Chapter 76: Now that we are here, let’s fight!

The training ground fell into silence in an instant.

"Shadow..." Xiao Zhang's voice was shaking, and he excitedly pinched the arm of an unknown sentry beside him.

Wei Qing's breathing suddenly stopped. It was really too different. No wonder Cang Lie later told him that he actually felt a strong sense of separation.

Lin Yao is the kind of person who you can tell is a very gentle person at first glance, but at this moment, Ying is surrounded by a layer of coldness that keeps strangers away.

Even standing there still, he looked like a sword drawn from its sheath, its sharpness unconcealed.

Ying tilted his head slightly, without even revealing his eyes, but every sentry present subconsciously breathed lighter.

Ying moved his right hand, and the wrist exposed under the gray-black cloak sleeve looked paler than Lin Yao's usual.

In this dead silence, Ying suddenly spoke.

Because the data used was from the National Training Ground, the voice had been virtualized and had a metallic, cold quality. "Just logging in is way too boring."

"Want to have a fight?"

All the Red Shadow sentries fell silent instantly, looking at each other, and no one dared to respond.

Xiao Zhang shrank his neck even more, thinking of the swarm of insects beaten to death by Lin Yao, and declined politely!

He dared to fight with Longxiong's men, but he would never dare to face Lin Yao.

Are you kidding! The account number is the account number, but if it really matches, Xiao Zhang's life is also his life! The other price is also useless.

"I'll do it!" Wei Qing's shout was like a thunder that broke the silence.

He strode out of the crowd, completely unaware of the Red Shadow Sentinels' strange behavior, his eyes almost overflowing with excitement:

"I've been wanting to see Ying's methods for a long time! Especially those ten golden-red vines behind you. I've watched the video from three months ago over and over again."

Longxiong's sentinels immediately cheered, but Chiying's side remained silent.

Ye Heng could see clearly from the viewing platform that several soldiers were secretly retreating into the crowd, their shoulders still trembling slightly.

He chuckled softly, turned his head and said to Ying, "It seems that the psychological trauma left by Mingsha Star on them is heavier than you imagined."

The golden-red vines behind Ying swayed slightly, as if responding to Ye Heng's words.

In the center of the fighting arena, Wei Qing was standing there again, virtual energy condensed into a light golden ball on his fist.

The Red Shadow sentinels finally found an opportunity to glance at each other and each took half a step back.

"Let Captain Wei take over, we can just learn from the side."

"That's right, Major Lin's killing skills are enough to see. Who can withstand him if they really fight him?"

Amidst the sound of whispers, a shadow approached step by step from the viewing platform.

The gray-black cloak swept across the virtual ground, and ten golden-red vines moved slowly behind him.

Ye Heng leaned forward slightly on the viewing platform, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

Ying stood at the edge of the fighting arena, ten meters away from Wei Qing.

The gray-black cloak swayed gently, and the exposed jawline was stretched into a cold and hard straight line.

Ten golden-red vines were ready to go, and the golden-red light flowed under the virtual lights, making the faces of the surrounding sentinels flicker.

"Use your spirit body." Ying spoke, his metallic voice lacking any emotion.

"I will use my spirit body. I hope Captain Wei will summon your spirit body as well. Otherwise, it would be unfair."

The whole audience fell silent again, and then broke out into an even more heated commotion.

Wei Qing was stunned at first, but then the excitement in his eyes grew even stronger.

Virtual energy exploded beside him, and a khaki-colored light slammed down from the light, shaking the alloy floor of the fighting arena slightly.

It was a sturdy rhinoceros, three meters tall at the shoulder, and its skin was like covered with thick rock armor.

The horn on the bridge of its nose glowed with a dark grey luster, and when its limbs stepped on the ground, every step carried the momentum of a landslide.

"I've been wanting to let Lieshan compete with you for a long time!" Wei Qing patted the rhinoceros's thick neck, his tone full of pride.

"When I watched the video, I felt that only the defense of the Mountain Splitter could withstand your vines!"

Lieshan let out a low roar, two streams of white air spurted out of his nostrils, and his front hooves dug out sparks on the ground.

The rock armor around it glowed with a pale golden halo, which was its unique defensive skill, the Core Shield.

It is said that it can withstand the bombardment of particle energy cannons.

The ten golden-red vines seemed to be stimulated by this brutal momentum, and the tips began to tremble violently. The golden-red light forced back the sentry who had already retreated a few steps.

Ying didn't make any extra movements, just raised his hand to indicate "please".

Wei Qing was aroused by this calm demeanor and waved his hand fiercely: "Split the mountain, go!"

Li Shan received the order and suddenly lowered his huge body.

The dark grey horn flashed coldly under the light, and all four hooves exerted force simultaneously, rushing towards the shadow like a heavy mecha starting up.

With every step, the alloy floor of the fighting arena groaned under the heavy weight. The golden core shield circulated around it, knocking the oncoming airflow to the sides.

The surrounding sentries couldn't help but hold their breath, and even Ye Heng narrowed his eyes slightly.

This impact was at least 30% stronger than when Wei Qing fought him just now, and it was obvious that he left no room for maneuver.

Ying stood still, his gray-black cloak fluttering in the strong wind.

When the mountain crack was less than five meters away from him, he suddenly pressed down with his fingertips.

Ten golden-red vines suddenly grew rapidly, interweaving into an impenetrable giant net in front of him, and dazzling light burst out from the nodes between the vines.

"Bang——"

The mountain-splitting horn slammed hard into the vine web, making a deafening noise.

The collision between the golden core shield and the golden-red vine net exploded into a sky full of light spots, and the giant net was knocked back and dented.

But it never broke, instead it accumulated rebound force like a taut bowstring.

Li Shan groaned in pain and tried to break through the obstacle with brute force.

But the vine net seemed to have life, and every collision was cleverly relieved and rebounded.

Wei Qing saw that the situation was not good, and suddenly moved, taking advantage of the opportunity when the mountain cracked to attract attention,

He pounced towards Ying's side like an arrow, his fist condensed with virtual energy, obviously wanting to take the opportunity to attack.

Ke Ying was confident and didn't even move his head.

Two more vines suddenly sprang out, like flexible snakes, precisely wrapping around Wei Qing's wrists and ankles.

Just as his fist was about to touch the shadow cloak, the vines suddenly tightened, pulling his limbs to the sides, and the whole person was hung in mid-air.

"Huh?" Before Wei Qing could react, he found himself like a dumpling, his hands and feet tied tightly, unable to even struggle.

At the same time, the golden-red vine net exerted force again, completely rebounding the impact force of the mountain splitting.

Li Shan lost his balance, and his huge body stumbled back seven or eight steps before he regained his balance.

The pale golden core shield dimmed a bit, and the white air waves between the nostrils became much weaker.

Ying didn't even look at Wei Qing who was hanging in the air, but just raised his chin.

The remaining eight golden-red vines immediately split in half and wrapped around the limbs of the Mountain Splitter like ropes, firmly binding the ferocious rhinoceros in place.

The tip of the vine deliberately tapped twice on its most proud horn, as if in a teasing tone.

The whole process was dizzyingly fast.

From the time Wei Qing gave the order to attack to the time he was hung up, it took only ten seconds, not even a decent back and forth.

The whole place fell into deathly silence; you could hear a pin drop.

Wei Qing, who was hanging in the air, opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but found that he could not say anything.

Ying raised his eyes and glanced at the surrounding sentries. Under the gray-black hood, his gaze seemed to pause for a moment on each person's face.

He didn't say anything, but just raised his chin, and the golden-red vines swayed, as if issuing a silent invitation.

"Anyone else wants to try?" A metallic voice echoed in the fighting arena, with a hint of provocation.

Wei Qing's heart skipped a beat, and just as he was about to shout "Don't be impulsive", the group of sentinels of the Longxiong Legion, who had been unable to contain themselves for a long time, were already in an uproar.

"Brothers! Rescue the captain!" A bearded sentry was the first to draw out a virtual short blade and rushed forward with a roar.

"We, the people of Longxiong, can't just accept defeat like this!"

“Charge!”

In an instant, more than a dozen Longxiong sentinels rushed forward like a tide.

Some rushed straight towards Ying, while others went around to the side to launch a sneak attack, shouting slogans such as "Revenge for the Captain". They were so excited that Wei Qing wanted to cover his face.

Ying simply twisted his fingertips gently, silently increasing the number of vines according to the number of people.

Some wove new nets in the air, covering the sentries rushing head-on;

Some of them lashed out horizontally like a whip, precisely entangling the ankles of the rear-end sentries;

There were also two particularly considerate ones, which were specifically responsible for rolling up the sentries who tried to climb up the vines to rescue Wei Qing and hanging them in the air.

"Ouch!"

"My foot! My foot is tangled!"

"Why does this vine look like it has eyes?"

Screams and exclamations were heard one after another, but no one was actually injured.

In less than half a minute, more than twenty Longxiong soldiers were hung neatly above the originally empty fighting arena.

Wei Qing was surrounded in the middle. Looking at the familiar and aggrieved faces around him, he was so angry that he wanted to kick someone.

Wei Qing twisted in the air, but could only watch as the last Longxiong sentry was hoisted up by the vines and lined up in a neat row with everyone else.

The golden-red vines swayed gently, as if counting the number.

The golden-red light reflected on the faces of the sentries, but they were filled with inexplicable excitement. They did not come here to rescue the leader.

If you can be personally teased by Ying once, you can brag about it for half a year after you go back.

The Red Shadow Sentinels all covered their eyes, but couldn't help but peek through their fingers, and they knew it.

Ye Heng had a strange look on his face. He still remembered that when they were practicing before, Shasha slapped Mo Yun in the face without any hesitation.

Now Lin Yao actually let Wei Qing off.

In the end, Wei Qing and more than twenty Longxiong soldiers were released safely by Ying.

After all, the opponent is a guide, so it is unrealistic for Wei Qing to fight him in close combat. It can only be a contest between spiritual bodies.

But this spiritual body is obviously too powerful!

However, it is a dream come true.

After the game ended, Ying went offline, and Lin Yao's original image appeared again.

There were still sentries sparring in the fighting arena. Lin Yao and Wei Qing walked back to Ye Heng's side on the viewing platform.

Along the way, Wei Qing was talking to Lin Yao, chatting about spiritual bodies and gossip.

Lin Yao glanced at him. He didn't expect such a rough guy to be so different. But he loved to listen to those gossips and hoped that Wei Qing would talk more.

Later, the competition between the two groups came to an end, which proved that it was too late. Before Wei Qing went offline, he told Lin Yao that he hoped they could cooperate on a real battlefield next time.

—

The Sphenoid Galaxy, with its planetary clusters arranged along gravitational orbits, resembles a half-spread butterfly.

The star clusters above are as dense as the veins of a butterfly's wings, while the sparse star bands below extend like a butterfly's tail, hence the name sphenoid bone.

It is quietly embedded in the east of the vast star map of the empire.

It is the core hub of the Empire's expedition to the eastern battlefield and the headquarters of the Red Shadow Legion.

When you enter the Sphenoid Galaxy, the first thing that catches your eye is the galaxy structure that looks like a dreamlike painting.

The main galaxy is composed of three huge stars forming the butterfly head, which revolve around each other to form a wonderful and stable gravitational balance.

Their lights complement each other, and the plasma storm surging violently on the surface of the star is like a burning giant beast in the universe, injecting tremendous vitality into the butterfly.

Under the pull of the star's gravity, many planets move in an orderly manner along butterfly-wing orbits.

In the star cluster above, a planet called Yanyu is like a burning butterfly spot.

The surface is covered by a sea of ​​​​hot magma, and thick smoke erupts from huge volcanic craters, dragging orange-red trails in the universe;

Opposite to it is the edge of the star belt below, where the frost stars are like ice crystals on butterfly wings.

The surface is covered with a thick layer of ice, and the extremely cold environment means that any life that approaches rashly will be frozen instantly.

The two planets, one hot and one cold, are like the most vivid patterns on a butterfly's wings.

The Sphenoid Galaxy not only has stunning natural scenery, but also has incomparable strategic value.

The surrounding asteroid belt is like scattered butterfly scales, rich in various rare mineral resources.

From star core crystals that can be used to make hypersonic engines, to black ice iron that can strengthen warship shields,

These resources are indispensable and valuable assets for the empire's military construction and technological development.

The Red Shadow Legion's headquarters is located in the center of the Sphenoid Galaxy's central star cluster.

On a habitable planet called Ember.

This planet is located right at the core vein of the butterfly's wings, connecting the entire galaxy's defense and supply network like the butterfly's heart.

The surface of the planet is covered with large areas of dark brown fertile soil, which is said to be the accumulation of stardust scattered after the explosion of stars in ancient times.

The reason why the Red Shadow Legion set up its base here is because of the strategic significance of the Sphenoid Bone Galaxy and the unique advantages of the Ember Soil Star.

The legion's huge base is like a steel behemoth entrenched in the plains of the Ember Planet.

The outer layer of the base is covered with thick alloy armor, which can withstand various rays and impacts of small meteorites from the universe.

Inside is a complex command center, military training grounds and warship repair shop.

The warships of the Red Shadow Legion were neatly arranged on the huge apron, their streamlined hulls emitting a cold metallic luster.

It seems ready to break through the sky along the "butterfly wing" track and rush to the battlefield at any time.

The soldiers of the Legion trained day and night on the land of Ember Planet. Their shouts and the roar of the mechas intertwined.

Together with the howling winds on the planet, it plays the unique battle song of the Sphenoid Galaxy.

—

As the Red Shadow Legion's starship slowly entered the atmosphere of the Ember Planet along its orbit, the scene outside the porthole gradually became clear.

Steel-cast military bases and well-arranged urban buildings are interwoven on the dark brown earth, like double gears embedded in the core of a butterfly's wings, together maintaining the operation of this land.

The moment the starship passed through the clouds, you could see the busy hovercrafts in the city, echoing with the base.

It breaks the loneliness of deep space and makes people feel that even if they are at the forefront of an expeditionary battlefield, there is still the warmth of life here.

After the starship docked smoothly at the airport of the main base, the soldiers left the ship in an orderly manner according to instructions.

As soon as I stepped on the ground, I was guided to the physical examination center by the medical staff of the base.

This is a routine procedure after each return. After all, on the interstellar battlefield, radiation and unknown pathogens may cause potential damage to the body.

In the hall of the physical examination center, medical staff in white coats are busy operating precision instruments.

Chiying's soldiers lined up in neat rows and underwent gene sequence testing and energy radiation scanning in turn.

Xiao Zhang rolled up his sleeves to prepare for the blood draw while muttering to his comrades:

"The medical cabin at home is still more comfortable. Last time on Mingsha Star, we could only use the battlefield first aid kit."

Another busy scene is unfolding in the airport's maintenance area.

The giant robotic arm, like a long steel arm, is carefully lifting the engine parts of the starship.

Engineers in orange maintenance uniforms shuttled back and forth on the surface of the ship, using laser detectors to check for every tiny bit of damage.

"The energy conduit of the left wing thruster needs to be replaced. It was overloaded during the last jump." An engineer shouted into the communicator.

"And the external armor needs a new layer of corrosion-resistant coating."

Maintenance work has always been important for these starships that accompany soldiers on the brink of life and death.

Lin Yao also went through the routine inspection and then went to the meeting.

Inside the base's command center, Ye Heng was standing in front of a huge holographic star map, listening to reports from various departments.

The combat staff uploaded the combat merit reports to the system. The soldiers' names and corresponding merit values ​​kept jumping on the screen, and each item was recorded clearly.

"In the battle of Mingsha Star, Major Lin Yao exceeded his target of annihilating the enemy, and his military achievements have been verified."

The staff officer's voice echoed clearly in the command room. Ye Heng nodded slightly and signed his name on the report.

"Report to the Imperial Military Headquarters as required. In addition, all soldiers participating in the battle will have their merit points instantly synchronized to their personal terminals."

The meeting ended in the evening, and through the glass wall of the conference room, we could see the lights in the city outside the base lighting up one after another.

After Xiao Zhang finished his physical examination, he was leaning on the railing, staring blankly at the starship under repair. His comrade patted him on the shoulder and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking of taking a break tomorrow and trying the newly opened barbecue restaurant." Xiao Zhang grinned, and the fatigue in his eyes was replaced by anticipation for life.

After the review meeting, Lin Yao followed the crowd out of the conference room, while Ye Heng was stopped by several legion officers to discuss the subsequent deployment of arms.

Ye Heng, who stayed where he was, gave Lin Yao a look. Lin Yao nodded slightly, turned and walked towards the officers' living area inside the base.

Officers live in pairs in a house, while soldiers live in dormitories, but the facilities are similar.

Lin Yao was a guide, so he received preferential treatment. He had a house to himself, located in Room 302, Building 7, Zone C.

He swiped his ID card and walked into the apartment building. When the elevator door opened, he could see a base map hanging on the opposite wall, with the locations of important areas marked in red.

The door of Room 302 slowly slid open after identity verification, and a faint smell of disinfectant mixed with the wood scent of new furniture hit me in the face.

The house is a standard one-bedroom and one-living room layout. It is not large but has everything.

The floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room face the training ground of the base. At this moment, many soldiers are conducting night training there, and the shouts of killing can be faintly heard through the glass.

Lin Yao walked to the window, looked at the figures running on the training ground, and his fingertips unconsciously brushed across the window frame.

Everything here exudes a strong military atmosphere. The weapon rack in the corner is empty, but the reserved groove is obviously designed for the commonly used particle gun;

The coffee table in the living room is actually a multifunctional tactical table with a virtual map projected on its surface; even the bed in the bedroom is made of military-grade pressure-resistant material.

He opened the closet and found two spare combat uniforms and several sets of casual clothes for easy movement, all in his usual size.

On the desk was a military terminal, pre-installed with the base's internal communications and office systems.

Lin Yao casually opened the terminal, and his personal information and recent task list immediately popped up on the screen, clearly organized.

At this moment, his own light brain vibrated. It was a message from Ye Heng.

Lin Yao clicked it, and a line of words popped up on the screen: This is my address, waiting for you!

There is also a location attached at the back that is accurate to the house number, showing that it is in Area A of the base, which is the residential area for the legion's senior officials.

Lin Yao raised his eyebrows and tapped on the screen with his fingertips:

"No, I'm too tired and need to go to bed early!"

After sending the message, he continued to walk around the house, checking the ventilation system and emergency equipment to make sure everything was working properly.

The kitchen cabinets contained some compressed food and military canned food, which were obviously prepared for emergencies.

The hot water system in the bathroom has been debugged, and hot water of suitable temperature can flow out when the faucet is turned on.

After confirming that there was no problem with the residence, Lin Yao turned off the lights in the living room and turned to leave Room 302.

The corridor was still quiet, with only his footsteps echoing in the empty space.

Walking out of the apartment building, the night wind blew on my face with a hint of coolness, and the sounds from the training ground seemed clearer.

Lin Yao planned to go shopping at the base's general store. After all, he and Ye Heng were still acting, so he would probably stay in this place for a long time.

Lin Yao planned to put some food in the empty refrigerator. Even though there was a cafeteria in the base, sometimes he still wanted to cook something for himself.

The base store is not far from the officers' living quarters, about a five-minute walk away.

The store was bigger than Lin Yao had imagined, as spacious as a standard training ground.

It is divided into fresh food area, dry goods area, daily necessities area, etc., and the shelves are neatly arranged.

The suspended lights above illuminate every corner, and staff wearing uniform blue vests push supply trucks around. Gentle reminder sounds can be heard from the radio from time to time.

Its standards are comparable to those of Central Star Supermarket. Even the shopping carts are smart models with automatic navigation, which can plan the best route based on the shopping list.

Lin Yao walked in pushing a shopping cart. The refrigerator was neatly stacked with specialties from various colonized planets: deep-sea cod from Polaris, organic vegetables from Oasis, and so on.

The purple-skinned potatoes, unique to the Sphenoid Galaxy, have detailed origin and nutritional information on the label.

Shasha reached out from his wrist and gently tapped the Wagyu steak in the cabinet, and the ice blue color flashed.

He laughed and picked out two marbling steaks, a bag of broccoli and some tomatoes.

I was standing in front of the potato shelf, picking potatoes, when a gentle female voice came from behind me:

"Young man, you're new here, right? Choose purple potatoes with buds. They're grown locally on our Cinder Planet, and they have a sweet taste when stewed."

Lin Yao turned around and saw a young woman with a bulging belly. Her name was written on her work badge on her chest - Xu Nian.

She was pushing a cart full of goods, her round belly almost sticking to the handlebars.

There was a healthy blush on her round face, and the corners of her eyes and eyebrows were filled with the soft glow that was unique to motherhood.

Most of the people working here are military dependents. It looks like there will be a new baby in a while, but I don’t know which soldier it will be.

"Thank you for the reminder." Lin Yao adjusted his posture to make some space for the cart, his eyes unconsciously falling on her bulging belly.

"Do you need help?"

"No, thank you for your kindness." Xu Nian waved his hand quickly, and the smile on his face became more gentle.

"I can handle this kind of work. I push the cart around the supermarket a few times every day, and I think of it as a walk for the little one in my belly."

She lowered her head and patted her belly gently, her tone full of doting.

As Xu Nian spoke, he held the handle of the cart firmly with both hands, exerted a little force, and the cart slowly moved forward along the aisle.

The daily necessities in the cart were neatly arranged, including folded towels, tightly packed toiletries, and several packs of baby wipes.

Obviously they were going to restock the daily necessities area.

The two didn't talk much. He watched Xu Nian's back disappear at the end of the shelf, then lowered his head and concentrated on picking potatoes.

Lin Yao picked seven or eight purple-skinned potatoes with buds according to Xu Nian's standards, then went around to another shelf and picked up some onions, ginger, and garlic before pushing the shopping cart to the snack area.

There are a wide variety of snacks on the shelves, including chocolate bars, nut gift boxes, and various candies.

Lin Yao picked up a few bags of potato chips, put them in the shopping cart, and picked out a few snacks that Shasha liked.

Then he slowly walked towards the cashier.

When passing by the daily necessities area, I saw Xu Nian standing on tiptoe to reach the top shelf with paper towels in the cart.

She held onto the shelf with one hand and stretched upwards with the other. Her round belly made her movements look a little clumsy.

I tried several times but failed to put the tissue up, and was about to turn around to find a ladder.

"Let me help you."

Lin Yao left the shopping cart where it was and walked forward. Shasha shot out from his wrist and wrapped around the tissue in Xu Nian's hand.

"Should I put it here?" He looked up at the empty space on the top shelf. After confirming the location, he quickly put the tissues away neatly.

Xu Nian smiled gratefully. "Oh, thank you so much. My stomach is in the way, so it's really inconvenient for me to climb up and down."

"This kind of thing can be done by other people." Shasha returned to his wrist. Lin Yao looked at her slightly breathing and couldn't help but remind her kindly.

Climbing ladders is too dangerous for pregnant women.

"Hey, Miss Li's husband was injured on the front lines. I just received the news and rushed to the medical department. As a colleague, I can't just watch the shelves go empty."

Xu Nian waved his hand and said, "Everyone in the supermarket knows each other. It's common for everyone to help each other."

Lin Yao looked at the look in Xu Nian's eyes and stopped trying to persuade him.

I just helped her move the few remaining heavy items in the cart, laundry detergent and disinfectant, to the middle shelf.

"I'm really sorry to bother you today." Xu Nian smiled with his eyes curved, took out a piece of fruit candy from his pocket and stuffed it into Lin Yao's pocket.

"Take this as a thank you gift."

Lin Yao looked at the orange-flavored fruit candy in his hand, the warmth of the candy wrapper coming from his fingertips, and nodded: "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Take your time shopping. I'm leaving first." Xu Nian pushed the cart and walked forward briskly.

After taking two steps, he turned back and reminded, "Remember to put less salt when stewing potatoes. Purple potatoes are naturally sweet, and they won't taste good if they're too salty."

"Okay." Lin Yao responded, watching Xu Nian's figure blend into the soft lights of the supermarket.

He put away the candy, walked back to the shopping cart, and continued pushing the cart towards the checkout counter.

—

"Why are you here?" Lin Yao walked back to the apartment carrying a lot of bags. As soon as he walked out of the elevator, he saw Ye Heng squatting pitifully at the door.

Ye Heng didn't say anything, just looked at him.