Chapter 573: Chapter 490: Battlefield Shift
Just as he arrived at the edge of the Nolun Workshop defense line area, the Magic Network Terminal on Jeming’s wrist gently vibrated.
Jeming glanced at it, and there was an emergency command message: [All outer reconnaissance personnel are to return to the fortress groups immediately and cease all external operations].
He paused for a moment, then continued forward.
Soon, the sight of the camp ahead appeared before him.
The outer defense line’s landscape had changed completely since he left, with black smoke rising everywhere, showing unnatural distortion marks in the elemental fluctuations, and the air carried a scorching smell of burnt energy.
Even more shocking were the overlapping giant craters that appeared out of nowhere on the formerly smooth wasteland.
Each crater ranged in diameter from tens to hundreds of kilometers, with edges where the lava had yet to fully solidify, and a dark red light pulsed slowly at the bottom.
The large scouting arrays and outposts that were expanding outward from the defense line had been turned into ruins and wreckage, leaving only twisted metal frames and lingering smoke.
"This scale of devastation..." Jeming’s eyes grew solemn.
This level of destruction was far beyond what the harassing attacks over the past few days could achieve.
Clearly, while he was out scouting, a highly intense conflict had occurred on the battlefield.
He displayed the Magic Network Terminal code to the recognition array on the defense line’s exterior, silently opening a gap in the pale golden shield.
Passing through layers of energy barriers, the closer he got to the central fortress group, the more apparent the marks of war became: armor plates being repaired, wizards hurrying about, and the peculiar scent of potions and energy mingling in the air.
As he approached the central command camp, a familiar figure was just walking out of the camp gate.
"Junior?" Viola stopped, her silver-gray eyes fell on Jeming, scrutinizing him for a moment, "Back already? No missing arms or legs, lucky you."
She appeared more fatigued than before, the sleeves of her wizard robe freshly torn, and ash still clung to the tips of her hair.
Yet, deep within her gaze was a repressed excitement, evidently she had been having a rather enjoyable time these past days.
"Senior Sister." Jeming nodded in greeting, raising his hand to point at those giant craters in the distance, "The command suddenly recalled all reconnaissance personnel, along with those signs outside..."
"Just as you think, the enemy has intensified their assault." Viola responded succinctly, "Exactly two standard hours ago, the Chaos Secret Sect and the Tower of Annihilation launched a high-intensity raid. Over three hundred Sixth Level Wizards led the charge, along with a large number of High Tier cannon fodder units, suddenly engaging in an attack far beyond previous harassment."
She paused, her voice calm yet with a hint of coldness: "Although we repelled them, the outposts and arrays built around the perimeter were completely destroyed. Meanwhile, the command has detected changes in the enemy’s behavior patterns during the outer reconnaissance battle."
"Changes?"
"From reconnaissance to hunting." Viola’s eyes flashed with sharpness, "In the past few days, their teams mainly focused on gathering intelligence and probing the defense line. But starting today, all encountered enemy reconnaissance teams have shown extremely aggressive behavior, aiming to annihilate our personnel as their primary goal."
Jeming’s heart stirred.
This information matched entirely with the two battles he faced before returning.
Whether it was that thirteen-man hunting team or the subsequent assassination attempt by the Crystal Wizard, the opponent had no intention of reconnaissance, coming purely for slaughter.
"It seems...the other side is aware of our intentions too." he muttered softly.
Viola raised an eyebrow: "Looks like you guessed quite a bit. Let’s hear it."."
"The command from the workshop is too obvious, their intentions are clear. Anyone who’s not a fool can see it, right?"
Saying this, Jeming sighed, honestly revealing his analysis:
"Thus, the Alliance Army initially dispatched reconnaissance teams to locate our ’disappeared’ High Tier Wizards, while we tried to intercept and annihilate their reconnaissance personnel, delaying their time to find targets."
Jeming quickly analyzed: "This is basically a race against time. But now, the other side chooses to instead hunt our reconnaissance forces—this not only reduces our living forces but also compels us to make choices."
"Either we retract our forces, giving up control over outer intelligence, letting them scout at will; or we continue deploying personnel, but under targeted hunting by the opponent, the losses will skyrocket...very troublesome."
Viola nodded appreciatively: "Indeed, the opponents are using this as an open strategy. But with a gap in hard power between both sides, no choice will be comfortable for us."
She gazed at those still-smoking ruins outside the defense line: "Those giant craters you saw upon returning are from the recent raid. The opponents clearly aim to press on two fronts—strengthening their attacks to distract us on the front, while turning to hunting mode on the perimeter."
Both fell into silence for a moment.
"What countermeasures are the higher-ups planning?" Jeming asked.
"They’re discussing it." Viola made a slight gesture with her chin, indicating the command camp, "Fortunately, the Seventh Level Wizards at the highest level are mutually restraining each other, and the number of freely acting Sixth Level Wizards is limited, so subsequent war intensity won’t spiral out of control...at least not before the decisive battle between both sides. But for us who still need to go out..."
She didn’t finish, but the meaning was clear: for those of them still out on reconnaissance, the danger would drastically increase.
Just then, the Magic Network Terminal on both of their wrists vibrated simultaneously.
A brief message appeared from Clark: [Come to the command room.]
The command room was located deep beneath the central fortress, with a spacious area surrounded by transparent crystal walls, upon which real-time battlefield data flowed.
At the center hovered a holographic projection of the warzone, surrounded by dozens of High Tier Wizards speaking in low tones, the atmosphere solemn.
Clark stood at the side of the projection, wearing the simple black robe as always, with his hands behind his back, calmly scanning through the continuously refreshing battle information.
Seeing Jeming and Viola enter, he nodded slightly.
"The meeting of the Seventh Level Wizards just concluded." Clark began, his voice not loud yet clearly reaching their ears, "The upcoming strategy consists of two steps."
He raised a hand to point at the holographic projection before him, marking an area in dark red.
"First, deal with those harassing teams outside. Their daily timed harassment, though not fatal, severely exhausted the defense line’s energy. The command plans to organize an ambush, concentrating forces to take out several key harassment teams, and teach them a lesson. It may also deter their subsequent actions, preventing them from being so reckless."
Beside the dark red area on the projection, several scattered blue light dots lit up.
"Secondly, form a specialized hunting squad." Clark spoke calmly, "Since the other party has switched to hunting mode, we’ll retaliate in kind. The hunting squad will operate in units of ten to twenty, actively searching and destroying the enemy’s reconnaissance personnel in the outer regions."
He paused for a moment, his gaze falling on Jeming and Viola.
"You can choose your next mission direction based on your needs."
Clark raised his hand, and four illusory task lists unfolded in the air:
[Option 1: Participate in ambushing the harassment team. Requires coordination with large-scale legion operations, suitable for those skilled in positional warfare and group magic coordination.]
[Option 2: Join the hunting squad, actively searching and destroying enemy reconnaissance personnel. Requires tight coordination with the team, suitable for those skilled in encounter battles and quick annihilation.]
[Option 3: Continue to undertake external reconnaissance and search tasks. Extremely high risk, requires strong independent combat and survival capabilities.]
[Option 4: Retreat inside the defensive line, participating in the reinforcement and construction of the fortress system.]
"Choose." Clark’s words were concise.
Jeming and Viola exchanged a glance, simultaneously falling into deep thought.
The fourth option was the safest, but it was immediately dismissed by the two of them.
The war’s intensity had not reached a state where they needed to shrink back defensively, retreating to the rear now would be akin to giving up growth opportunities.
The remaining three options possessed escalating risks.
Participating in ambush operations, situated within their main force legion, had the highest safety, but the combat mode leaned toward large-scale coordination, limiting personal contributions.
Joining a hunting squad, merging flexibility with danger, required close coordination with teammates, suitable for those good at team combat.
And solo reconnaissance... offered the greatest autonomy, but also the highest risk.
Especially given that under the current background of the enemy also switched to hunting mode, being alone outside was no different from being a mobile target.
But for Jeming, this was exactly what he needed.
The assassination attempt by the Crystal Wizard had made him nervous, but it also showed him his shortcomings clearly.
In a real life-and-death struggle, reactions, judgments, and responses, every link must be completed in a flash.
This kind of pressure is difficult to fully simulate in team combat.
"I need to test my system in actual combat." Jeming realized, "Within a team, I’d be too constrained to truly test my limits. Whereas solo action, although dangerous, is also the best honing stone."
Beside him, Viola had already made her decision.
"I choose the hunting squad." Her eyes flashed with a hint of excitement, "Small-scale coordination suits me better. Moreover... hunting those who are also hunting us, I’m sure will allow me to feel more ’premium’ pain."
Clark made no further comment, turning his eyes to Jeming.
"I choose solo reconnaissance." Jeming’s tone was calm.
Clark glanced at him, not asking much, merely raising his hand to tap on the Magic Network Terminal on both of them.
[Permissions updated]
[Viola: Assigned to ’Blood Crow’ hunting squad, temporary captain authority granted]
[Jeming: Independent reconnaissance permissions granted, dangerous area markers synchronized]
"The mission will officially start in two days." Clark withdrew his hand, "Pause all outings for the next two days, conserve energy, check equipment. The war is entering a new phase; there won’t be any more probing, gentle exchanges ahead."
"Understood." They responded simultaneously.
Leaving the command room, Jeming and Viola walked side by side in the corridor.
"Solo reconnaissance..." Viola looked sideways at Jeming, her silver-gray eyes carrying a hint of amusement, "Junior, are you really not afraid of death or do you think you’re strong enough to handle any situation?"
"None of those." Jeming shook his head, "I just feel that some things can only be seen clearly when facing death alone."
Viola was silent for a moment, then chuckled lightly.
"Indeed. The wizard’s path, ultimately, must be walked alone." She patted Jeming’s shoulder, "Take care, don’t die. I wouldn’t want to lose a junior to chat with."
"Senior, likewise... although I want to say this, don’t forget, we both have resurrection means."
Viola’s face darkened: "Having to carry another hundred billion in debt, I’d rather die!"
Jeming wiped the cold sweat off upon hearing this, but inwardly he somewhat agreed with Viola.
With the resurrection doll present, he indeed didn’t have to worry about dying in this war.
However, correspondingly, once the resurrection doll was used, it meant he’d suddenly lose a hundred billion in High Level Military Merits.
This cost... is too steep, steep enough that Jeming will subconsciously make an all-out effort to ensure he survives no matter when!
After the two parted ways at the crossroads in the corridor.
Jeming headed for his temporary rest room, his mind already planning the upcoming preparations: the witchcraft artifact needs recharging checks, also these days of actual combat have revealed that some of the witchcraft artifact storage units need optimization; the Profound Gang Red Dust Barrier’s Evil Qi and the incense poison reserves need replenishing...
And those two newly acquired data crystals also need to be quickly analyzed.
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