nagpurpolice Chapter 150 Urgent Report on the Defense Line
Chapter 150 Urgent Report on the Defense Line
Leng Feng pulled the sword from the water, shook off the droplets, and examined the blade in the sunlight. The bloodstains on the blade had been washed away, revealing the dark steel beneath and the dark red stripe that ran from the hilt to the tip. He snorted with satisfaction and slowly slid the sword into its sheath. The sound of it being sheathed was deep and smooth, like a satisfied sigh.
Then he paused for a moment.
"I just received an urgent report from the border defenses." His voice was a few decibels lower than before, and his speech was slower. "The Black Stone Mountain defense line, three hundred miles north of Qing Shi Border City, has been attacked by a massive beast tide for three consecutive days. The number of beasts exceeds one hundred thousand, and all of them are corrupted by the Soul-Controlling Gu, making them fearless in the face of death. The Third Legion stationed there has suffered more than half its casualties, and the defense line is on the verge of collapse. We have sent out several distress signals, but without reinforcements, Black Stone Mountain cannot be held."
Lin Chen's brows furrowed sharply. He hadn't been unaware that the evil race would have a backup plan, but he hadn't expected it to come so quickly and so fiercely. The Black Stone Mountain defense line wasn't a small place like Qing Shi Border Town; it was a defensive line—not a city, but a wall—stretching over a thousand miles from the Snow Peak Mountains in the west to the Blackwater Swamp in the east, serving as the most important barrier on the northwestern border of the Great Xia Kingdom. Behind the defense line lay several border towns like Qing Shi Border Town, millions of unarmed civilians, and the last gateway to the inland heartland.
If Blackstone Mountain falls, the evil race and ferocious beasts can advance unimpeded, directly threatening the inland. The tragedy of Qingshi Border City will unfold simultaneously in dozens of towns. Qin Kun's spreading of the Gu plague in Qingshi Border City was not to occupy the city, but to tie down the surrounding forces, keeping the garrisons of other cities preoccupied with their own problems and unable to come to Blackstone Mountain's aid.
"Half of the reinforcements brought by Director Chen Feng will remain in Qing Shi Border Town to maintain order and clear out the remaining Gu poison, while the other half will come with us to reinforce Black Stone Mountain." Lin Chen's voice was unwavering, as if he were speaking of something he had decided long ago. "We cannot let the evil race's conspiracy succeed. The Black Stone Mountain defense line must not be lost."
Su Muyue turned around from the city wall, gently shaking the array flag in her hand, and the runes on the flag suddenly lit up. In the fierce battle last night, several of her array flags were corroded by the Gu Mother's venom, and there were still charred marks on the flagpole, but there was no sign of retreat in her eyes.
"I'll go with you. My evil-controlling formation is perfect for suppressing ferocious beasts controlled by the Soul-Controlling Gu. Whether it's 100,000 or 200,000, however many come, I'll trap them all."
Su Ling'er ran up the city wall carrying her medicine chest. Her face was streaked with gray and white, a mixture of medicine ash and sweat. Most of her hair was loose from her ponytail, haphazardly tucked behind her ears. One of the straps on the medicine chest was broken, which she had sewed back together with strips of cloth, crookedly but sturdily. She stopped on the city wall, caught her breath, slammed the medicine chest to the ground, and dusted it off.
"I'm going too! We have enough exorcism pills and healing pills, and the tonic is already being brewed. We can leave it to the army doctor to watch over. Black Stone Mountain is such a large battlefield, there must be wounded. I can't not go."
Chu Fan strode quickly from the city walls. As he walked, he tucked the array-pattern brush into his belt, stuffed the scroll into his backpack, and hastily wiped his hands, which were stained with spirit ink, on his trouser leg. His movements were so fast and hurried that he almost tripped over the pebbles under his feet. He steadied himself, adjusted his glasses—the temple, which had been wrapped with tape, had come loose again. He pressed it down and fixed it in place.
"I've already taught the military apprentices how to operate the city's defensive formation. They can understand the diagrams, and all they need to do is follow the instructions. I don't need to supervise them." He walked up to Lin Chen, still breathing heavily, but his tone was confident. "The Black Stone Mountain defensive formation has most likely been destroyed by the evil race. I can help repair the fortifications if I go. My Myriad Manifestations Dismantling Formation is very effective against the evil race's destructive formations."
Leng Feng slung his sword back behind him, patted the armor-piercing throwing knives at his waist to make sure they were all there. He didn't say much, only uttered two words.
"Let's go together."
The five men exchanged a smile. It was a small, faint smile, but genuine. No more words were needed. What needed to be said had already been said last night by the Gu Mother's blood pool, in the collapsed stone chamber, and countless times before—in the tunnels of Black Wind Ridge, on the battlefield of the secret realm, and in every life-or-death struggle back-to-back. They didn't shout slogans, make declarations of resolve, or utter words like "to live and die together." Those words were too heavy; saying them aloud would only make them seem lighter. They simply looked into each other's eyes, then simultaneously turned their heads, facing the same direction—north, towards Black Stone Mountain.
At noon, the reinforcements had assembled. Chen Feng, in full military uniform, stood at the front of the column, flanked by two hundred martial arts alliance members and three hundred border garrison soldiers. The martial artists wore robes of various colors, wielding a motley collection of weapons—swords, clubs, and spears—staffed sparsely, yet each soldier's gaze was intensely focused. The garrison soldiers wore uniform grey-blue uniforms, stained with the ashes and blood of the previous night; some wore bandages, but their formation was far more disciplined than the martial artists', row upon row, perfectly straight, as if sculpted by a knife. Five hundred men, five hundred spirited steeds, the sound of hooves pounding the dust, raising clouds of smoke. The column departed from the city gate, galloping north along the official road. Along the way, civilians emerged from their homes, lining the roadside, offering water and dry rations to the soldiers. No one shouted slogans, no one applauded, only pairs of eyes watched them go.
Lin Chen, mounted on his spirit steed, glanced back at the receding bluestone border town. Beneath the crumbling city walls, the people were still waving goodbye. He couldn't see their faces, but he could see their raised arms, like a forest swaying in the wind. Sunlight bathed them, gilding each person with a golden edge, those edges standing out vividly against the distant mountain shadows, like an oil painting still wet, its colors rich and vibrant.
He turned back to face north. The northern sky was low, the clouds thick, the grayish-white clouds pressing down on the distant mountain ridges like an old, unwashed quilt. The wind blew from the north, carrying a faint, fishy smell—not the sweet fishy smell of poisonous insects, but the primal, wild scent of ferocious beasts, mixed with blood and excrement.
Lin Chen gripped the Star Sword tightly in his hand, the blade swaying gently at his waist, the scabbard clinking rhythmically against the saddle. He was determined to defend the human border, no matter the cost, and prevent the tragedy of Qing Shi Border City from repeating itself.
The sound of hooves grew increasingly rapid, the procession quickening, a long trail of dust trailing behind five hundred men on the official road. Lin Chen was at the very front, Su Muyue to his right, Leng Feng to his left, and Chu Fan and Su Ling'er in the middle. Five people, five horses, five goals, but the same road, the same direction.
The road ahead was long, the wind was strong, and the dust was choking. But no one slowed down.