High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Chapter 439: Chapter 439: Rotation

Xu Wuyi nodded. "Secure the battlefield. Collect any valuable intel and materials, then return to headquarters. This won’t be the Celestial Wolf Civilization’s only wave."

"Understood."

The team members began to secure the battlefield. Xu Wuyi walked over to the body of the Level 44 Priest and squatted down to examine it.

The Bone Armor was shattered, but the insignia on its chest was still recognizable—the mark of the Celestial Wolf Civilization’s "Blood Claw" clan. Xu Wuyi had seen it in the data files; the Blood Claw clan was renowned for its expertise in raids and guerrilla warfare.

He stood up and gazed at the somber night sky.

’The war has truly entered a new phase.’

For the next two days, Quick Response Team One had almost no rest.

Just as Xu Wuyi had predicted, the Celestial Wolf Civilization’s attacks came in wave after wave.

They no longer concentrated their forces on a single point. Instead, they broke their army into smaller units, opening more than a dozen small-scale portals simultaneously within a several-hundred-kilometer radius of Linjiang.

Some portals brought in small squads led by Priests, others were used simply to herd Star Beasts through to sow chaos, and some were empty—opened purely to wear down the Federation’s patrol forces.

The squad Xu Wuyi led, Squad Two, carried out nine missions in two days.

They routed four Werewolf assault squads, killed seven Priests, and took down over thirty War Generals.

They cleared out Star Beast packs three times and closed nine temporary portals.

But it came at a cost: two were severely wounded and five sustained minor injuries. The entire squad’s average Energy reserves had fallen to critical levels.

Late on the second night, as Quick Response Team One was returning to headquarters after clearing out another pack of Star Beasts, Tang Xiuqi intercepted them all in the staging area.

"Orders from headquarters." His voice was laced with fatigue, but it remained clear. "All members of Quick Response Team One are to stand down for recuperation, effective immediately. For the next twenty-four hours, Quick Response Team Two will relieve us of our defensive duties."

"But, Senior Brother—" Ji Shanhai started to say.

"No ’buts’," Tang Xiuqi cut him off. "This is a strategic decision from headquarters. The Celestial Wolf Civilization is using attrition tactics to wear us down. If we keep operating around the clock, we’ll last one more day at most before our combat effectiveness drops to dangerous levels. If a major crisis were to happen then, we wouldn’t even have the strength to respond."

He looked at Xu Wuyi. "Vice-Captain Xu, take your men to rest. That’s an order."

Xu Wuyi was silent for a few seconds, finally nodding. "Understood."

He knew Tang Xiuqi was right.

After two days of high-intensity combat, the team members were reaching their limit. He could still push on, but as a leader, he was responsible for the entire squad.

’War is, in essence, a battle of money and resources, but also one of endurance.’

’Of course they were exhausted, but the Celestial Wolf Civilization had also expended enormous resources to construct so many artificial portals.’

’The Celestial Wolf Civilization could keep sending fresh troops; they had reached a point of desperation. But the Federation had only a limited number of elite forces in Dongjiang Province. They couldn’t afford a war of attrition.’

"Alright, everyone."

Xu Wuyi turned to face the members of Squad Two. Their faces were etched with fatigue, and some still had bloodstains on their combat suits.

"Pack your gear, handle the mission handover, and head to the rest area. We’ll relieve Team Two in twenty-four hours."

"Yessir..." The replies were listless.

Xu Wuyi said no more, leading the way toward the equipment maintenance station.

Only after taking off his combat suit did he feel the aches wracking his body.

Two straight days of high-intensity combat was taxing even for the constitution of an Innate Martial Artist. The drain on his Power of Heart Image was even more immense; the Dark Gold Mountain Body in his sea of consciousness appeared somewhat dim.

He took a cold shower, changed into clean casual clothes, and walked toward the rest area.

Headquarters had set up a dedicated recuperation area for Martial Artists on the fourth sublevel, complete with private rooms and basic recovery facilities.

Xu Wuyi walked into the room assigned to him, closed the door, and let out a long breath as he leaned against the wall.

Through the window, there was only a cold, alloy wall. But right now, the cramped space provided a rare sense of security.

He sat on the bed, took out the dark red Fire Source Stone, and held it in his palm.

The stone was warm to the touch, and the flame-like patterns within it swirled slowly.

Xu Wuyi could feel it; during the last two days of fighting, the Fire Source Stone seemed to react faintly. Especially when he pushed his Power of Heart Image to its limits, the stone would resonate slightly.

"The Undying Flame..." he muttered to himself.

’The thing Grandmaster Yue spent his entire life trying to activate... could it really awaken in my hands?’

Xu Wuyi didn’t know the answer.

But he did know that the war to come would only be more brutal. The Celestial Wolf Civilization had bared its fangs, and the Federation had to strike back even harder.

And what he needed to do was recover as quickly as possible and grow stronger before the next mission.

Tucking the Fire Source Stone back inside his clothes, Xu Wuyi lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

Fatigue washed over him like a tide, but he did not immediately fall asleep. Instead, he began to review every battle from the past two days: the characteristics of the Priests’ spells, the weaknesses of the Star Beasts, the stability patterns of the portals...

’Every little detail was capital for survival.’

The lights in the rest area automatically dimmed to a level suitable for sleep.

Footsteps occasionally echoed from the hallway as other team members moved about. From a distance, he could faintly hear communications from headquarters—Quick Response Team Two was already heading out on a mission.

Xu Wuyi’s breathing gradually became even.

...

「May 11th, 4:00 AM.」

Quick Response Team One’s mandatory twenty-four-hour rest period ended. They relieved Team Two, re-entering the rotation for Linjiang’s defensive line.

The lights in the underground staging area were blindingly white.

Xu Wuyi stood in front of an intel screen, reviewing the summary of the past day’s battle reports. In the last twenty-four hours, Team Two had handled seven incidents, routed two Werewolf Squads, and closed eight temporary portals. They had suffered two casualties.

The frequency of attacks was lower than the previous two days, but the intensity hadn’t diminished.

"The Celestial Wolf Civilization is adjusting their tactics." Tang Xiuqi’s voice came from his side. He’d approached the screen at some point; his face was still pale, but his eyes were sharp.

"They’ve realized their scattered attacks have limited effect, so they’re starting to concentrate their forces to strike at the weak points in our defensive line."

Xu Wuyi nodded.

On the intel screen, the seven red dots were indeed arranged in a more deliberate pattern than before. They seemed to point toward the industrial district northeast of Linjiang, an area with relatively sparse fortifications and several major energy pipelines.

"Headquarters has already adjusted our deployment," Tang Xiuqi said, pulling up a new map. "Team Two will rest for another eight hours, then act as our mobile reserve. Team One will be responsible for the main defense sector. The pressure will be greater than before."

"Understood," Xu Wuyi said.

He didn’t ask why Team Two wasn’t holding the line for longer. War wasn’t a dinner party; there was no room for negotiation. If headquarters made this arrangement, it must have been the result of careful consideration.

Besides, Team One was indeed stronger than Team Two.

In terms of both average Level and practical combat experience, they were a cut above.