Chapter 36: Ninth Fortress Part 2

“No. There are Embedded Spirit Bodies and regular soldiers. Oh, forgot to mention—First Fortress sends their standout regular soldiers into the wasteland too. Unlike Ninth Fortress.”

Gu Xianqing pointed to a small dot in the model and continued: “Easy to tell apart. Regular soldiers have black shoulder patches; Embedded Spirit Bodies have red. This batch of red patches is likely the sixth batch of test subjects we suspected. They’re inexperienced in combat but learn fast. I observed over eighty using Innate Talents.”

An He was secretly alarmed. That number was nearly double Ninth Fortress’s.

A head-on clash without preparation would mean certain defeat.

“What Innate Talents and Nestsouls did you see?” An He asked.

“Offense, defense, support—all types. They’ve grouped up with perfect Talent pairings. Pay special attention to these six.” Gu Xianqing zoomed in on one area, highlighting distinct character features as she introduced them one by one: “This black-haired Big Blade Scar has an explosive-type ability—area-of-effect attacks. I’ve seen her turn dust into bombs.”

An He noted the man’s face: fierce-looking, not young, with a jagged scar across his forehead. She memorized it. Someone this aggressively powerful needed to be dealt with first.

“The panda eyes next to him has a golden shield,” Gu Xianqing pointed to another. “If you want Big Blade Scar gone, take her out first.”

“Panda Eyes…” An He saw the deep bags under the woman’s eyes. Gu Xianqing’s habit of nicknaming ignored Nestsouls entirely, latching onto personal traits instead—just like calling An He her “little lamb.”

An He couldn’t quite grasp it.

“Anything else?”

“This one always holding her arms out like a ‘Little Zombie’ is a healer. She sustains mental energy for the reckless ‘Little Wild Boar’ charging beside her long-term. Heterization Talents drain stamina heavily, but her teammate covers it. This one can take on three Radiated Creatures solo—the combo has insane endurance.”

An He furrowed her brow slightly. Everyone Gu Xianqing highlighted was a tough nut to crack.

Gu Xianqing rotated the model: “And the last two: this orange ponytail ‘Golden Monkey’ has wide-range spatial teleportation. Unique ability—not like the lurkers we killed before. She can teleport herself and her whole squad.”

An He started: “Can they teleport straight into the Iron Wall?”

“I knew you’d ask that.” Gu Xianqing remained unhurried. “I watched closely. Her teleports are line-of-sight only—needs to scan terrain first. But her partner, that crewcut soldier, has a Golden Eagle Nestsoul to expand her vision.”

“Golden Eagle? That massive raptor?” An He asked.

“Yes—even bigger than usual. Crewcut Sis hasn’t used her Talent yet, so I don’t know it. But that Nestsoul alone will give you trouble.”

Gu Xianqing’s smile faded: “The Golden Eagle has beastly attack power and high-altitude Lock-On vision. Abilities you and Ide’s Nestsouls combine for—it has both.”

“Designed to counter Ide?”

“I think so.” Gu Xianqing crossed her arms. “Ancient records say Golden Eagles prey on wolf cubs and can fight adult lone wolves to mutual destruction. They rarely clash, but when they do… Plus, their Nestsouls include lynxes and tiger-leopards.”

A highly targeted assault. An He gripped her blade tighter.

She couldn’t let that Golden Eagle fly inside the High Wall.

“Right, you need to know their commander: Sora.” Gu Xianqing zoomed in on Tina’s face and drew a cross over it. “One of Heroic Spirits Society’s leaders. Memorize her face. If you can’t kill her, land a few punches for me.”

An He eyed Gu Xianqing suspiciously. Gu Xianqing raised a brow: “Quid pro quo. I give you all this intel—you do a little work for me. Fair?”

“Fine.” Taking someone’s favor left her indebted. An He agreed.

She stared at the model in a daze, countermeasures forming in her mind.

An He wasn’t blindly optimistic from this intel.

This wouldn’t be a quick fight—the enemy was strong, far surpassing them.

Intel was just step one. They had to use it right for any chance of victory.

Gu Xianqing’s information was timely and invaluable. Knowing the enemy’s Talents and Nestsouls a day early gave ample prep time.

One day was enough on a battlefield that shifted in an instant.

In two hours, An He’s shift would end. She’d use patrol as cover to drive out of the fortress, “launder” this intel—mix truth with lies, add red herrings—then pass it off as vague Raven intel.

Whether Ide believed it or not, it’d plant a seed. No panic from surprise. Ide’s cautious nature meant she’d fortify properly at this juncture.

Their biggest edge: the enemy knew nothing of their new defenses.

Ide had layered contingencies like smokescreens—even Thorn Lamp insiders didn’t know the real focus. Lola in medical logistics was even more in the dark.

She and Ide could exploit this, striking hard from an apparently weak line.

An He sank into deep thought. These tricky foes, navigating all sides—it was exhausting. But strong enemies were like a forceful shove, unleashing her potential.

Those around her fell silent. An He didn’t notice Gu Xianqing had left after a bit, leaving only the model.

The dream turned profoundly quiet—perfect for deep thinking, just like when An He was suspected as a mole. This time too, Gu Xianqing gave her plenty of time to prepare.

Night deepened. Two hours later, the on-duty sentry shook An He awake.

An He slowly opened her eyes. She wasn’t tired at all—Gu Xianqing’s dream didn’t drain her mentally. Waking felt like after a good dream: refreshed and energized.

She adjusted her hood, slung her military blade, and stepped out fully geared: “Asta will relieve me soon.”

The sentry asked politely: “And you?”

“Patrol outside.” An He paused and turned, standing tall. Her gray-black trench coat and scarf veiled half her face.

She’d already summoned two Ravens. One perched on her shoulder; the other slipped through the outpost window, flying beyond the Iron Wall.

Ravens weren’t raptors like Golden Eagles, but they were better. Now, they lurked in the dark night, awaiting prey.

…

Boom! A sudden dust explosion flipped an armored vehicle. Gasoline sprayed out like meteors trailing flames, igniting across the convoy.

Orange-red ghost fires flickered in the blackness.

“Damn it.” Tina immediately ordered the convoy to halt. Everyone, hold position.

Last night, they’d repelled the Bone Eaters and Radiated Creatures, spending a tense night with no further ambushes. Doubts lingered as they traveled all day. At midnight on the second day, they finally entered Ninth Fortress territory.

But six kilometers from the Iron Wall, they hit another trap.

No—not an ambush. Tina judged quickly after seeing the crater under their wheels. They’d entered Ninth Fortress’s minefield—these guys were sharp, planting bombs six klicks out.

New defenses. Lola’s intel hadn’t mentioned it. As expected, No. 18’s dispatch had alerted Ninth Fortress.

Silence all around, no shadows in sight. As if the blast was just bad luck, stepping on thunder.

Couldn’t proceed this way—the yellow soil under the wheels was loose. Who knew where the next big one hid.

“No. 1.” Tina called her tall, crewcut subordinate: “This range—can the Golden Eagle fly inside the High Wall?”

They peered at Ninth Fortress’s Iron Wall, its massive silhouette faint in the distance. Ninth Fortress tech was primitive, but that wall made First Fortress envious.

A brutally solid defense—no fancy tech. Stark, grand, more reassuring than First Fortress’s Shell Membrane in some ways.

“A bit far. Nestsoul might not make it.” No. 1 replied. Moments later, excitement sparked in her eyes. “But I can try my best.”

“Mm.” Tina approved. “If it can’t get in, switch goals—scout the Iron Wall perimeter.”

The Golden Eagle spread its wings, streaking over the sands.

Soon, No. 1 frowned: “No good. Can’t cross the wall—sentries spotted it approaching the fortress. Gunfire, arrows. I withdrew.”

“Arrows? Ide?”

“Couldn’t see.” No. 1 was sweating.

“Activity outside the Iron Wall?” Tina still dwelled on Bullet.

“None.”

“Good. Relax.” Tina wasn’t rushed—in fact, relieved. “Their frontal defenses are always tight. Lots of people on the outposts?”

“Windows too small for details, but the Golden Eagle got close once—heard lots of shouting. Very loud.”

“It seems Ninth Fortress has concentrated all its forces on the front. Lola’s intel was spot on,” Tina said, turning back to brief the lieutenants on the details. “We’ll stick to the latest plan—flank them from the rear.”

“Do we need to skirt the Strong Radiation Zone?” asked the subordinate with the black epaulets.

“No need to enter the Radiation Zone. We’ll pull back from this minefield first, detour northeast, and once we’re at a safe distance, have No. 55 teleport us in batches.”

Their Innate Talents weren’t for show.

“Got it!” The soldier with the orange hair tied into a short ponytail saluted crisply. As the main force with the “Spatial Teleport” Innate Talent, she repositioned herself at the front of the convoy.

The group abandoned their blasted armored vehicles and slipped northeast under the cover of night.

…

Asta stood in the defense tower atop the High Wall, slowly stowing away the longbow Ide favored. She wasn’t as skilled with the Longbow as Ide, but she was proficient enough. Still, that Golden Eagle near the fortress had been too nimble—the arrow hadn’t connected.

But the creature’s appearance confirmed the intel An He had brought back last night: the enemy was prowling the outskirts of Ninth Fortress.

They had been on high alert all day, every mind razor-sharp with focus.

Now, the moment they had waited for had arrived!

But Asta had to turn around, locking eyes with a swarm of Ravens at the Outpost. Those black-feathered beasts were still flapping about, shrieking, “Enemies! Enemies! Reinforcements! Reinforcements!”

Their shrill voices mimicked the panicked screams of humans, and with dozens of them crying out together, they were louder and more piercing than a crowd of fifty people.

“When did you discover the Ravens could mimic human speech?” Asta asked, glancing back at An He, who was fully geared up and ready to leave the sentry post.

“During patrol with Heidi,” An He replied as she loaded Bullet. “Heidi kept griping about how tough scrubbing toilets was, and it picked up on that—kept repeating ‘scrub toilets’ over and over. Honestly, it startled me. But Professor Su explained that corvids do have strong vocal mimicry abilities.”

Heidi scratched her head awkwardly nearby, fiddling with the off-road vehicle’s keys. “Alright, enough already. The Golden Eagle’s flown off—call off your nestsoul.”

An He commanded the Ravens to shut up. They reverted to their majestic, stone-faced killers. She directed a portion of them to fly out of the fortress, tailing the Golden Eagle at the edge of her range to scout, while recalling the rest into her mind.

Next, she and Heidi needed to hustle away from the front-line Outpost for the next phase.

Before leaving, An He couldn’t help glancing back at Asta.

Truth be told, the front sentry post only had about twenty people: five Embedded Spirit Bodies and the rest ordinary logistics troops. Ide had taken most of the Thorn Lamp members, dispersing them to the Steel Mill and the fortress rear.

Now An He and Heidi had to go reinforce those areas too.

Guarding the main gate fell to Asta. She accepted the duty gladly. Even if it limited her mobility, as Ide’s trusted confidante, Asta was more than capable of coordinating the troops.

An He nodded slightly to Asta. “Teacher, the front defenses are yours.”

Though she figured First Fortress was unlikely to assault head-on, they still needed multiple layers of preparation just in case.

“Got it,” Asta acknowledged. She leaned against the Iron Wall, pausing. “Stay safe… The commander said no need to go all-out this time.”

“You too—stay safe.” An He smiled faintly, then strode off to catch up with Heidi.

Heidi floored it, tires smoking as the off-road vehicle tore down the deserted central avenue.

In the frigid night, not a single room glowed with light. The entire fortress lay in deathly silence. All residents had taken shelter in the reactivated No. 1 Underground Defense Base under Professor Su’s command.

Su Ling had planned for the worst. If the fortress fell, she would hold out with the innocent civilians to the bitter end.

At that moment, Lola was helping Professor Su settle the residents—a task Su Ling had specifically assigned her. Lola’s probably a bundle of nerves right now, An He mused, her hand dipping into her pocket. Her fingertips brushed the soft, wood-colored rubber. It was the communicator she’d swiped from Lola’s dorm that afternoon while she was out.

She had to ensure Lola couldn’t send real-time intel to her handler.

All the preparations in the shadows were complete. Everyone in position. Now they just awaited the order to unleash the first salvo face-to-face.

Beyond the chill fortress, at the border of the Strong Radiation Zone and the Wasteland, a lone figure appeared. Silent moonlight and the Black Fog of radiation alternately devoured her red clothing.

She was the front-row spectator to the show—and the hidden hand pulling the strings. Gu Xianqing lounged idly against her motorcycle, letting the Black Fog swallow her chestnut locks.