with a row of bone spurs, they pounced quickly, and they specifically targeted fire lines and gaps.

Lu Jin stood behind the wall, pressing his divine sense forward.

"Spear Rats, don't rush to show your heads; wait for the Fire-Extinguishing Insects to get closer."

"Keep the Red-Eyed Rats back; bite only when someone dares to cross the chains."

"Wen Zhao, prepare the right pit."

The shadow under the dark slope was getting closer and closer.

Soon, the first batch of Fire-Extinguishing Insects rolled to the edge of the bonfire.

These creatures were not big, only half the height of a farm dog, but their backs were bulging with a lump of wet, shiny black paste. When they opened their mouths, they sprayed dirty mud capable of smothering fire.

The first bonfire on the left had just been sprayed, and the flames immediately dropped by half.

Ning Yanqiu raised her hand, and a beam of cold white mirror light shot out.

"Left one, hit that one first!"

As soon as she spoke, the first rat nest in front of the wall suddenly flipped open.

Three Burrowing Spear Rats shot straight out from the soil, their short, spear-like front claws piercing the Fire-Extinguishing Insect's paste sac in one go.

A soft pop.

The black paste exploded on the spot.

Several Fire-Extinguishing Insects behind were splattered all over, and before they could open their mouths again, Wen Zhao had already ignited the right pit.

Boom!

The fire surged up from the waste pit first, then leaped outward along the pre-poured oil, lighting up the entire slope entrance.

With this light, the Split-Back Night Hyenas hidden behind were all revealed.

More than twenty of them. Some big, some small.

The six charging in the front had already lowered their bodies, hind legs tensed like bows; it was clear they intended to use the opening created by the Fire-Extinguishing Insects to smash into the wall directly.

Lu Jin's eyes darkened.

"Pull the chains!"

Two Hard-Shelled Gatekeeper Rats and three Nest-Paste Worker Rats behind the wall exerted force simultaneously.

The drag chains buried in the grey soil suddenly pulled taut.

The six Split-Back Night Hyenas in the front tripped and tumbled into a heap on the spot. The ones behind couldn't stop in time and slammed into them, immediately piling up a small slope of flesh and blood at the entrance.

Lu Jin didn't give them a chance to climb back up.

"Release the cart!"

Wen Zhao had been waiting for this line.

He pushed away the wooden block with one palm, and the first oil-bone cart shot straight down the slope.

The bone wheels rolled over fire, the entire cart burning.

The moment it crashed into the pile of overturned Night Hyenas, the oil canisters in the cart's belly exploded.

Rumble!

The wave of fire, carrying shattered bones, surged outward, and the Night Hyenas in the front row were burned over on the spot, not even managing a full cry.

With this, the entire rear camp line lit up for a moment.

Someone in the camp position on the left couldn't help but look back.

The Beiyue Academy camp line on the right also started a second fire, clearly having spotted the bright opening Lu Jin had created.

But on the Military Court high platform, no one came down from start to finish.

Only the night-watch sentry light turned slowly above, like a cold eye.

The first wave of the assault had just been suppressed when a muffled sound suddenly exploded outside the short wall on the left.

Ning Yanqiu's expression changed.

"Something has circled around to the left ditch!"

"A big one, and not just one!"

Lu Jin rushed to the edge of the left wall in one step, seeing the outside clearly through the cold light of the Mirror Frost Crow sentry posts.

By the drainage ditch, three Split-Back Night Hyenas had already crept close, hugging the ditch wall.

There was an even larger one behind.

That thing's shoulder height was almost level with the wall; the bone spurs on its back were black and thick, brown saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth, and the aura it emitted as it pounced was heavier than that of the previous group of Night Hyenas.

The aura of Apprentice Perfection.

If this thing pushed forward another half-step, it would be on par with some of the weaker Tier 1 Plane Beasts.

Qiao Ye only took one look, and his expression sank.

"I can't easily resist this one alone."

Lu Jin's judgment was faster.

"Don't leave the entrance. If the gate opens, the group in the front will pour in behind it."

"Grey Pupil, press the second round of Sacrificial Fire against the left wall."

"Bone-Armor Furnace Guards, come with me to hold the left ditch."

Grey Pupil didn't waste a single word.

The grey fire in the Priest Well swirled, following Lu Jin's divine sense, and pressed directly onto the outer edge of the left wall.

Four Bone-Armor Furnace Guards stepped out simultaneously.

As they stepped over the short wall, the grey soil beneath their feet sank.

The three Night Hyenas in front crashed into them first.

The first one had just raised its claw when it was forcefully blocked by a Bone-Armor Furnace Guard. The second one tried to squeeze in from the side, but its chest slammed directly into a grey-fire bone shield, and its skin and flesh scorched a layer on the spot.

But the large one behind was even more vicious.

It pushed off the ditch wall, vaulted its entire body over half the short wall, and opened its mouth to bite the shoulder and neck of the front-most Bone-Armor Furnace Guard.

Snap.

A layer of bone shards shattered.

That Bone-Armor Furnace Guard sank heavily from the bite, half of its shoulder armor cracked open.

If this had been an ordinary Hard-Shelled Gatekeeper Rat, it would have snapped right there.

But the Bone-Armor Furnace Guard stood firm.

It raised its forearm, pinning the large Night Hyena against the wall, and the fire-groove markings on its chest lit up simultaneously, spraying a burst of muffled fire directly in its face.

Lu Jin seized this instant and raised his hand to give the order.

"Red-Eyed Rats, climb up from the ditch for me, bite the hind legs first!"

The second forward rat nest exploded instantly.

A wave of crimson rats surged out from the bottom of the ditch and the soil crevices, scrambling up along the hind legs and flanks of the large Night Hyena.

In the academy tournament, the viciousness of the Red-Eyed Rat Tide was already quite apparent.

In this kind of real night battle, they were more like a swarm of living hooks crawling out of the soil.

Wherever it was broken, that's where they bit.

Wherever they saw blood, that's where they burrowed.

The large Night Hyena just wanted to whip its tail, but a dozen Red-Eyed Rats were already biting into the wound, the pain causing its entire body to jerk sideways.

Qiao Ye seized the opening and gave a low shout.

"Look over here!"

His Shield Bear lunged out from the entrance, its front paw, like a heavy shield, slamming into the large Night Hyena's side.

Lu Jin pulled the chains simultaneously.

The second short chain buried by the drainage ditch instantly coiled around the large Night Hyena's hind leg, yanking it sideways to the right.

"Wen Zhao!"

"Fire for you!"

Wen Zhao had long pushed the second bone cart to the edge of the right pit.

Hearing this, he didn't even hesitate, kicking the bone cart, which was half-ablaze, down.

The bone cart rolled down the slope ditch to the bottom, crashing right into the large Night Hyena's waist.

The oil splashed, and the entire section of the ditch lit up.

The large Night Hyena wanted to charge out like a madman, but just as it started, it was pushed back by the three Bone-Armor Furnace Guards and Qiao Ye's Shield Bear together.

The next second, the second round of Sacrificial Fire pressed down by Grey Pupil arrived.

The grey fire closed in from the edge of the ditch, trapping that thing and the two smaller Night Hyenas behind it within the flames.

The screams stretched out, making the entire camp line shiver.

But Lu Jin didn't stop.

He glanced at the camp position on the left.

The short wall there had already collapsed halfway, and three small Night Hyenas were crawling inside.

If that opening remained, the entire rear line would be thrown into chaos.

"Grey Pupil, pull twenty Red-Eyed Rats and cut across from the drainage ditch."

"Don't chase too far; seal off the gap on the left and come back."

Grey Pupil immediately responded.

"Understood."

Twenty Red-Eyed Rats turned along the bottom of the ditch and passed behind the wall like a red thread.

After a few breaths, a few muffled exclamations came from the camp position on the left, followed by the sound of tearing and biting as the Night Hyenas were dragged back to the edge of the ditch.

Ning Yanqiu stared at the Mirror Frost Crow sentry posts in front and suddenly spoke again.

"The second batch of Fire-Extinguishing Insects is gone."

"The wave in front is starting to retreat."

Lu Jin didn't breathe a sigh of relief because of this.

"Don't chase."

"Check the corpses first, stabilize the fire first."

At this moment, Wu Fu's voice rang out softly in the Sea of Consciousness.

"I can replenish troops."

"The shattered bones dragged back from the left ditch are enough; the dead Gatekeepers and Spear Rats are also enough to be recycled."

"I'll fill up the three forward rat nests first."

Lu Jin gave an affirmative grunt.

"Replenish the Gatekeepers first, then the Spear Rats, and the Red-Eyed Rats last."

The half-pool in the Brood Nursery Court vibrated slightly.

The wet soil of the third rat nest behind the wall suddenly bulged.

A few breaths later, four new Hard-Shelled Gatekeeper Rats and six Burrowing Spear Rats successively pushed through the soil layer and crawled out, with white nest paste that hadn't yet worn off still clinging to their fur.

This was the most terrifying thing about Wu Fu right now.

They died in the front, and she could replenish them from the back.

In the academy tournament, everyone looking at her would only think this troop reinforcement line was useful.

In a Military Court night battle, this line was the root of whether the entire camp wall could stand firm.

The fire burned on the slope entrance for half a quarter of an hour before the beast roars outside slowly dissipated.

After another while, the sound of three short and one long whistle finally came from the high platform.

This meant the first wave of the night raid had ended.

The entire rear camp line looked as if they had been fished out of water, even their breathing sounded heavy.

Qiao Ye wiped the dust and blood from his face, his shoulder still propping up the Shield Bear, and looked back at Lu Jin first.

"If you had made me leave the entrance just now, this wall would be open by now."

Lu Jin leaned against the short wall, his breathing also heavy, yet he remained steady.

"The entrance is the life gate; it cannot be left empty."

"For that large one in the left ditch, as long as I could block it for a moment, the fire behind could follow up."

Wen Zhao kicked away half a charred beast corpse from the ditch side, looked down at his fire-bee box, and finally managed to pull a slight smile.

"The first bone cart was worth the explosion."

"The second one was even more worth it."

"Fighting in this place is much more satisfying than the competition platform."

Ning Yanqiu jumped down from the wall, first looked at the camp position on the left, then back at Lu Jin.

"The Xuanhe Academy side was about to collapse just now."

"Your twenty Red-Eyed Rats went over just in time. A few breaths slower, and the entire rear line would have been chewed through tonight."

Lu Jin nodded.

"The entire camp line is connected."

"Once the left side opens, we will have trouble here too."

At this time, someone on the high platform began to report the battle results by camp line.

"Beiyue Academy front second camp: two fire lines remaining, one section of wall damaged, camp defense rating: Grade A-Middle."

"Xuanhe Academy rear second camp: wall broken by half a level, one fire line remaining, camp defense rating: Grade B-High."

"Zhuixing Academy rear third camp: all fire lines remaining, wall not breached, twenty-seven Night Beasts slain, camp defense rating: Grade A-High."

When this last sentence was reported, many people on the rear line looked up.

Grade A-High.

Receiving this rating on the first night of entering the camp was enough to get their names entered into the night-watch officer's record book.

At the very top of the high platform, Instructor Han Tiecheng only swept a glance this way, not praising or saying anything more.

But the recording officer beside him had already picked up a pen and recorded "Zhuixing Rear Third" separately once more.

Lu Jin watched this scene, and the tension that had been coiled in his chest slowly settled down.

Deep in the Sea of Consciousness, the grey fire flickered silently.

The barrier blocking the path to Apprentice Perfection had been forcibly worn down a notch by this real night battle.

It hadn't broken yet.

But the opening could already be seen.

Wu Fu also reported the battle losses and replenishments at this time.

"Five Hard-Shelled Gatekeeper Rats killed in action, four replenished."

"Four Burrowing Spear Rats killed in action, six replenished."

"Thirty-one Red-Eyed Rats lost, twelve replenished; I have to wait until the corpse materials are processed to open the rest."

"All four Bone-Armor Furnace Guards are present, one has a cracked shoulder armor, it can be repaired."

After listening, Lu Jin immediately had a clear idea.

They had survived the first night; their line hadn't collapsed, and their troops hadn't been wiped out in one go.

More importantly, Wu Fu's troop reinforcement line had proven its value in real combat.

In the academy, it was mostly replenish after fighting.

She could truly pull back combat losses on the spot.

After the fire stabilized slightly, the Night Beast corpses outside the camp were dragged back one by one.

The Military Court needed to record the kills, and the camp line needed to collect materials.

Burn what could be burned.

Dismantle what could be dismantled.

Usable bone spurs, armor plates, and paste sacs all had to be sorted out before dawn.

Grey Pupil, accompanied by a few Nest-Paste Worker Rats, crouched beside the corpse of the largest Night Hyena in the left ditch, his grey eyes very heavy.

Lu Jin walked over and asked in a low voice.

"What's wrong?"

Grey Pupil didn't answer immediately.

He first raised his claw to slice open the flank of the large Night Hyena.

Black blood and a scorched, foul stench surged out.

The Nest-Paste Worker Rats took half a step back.

Grey Pupil, however, seemed to have touched something, and his movements suddenly froze.

The next moment, he forcibly cut out a palm-sized black iron object from that mass of half-cooked, half-rotten internal organs.

The thing was covered in blood and filth, but its edges still bore a ring of old fire patterns.

Grey Pupil held it up to the fire, his voice extremely low.

"Master."

"I cut an Old Military Court beacon out of its abdominal cavity."

As the words fell, the thin box in Lu Jin's sleeve also grew slightly warm.