Chapter 312: Chapter 312: Earning Merit
Huo Shan was terrified deep down. He was only at the peak of A-level, no match for an SS-level Star Beast. But no matter how scared he was, he couldn’t let it show. After all, he was their instructor.
He calmly commanded the squads to fall back into a defensive formation, preparing for the potential sudden appearance of the SS-level Star Beast.
After learning the nearby Star Beast was SS-level, Huo Shan had long since abandoned any thought of earning glory by surrounding and killing it. Right now, his only goal was to keep his team of recruits alive.
He directed the team away from the incident site, toward a relatively open plaza. Ning Xuan, however, sensed with her spiritual power that the SS-level Star Beast was fleeing in that exact direction.
Five minutes later, Huo Shan stared at the Star Beast that had suddenly appeared before them. It stood four or five meters tall, dragging a spiked tail. It had a triangular head and its entire body was covered in stone-like armor. The whole ground trembled as it ran.
The Star Beast’s body was covered in mottled bloodstains. A deep gash on its triangular head oozed purplish-black blood. Both of its eyes were bright red, and one was still bleeding. Clearly, the beast was heavily injured.
Seeing Huo Shan and the others, the Star Beast suddenly opened its great maw and spat out a volley of innumerable ice arrows.
"Shields up!" Huo Shan yelled. The new recruits, who had trained together for just over ten days, scrambled to raise their shields and form a defensive line.
The ice arrows, however, had extreme piercing power. Any shield they struck was instantly punctured. Once an arrow passed through, an icy chill rapidly numbed the soldiers’ hands and arms. The cold spread up their limbs and throughout their bodies, severely impairing their agility.
"Second squad, attack! Provide cover!" Huo Shan commanded once more.
The soldiers assigned to the assault immediately raised their military-issued Thermobaric Guns and fired at the Star Beast. Searing beams of energy sliced through the air, striking the beast’s massive body. The intense heat instantly melted the stone armor on its surface, revealing glowing blue skin underneath.
The Star Beast let out a deafening roar. Puffs of white smoke rose from the impact sites, and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air.
"It’s working! Keep firing!" Huo Shan’s voice held a trace of excitement.
However, this did not inflict a fatal blow. Instead, it thoroughly enraged the Star Beast.
It roared at the sky, and the surrounding temperature plummeted. A thick layer of ice visibly formed on the ground. The Star Beast’s eyes turned from red to blue, and the plates of its stone armor stood on end, emitting a suffocating wave of energy.
"This is bad! It’s about to unleash a Frigid Ice Tide!" Huo Shan’s face paled. "Everyone, fall back immediately!"
But it was too late. The Star Beast opened its cavernous maw, and a blinding beam of blue-white light erupted forth. The very air froze in its path, creating a road of extreme cold. The soldiers watched in despair as death approached. Their weapons failed in the low temperature, and even moving became incredibly difficult.
At that critical moment, a slender figure suddenly darted out from the team. Ning Xuan stood before everyone, tightly gripping an Energy Stone that emitted a soft glow.
"Ning Zhi, it’s dangerous! Get back here!" Huo Shan exclaimed in alarm.
Ning Xuan glanced back at him, the corner of her mouth twitching into a slight smile. She mouthed the words, "Don’t worry."
The instant the blue-white beam was about to touch her, the Energy Stone suddenly erupted with a dazzling golden light, forming a hemispherical Energy Barrier. Ice and fire collided violently in midair, creating a deafening explosion.
Incredibly, Ning Xuan’s barrier completely blocked the blue-white beam. She looked at the SS-level Star Beast with keen interest, then charged forward while still holding the Energy Stone. In a flash, she was upon it. Ning Xuan scrambled up the beast’s armor onto its back and pressed the Thermobaric Gun in her other hand against the wound on its head.
Ning Xuan took aim and pressed the trigger. The Thermobaric Gun’s searing beam shot out with a BANG, piercing down from the head through the throat. The Star Beast let out a final, mournful cry, and its massive body crashed to the ground.
After the Star Beast’s death, the road of extreme cold that had just formed immediately lost its energy source and shattered into countless ice crystals.
From the moment Ning Xuan stepped forward to the moment she killed the Star Beast, less than a minute had passed. At first, the other soldiers had been sweating bullets for her, both grateful for her courage and worried for her safety. But in the blink of an eye, Ning Xuan had killed the Star Beast. It wasn’t until the frigid path shattered into a field of ice crystals that the crowd erupted into a frenzy of shouts.
Ning Xuan had killed an SS-level Star Beast, and everyone was ecstatic. Although the credit was all hers, they were all incredibly proud. After all, Ning Xuan was their teammate.
Huo Shan immediately reported the situation to his superiors. Less than ten minutes later, a squad of fully armed special defense forces arrived. Their leader was a handsome young officer who radiated the spiritual power fluctuations of an S-Class. The insignia on his shoulder denoted the rank of colonel.
"Colonel Hua, this is the SS-level Star Beast that Ning Zhi killed. According to base regulations, its Star Core should belong to her. I have a complete video of the battle for your review." Huo Shan’s attitude toward Colonel Hua was respectful.
Hua Shangnan nodded. After watching the video Huo Shan provided, he turned to Ning Xuan and said, "The video checks out. To be able to kill an SS-level Star Beast, your strength is quite impressive. You may take the Star Core. Additionally, I will report the merit and rewards you’ve earned to my superiors."
Although this was the first Star Beast Ning Xuan had ever killed, she knew the common knowledge that its Star Core was located in its heart.
Ning Xuan deftly cut open the Star Beast’s chest and retrieved an ice-crystal-like Star Core. It was the size of a fist and radiated a bone-chilling cold.
Hua Shangnan watched Ning Xuan extract the Star Core with speed and precision, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.
He slowly walked to her side and said in a gentle tone, "Ning Zhi, with your strength and potential, staying in a regular combat unit is a waste of your talent. Why not join our special defense forces?"
Ning Xuan stored the crystalline Star Core in her Space Button and looked up at the special defense forces’ commander, surprised by his sudden offer.
Hua Shangnan smiled faintly and continued, "The pay in the special forces is three times that of a regular combat unit. We’re equipped with the most advanced weaponry and handle high-value missions, which naturally means more Merit Points." He paused, his tone growing more serious. "Most importantly, we have the most comprehensive protective measures and medical teams. Our survival rate is much higher than that of regular units."
Hearing this from the side, the color drained from Huo Shan’s face. He couldn’t help but interject, "Commander Hua, Ning Zhi is a vital member of our squad..."
