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However, this applied to Storm and the Night Stalkers; the regular troops had already set out today. They would arrive early at the town and prepare the battlefield.

As they left the hall, Cangdu suddenly said, “One day, I want to stand on that high stage too!”

Han Shu looked at him and chuckled, “You’d better work hard for that. To stand on that stage, you need to have at least Rank 7 strength.”

Tianyang’s thoughts stirred. The team leader was referring to the woman just now… no, no, the General Fei Mei was at least a Rank 7 powerhouse!

So far, based on information from fortresses around the world, the highest rank achievable is Rank 9.

Although, theoretically, scholars studying Ascenders believe that the path of Ascendance should be an endless road. There should be ranks beyond 9.

Unfortunately, in the past three hundred years, Rank 9 has been the peak achievable by Ascenders.

There are no reports of stronger beings appearing, so people estimate the strength ceiling for Ascenders at Rank 9.

Thus, Rank 4 is considered the watershed for Ascenders, and those above Rank 7 are regarded as high-level powerhouses!

It seemed that General Fei Mei was quite young, which was surprising. But then again, if she didn’t have that kind of strength, how could she secure her position as a general?

After all, she was a key figure in the fortress’s second echelon, a position not just anyone could hold.

Of course, this is not absolute. For instance, the head of the Strategic Department is said to be an ordinary person.

However, the department responsible for strategy doesn’t necessarily need high combat power.

“Team Leader, what did General Fei Mei mean by War Rankings?” Tianyang asked.

Han Shu irresponsibly pushed Cangdu, “Go on, explain it to him.”

Cangdu immediately jumped up, “Why is it always me!”

“Because you aspire to be a general,” Han Shu laughed heartily. “So now you should learn how to communicate with subordinates. A good general must master many skills. Communication is undoubtedly one of the important ones.”

Cangdu, somewhat skeptical, began to explain to Tianyang. Han Shu then called Jingyu to check the supply preparations.

“The War Rankings, formally known as the War Achievements Rankings, are designed to stimulate participants’ performance on the battlefield.”

Cangdu explained almost mechanically, “As General Fei Mei mentioned, the War Rankings are usually divided into squad rankings and individual rankings. The former determines the corresponding financial budget based on ranking, which is used to improve squad conditions and increase squad equipment. It also decides the location of the squad quarters!”

“As for the individual rankings, rewards are varied. Contribution points are the basic reward, but there are also various equipment, weapons, and resources. The most important are materials for Ascender mediums, like Star Crystals.”

“Of course, you’re still far from using Ascender mediums. But it’s good to get such things now. Therefore, even low-ranked individuals will work hard for war achievements. Every time the War Rankings are open, competition is fierce.”

Looking at Tianyang, Cangdu concluded, “As a rookie like you, don’t think too much. On such a battlefield, only those above Rank 4 have a chance to earn a lot of war achievements.”

“Of course, those with low attack capabilities, like our team leader, will be at a disadvantage.”

Having finished, Cangdu walked off impatiently without giving Tianyang a chance to ask further questions.

The departure time quickly arrived.

The next day, Tianyang boarded the Raven Squad’s Hawk Battle Vehicle. After all members had arrived, the vehicle entered the plaza. It merged with other teams’ vehicles, forming several long convoys heading towards the base’s gate.

On the vehicle, Han Shu handed Tianyang a wristwatch-like device, saying it was for recording war achievements.

Tianyang put it on and looked out the window. On both sides, there were streams of vehicles. This didn’t even include the regular troops that had departed yesterday; otherwise, the scene would have been even more impressive.

Accompanying the expedition was a logistics team of several thousand people. They would be responsible for the operational support of the mission, including vehicle and machinery maintenance, and treating the wounded.

Luo Shan and Xun were in the logistics team, but at this moment, Tianyang had no idea which vehicle they were in.

“Don’t be too excited.”

Han Shu, sitting in the passenger seat with his legs propped up on the console, smoking a cigarette, said without looking back, “Too much excitement can easily drain your energy. On the battlefield, a little more or less energy can sometimes make a huge difference.”

Tianyang looked around. Cangdu and Jingyu were on another vehicle. Besides him and Han Shu, there were only a few soldiers on their vehicle.

Among them were two new recruits, freshly out of training camp and assigned to the squad. They were about the same age as Tianyang, or slightly older.

They too were excited, but their eyes still showed signs of fear.

This was normal; participating in such a large-scale operation right after leaving the camp would make anyone uneasy.

Suddenly, something fell into Tianyang’s hand. He looked down and saw it was a pack of cigarettes.

Han Shu said from the front, “One each, it helps calm your overly excited nerves.”

Tianyang distributed the cigarettes. The two veterans had already lit theirs, closing their eyes to enjoy the smoke.

The young man, having never smoked before, tried to imitate Han Shu, took one, and lit it.

He took a puff but ended up inhaling too forcefully, causing a sharp, spicy taste to choke him.

Han Shu laughed from the front, “It’s fine. Keep smoking, and you’ll get used to it.”

But Tianyang didn’t dare to try smoking again during the rest of the journey; it was much harder to handle than strong liquor. However, after the initial excitement, the young man was able to remain calm.

He even fell asleep on the bumpy road, and when he was awakened, Desolate Valley Town was already not far off.

Looking out the window, Tianyang saw the vehicle climbing a slope with friendly vehicles on both sides.

From a distance, there were rumbling sounds of artillery fire. Although nothing could be seen for now, the sky, shrouded in black mist, would occasionally light up with flashes.

The regular troops had already engaged in battle with the dark citizens in the town!

The frequency of the artillery fire suggested that the battle in the town was intense, indicating a large number of dark citizens.

Tianyang was puzzled. Last time they were in the town, there weren’t many dark citizens. How did their numbers suddenly increase?

“They must have been summoned,” Han Shu said, leaning his hand on the window and propping up his head. “After all, a new king is about to emerge here. It wouldn’t make sense if there were no ‘subjects’ to celebrate. Moreover, where there is a king, there must be an army; otherwise, it would be too disgraceful.”

As they approached the town, the sound of artillery grew louder. By the time Tianyang saw the checkpoint leading into the town, people needed to shout or use communication devices to communicate.

The artillery fire was too loud, and the ground was constantly shaking. Normal volume voices were drowned out by the cannon fire.

The checkpoint of the day had basically been dismantled. The fortress had built a temporary camp at the town entrance. Various communication devices were being set up to ensure that command orders could be quickly relayed to each team.

Under the camp’s command, the newly arrived vehicles were directed to their designated areas for rest. The team leaders, including Han Shu, were gathered.

Without any immediate orders, Tianyang and the others stayed on the vehicle. The young man, unable to stay idle, decided to climb into the heavy artillery shooting compartment on the vehicle’s roof.

From there, it was not difficult to see bright flashes appearing over the town in the distance. Suddenly, a massive fireball appeared in the sky. Within the fireball, the silhouette of a huge creature could be vaguely seen.

It seemed that the creature was hit by the fireball, as some fragments of shadows splattered out, then it fell towards the ground in the dimming firelight.

An indescribable howl came from the sky, and moments later, the ground shook. Even the vehicle Tianyang was in swayed.

Fire, explosions, flashing lights… The battlefield in the distant town was a chaotic mix of light and sound, with constant booming noises.

Tianyang had lost the excitement he had at the start; instead, he felt a solemn mood.

After a while, Han Shu returned. A soldier informed Tianyang to get back into the vehicle.

As soon as Tianyang entered the vehicle, he heard Han Shu’s loud shout: “Our team is going to advance past that tree wall, and the command center wants us to lead the way.”

“We’re about to set off immediately. Everyone get ready. Check your gear and make sure you have enough rations. Even if everything goes smoothly, we won’t return to the camp until tomorrow at the earliest.”

“I don’t want you to go to the battlefield on an empty stomach. You have 5 minutes to check your equipment!”

Tianyang took out his Bell of Death and began infusing it with Star Essence. Five bullet crystal slots lit up one by one, consuming over 20% of the young man’s total Star Essence.

After Uncle Tie’s repair, the Star Essence consumption of the Bell of Death had decreased, and the infusion speed had improved. This meant that even on the battlefield, as long as there was enough Star Essence, he could replenish it in time.

Next, the young man checked his supplies. He hid the emergency syringes Xun had given him in the safest place and placed various grenades in easily accessible spots.

Especially the gravity grenade he had exchanged for 3500 points, which was Tianyang’s biggest trump card at the moment. He kept it in a readily accessible place to ensure he wouldn’t miss the chance due to its location, or even lose his life.

After 5 minutes, the vehicle started and drove out of the rest area.

It joined other twenty-something battle vehicles, forming a convoy towards the arch bridge leading into the town. Tianyang knew that a section of the bridge was missing about one-third of its surface.

But when the vehicle reached the middle of the bridge, Tianyang saw that the missing section had been repaired. It was clearly the work of the fortress’s engineering team, which had used special materials to fill the gap and reinforced the surrounding area with metal components.

This made the bridge not only wider but also able to support heavy vehicles, likely for large-scale combat and three-dimensional armament preparations.

Just as they were about to reach the repaired section of the bridge, a strong wind suddenly blew up from the abyss below, causing the cables on the bridge to sway gently.

The convoy had to stop and wait for the strong wind to pass before continuing.

As Tianyang looked out the window, his gaze inadvertently swept across the edge of the arch bridge. Suddenly, he saw a hand quietly grabbing one of the cables on the bridge.

Then, with a powerful tug!