The First Order

1255 Abyssal ravine

D?3.

Zhou Qi had stepped into the realm of gods with a single battle. The resplendent rain of swords that filled the sky downed countless numbers of migratory birds. It was a magnificent sight that was really worthy of someone with the title of demigod.

Many of the Northwest Army’s soldiers even started claiming that Zhou Qi was probably unparalleled when compared to other demigods on a rainy day.

The defeated flock of migratory birds’ feathers and carcasses covered the wilderness.

However, like Ji Zi’ang, Zhou Qi was also exhausted after the battle. Qing Zhen, Xu Man, Zhou Qi, and Luo Lan had taken advantage of this temporary truce to retreat from Position 141. Furthermore, they did not stop at the Dawn defensive line and directly rode a vehicle back to Fortress 178 at the rear.

In Qing Zhen’s words, they had already done all they could do at the defensive line. All that was left was to patiently wait at Fortress 178.

As the intermittent autumn rain came to a stop, Position 141 was turned into muddy terrain. Occasionally, some soldiers would lose their balance as they moved along in the slippery trenches.

They laid the armory boxes they had brought to the defensive position on the ground of the trenches and used them as a path for everyone to walk on.

It was a rare chance for the soldiers to recuperate. They leaned against the trench walls nonchalantly as some of them smoked, while others chewed on small bites of their hardtack. Then they started chatting excitedly about everything that happened yesterday.

Earlier, when the flock of migratory birds were about to arrive, everyone had felt disheartened. However, Zhou Qi’s actions instilled hope in everyone again.

This feeling of hitting rock bottom and getting a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel was really uplifting.

Some of the soldiers dozed off in the trenches as they chatted despite the loud chatter of the others around them.

When the command center received the news of Position 141’s victory, everyone cheered and turned to look at P5092 as though he were their idol.

Truly, Zhou Qi was indeed powerful. Meanwhile, the fact that P5092 placed Zhou Qi at Position 141 in advance and predicted the rain made it seem like he was able to predict the future.

It was as though P5092 and Wang Yun’s battlefield combination was made just for the war.

Back while everyone was feeling worried, P5092 did not seem concerned about the flock of migratory birds at all.

As such, his calm and composed attitude also convinced everyone.

However, while everyone was cheering, a frown appeared on P5092’s face again.

Wang Yun asked, “Why do you look so glum even after we’ve scored a great victory? Is it because there was something peculiar about the arrival of this flock of migratory birds?”

What Wang Yun meant was that since even they could determine there would be rain during this period, the artificial intelligence should have also been able to predict it. Therefore, the flock of migratory birds that were suddenly sent to Zhou Qi’s position for him to kill really felt like it was a trap.

P5092 said, “According to historical records, this rain will last for at least three days. If the AI had kept its trump card until three days later, we would have already won. Zhou Qi himself said that the AI should also know very well that he has reached the level of a demigod during their battle at the silt farm. That was because Zhou Qi had slaughtered his way out of there, so the AI definitely can’t escape having to take him on at a later time. It wouldn’t have been able to avoid another battle with Zhou Qi at all.”

P5092 continued, “The migratory birds were indeed its trump card. But from the look of things, it feels more like it was using them as a cover for its human troops. It seems like its human troops are more important to it.”

At this moment, Xun Yeyu, who had had his eyes closed while fulfilling his responsibility as a human radar in the command center, suddenly opened his eyes and stood up. He shouted, “Another enemy has appeared in the northeastern direction. The scale of their forces is similar to the enemy we’re going up against at our defensive line now. They’re still 90 kilometers away from us!”

The combat staff officers, who were still cheering in the command center, immediately felt suffocated once more. The Dawn defensive line was already having such a hard time facing just one group of troops. If another group were to arrive, wouldn’t the defensive line be at risk of collapsing at any moment?

Moreover, according to Hu Shuo’s intel, the two groups of enemy forces in the southwest were going to bypass the Dawn defensive line and head straight for Fortress 178. That place was now as good as an unguarded city.

But before anyone could digest this news, P5092 said again, “The enemy troops in the southwest should be arriving soon too.”

The two enemy forces in the southwest were not inferior in numbers to the enemies they were facing now.

It was as though P5092 was deliberately dampening everyone’s spirits by bringing up one bad situation after another.

Wang Yun said in a low voice, “If all of those enemy troops were to arrive, we can’t stop them at all. We might not even be able to hold them off for one day.”

P5092 thought for a moment and said, “Pass down my orders. All troops in the third echelon of the Dawn defensive line are to start evacuating back to Fortress 178 tomorrow. Only by doing this will our retreating Northwest Army troops have a chance to put up a final resistance before the enemy troops in the southwest arrive at Fortress 178.”

“What about the troops at the second echelon’s positions?” Wang Yun asked.

“They’ll be buying time for the combat troops of the third echelon to retreat,” P5092 answered.

P5092’s only objective now was to buy time and more time.

Everything else was not in his consideration.

“But if the enemy at the northeast arrives tonight, the defensive line’s second echelon troops probably can’t buy us enough time.” Wang Yun said, “The second echelon might collapse before we even start retreating tomorrow.”

“That’s why I said we still need some luck,” P5092 said.

In fact, everyone’s success was more or less related to luck.

Meanwhile, P5092 was aware that someone very close to Ren Xiaosu had a hand in affecting luck.

…

The northern nomads traveled south via the Shenmu River and headed straight for Fortress 178.

Back then, Yan Liuyuan had sent Hassan to lead the wolves to herd the cows and horses to support Stronghold 144. After the wolves escorted the last group of evacuees to the Dawn defensive line, they turned back to join up with Yan Liuyuan again. Only Hassan remained behind to assist the Northwest Army in their efforts at the Dawn defensive line.

At this moment, Yan Liuyuan was sitting on the Wolf King’s broad back and stroking its fur. “It’s been hard on you all.”

The Wolf King shook its head vigorously as though it was enjoying Yan Liuyuan’s caress.

“Bulan Zir.” Yan Liuyuan asked Bulan Zir, who was riding on a warhorse next to him, “What do you think the Northwest Army needs now?”

“Master, our scouts discovered an extremely large number of enemy troops in the south. Fortunately, our scouts are riding our best warhorses, so they weren’t caught by the enemy.” Bulan Zir thought for a moment and said, “I think the Northwest Army probably can’t withstand such a large number of enemies, so do we have any ideas on how we can stop them?”

“When do you think will be the most suitable time to stop them?” Yan Liuyuan asked.

Bulan Zir scratched his head. “Master, I don’t know when is the most suitable time either. Why don’t we get to it right away?”

Yan Liuyuan nodded. “I want y’all to continue advancing on the agreed route. I’ll go on ahead first.”

Bulan Zir got anxious at that. “Master, I was just making a random suggestion. You don’t have to take my word for it.”

Yan Liuyuan smiled and said, “It’s not that I’m taking your word for it but that I trust myself.”

Although Yan Liuyuan could not see the satellites in the sky, he knew the satellites observing these lands should be slowly moving farther and farther away in their orbits.

The best opportunity was now.

For a lot of people, luck was something that could only be chanced upon. But for Yan Liuyuan, it was an actual ability he could control.

The only thing was he could not make a wish to enhance his own luck. However, he could enhance Ren Xiaosu’s luck.

Right now, every question Yan Liuyuan had related to Ren Xiaosu, and the ones that were answered should be of most help to Ren Xiaosu.

Not far away, Xiaoyu was sitting on the back of another silver wolf. When she saw that Yan Liuyuan appeared to be breaking away from the group, she commanded her mount to rush over. “Liuyuan, I’ll go with you.”

When Yan Liuyuan saw Xiaoyu’s determined attitude, he smiled and said, “Alright, let’s go together.”

The two of them rode their wolves and rushed southwards. When they got close to the enemy, the troops controlled by the artificial intelligence actually came to a stop. All of them looked in Yan Liuyuan’s direction and assumed a defensive posture.

But a moment later, Yan Liuyuan jumped off the Wolf King’s back and revealed his palm at the enemy from afar. He made a chopping motion and the ground suddenly started trembling.

In the vast wilderness, an abyssal ravine suddenly appeared, running from north to south on the yellow surface of the earth. It cut across the path the enemy’s advance guard needed to travel on.

The abyssal ravine was not wide, and it was impossible to destroy an entire enemy force with it. However, it was more than enough to stop the enemy troops in their tracks.

Yan Liuyuan’s body started turning illusory. The ends of his hair were dissipating into starlight at a visible rate, and it was as though his entire body were about to dissipate away into the air.

Countless enemy troops fell into the abyssal ravine. The bottom of the ravine was even deeper than the eye could see, and only the sound of water splashing could be heard emanating from within. It was as though a giant saber had slashed across the surface of the earth and into the underworld.

This fissure stretched for dozens of kilometers and instantly swallowed 20% of the enemy troops!

Yan Liuyuan did not go and check on the enemy. He just looked silently at the sky above him as his willpower became stronger than ever.

At some point, he even felt that he had already understood the true essence of the world. Or perhaps he himself was one of the true essences of the world.

He was the truth.

“Liuyuan!” Xiaoyu exclaimed.

She saw Yan Liuyuan’s body continuously turning ethereal. In that instant, Li Xiaoyu could not help but feel a pain in her heart. It was as though she were about to lose her most important family member.

Xiaoyu kept calling out Yan Liuyuan’s name. She even stumbled in her pathetic state and ran towards Yan Liuyuan to hug him in her arms.

“I’m fine, Big Sister Xiaoyu.” Yan Liuyuan looked down at Xiaoyu and said with a smile, “Thanks for staying by my side. Otherwise, it would have gotten really dangerous this time.”

Xiaoyu looked up at Yan Liuyuan’s face. She did not know when she started having to look up at this young man.

Yan Liuyuan, who used to be the impish “friend of the women” back in town, had grown up.

“Liuyuan, your hair,” Xiaoyu said softly.

After Yan Liuyuan arrived at the grasslands, he never cut his hair again and grew it out until it reached his waist.

But Yan Liuyuan’s hair had become extremely short. It was as though he were one of those ascetic monks people read of in legends.

Yan Liuyuan said, “Big Sister Xiaoyu, it’s very fortunate that you managed to bring me back from the verge. My hair’s not really that important.”

Xiaoyu suddenly asked, “But your hair’s almost all gone. If you use your power again, I’m afraid you’ll really dissipate. Can you promise me you won’t use your powers again in the future?”

“It’s not that serious.” Yan Liuyuan said with a chuckle, “I just can’t resort to using such disaster-level powers anymore. The usual luck enhancement power is still OK.”

“That won’t do.” Xiaoyu said, “I’m afraid that you’ll really dissipate someday.”

‘”That won’t happen.” Yan Liuyuan said, “With you around, I won’t take that kind of risk. Actually, the enemy is much stronger than I expected this time. I don’t have the power to go against it. Even if I had sacrificed myself, I’d only cause heavy losses to it. That’s because neither I nor the legendary Li Shentan can become the world’s consciousness.”

Therefore, even if anyone other than Ren Xiaosu crossed the critical 70% threshold that separated man from god, they could not completely reach the other side and step into the divine kingdom.

In the end, they would only dissipate from the world.

…

At the same time, in the command center at the Dawn defensive line, Xun Yeyu suddenly said loudly, “I sense the presence of people north of the enemies in the northeast. There are only two of them. One is a normal person while the other is a superhuman. However, that superhuman’s flame is as bright as a star. Such a strong life force is super rare. That person’s even stronger than Zhou Qi and Zhou Yingxue.”

“Is it a superhuman above the demigod level?” P5092 asked, “Where are they headed?”

“They’re closing in on the enemy in the northeast… wait a minute.” Xun Yeyu said in shock, “Tens of thousands of the enemy’s troops have disappeared all of a sudden!”

Actually, Xun Yeyu was not sure if it was tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of troops that disappeared. He could only feel dense signs of life suddenly fading away in his mental image.

It was as though someone had suddenly cut a piece of a rectangular cake.

Xun Yeyu racked his brains but could not rely on his imagination to guess what had happened.

P5092 said, “Where are both of them moving towards right now?”

Xun Yeyu said, “That demigod is rushing towards the Dawn defensive line, but the enemy troops in the northeast have turned south. I wonder why.”

“This is what I meant when I said we needed some luck.” P5092 sighed emotionally. “I guess that person from the grasslands must have arrived.”

No matter what had happened, those enemy troops were not going to reach the Dawn defensive line by tonight.

With the countdown getting closer, those key figures of human civilization were starting to converge at the same spot.

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