The Federation soldiers on the landing field were utterly stunned into silence by the army led by Brahma and Mahaka.

Yet, beneath the killing aura emanating from their combat armor, a contingent of veteran mercenary scum erupted in roars of laughter, bending over until they nearly choked.

"Hahahaha! Brothers, look at these Federation rookies, scared stiff!"

"Heh heh, the Federation military, what else would you expect? When we were risking our necks, they were still crawling all over women!"

"Tsk tsk, speaking of which, those blondes are really something, aren't they? Look, the ones registering supplies by the tower—damn, they've got curves in all the right places!"

"Blondes be damned! Look at those others over there, tsk tsk, I could just die for their skin! It's darker than the finest ebony! So damn sensual!"

"Bastard, blondes rock! Keep the dark-skinned ones away!"

"Screw your mother, of course, dark skin is the healthiest, the dark ones are the fieriest! What's so great about blondes?"

"Blonde is good! Dark skin is good! Damn it, I say the green-haired one is the best, tsk tsk, look at those legs of hers! Uh, is that green-haired chick a Major General? Must have some heavy backing, huh?"

Across the thousand-man communication channel, filth and obscenities reigned supreme. Everyone was enthusiastically greeting the mothers of everyone else, while furiously dissecting the figures and faces of the female officers near the landing zone. Some were even boasting about hooking up with a few female soldiers tonight for some wild fun; half a year of rookie training had left them desperate! These one thousand soldiers clad in combat armor—the "rookies"—along with the drivers of over three hundred heavy trucks, all hailed from the Hardwood Defense Corporation! They were the oldest, most core group of brothers within Hardwood Defense.

They were the Hardwood Defense Corporation's most capable and resilient veterans.

They were Hardwood Defense's most loyal and cohesive brotherhood! Now, they had dedicated their entire souls to Gu Xichen, and each one had successfully integrated the cultivation of a high-tier Krystallo Sphere—becoming Adept Mercenaries! Crucially, every one of them had ingested the spiritual elixir refined by Lao Jun Valley, using the Fierce Fire Orchid as the primary ingredient, granting them formidable power! A special assault infantry regiment comprised of thirteen hundred and eighty-five powerful Adepts! If the senior commanders of the Military Department knew the true identity and genuine strength of this group, every General in the Heaven Star Expeditionary Force would immediately start brawling with their colleagues to claim command over them! Thirteen hundred and eighty-five Adepts! On a ground battlefield, without deploying nuclear weapons or other WMDs, no single army could even shake them, let alone defeat them! No one knew that this group of true anomalies had arrived on Heaven Star. They all possessed brand-new identities, their appearances subtly altered so no one could recognize them. Gu Xichen had utilized the secret channels of the Nine Nether Path to slip them into the Federation ranks, evading the scrutiny of figures like Poison Wolf.

Mahaka, practically hopping as if his backside were on fire, couldn't stay still for more than a moment. He bounced excitedly on the spot, gesturing provocatively toward the stunned officers: "Hey, have you decided where you're sending us yet? I’ll tell you straight—I came to Heaven Star to get rich and promoted! Hurry up and send us to the hottest warzone! If you dare stick us on rear guard duty, I'll break your bones!"

Brahma stood behind him, hands clasped behind his back, gazing contentedly at the clouds slowly drifting across the sky.

Dugu Qiubai (The One Who Seeks Defeat and Never Finds It), yearning for an equal opponent that never appeared! In that very instant, Brahma’s state of mind broke through miraculously. The Zen Elemental Force within his body became exceptionally fluid and profound.

An hour later, the newly organized PQ3Q Special Assault Infantry Regiment, along with all their equipment, were crammed onto a fleet heading for the Thirteenth Link Star. They were about to be thrown into the fierce battle raging there. The fleet containing the PQ3Q Infantry Regiment had already left Heaven Star by nearly ten million kilometers when the second wave of giant transport ships slowly descended.

This time, the new recruits supplied to Heaven Star by the Military Department were entire, fully structured regiments. This was completely different from the previous method where new recruits were haphazardly jammed onto transport ships, leaving the units needing reinforcements on Heaven Star to select their own personnel. This measure was adopted by Gu Xichen to facilitate his demands on the Military Department, though clever individuals also recognized the advantages of doing things this way.

From the second wave of transport ships emerged seven newly organized special forces regiments. Every soldier was robust, elite, and battle-hardened. If Gu Xichen were present, he would instantly recognize the leaders of these seven regiments: Bart of the Holy Blood Knights and several other high-ranking members of the Church hierarchy.

Bart also issued the command to deploy his troops to the most perilous and intense battlefields. The high command of the Military Department swiftly granted their request. The seven new special regiments, totaling over twenty-one thousand soldiers, along with vast amounts of mechanical materiel, were dispatched to the First Link Star in the Thirteenth Link Star system, which was also embroiled in savage fighting. The third wave of transport ships landed heavily, swaying as they settled. A few rough-looking soldiers, towering in height with faces obscured by thick black hair, kicked open the hatches and spilled out. A massive, dark-skinned brute standing two and a half meters tall let out a savage roar to the heavens, then bellowed: "Brothers, assemble!"

The soldiers of the nine motorized infantry brigades poured out of the transports, over forty thousand warriors forming precise ranks behind the giant soldiers.

The dark brute grabbed the officer responsible for assigning new troops and shook him violently: "Listen up, kid, we're going to the Thirteenth Link Star! I hear the fighting there is a hundred times worse than on Heaven Star? I like going where there are lots of people to kill! Hey, send me to the Thirteenth Link Star, or I won't mind borrowing some tools for a little... intimate contact with you."

The brute viciously jabbed a finger toward the pale officer's rear flank and grinned as he pulled a defensive grenade from his belt.

The officer's face went bone-white. He glanced fearfully at the grenade, which was covered in molded explosive fragments, then carefully considered the diameter of a certain organ, before screaming hoarsely: "Thirteenth Link Star, Seventh Link Star Alpha Zone continues to receive massive troop reinforcement... But I must warn you, the casualty rate there is—"

The dark brute dropped the officer, tossed the grenade in his hand with a grin, and laughed loudly: "Casualty rate? Bah! Our glorious Blood Horn Clan... uh, we... uh, in short, we aren't afraid of death. Heh, the higher the casualty rate, the better! Hahahaha, the higher the better!"

The officer felt momentarily dizzy. Had he just seen two small, blood-red horns poking out from the dark brute's head? He shook his head vigorously, deciding that he had been overworked lately. After dispatching these fearless new soldiers to the battlefield with the highest mortality rate, he resolved to take a serious rest.

Half an hour later, the nine motorized infantry brigades, led by the dark brute, boarded the fleet bound for the Thirteenth Link Star, shamelessly singing a strange battle hymn.

A full two hours later, the final wave of giant transport ships slowly settled onto the ground.

Jizo. Ichi-no-an, as tall and straight as a poplar tree, and as delicate and graceful as a young maiden, stepped down the ramp carrying a small field bag. As if sensitive to Heaven Star’s climate, Jizo. Ichi-no-an pinched his nose and sneezed, then slowly smiled at the receiving officer: "Sir, Lieutenant Colonel Asakage Kusa, commander of the newly organized P109 Special Battalion, reports for reinforcement. We request assignment of our defensive sector and combat mission."

The officer looked at Jizo. Ichi-no-an in surprise: "You... don't want to be deployed to the most intense warzone?"

After careful consideration, Jizo. Ichi-no-an smiled gently: "Our unit's combat strength is not high; it is better to stay near the main force. After some training, we can go to the hotspots. What do you think, sir?"

The receiving officers exchanged glances, expressing great approval of Jizo. Ichi-no-an's demeanor. Now this was the attitude a rookie should have! If everyone were as arrogant as the first three waves, wouldn't it make the veterans of the Heaven Star Expeditionary Force seem utterly incompetent?

Two thousand soldiers of the special battalion, small in stature, moved with a silence akin to ghosts as they emerged from the warship. They stood quietly behind Jizo. Ichi-no-an, their entire presence steeped in deathly stillness, devoid of any human warmth, like two thousand aged corpses recently excavated from the earth. The nearby Federation soldiers involuntarily shivered and instinctively backed away from the eerie group.

In accordance with the wishes of Jizo. Ichi-no-an and his special battalion, they were assigned to the internal security detail of the Group Army's Forward Base No. 1.

On the transport vessel heading to the forward base, Jizo. Ichi-no-an stood respectfully before a young man with skin as pale and delicate as that of a sheltered young lady.

"Witch King, what shall we do next?"

The youth, looking barely sixteen or seventeen years old, was none other than the last Witch King of the Three Witches Sect—the White Jade Witch King.

The White Jade Witch King gently stroked the cheek of a female soldier from the special battalion beside him and smiled softly: "Don't ask what we should do next; instead, we must watch what the ones ahead of us do. The White Jade Witch King sighed deeply.

"One wrong step leads to many... For the sake of the Gu Group, for the sake of Gu Xichen, our Sect has suffered great losses. "All we can do now is wait... wait quietly!"

Looking out at the quickly receding landscape of Heaven Star through the viewport, a hint of fanaticism flickered in the White Jade Witch King's eyes, which were as still as deep water.

"Perhaps, this is our Sect's greatest opportunity."

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