Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1467 Starlight Rises in the Dark Sky

Several days passed in the blink of an eye. On New Year's Eve of the 98th year of Jianzhi, apart from the garrison rotation troops, most of the troops on the Youdu front held a grand bonfire banquet at Huanli Pavilion outside Youdu City.

A roaring bonfire was lit on the ground, and the night sky was filled with twinkling lights like celestial lanterns. On the open ground outside Youdu City, it seemed as if a Milky Way of countless stars had gathered.

Above the army, there were more than two hundred airships, each hovering in different areas, serving as information relay points for the field.

Above ground, field creatures and information amplification entities work together to form large field screens, projecting the situation in the main field area directly to various scattered areas.

This year, because the army still had missions to complete, they were unable to withdraw and could only spend the New Year in Jiaorong.

Although they couldn't go home for the Lunar New Year, the main battles were over, and all that remained was some cleanup work, so the atmosphere was relatively relaxed.

At the banquet, there were representatives from the military as well as special envoys from the executive government.

They read out the commendations for officers and all soldiers, as well as the appointments of some middle and lower-ranking personnel who had made meritorious contributions, which suddenly made the atmosphere very enthusiastic.

As the highest-ranking commander at the front, Chen Chuan made a few brief remarks before the banquet began.

In this era, thanks to the rapid development of biotechnology, food is the least of our worries. As long as transportation channels are open, the logistical support at the front lines is very sufficient. However, synthetic foods can only guarantee nutrition and convenience of consumption, but they have little to no flavor.

Fortunately, after Youdu was captured, the warehouses were filled with canned goods, and there were also pastures, vegetable gardens, and large plantations inside and outside the city for officials and the royal family. There was no shortage of poultry, livestock, and fresh vegetables. Since it was the New Year, they were all available for supply.

The military also spontaneously organized a series of performances. Although they were not professionals, they were lively and engaging, with applause and cheers rising and falling from multiple areas.

Furthermore, whenever an exciting program is shown, it will be immediately broadcast to the designated area via the field screen for the entire army to watch.

Chen Chuan sat on the command platform, watching the program with everyone. In his heart, he was thinking that if he hadn't gone to the Supreme Advisory Group, he would most likely have been given the option of transferring to the military and being granted a higher position.

This is also an option. As a fighter, he doesn't need to lead troops into battle himself; that's the job of the staff and operations departments.

The most likely place he'll appear is on the other side of the World Ring, confronting those extraterrestrial beings.

However, he did not reject this, because he could obtain more precious materials for cultivation from the other side.

Becoming an advisor doesn't mean he can't go to those places anymore; on the contrary, it gives him greater authority and freedom.

Fan Zhentong had told him that in the past, many consultants liked to fight on the front lines, and some even died in the World Ring. There was one such example among their Pure faction.

Speaking of which, since he embarked on the path of fighting, although he has been to the other world with the help of Rift Assist, he has never left through official channels. Once everything settles down, he will go there to take a look.

Sitting next to him was the late special envoy from the Executive Government. As Qiao Dingguo's confidential secretary, he was also aware of the changes in the number of recommended candidates from the advisory group.

He glanced at Chen Chuan, and as expected, this man would become a formal member of the advisory group after the New Year.

Entering the Supreme Security Advisory Group is undoubtedly equivalent to entering the highest authority of the Great Shun Dynasty. Every official advisor can communicate directly with those above.

The advisory group is responsible for deciding the basic direction of current national policies, while the executive government is only the maker and implementer of specific matters.

The advisory board members are all martial artists from the Dongxuan Temple, and each of them possesses strategic-level destructive power.

They can also extend their influence into the military and government fighter groups and violent institutions through their affiliated factions, making them difficult to be sidelined by the power structure.

However, he really didn't expect that this would be the result after the advisory group submitted the recommendation. It seems that the higher-ups value this person very much.

Regardless, this is a good thing, after all, this person is on the same side as them.

Just then, a program ended, and he joined in the applause. Afterward, he said, "I heard that Commander Chen accepted the invitation to the Wuyi League?"

Chen Chuan said: "Yes, I graduated from Wuyi Academy. Many fighters in Da Shun came from Wuyi Academy. Relying on us to fight against Da Hong Zhuang is not enough. We need a continuous stream of reserve talents. The competition and exchanges in the league will help improve the level of fighting."

Special Envoy Chi smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I also graduated from Wuyi University. I initially followed Deputy Political Minister Qiao as a security guard. However, because I was competent, I later gave up that path and switched to some administrative work."

Chen Chuan nodded. He could tell that Special Envoy Chi was a third-degree fighter and was still in good condition, which meant he must have been training in real combat regularly.

Special Envoy Chi said, "I completely agree with what Commander Chen just said: Da Shun needs enough reserve talents. The country is giving Wu Yi more and more places to take the exam every year, which is to encourage students to apply."

Every year, a considerable number of fighters around the world sacrifice their lives in the World Ring. The situation will become even more dire in the future. Only with a sufficient reserve of talent can we ensure our survival after the Great Collision.

To achieve this, we must have sufficient resources and invest them where they are needed.” Chen Chuan nodded and said, “This approach is essential.”

Special Envoy Chi smiled and said, "But some people in the government don't think that way. A few of them are pessimistic and think that we are far behind the other side and that we can't win. They think about surrendering before the other side even attacks. There are such people in the advisory group as well."

Chen Chuan was not surprised that such people existed in the advisory group. After all, the advisory group consisted of representatives of interests nominated by various factions, and quite a few people in the integration faction and the refinement faction held this kind of thinking.

He didn't yet know what those above thought or what their intentions were. But it was certainly based on resistance; otherwise, none of what he was facing would exist.

Then another round of enthusiastic applause broke out, and it was even louder than before.

Chen Chuan glanced at it; it was a target practice competition.

Target practice is normal in the military, but this time the targets were different; they were all alien species.

After conquering Youdu, they also captured a large number of alien species. These creatures were war tools completely controlled by the old imperial family and could not be tamed. Furthermore, due to their degree of mutation and infection, they could not be turned into food. The only solution was to eliminate them.

It would be too time-consuming and laborious to deal with it specifically, so they simply took it out and let the officers and soldiers use it as a target.

In the process of handling the situation, within just a few days, the people below had come up with all sorts of creative solutions.

He saw on a screen that a captain stepped forward, aimed at a giant, thick-skinned alien creature that was over ten meters tall, and killed it instantly with a single shot. The huge body fell to the ground.

This is something most people would find extremely difficult to imagine, yet he managed to do it.

Chen Chuan could see that this officer possessed a unique spiritual power, enabling him to see the most fatal point of the alien species. As long as the weapon in his hand was lethal, he could guarantee the victory.

Another soldier, covered in pistols, stood in a large cage, from which a large number of exotic birds were released, almost completely engulfing him.

But then a burst of gunfire was heard, and then birds began to fall.

As the last gunshot rang out, all the exotic birds in the cage were killed, while he was completely unharmed except for some feathers and blood, which immediately earned him loud cheers and applause.

Chen Chuan also applauded. He looked around at the other areas, where exciting scenes were unfolding. These people possessed spiritual power to varying degrees, and as the great collision approached, the number of such people increased.

And there will likely be more talented people, so Wu Yi's expansion of enrollment is both a practical necessity and an inevitability.

Then a variety of programs took place, and the banquet lasted until midnight. When the clock struck midnight, the army replaced firecrackers with cannon fire.

The booming sound of cannons pierced the night sky, and the echoes that reverberated throughout the fields ushered in the new year, marking the 99th year of the establishment of the Republic of China.

From the first to the third day of the Lunar New Year, most of the military units, except for a few units carrying out special missions, were resting and recuperating.

Chen Chuan stayed in the military camp to cultivate and did not go anywhere else. Until the fourth day, he saw that there was nothing particularly urgent, so he prepared to open the last secret treasure and take a look.

So he left behind a clone and led Ming Chengzi and Mu Xiaoren along that strange path, leaving the land of fusion and arriving at Haixi Road.

Jiang Linghuai returned to the team before the Lunar New Year, but the area in front of Boxin Lake has been sealed off.

He told Ming Chengzi and Mu Xiaoren to wait outside, while he took out the black talisman, opened the rift, and went inside.

Pi Lingzi had already left, and this place should have been deserted. However, as he stepped out of the mountain crevice, he sensed something. Looking up, he saw a Xuan Shi dressed in a black robe standing there.

The man bowed to him and said, "Greetings, Chen Xuanji. I am Mi Zhuzi, and I have been waiting for you here for many days."

He smiled again and said, "When Xuanji asked my disciple to deliver a message, I wanted to come and give Xuanji an explanation. However, the army was very strict and imposing, so I dared not rush in. Therefore, I came here to wait."

However, Xuanji had to say something: "I did not intend to oppose you that day. I was only entrusted by the false emperor and had no choice but to do so due to the circumstances. However, I did obstruct your actions..."

As he spoke, he bowed to Chen Chuan again: "It was my fault, and it has nothing to do with the Duanchen Sect. Mi Zhu Zi is willing to accept the punishment."

……

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(End of this chapter)