Chapter 135
Chapter 135: The Scarecrow and the Soul Town
Huaxia Second Base, Supreme Command Center.
The setting sun tilted westward, golden rays pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the room.
Wan Changzheng stood by the window holding a teacup, his gaze resting on the training ground in the distance.
Soldiers were running cross-country drills, their chanting faintly drifting over.
On the open ground east of the base, a group of people in mismatched clothing were busily hauling supplies.
These were recently sheltered survivors who had already joined the logistics department.
Wan Changzheng narrowed his eyes to look, and noticed several foreign faces mixed into the crowd.
This was stipulated by the joint treaty signed between nations.
If foreign nationals capable of proving their identity were encountered—
Regardless of which nation's base it was, they were to be sheltered whenever possible and first assigned to logistics work.
After some time, once the situation stabilized, personnel exchanges would be arranged.
After all, teleportation was random. No one knew which corner of the world their own nation's citizens might land in.
Save whoever could be saved.
Wan Changzheng lowered his head and took a sip of hot tea, then raised his gaze toward the broader horizon.
Layers upon layers of orange-red fire clouds stacked beautifully—almost too beautiful for a world that devoured people like this one.
"I truly hope that one day…"
"All of humanity can really go home."
"Rather than being like this—only able to return to their homeland to catch a small breath."
Yet before this sigh had even settled, his brow suddenly furrowed.
On the far horizon, a black dot had appeared.
Not only was it moving, it was also…
Bouncing?
Getting farther and farther away?
Wan Changzheng set down his teacup and grabbed the high-powered military binoculars by the window.
‘Could it be a flying formation from one of the native ancient kingdoms?’
Apart from monsters, Canglan Continent also harbored some native forces of unknown allegiance lurking in the shadows.
Wan Changzheng didn't dare be the slightest bit careless. He swiftly raised the binoculars and trained them on that black dot.
The lens pulled in closer…
Closer still…
"……"
Wan Changzheng's hands froze in midair.
Inside the lens, a blue-haired flashy man appeared.
And that person—relying entirely on a cyan bamboo pole in his hands—was leaping through the open air!
"Tang… Tang Sirui?!"
The corner of Wan Changzheng's eye twitched wildly.
The entire Second Base had exactly one person walking around with hair that blue—who else could it be but that kid?!
"That little brat! Both his legs are in compound fractures—how did he end up in the sky?!"
"Does he want to ascend to heaven and stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun?!"
Just as Wan Changzheng felt certain he was dreaming—
Bang!
The door to the command center was shoved open.
Zhao Yan walked in, and behind him trailed 4 silhouettes.
A middle-aged man with a buzz cut whose face resembled Zhang Yi.
A tall, ice-cold beauty.
A young man with a languid, roguish grin at the corner of his mouth.
And a little girl.
"Reporting to the Commander!"
The middle-aged man at the front snapped to attention, his military boots striking the floor as he saluted.
"Iron Wall Squad leader, Xin An, reporting for duty!"
"Physical Constitution: Grade S. Grade S Ability—【Full Map Unlock!】"
The ice-cold beauty followed right behind.
"Deputy leader, Lu Qi, reporting!"
"Physical Constitution: Grade A. Grade S Ability—【Death Mark!】"
The young man with the roguish grin raised a hand lazily. "Squad member, Mai Zijian, reporting."
"Physical Constitution: Grade A. Grade A Ability—【Damage Transfer!】"
Finally, the little girl spoke in a soft, milky voice. "Squad member, Hu Xiaoxiao, reporting to the Commander!"
"Physical Constitution: Grade A. Grade A Ability—【Celestial Fox Illusion!】"
Wan Changzheng forcibly suppressed the fury rising in his chest, turned around, and gave an authoritative nod.
These 4 were the core of Iron Wall Squad.
Xin An was the squad leader, responsible for reconnaissance and tactical planning. Full Map Unlock allowed him to perceive all terrain and enemy positions within the surrounding area.
Lu Qi was the elimination specialist. Once Death Mark branded a target, no matter where they fled, her attacks could lock onto them.
Mai Zijian was the defensive specialist. Damage Transfer could redirect damage that teammates received onto himself—the squad's last line of defense.
Hu Xiaoxiao was the support specialist. Celestial Fox Illusion could craft illusions to disorient enemies and temporarily boost teammates' attributes.
As for the firepower specialist…
Zhao Yan sidled forward, grinning sheepishly.
"Commander, the ideological persuasion of that blue-haired porcupine—you'll still have to handle that personally."
"That kid's all backbone and no discipline. I'm worried he'll pull something again and end up not being able to join this mission."
Wan Changzheng was silent for a full 2 seconds.
Then he let out a cold laugh.
"Too late."
He slapped the binoculars directly into Zhao Yan's arms.
Zhao Yan blinked. "Huh? Too late for what?"
Bewildered, he lifted the binoculars and looked in the direction Wan Changzheng's finger pointed—toward the horizon already dyed crimson by the setting sun.
Inside the lens, the blue-haired silhouette furiously pole-vaulting with a single bamboo pole was already nearly gone from sight.
Zhao Yan's smile froze on his face.
"……"
"Commander… that grasshopper flying through the sky… looks a bit like…"
"That's Tang Sirui."
Wan Changzheng said through gritted teeth.
"I know it's Tang Sirui."
"I'm asking how his legs are broken and he still managed to—"
Bang!!
Ji Fengchun, Head of the Medical Department, came charging in.
"Commander! Disaster! A complete disaster!!"
"That lunatic Tang Sirui!"
He sucked in a huge gasp, pointing at the window.
"He jumped to Eerie Island all by himself!!"
"What the—?!"
Zhao Yan was so startled his hand jolted.
"He jumped across the sea to Eerie Island by himself?!"
"With what?! His cast?!"
"With a laundry rack! With that bamboo pole of his forged from Hundred-Year-Old Hollow Bamboo!"
Ji Fengchun was so frantic he was flailing his arms.
"Says that as long as he combines it with his ability, 333 jumps in a row will carry him across the sea to Soul-Return Town!"
"And then that punk smashed through the glass and bounced off!"
Wan Changzheng felt his blood pressure shooting through the roof.
He turned to look at the 4 Iron Wall Squad elites.
Their expressions were varied.
Xin An was expressionless, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Lu Qi had covered her face.
Mai Zijian let out a low whistle and looked up at the ceiling.
Hu Xiaoxiao blinked and murmured softly.
"Tang-gē is stirring up trouble again…"
The veins at Wan Changzheng's temples throbbed.
"Outrageous!!!"
He slammed a palm onto the table, sending the teacup jumping.
"No organization! No discipline!"
"Who trained these soldiers?!!"
Zhao Yan leaned toward his ear and whispered.
"You did, Commander."
"……"
Wan Changzheng turned to look at Zhao Yan.
"What did you say?"
"When the base was selecting people a few years ago, you personally made the picks."
Zhao Yan's voice dropped even lower.
"And his staff techniques—you're the one who taught him those."
Wan Changzheng's weathered face visibly reddened.
The red crept upward from the base of his neck, all the way to his ears, and finally to the top of his head.
"You think I don't know that?!"
He enunciated each word through clenched teeth.
"I know full well!"
"I'm just furious!!"
"This wretched kid has absolutely no idea how dangerous Eerie Island is!"
Xin An stepped forward.
"Commander, actually…"
He chose his words carefully.
"I think Tang Sirui probably won't be in too much danger."
Wan Changzheng paused.
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Does he have some special technique?"
Xin An gave a nod.
"Yes, Commander."
"His ability, 【Infinite Combo】, allows him to use skills with no cooldown."
"For instance, abilities built into Spiritual Instruments or Cursed Objects—he can fire them off endlessly."
"And just this morning during training—"
He glanced at Zhao Yan.
"Chief of Staff Zhao gave him our base's Dimensional Equipment Storage Ring."
Wan Changzheng's eyelid twitched.
"The ring?"
"That's right."
Xin An smiled faintly.
"It holds an uncountable number of Spiritual Instruments. Just the life-saving ones alone—there are at least 100."
"So I believe you don't need to worry, Commander…"
"Tang Sirui can hold out on Eerie Island for at least a week!"
Wan Changzheng went silent.
Lu Qi stepped forward and tugged at Xin An's sleeve.
"Squad leader, stop talking…"
Xin An still hadn't caught on.
"Hm? Why?"
He looked at Wan Changzheng.
Then he witnessed the most terrifying sight of his life.
The thermos in Wan Changzheng's hand had been crushed into shards of glass.
"Zhao Yan!"
"You had better give me an explanation!"
Cold sweat began dripping down Zhao Yan.
"Com—Commander, this is a misunderstanding!"
He waved his hands frantically.
"I was planning to take the ring back after training was done!"
"Who could've known this guy would still be able to make off with the goods even with two broken legs!"
"Come tomorrow, I'll head to Eerie Island personally and make sure I beat that punk senseless!"
"Hmph!"
Wan Changzheng let out a cold snort.
"You'd better pray he hasn't lost that ring!"
"Otherwise!"
He fixed his gaze on Zhao Yan.
"You can forget being Chief of Staff!"
"Go work in the logistics department—as head of the manure-hauling brigade!"
"Yes, yes, yes! The Commander's reprimand is absolutely right!"
Zhao Yan was scolded until he looked like a chastened pup.
He quickly shot Xin An a look.
"Well then… Commander, the Trial is less than 2 hours away."
"I'll take them through a simulation of the backup formation tactics! We'll head out first!"
Wan Changzheng drew a deep breath, suppressing his fury.
"Go."
"Do your best to secure the victory."
"I'll have the base's defensive preparations in order."
"In case your failure triggers a monster tide assault."
"Yes, Commander!"
Zhao Yan saluted, waved for Iron Wall Squad to follow, and the group filed out one by one.
Inside the command center, only Wan Changzheng remained.
He walked to his desk and picked up a file.
The header read:
【The following intelligence is sourced from No Words Needed's kill records】
Below were rows of fine text.
【Monster Name】: Watchful Scarecrow
【Grade】: Grade S Boss
【Abilities】: Body Seizure, Resurrection, Clone, Wind Summoning, Wheat Field Domain.
【Weakness】: Blindness (unconfirmed)—under specific conditions, it is suspected to be capable of locking onto targets.
Wan Changzheng's gaze swept slowly across these words.
His brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
From his years of combat and Boss-hunting experience—
This scarecrow was absolutely not as simple as what the report described.
The reason it died so easily, like roadside trash, was entirely because of No Words Needed—the person himself.
Or rather, his ability, which completely countered the scarecrow.
A flame capable of burning time…
Wan Changzheng narrowed his eyes.
Tribulation Flame Kindling.
That legendary, one-of-a-kind treasure from the Destruction Five Days Campaign—not a single nation had ever obtained it.
If No Words Needed's ability truly was this…
Then the scarecrow likely never even had the chance to unleash its true power.
Because—
A single spark can set the prairie ablaze.
The entire Wheat Field was the scarecrow's very body.
Ignite a single stalk, and everything burns to nothing.
"The battle was far too short…"
Wan Changzheng murmured to himself.
"The intelligence is too poor a reference."
He stroked his chin, sinking into thought for a moment.
Then he picked up the communicator on the desk and patched through to an encrypted channel.
"Hello, is this Central Command?"
"It's me, Wan Changzheng."
"I'm requesting base reinforcements…"
……
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
Night descended.
Soon it was 19:30.
Eerie Island, 30 meters outside Soul-Return Town.
A blue-haired figure was plummeting through the air.
"Jump number 333!!!"
Tang Sirui vaulted through the air.
"Eerie Island—I'm heeere!!!"
He shouted with wild excitement.
And then!
Splash.
He face-planted headfirst into a field of graves.
"Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo!"
He crawled out of the dirt, spitting out soil.
He looked up.
Not far ahead, a small town stood quietly in the darkness of night.
On the archway at the town's entrance, 3 characters were carved.
【Soul-Return Town】
Tang Sirui broke into a wide grin.
"Made it!"
Bunny-Bunny