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

The process of entering the fortress was more rigorous than expected.

As soon as Song Chen reached the outer edge of the first line of defense, the automatic turret on the opposite side of the trench turned and locked onto his position with its dark muzzle.

At the same time, a beam of searchlight shone down from the main defensive wall, pinning his figure to the spot.

"Halt! State your identity!" A man's voice came from the top of the wall, sounding particularly authoritative when amplified by a loudspeaker.

Song Chen stopped and raised his hands to make himself appear harmless.

"Song Chen, a second-tier martial artist, has received the summons and is here to report for duty."

There was silence on the wall for a few seconds, as if they were verifying his information.

Then the searchlight beam moved away from him, and the metal drawbridge above the trench slowly lowered, emitting a grating metallic scraping sound.

"Come in."

Song Chen walked across the suspension bridge and through the passage in the middle of the psionic power grid.

The distance between the two rows of electric arc pillars is only two meters. When you walk in the middle, you can feel the electric arcs crackling on both sides.

He passed through the second line of defense and finally arrived at the foot of the main defensive wall.

There was a small door in the wall, and two fully armed soldiers stood in the doorway.

Their combat suits were covered with light psionic armor, and they carried psionic rifles, the blue glow of which was particularly noticeable in the dim light.

The two soldiers froze for a moment when they saw Song Chen.

The person in front of me had tangled clumps of hair, covered in dirt, dried blood, and bodily fluids from some unknown beast.

His cheekbones were prominent, and his eye sockets were deep-set, but his eyes were frighteningly bright, with a faint golden luster deep in his pupils, like some kind of nocturnal beast.

His clothes could no longer be called clothes; what was once a black combat suit had become a combination of strips of cloth and holes, with the left sleeve completely torn from the shoulder, revealing three scars on his forearm.

The fabric on his chest and back was covered with claw marks and teeth marks, and in some places, holes were corroded by the beast's acid, revealing the firm muscles inside.

He carried a knife on his back, the hilt of which was silver and wrapped with cloth strips, but judging from the outline of the scabbard and the faint electric arc patterns on the hilt, the knife was definitely of high quality.

He exuded a smell that was hard to describe.

The smells of blood, sweat, dirt, and burnt food, along with a wild, animalistic odor that only comes from long-term survival in the wilderness.

The two soldiers exchanged a glance, both seeing horror in each other's eyes.

"Please...please show your identification." The soldier on the left spoke involuntarily with a much more polite tone.

Song Chen raised his wrist and aimed the tactical terminal at the scanner in the soldier's hand.

A blue light swept across the terminal screen, and his identity information appeared on the soldier's terminal.

"Song Chen, male, eighteen years old. A native of Anning City, a core member of Shenlong Martial Arts School, the top scorer in martial arts in the college entrance examination in Nanjiang Province, and has been admitted to Tianhai University. Qi and Blood Level: Second Stage."

After the soldier finished reading the message, he looked up at the savage-looking young man in front of him, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly.

Eighteen years old, top scorer in the college entrance examination, freshman at Tianhai University.

He assumed this was a veteran expert from some martial arts team.

"You... came from outside Tianhai City?" the soldier asked a pointless question.

Song Chen nodded: "Yes."

The two soldiers exchanged another glance, then said, "Your conscription confirmation code."

Song Chen pulled up the conscription order on his terminal and showed the confirmation code at the bottom.

The soldier nodded after scanning the area.

"Validated. Welcome to Tianhe South Fortress."

He stepped aside to let the door open and gestured for us to come in.

Song Chen stepped into the fortress.

The inside of the fortress is more complex than the outside appears.

Behind the main defensive wall is a huge square, where various military vehicles and equipment are parked.

Armored personnel carriers, psionic artillery vehicles, supply trucks, and some other vehicles that Song Chen couldn't name, their tires replaced by thick tracks, and their bodies welded with thick steel plates and psionic armor generators.

The square was packed with people.

Soldiers in uniform combat gear were carrying ammunition boxes and psionic canisters, officers were arguing around a map station, medics were bandaging wounded warriors, and several warriors were wiping their weapons and talking in hushed tones in a corner.

The air was filled with a mixture of smells of engine oil, gunpowder, blood, and disinfectant.

The cacophony of voices and the roar of machinery mingled together, creating a stark contrast to the deathly silence of the wilderness outside.

The moment Song Chen stepped into the square, the surrounding noise level noticeably dropped a notch.

Countless eyes fell on him.

A young soldier carrying ammunition boxes stopped, stared at him with his mouth agape, and nearly dropped the boxes in his hands.

An old soldier squatting in the corner wiping his psionic rifle looked up, squinted at him for a few seconds, then clicked his tongue softly and whispered to his comrade beside him, "See? These are the real ones who broke in from the outside."

Several martial artists who were resting turned around and looked Song Chen up and down.

One of the bald, burly men stared at the Thunderclap Blade on his back for several seconds, then looked at the B-grade battle sword in his hand and silently sheathed it.

Song Chen ignored these stares. He walked straight to the command tent in the center of the square.

There was a huge electronic screen there, displaying a real-time battle map of the area around the fortress; it must have been the registration point for recruits.

He walked to the tent, where a middle-aged man in an officer's uniform was talking to several martial artists.

The officer was in his early forties, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and a blood energy level of around 70, indicating he was at the advanced second rank.

The officer noticed Song Chen approaching, looked up, and his expression clearly froze for a moment.

But he quickly regained his composure, professionally glancing at the battle marks on Song Chen's body and the knife on his back, then nodded: "Recruited personnel?"

"Yes." Song Chen raised his wrist and showed the conscription order on the terminal.

The officer took a handheld terminal, scanned the confirmation code, and retrieved Song Chen's file.

He looked at the information on the screen, his brows furrowing slightly. Then he looked up at Song Chen, then down at the screen, confirming the information twice.

"The top scorer in Nanjiang Province?" The officer's tone was tinged with disbelief.

"Yes."

"A freshman at Tianhai University?"

"Yes."

The officer paused for two seconds, then handed the terminal to his adjutant, crossed his arms, and looked intently at Song Chen.

"Young man, do you know where this is?"

"One of the thirty-six outer fortresses of Tianhai City."

The officer nodded: "That's right, Tianhe South Fortress."

"This is not a school or a training camp. Every day, there are beasts of level three or higher roaming on the other side of the river, and people die every day."

He looked into Song Chen's eyes: "You are the top scorer in the college entrance examination, a top student at Tianhai University. Your battlefield is in school, on the training ground, and after graduation, not here."

"Take my advice and leave before the beast tide officially breaks out. It's safer in Tianhai City."

The officer spoke sincerely, even with the concern of an elder for a younger person.

Several martial artists standing nearby also spoke up.

"Yeah, young man, your body hasn't fully developed yet, there's no need to risk your life here," said a middle-aged martial artist with a full beard.

"The top scorer in the college entrance exam? They're precious talents. You're destined for greatness, don't waste your potential here."

"Let's hurry up and go before it gets completely dark."

……