Chapter Ten: The Great Operation

Fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm in the end.

When he reached the door of his rented apartment, panting heavily, he found the door closed. Pushing it open, he saw the lightbrain on the table... and, to his relief, the memory crystal card was still sitting intact on the scanner built into the device.

He let out a long sigh of relief, then carefully removed the memory crystal card as if it were a precious treasure.

This memory crystal card must never be lost!

He exhaled lightly, then reverently placed the crystal card into his spatial armament. Only then did a smile appear on his face.

Gazing at the ordinary-looking brass ring on his hand, he was overcome by a curious sense of happiness.

He glanced around, then suddenly reached out and touched the table. Instantly, the table in front of him vanished, along with the lightbrain and all the miscellaneous items on top of it.

But with another beckoning gesture, the table reappeared.

Such was the convenience of spatial armament!

As long as he could lift an object and infuse it with his genetic force, he could store it in that spatial compartment.

Retrieving things was even easier—just a thought, and whatever he wanted would appear.

It was far more convenient than keeping things in a warehouse.

"Alright, next, let's see if there's a gunfighting technique I can purchase... As long as I can buy one, I'll truly be a gunfighter. Then, I'll be able to hunt bronze-ranked creatures!"

Fang Mu's eyes were bright; it was as if a broad, sunlit path had opened before him.

The advent of spatial armament and the Primordial Energy Divine Refinement Manual had completely transformed what once seemed like a dead-end path of evolution.

...

Dawn broke, casting radiant light across the land.

The morning haze had faded, and golden sunlight bathed the earth.

The Information Plaza was as lively and bustling as ever.

Yet today, it was even more animated than usual, for a team of over a thousand people had assembled.

They all wore standard-issue camouflage uniforms, most of them bearing square iron boxes on their backs, blades or firearms in hand. Gathered together, their chattering created a crescendo of noise in the square.

"Looks like there's a big operation today?"

A bystander, noticing the large group, looked surprised. "Are those people from the Celestial Palace?"

He had spotted the metal tags hanging around their necks, engraved with the words "Celestial Palace."

The Celestial Palace was one of the most powerful factions in the One-Star Battlefield.

"You didn't know? Apparently, the deputy commander of the Celestial Palace discovered a golden-ranked ferocious bird's nest, and they're preparing to hunt it. Of course it's a major operation. Thanks to them, they've been buying up a ton of ammunition lately, and prices on the market have shot up..."

His companion glanced over, then added with a touch of complaint.

Whenever a major force like the Celestial Palace launched a big operation, they inevitably purchased large quantities of battlefield resources, causing dramatic price fluctuations. Ordinary evolvers like themselves were always affected.

"Golden-ranked ferocious bird?" The bystander was visibly shocked, clicking his tongue in awe. "No wonder. Golden-ranked creatures are incredibly hard to kill—their genetic activity is off the charts. Unless you can finish them in one blow with a powerful genetic combat technique, they're almost impossible to pin down, and casualties are always heavy... All-out firepower suppression really is the best tactic."

As he finished speaking, his face showed a hint of envy as he glanced toward the main gate, where the leaders of the Celestial Palace had gathered.

"Sigh, golden-ranked battlefield creatures... Only a powerhouse like the Celestial Palace could hope to take one down."

"Yeah, if we ran into one, we'd probably die before we even knew what hit us..."

They could only sigh.

Golden-ranked creatures were unimaginably formidable. Their genetic vitality was so strong that unless they were killed instantly, they could recover from even the most grievous wounds in a very short time.

Even a five-person squad of fully golden-ranked evolvers would struggle to kill a single golden-ranked battlefield creature.

If the creature decided to flee, there was nothing the squad could do to stop it.

Only a fully equipped golden-ranked team, with strategy, coordination, and ambush, might stand a chance...

But assembling a perfect team of golden-ranked evolvers was almost impossible.

For one thing, you could never gather enough gunfighters.

In the One-Star Battlefield of Xingluo City, there wasn't a single golden-ranked gunfighter. The strongest gunfighter was only at the silver rank—a long way from gold.

Without gunfighters providing long-range suppression, it was extremely difficult to prevent a golden-ranked creature from escaping when it tried to flee.

Of course, an all-melee team wasn't completely out of the question, but the casualties would be horrific. If a golden-ranked creature went berserk, it could easily take one or two down with it.

So, when facing golden-ranked creatures, the best approach was still long-range firepower suppression—to wear them down over time.

Once the creature's genetic energy was exhausted, then close-quarters combat could begin. That way, the chances of success were higher, and the risk was minimized.

Yet the flesh and blood of golden-ranked creatures were essential for those seeking to evolve to the gold rank. Everyone coveted them.

But the reality was, many would never obtain such a prize in their lifetime...

By eight o'clock sharp, all members of the Celestial Palace had assembled. Their orders were to depart at exactly eight.

But at that moment, the team had yet to set out.

"Chuyin? Is everyone here? Is there an issue?"

A handsome young man in camouflage, surrounded by a group, approached the gate and looked at a girl.

She, too, wore a pale yellow camouflage uniform. Her hair was short, her figure superb, and her features stunning.

Her almond-shaped eyes shone with autumnal clarity, and her fair skin seemed to glow softly in the sunlight. Her demeanor was cool and valiant, giving her an air of unapproachability.

Wherever she stood, she was always the center of attention.

At that moment, she frowned slightly and glanced at her tactical watch. Seeing that it was already past eight, her expression darkened. With a cold snort, she said quietly, "Nothing. Let's go."

With that, she turned and strode out the main gate.

The tall young man hesitated for a moment, but said nothing more. He turned and shouted, "Move out!"

The thousand-strong team began to march.

Beside the girl was another, a sweet-faced girl with her hair in a ponytail, also clad in snug, sharp camouflage. Her oval face and large, anime-like eyes softened her look, giving her a gentle, endearing charm.

Yet perched on her shoulder was a sniper rifle so long—over a meter and a half—that it was taller than she was, adding a touch of violence to her sweetness.

Carrying her weapon, she sidled up to Chuyin, curiosity in her voice. "So... your so-called brother isn’t coming?"

Lin Chuyin's face darkened, and she shot the ponytailed girl a glare. "So what if he’s not coming? I gave him the chance. If he’s hopeless, what am I supposed to do about it?"

She snorted. "If Aunt Xu hadn’t been good to me all these years, always asking me for help, I wouldn’t bother with him at all."

The ponytailed girl nodded in understanding, then smacked her lips regretfully. "Aw, I was hoping to meet him today... I’ve only seen his picture before. But I have to admit, he’s really handsome..."

Lin Chuyin was momentarily dazed, memories of her so-called brother surfacing in her mind... He had indeed inherited Aunt Xu’s genes perfectly; his looks were truly outstanding.

But then she rolled her eyes, retorting, "If you’re going to swoon, do it somewhere else. What good is a pretty face? His evolutionary level isn’t even at Black Iron. He could die on the battlefield at any time."

"Wait, didn’t you go see him last time to give him some evolutionary potions and genetic cultivation techniques? How has he still not evolved?"

"Ungrateful fool. He thinks he’s above it all and sent everything back."

"So stubborn?"

"More like stupid!"

As the two girls spoke, their team had already left the city, making its way in grand procession toward a certain place in the One-Star Battlefield...

...

"So expensive? Can’t you give me a better deal?"

Meanwhile, Fang Mu—having completely forgotten about his five-day appointment—was at that very moment haggling with a middle-aged shopkeeper in a store.