Chapter 355 First Batch of Lunar Warfare Quotas

"Slurp—"

In the canteen of the Fourth Reserve Base in New Chang'an City, Wei Qiang, a young Foundation Establishment cultivator, picked up a large mouthful of vegetarian meat noodles, tilted his head back, and slurped it into his mouth. He gasped for breath from the spiciness and quickly grabbed a handful of chilled spiritual spring water from the side and gulped it down.

"That feels good." Wei Qiang burped and wiped the red oil from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

The large screen on the canteen wall was playing live footage of the bluish-gray barrier beyond the stratosphere. Below, hundreds of reserve recruits sat shoveling food onto their plates, chattering and boasting.

"See that? Twelve billion tons crashed down, and not even a splash!" The tall, thin man sitting opposite Wei Qiang tapped his aluminum lunchbox with his chopsticks, his eyebrows dancing with excitement. "With this Nine Cauldrons Formation activated, Earth is completely locked down. Those void scum in the sky will only be able to stare helplessly from outside from now on."

"That's right. I heard things have calmed down on the moon too." Another recruit with a buzz cut leaned over and lowered his voice, "The Black Gate is almost closed. We reservists have caught a lucky break. I guess we'll just be slaying demons in the famous mountains and rivers of the country and peacefully working our way up to the Golden Core stage."

Wei Qiang, chewing on a toothpick, leaned back in his plastic chair, shaking his leg: "I should have known better than to mortgage that old house to buy a flying sword. Now that the defenses are so solid, the training slots will definitely be monopolized by those big families again. It'll be difficult for us independent cultivators to go to the secret realms to get benefits."

"Bang!"

The two heavy soundproof doors of the cafeteria were kicked open and slammed heavily against the wall with a deafening bang.

The once noisy cafeteria fell silent instantly, with hundreds of eyes turning to the entrance.

The base's chief instructor stood at the gate with a dark expression, his military boots still splattered with mud from the recent rain. He strode to the center of the mess hall, ripped off his military cap, and slammed it heavily onto an empty stainless steel dining table.

"The TV is off! Everyone stand up!"

The instructor's voice sounded like he had swallowed a razor blade; it was hoarse yet carried an undeniable menacing aura.

With a clatter, hundreds of new recruits reflexively kicked away their chairs and stood ramrod straight. Wei Qiang's toothpick fell with a thud onto his collar, and he quickly reached out to remove it.

"Pretty relaxed, huh? Think that with a new roof over the sky, you can finally lie back and relax in peace?"

The instructor's cold gaze swept across the entire room. He pulled a folded red document from his pocket and unfolded it.

"The Supreme Command and the Kyoto Joint Control Center have jointly issued a top-secret order. Ten minutes ago, the first phase of the [Lunar Surface Rotation Plan] was officially launched."

The instructor's voice echoed in the empty canteen, carrying a chilling aura.

"The Guanghan Base will not be withdrawn. The battle line will be pushed to 380,000 kilometers away. From today onwards, you Foundation Establishment cultivators, raised in a greenhouse, will be sent to the far side of the moon in batches!"

A slight commotion immediately arose in the crowd. The tall, thin man swallowed hard and mustered his courage to shout, "Instructor! Aren't there veterans of the Guanghan Defense Army guarding the far side of the moon? The barrier is already set up, why do we still need to go up there?"

"veteran?"

The instructor suddenly turned his head and stared intently at the tall, thin man, a frightening bloodshot appearing in his eyes.

"They were cut off from water and food up there, fighting monsters hand-to-hand with their dulled, broken pieces of iron! They carried the entire army's assault for you; now it's their turn to go home and eat meat!"

The instructor walked over to Wei Qiang's table and pounded his knuckles on the stainless steel tabletop, causing the soup in the plate to splash out.

"You really think cultivating immortality is a perk for you? Just so you can fly on swords and show off? That's the fighting force that Earth poured its resources into! You enjoy the benefits of the revitalized spiritual energy, but you have to pay the price with your lives on the front lines!"

He held up the list in his hand, his voice suddenly rising an octave: "From today onwards, training is no longer a perk of plundering resources, but a military order! Those whose names are called, assemble at the equipment depot in half an hour. Anyone who dares to retreat will be treated as a traitor on the spot!"

"Wei Qiang!"

"Here!" Wei Qiang shuddered and instinctively straightened his chest.

"Wang Meng!"

"arrive!"

"Zhang Yifan..."

As each name was called out, the air in the mess hall seemed to be sucked out. The recruits, who had just been immersed in a sense of security, turned pale instantly.

……

One hour later. The main station of the interstellar teleportation array in New Chang'an City.

The massive circular array was undergoing its final charging preparations. A deep, buzzing sound sent shivers down one's spine.

Wei Qiang and six hundred selected reserve recruits, dressed in extremely heavy [Xuanwu-IV] tactical armor, stood in a line outside the teleportation array like rows of stiff steel penguins.

Wei Qiang nervously moved the mechanical arm, the Star Iron Heavy Sword hanging heavily on his back.

"Senior, my leg is cramping a bit..." the new recruit with a buzz cut said in a trembling voice through the near-field communication channel. "I heard there's no air on the moon, so if a mech gets a hole in it, the blood will boil and explode..."

"Shut up!" Wei Qiang cursed through gritted teeth, but his own palms were also covered in cold sweat.

"Buzz—!"

Suddenly, the interstellar teleportation array in front of us burst into a blinding white light.

"Attention! Welcome back to the veterans of Guanghan!"

The commander's loudspeaker boomed from the platform.

Six hundred new recruits straightened their backs in unison.

The white light slowly dissipated.

There were no triumphant military songs, no flowers. From the teleportation array emerged a group of "demons" who looked as if they had just crawled out of hell.

Chen Ge, walking at the forefront, had his combat uniform badly damaged. His chest looked as if he had been hit hard by a heavy object, with a dent in the armor beneath the fabric. His right arm was only simply bandaged, with dark red scabs of blood clinging to the bandage. His face was covered in dust, and there was an untreated wound on his forehead. His eyes were bloodshot, yet he still stared coldly ahead, as if nothing had happened.

Behind him were veterans supporting each other, limping along.

Some people had an arm hanging limply, devoid of feeling, with only the most basic treatment given to their wounds; others had their equipment boxes burned through, with wisps of smoke still rising from the charred metal edges.

The smells of burnt goods, blood, sweat, and the pungent odor of burnt equipment mingled together and hit you instantly.

Wei Qiang held his breath.

He looked at the group of veterans, and the pride he had felt wearing the latest Xuanwu armor was instantly crushed in front of these "worn-out" old men. There was no excitement in the veterans' eyes, only a numbness and lingering rage after they had completely disregarded life and death.

The two teams passed each other by the teleportation platform.

One is a bright and well-equipped fledgling eagle.

One was a battered and bloodied hungry wolf.

Chen Ge dragged his heavy steps and walked right up to Wei Qiang. He stopped, turned around, and his cold eyes swept over Wei Qiang's brand-new armor.

"Click".

Chen Ge raised his intact hand and patted Wei Qiang's shoulder heavily.

The armor clashed, producing a muffled thud.

A very clear handprint was imprinted on Wei Qiang's brand-new shoulder armor.

"Nice equipment."

Chen Ge's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper grinding on an iron plate. He leaned close to Wei Qiang's mask and exhaled a breath of hot air that smelled of blood.

"Once you get up there, don't embarrass yourself with this uniform. Come back alive."

After saying that, Chen Ge withdrew his hand and walked towards the disinfection channel without looking back.

"Old Li, hurry up, I'm so hungry I could eat a whole cow."

"Screw the rush, all the shock absorber fluid in my legs has leaked out..."

The veterans' figures gradually disappeared at the end of the passage, leaving only a trail of blood and frost.

"All troops, advance!"

The instructor's roar snapped Wei Qiang out of his daze.

Wei Qiang glanced down at the glaring handprint on his shoulder, took a deep breath, and abruptly pulled down his tactical mask.

"First squad! Warm up the thrusters! Move out!"

Six fledgling eagles stepped into the teleportation array.

The white light shone again, extremely dazzling.

......