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

The wind carried Song Chen's voice into everyone's ears, moving countless people.

"The alien beasts are not natural disasters. They have brains, they can gather, they can choose the right time, and they can target the weakest link in the defense line."

"When they gather together, that's when they're most vulnerable."

"The gathering of hundreds of thousands of strange beasts did not happen overnight; they came one by one from the wilderness."

"They slowly gather from all directions along a fixed route; during this time, they are scattered."

"The high-ranking ones haven't arrived yet, the low-ranking ones have no commander, and the defenses at the rally point are empty. Once they're all here, once the Beast King has completed his integration, and once the beast tide has formed, then we can fight head-on."

"Why wait until they're ready? Why not kill them one by one while they're scattered?"

"Why not ambush them on their way?"

"Why not take out its vanguard before the Beast King arrives? Why not set up the battlefield at their rally point, let them defend, and we attack?"

As the speech played, the breathing in the square grew heavier.

"Because no one has done this in the past fifty years, because the phrase 'taking the initiative' is easy to say but deadly to do."

"Because if we wait until the beast tide has fully formed before fighting, although it will be brutal, at least we'll know how to fight."

"Going out on our own initiative, we are in a vast wilderness with inaccurate intelligence. If we are isolated and lose, we won't even have the city walls to retreat to."

Song Chen looked at the 30,000 troops in front of him.

"These risks are real, but I'm not standing here today to talk to you about what might happen."

"I'm here to tell you that we can't wait this time. The beasts are gathering, numbering in the hundreds of thousands."

"They thought that humans would hide behind the city walls and wait for them to attack, just like they have for the past fifty years. They were wrong."

He drew the Heavenly Blade, its blade pointing north.

"This time we're not going to guard them; we're going to go find them."

"For fifty years, humanity has been waiting. We've waited enough."

"All troops stationed in Kitahara, listen to my command."

Thirty thousand people straightened their backs at the same time.

"Effective immediately, the entire army is on Level 1 combat readiness."

"All combat units have completed combat readiness, all psionic cannon arrays have completed calibration, and all superhuman squadrons have completed their formation."

"Tactical intelligence team, distribute the beast tide assembly route map to each squad."

"I need to see a strike plan within 48 hours."

"This time, we choose the battlefield."

After saying that, Song Chen gave a military salute to everyone present.

Thirty thousand people erupted in cheers and returned his greeting.

He Beiting stood to the side of the command platform, his right fist pressed against his chest, his fingernails digging into his palm.

He never imagined that one day someone would stand on the command platform and say, "We get to choose the battlefield."

Song Chen stepped down from the command platform, with He Beiting following beside him.

The troop mobilization order has been sent to the capital via the parliament's encrypted frequency band.

Members of parliament have the power to mobilize local troops, but the 30,000 troops stationed in Beiyuan are the core force of the Great Xia's northern border defense line, and their deployment requires parliamentary approval.

The reply came faster than expected.

The Great Xia Council approves.

The signature was a joint signature of twelve official members, with Zhou Wangyue's name appearing third.

Song Chen put away his phone and glanced northward.

Thirty thousand troops have begun preparing for war.

In the military camp, the sounds of swords being drawn, the hum of psionic cannons charging, and the heavy footsteps of combat boots on the frozen ground spread from the square to the city walls, and from the city walls to the entire base city.

The day passed quickly.

On this day, Kitahara Base City was like a war machine wound up tightly, with every gear running at high speed.

Song Chen stood at the window on the second floor of the command post, his Eye of Truth activated at its lowest power.

The perception of an S-rank mental ability can be so precise that it can detect minute changes in the fluctuations of human spiritual energy, such as heart rate, breathing depth, and blood flow.

These data, when combined, represent a person's emotions.

The emotions of 30,000 people unfolded in his mind like a colorful map.

In the eastern military camp, heartbeats were rapid and powerful; those were the young recruits, so excited they couldn't wait to rush out.

But in the veterans' barracks on the west side, his heartbeat slowed noticeably, and his breathing became shallow and rapid; he was worried.

Someone was speaking in a low voice, but within the range of the Eye of Truth, every word was clear.

"Taking the initiative... I've defended Kitahara for twelve years and have never fought a battle like this before."

"The city walls are our shield. Without them, if we are surrounded in the wilderness, we will have nowhere to retreat."

"That Councilor Song is only eighteen years old. I watched the video of Qinghu Base City. He is indeed fierce, but that's just his own fierceness. Leading 30,000 people out and killing through the beast tide by himself are two different things."

……

Song Chen listened to the soldiers' discussion, but his expression didn't change much.

Worry is not a bad thing; it shows that these veterans know what the wilderness is like.

But they're right. Taking 30,000 people out with him and fighting his way through the beast tide alone are two completely different things.

To boost the morale of 30,000 people, the title of honorary councilor alone is not enough, nor is the video of the Qinghu base city alone.

They need to see it with their own eyes.

He turned away from the window.

Han Duo was standing next to the tactical sand table, holding a scout deployment plan in his hand, his brows furrowed.

He had revised the plan four times, each time trying to make the attack route more secure.

"Captain Han." Song Chen walked over.

"Put the plan aside for now. Come with me."

"Where to?"

"Find the strange beast."

Han Duo's fingers paused at the edge of the sand table: "Now?"

"Yes, now."

"How many people are you bringing?"

"Just us."

Han Duo fell silent, looking at Song Chen with a calm expression.

But peace can't fill an empty stomach. He served in the northern border for three years and carried out reconnaissance missions deep into the Mongolian Plateau several times.

Each time, there is a complete support plan, including rendezvous points, evacuation routes, reserve teams, and emergency call frequencies.

Now, with no support, they venture deep into the wilderness on the eve of the beast tide...

Han Duo put down the scout plan and stood up straight: "Councilor Song, I know you are very capable."

"But the situation on the grassland is very complicated. Strange beasts will surround you from all directions, and you can't even tell which way is which. I've seen too many people go out and never come back."

"I'm not afraid of dying, I'm afraid something will happen to you. If an honorary councilor dies in the North, I won't be able to explain it to the council."

Song Chen listened without interrupting, and only spoke after Han Duo finished speaking.

"Captain Han, you're right. It's dangerous on the grasslands, especially now."

"But now, half of Kitahara Base City is just like you."

"They are not afraid of dying, but they are afraid of dying without knowing why. To get them to follow me north, it's not enough to just talk about it; we have to let them see it for themselves."

As he spoke, he picked up the Tianjun Blade that was leaning against the wall and slung it over his back.

"You said you've been in the North for three years, do you know where the vanguard of a beast tide is usually positioned?"

Han Duo quickly replied, "Between 300 and 500 kilometers ahead of the main force."

"Let's start with the forwards."

"You pilot the spaceship, I'll fight, and then we'll come back."

Han Duo took a deep breath.

"Yes."