High Martial Arts: Slay enemies to become stronger, forge invincibility from billions of corpses.

The two martial artists hesitated for a moment, but still put Researcher Xie down.

She opened her eyes and looked at Zhang Zhenyun.

Those were beautiful eyes, but now they were bloodshot and extremely tired.

"Are you the captain?"

"Yes."

The woman's voice left no room for argument: "Have your students escort me back to the city. Now, immediately."

Zhang Zhenyun's expression changed: "But this is a practical training..."

Something hit him in the chest.

It is a token.

The black token was engraved with a complex psionic symbol. At the center of the symbol was a single word: Town.

Zhang Zhenyun's hand trembled slightly.

"The Garrison Commander's Office..."

His voice even changed tone.

The woman closed her eyes again: "Now, escort me back to the city, quickly."

Zhang Zhenyun took a deep breath and turned to look at the five people in the car: "Get out, all of you."

Five people jumped off the bus.

The two warriors immediately carried the stretcher over and put it into their armored vehicle.

The third-tier martial artist grabbed Zhang Zhenyun's shoulder: "Run back, don't stop, no matter what you hear, don't look back."

"And you?"

The third-tier martial artist glanced back at the ruins, a grim smile appearing on his face: "We... will stall for a while."

He didn't say anything more, turned around and jumped into his car.

The three wrecked armored vehicles turned around and rushed back towards the ruins.

Song Chen stood there, watching the three cars drive away.

He sensed nothing—no aura of strange beasts, no fluctuations of spiritual energy, nothing at all.

But the fear on the faces of those martial artists was real.

"Get in the car!" Zhang Zhenyun roared.

Five people jumped into the vehicle, and the armored vehicle charged towards the city wall like a madman.

Inside the train carriage, Researcher Xie lay on a stretcher, his face growing paler and paler.

The wound on her chest was still bleeding, staining a large area of ​​the stretcher red.

Li Wei and Liu Tingting hurriedly tried to bandage her wound, but it was too big and they couldn't stop the bleeding.

Song Chen looked at her. She wasn't very old, only a few years older than him, but her researcher's uniform had three stripes, which was the mark of a top researcher.

Who is she?

Why were you so badly injured?

What exactly happened inside the ruins?

But he didn't ask anything, because now was not the time to ask questions.

The armored vehicle sped along at breakneck speed.

An hour later, the city wall came into view.

But today, the atmosphere on the city wall is different.

The city walls, which are usually patrolled by only a few soldiers, are now densely packed with people.

Those enormous psionic cannons were charging, their muzzles glowing faintly.

Teams of warriors poured out of the city and quickly climbed the city walls. Each of them wore a solemn expression.

The city gates were wide open, but the entrance was crowded with people, not wanting to leave the city, but wanting to enter it.

Large numbers of people and supplies are pouring into the city: martial arts teams, engineering vehicles, large trucks loaded with supplies, and civilians with their families.

Zhang Zhenyun's car was stuck behind the crowd, unable to move an inch.

He slammed his fist on the steering wheel: "Damn it!"

Just then, a tremendous sound came from the city wall, resounding throughout the entire sky:

"Attention all personnel! By order of the Garrison Commander of Anning City: Anning City is now under Level 1 alert!"

"All personnel return to the city immediately! All martial artists report for duty immediately! Repeat, Level One Alert! All personnel return to the city immediately!"

Level 1 alert.

Song Chen's breath hitched for a moment.

He certainly knew what Level 1 alert meant.

That's the highest level of alert, only issued in the most dangerous situations.

The last time a Level 1 alert was issued was ten years ago during a third-tier beast tide. Back then, Anning City was almost breached, and tens of thousands of martial artists died.

"Get out of the way, all of you get the fuck out of the way!"

"There's an important person in my car!"

Zhang Zhenyun frantically honked the horn, but the crowd was too dense, and he couldn't move at all.

Just then, a group of warriors in black uniforms squeezed through.

They all wore badges of the garrison commander's office on their chests, and the one in the lead was a middle-aged man with a square face and piercing eyes.

Hearing Zhang Zhenyun's words, he quickly walked over.

Who's inside?

Zhang Zhenyun rolled down the car window and handed over the black token: "Researcher Xie from the Garrison Command is seriously injured."

The middle-aged man's expression changed drastically. He snatched the token, confirmed it was correct, and immediately waved his hand.

"Clear the road! Clear the road quickly!"

The group of martial artists in black uniforms immediately took action, forcefully squeezing a path through the crowd.

Zhang Zhenyun's car sped along the passage and drove directly into the city.

As Song Chen passed through the city gate, he glanced back.

On the city wall, countless warriors are gathering.

All the massive psionic cannons were activated, their muzzles pointing towards the distant wilderness.

Further away, boxes of ammunition were being carried up the city wall, piled up like small mountains.

Everyone was looking in the same direction.

Looking out at the end of that desolate wilderness.

Looking in the direction of Changqing City.

The car door opened, and several researchers in white coats rushed over, lifted Researcher Xie out of the car, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Song Chen stood beside the car, looking at the chaos around him.

The streets were crowded with people: crying children, silent old people, and martial artists rushing about.

In the sky, swarms of drones flew densely overhead, emitting a buzzing roar.

Zhang Zhenyun walked over, lit a cigarette. His hand trembled slightly, but his expression remained calm. He said in a low voice, "Don't tell anyone about what happened today."

Song Chen looked at him: "Captain, what's inside..."

Zhang Zhenyun shook his head.

Don't ask.

"Don't pry into things you don't know. Knowing them will only keep you awake at night."

"But there's one thing I can tell you: I know a few of those martial artists, all of them are at least at the third rank. They usually act like they own the place in the city, and I've never seen them so flustered."

Song Chen remained silent.

He recalled the expression on the face of that third-tier martial artist, the wrecked armored vehicles, and the hideous wound on Researcher Xie's chest.

What exactly is inside the ruins?

Zhang Zhenyun patted him on the shoulder: "Let's go. During the Level 1 alert period, all practical training should be suspended."

He turned to leave, then stopped, hesitated for a moment, and said, "By the way, keep your little secret a secret, don't let anyone keep an eye on you."

Song Chen nodded. Looking at the city wall in the distance, he had a feeling that Anning City might be about to undergo a major change.

As Zhang Zhenyun had predicted, they soon received news that the practical training had ended ahead of schedule.

This was an order personally given by Chief Instructor Chen Tieshan: all students must return to the city immediately, and their practical training results will be evaluated based on their performance in the first five days. Further compensation will be notified separately.

When the news arrived, Li Wei and the others were packing their things.

Li Wei walked over carrying her bag: "Brother Chen, aren't you going to pack?"

"immediately."

Song Chen touched the heavy bag of life crystals in his backpack.

That was his harvest over the past five days.

There are 132 life cores of a first-tier alien beast.

He wouldn't have dared to even dream of such a quantity before.

But now, these crystal cores lay in his pocket, cold and hard, like silent medals.

Li Wei seemed to sense his thoughts: "I heard there's a points redemption area at the base, and today's the last day it's open. Do you want to go and redeem something?"

Song Chen looked up: "Let's go, together."

Before the practical training began, the instructor said: Killing alien beasts can be exchanged for points with crystal cores, and these points can be exchanged for various cultivation resources at the base.

This is a benefit and an incentive provided by the school to its students.