216: An ominous premonition

At first glance, a group of Cultivators was marching forward in a grand manner.

At second glance, Xia Mulin almost jumped out of his skin.

"What? The enemy is coming for me!?"

Startled, he took a closer look and realized they really were heading straight this way.

Xia Mulin urgently assembled the Zhenxiao Combat Squad and mobilized nearby Lapu combat units for cover, preparing to make a quick getaway.

The moment he stepped out of the temporary command center, he suddenly discovered that the surroundings were already crowded with wounded Lapu soldiers.

"What's going on?"

"Why are there so many wounded here?"

Soon, Pharmacist Commander-in-Chief Redrick Aisha ran over.

Her Armed Equipment was a pink mecha with a flowing pink ponytail trailing behind it.

"Captain, this is the deployment given to us by Commander 236."

"What? Did I give... did he give such an order?"

Xia Mulin paused, then slapped his forehead.

He remembered; that was indeed the case.

He had given his squad some privileges so they could handle chores in the rear instead of fighting on the front lines.

But now the situation was unfavorable, and the enemy was approaching aggressively.

With hundreds of wounded soldiers here, taking them all would require a significant amount of time.

Under normal circumstances, Xia Mulin wouldn't have cared and would have run away long ago.

But he couldn't do that now; he was a member of the Lapu Galaxy Empire and an aspiring Imperial Chancellor.

Once he had the stain of abandoning his teammates, it would be hard to wash away, and his future path to promotion would become a hundred times more difficult.

Instead of that, it would be better to... Thus, Xia Mulin immediately made a deployment plan, letting her lead the Pharmacists and a small portion of Armament Masters to prioritize transporting the wounded away.

He himself would lead the remaining men to set up defenses and hold off those Cultivators.

However, before that, he didn't forget to put on a good show.

With a serious expression, Xia Mulin said, "I've just received word that a large-scale enemy force is heading this way. A commander has ordered me to lead the entire Combat Squad and evacuate immediately."

"As for the others, they are to be abandoned."

Xia Mulin's voice wasn't loud, just enough for the surrounding Lapu soldiers to hear, making it seem unintentional.

"What?" Their hearts pounded—they might be abandoned by their comrades.

Opposite Xia Mulin, Redrick Aisha was stunned by his words.

But as a qualified Pharmacist, she bore the mission of saving lives; how could she abandon the wounded?

"Captain! There are still so many wounded here!"

"They are all warriors who fought for the Empire; we can't just leave them behind."

"Please, communicate with headquarters again!"

Xia Mulin nodded, his expression grave.

"Yes, I must report this situation to the Frontline Command Headquarters immediately!"

"We cannot let these warriors of the Emperor lose heart!"

Xia Mulin then pretended to connect to the Frontline Command Headquarters's communication and began a schizophrenic performance.

One moment he was cursing at the air, the next he was pleading bitterly with a collapsed wall.

Seeing Xia Mulin arguing with the commanders of the Frontline Command Headquarters for their sake...

Nearby, several Lapu soldiers eavesdropping felt a warmth in their hearts.

What was this?

This was a good man!!!

After their successful transfer, those Lapu soldiers told everyone about the experience, their words filled with gratitude.

Word spread from one to ten, and ten to a hundred, making the name Xia Mulin quite famous within the Lapu Flight Group.

Of course, that's a story for later.

Back to the present... After a long while, Xia Mulin felt he had performed enough.

Only then did he speak, "After some intense verbal sparring and standing my ground, headquarters has agreed to my request."

He then laid out the deployment he had considered earlier, giving Aisha full responsibility for arranging the swift evacuation of the wounded.

He himself took the remaining members of the Zhenxiao Combat Squad and a few fragmented Lapu units to construct defensive structures and organize a defense.

Unexpectedly, the enemy arrived too quickly; before Xia Mulin could finish the defenses, those Cultivators arrived first.

Xia Mulin immediately opened the System to scan the enemies.

The results put him slightly at ease; although there were enemies with energy levels around Rank three or four (equivalent to Golden Core), there weren't many.

Most were just Rank two energy level Cultivators (equivalent to Foundation Establishment).

This wave was winnable!

"Hehe, where do you think you're running?"

Soaring through the air on swords, the leader, Young Master Baiyu, arrived with a group of Cultivators.

Looking at the group of "Outer Realm Heavenly Demons" below preparing to flee, Bai Mengdie decisively ordered, "Kill!"

At this point, there was no need for superfluous words; just wipe them out.

Although she didn't know which Outer Realm Heavenly Demon had messed with her head, killing them all would surely settle it.

In fact, she had been slashing her way here based on the reconnaissance provided by Lin Ce, prioritizing any Outer Realm Heavenly Demon with some status as her primary targets.

Countless Cultivators descended from the sky on their swords, clutching various Magical Artifacts as they attacked the "Outer Realm Heavenly Demons" on the ground.

"Die, Outer Realm Heavenly Demon!"

Among the Cultivators, a handsome young man also leaped down, his hands forming technique seals.

*Bang—*

With a loud explosion, an "Outer Realm Heavenly Demon" was struck and instantly shattered, leaving behind only a crystal.

"Impressive! Fellow Daoist Zhong truly lives up to being a Core Disciple of the Ziyu Sect!"

"Indeed, to kill an Outer Realm Heavenly Demon in a single move is truly powerful!"

"Hahaha, we must also fight with all our might."

This act boosted everyone's morale, and the young man couldn't help but curl his lips into a slight smile upon hearing the praise.

His gaze unconsciously drifted toward a stunning beauty in the group.

Seeing that she didn't seem to notice him, he felt a surge of annoyance.

Nevertheless, he brazenly approached her, holding the crystal of the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon.

"Junior Sister Zixuan, I heard you're short on Merit Points. These..."

"Get lost!"

The stunning beauty's attitude was very blunt as she turned and walked away, rejecting his advances.

Hearing this, the young man's expression froze, and he had no choice but to slink away.

What he didn't know was that in the shadows, a narrow-minded person was staring intently at him.

"Achoo, achoo."

Zhong Junwu suddenly shuddered, having an ominous premonition... The battle was about to break out, and Xia Mulin could only fight with his back to the wall, struggling for his life.

With his mecha powered up, Xia Mulin summoned the Fengrui Battle Blade and charged toward the enemy, slashing fiercely.

"All combat units, engage the enemy!"

Upon his command, Ou Shaobao and the other Lapu behind him also activated their Armed Equipment and charged.

The War Robots received the command and launched their attack as well.

The battle was intense; they fought to the death without retreating.

The Lapu were not just fighting for their lives, but more importantly—for the Emperor!

For a time, the sounds of battle were deafening, and the scent of blood filled the air.

Xia Mulin, holding the Fengrui Battle Blade, collided with a Cultivator; his mecha threw a punch, which was actually blocked by the opponent's bare fist.

*Boom—*

Mecha and True Essence collided, and both sides took a step back.

The opposing Cultivator suddenly threw out several Talismans. Xia Mulin hurriedly dodged as danger warnings flashed continuously within his ecological instrument!

"Bang bang bang bang—"

Several Talismanic Incantations exploded, transforming into several Spirit Swords that lunged toward Xia Mulin.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh..."

Xia Mulin controlled his battle armor to dodge and weave, avoiding the longswords, but they were extremely agile, constantly changing direction to stay on his tail.

Xia Mulin crossed his arms in front of him, but those Spirit Swords seemed to have a mind of their own, constantly shifting positions before finally attacking from both sides.

With a bang, Xia Mulin was struck in the right shoulder; his mecha was damaged, and a pile of mechanical parts spilled out.

He groaned in pain but didn't hesitate for a second, quickly turning to swing his battle blade at the enemy!

Amidst the flash of blades, the Cultivator tried to parry, but he was too slow.

With a clang, Xia Mulin's battle blade struck the opponent, followed by a scream of agony and a spray of blood; he had successfully killed a Cultivator.

After the kill, faint blue specks of light drifted from the body and eventually entered Xia Mulin's body.

(ecological instrument energy +0.37%)

(Current energy: 9.73%)

[Your talent ratings are as follows.]

[Energy Level: Rank 3]

[Strength: SS]

[Physique: SSS]

[Reaction: SS]

[Agility: S]

[Intelligence: S]

[Spirit: A]

[Physiological Tolerance: SSS]

Special Abilities:

[Enhanced Calm]: Accelerated Thinking

[Rapid Slash]: Increased melee attack speed