Chapter 333: Chapter 333: Poison Sac
Lin Ye felt a sense of resigned helplessness at Ning Xuan’s insistence on pressing forward. He was impressed and moved, but also deeply worried about her physical condition.
Lin Ye took the High-level Recovery Potion he kept for emergencies from his Space Button and insisted on pressing it into Ning Xuan’s hand. "Major General Ning, I have one more High-level Recovery Potion. Please, take it. Restore some of your strength. It’ll give you an extra layer of security."
The Recovery Potions Ning Xuan crafted herself were of even higher quality than these so-called "High-level" ones. She had two large crates of them stored in her Space Button, and that was after she had already distributed many potions to her soldiers in previous battles. Otherwise, her reserves would have been even greater.
Ning Xuan initially wanted to refuse the potion, but seeing Lin Ye’s sincere and worried expression, she accepted it to put the general at ease. ’Besides,’ she thought, ’he’ll be guarding nearby. If he really ends up needing it, I can get to his side quickly and give it back.’
"Then thank you, General Lin," Ning Xuan said. "I’ll return the potion to you once I’ve finished clearing this area." She didn’t know this General Lin, but it was clear that he was not only diligent in his duties but also genuinely concerned for her safety.
Ning Xuan’s next move showed Lin Ye the true meaning of efficiency. She would typically find a Black Iron Tree within a given area to use as an anchor point and repeat the process he had witnessed before. As they watched her clear the poisonous miasma in targeted swaths with practiced ease, Lin Ye and his men stood guard around her.
An hour later, scattered Poison Abyss Beasts began to appear. When Lin Ye saw one launch an attack on Ning Xuan, he disregarded the fact that the fifty-meter radius around her was saturated with Thunder and charged toward her like a madman, determined to ensure her safety at all costs.
However, before he could reach her, a thunderbolt crashed down, striking the Poison Abyss Beast dead. The Exotic Beast, which would have instantly spewed poisonous mist the moment its life was threatened, died just like that—cleanly and swiftly, with no opportunity to release its poison.
His Biochemical Protective Suit couldn’t block the Thunder Energy, and Lin Ye endured the numbing sensation coursing through his body. He watched as Ning Xuan walked over to the dead Poison Abyss Beast, deftly cut an incision behind its ear, and extracted something, placing it into a white porcelain vial.
Ning Xuan glanced back and saw Lin Ye’s curious expression. "Don’t be surprised, General Lin. I’ve encountered this type of Exotic Beast before in the Ninth Mining Zone. This is the Poison Sac that contains the Poison Abyss Beast’s poisonous miasma. It’s easier to research a corresponding antidote using a pristine sac like this."
"Major General Ning, your power is truly astonishing," Lin Ye remarked with awe.
"It’s only because my superpower happens to be a perfect counter to the Poison Abyss Beasts," Ning Xuan replied with a humble smile.
After that, Lin Ye and his men could only trail behind Ning Xuan, watching her swiftly clear the poisonous miasma, kill Poison Abyss Beasts, and collect the carcasses—minus their Poison Sacs—into her Space Button. The number of Poison Abyss Beasts they encountered grew, sometimes appearing in groups of over a dozen at once. Initially, Lin Ye and his men would react as if facing a formidable foe. But then Ning Xuan summoned her Thunder Element Companion Spirit, and its immense presence instantly crushed the beasts.
During this process, Lin Ye grew desensitized to the endless new tactics Ning Xuan displayed in battle. He finally understood how she had been able to rack up countless military honors in just a few short months, rising from a common soldier to the rank of Major General.
After witnessing this entire miasma and beast cleanup operation, Lin Ye was resolved. If the base didn’t award Ning Xuan a special-class individual merit for this, he, Lin Ye, would be the first to object.
By the time nearly half of the miasma-polluted zone had been cleared, the base commander, Admiral Yang Lei, sent someone to inquire about the situation. The contaminated area had been rapidly spreading toward the temporary encampment, its border growing dangerously close. Now, the poisonous miasma was quickly dissipating—a change that was naturally visible from the encampment.
But even Admiral Yang Lei hadn’t expected that Ning Xuan alone could clear half of the miasma-polluted zone in a mere two hours.
Meanwhile, the large concentration of personnel at the temporary encampment had attracted newly emerged Exotic Beasts, which were now attacking the base.
Within the encampment’s defensive systems, the perimeter sonic weapons were only effective against the Poison Abyss Beasts. The new types of Exotic Beasts were not deterred by them.
Of course, the encampment’s defenses were constantly being improved during this time. In addition to the sonic weapons, they had also established an electromagnetic pulse network and a laser interception array to counter a wider variety of Exotic Beast attacks.
The threat from the Poison Abyss Beasts was temporarily neutralized, but the new Exotic Beasts proved incredibly tenacious. After a grueling battle, the soldiers finally managed to hold them back outside the temporary encampment. However, something even worse occurred: winged, flying-type Exotic Beasts began to emerge from the space rift.
The temporary encampment had been assembled in a hurry, and its defenses against flying Exotic Beasts were weak. In fact, in such an open location, aerial defense is often the most vulnerable aspect.
To stop the flying Exotic Beasts from destroying the still-incomplete temporary encampment, Admiral Yang Lei dispatched the base’s most elite aerial unit. The soldiers in this unit were all equipped with personal flight gear, typically jetpacks or energy-powered hoverboards. Each type of equipment had its own advantages and disadvantages, and soldiers used whichever they were most comfortable with.
Ning Xuan, focused solely on clearing the poisonous miasma, was unaware of the situation at the temporary encampment. Even with her abundant energy reserves, the high-intensity work had left her both physically and mentally exhausted. So, with half the polluted zone cleared, she decided to take a break and returned to the temporary encampment with Lin Ye.
Lin Ye, for his part, wanted to return and provide support, knowing the battle at the encampment was fierce. After all, protecting Ning Xuan had been surprisingly easy, and his team’s abilities hadn’t been fully utilized.
Upon returning to the temporary encampment, Ning Xuan entered an isolation zone to rest. Ignoring the thunder of artillery outside, she single-mindedly entered a state of meditative Cultivation.
Ning Xuan’s subordinates, led by Liu Linfeng, surrounded her tent, preventing anyone from disturbing her. Their loyalty to her was absolute. It was safe to say that if forced to choose between an order from Ning Xuan and one from the overall commander, they would obey Ning Xuan without hesitation.
Liu Linfeng and the others all felt incredibly fortunate to have been assigned to Major General Ning’s squad, or to have ended up under her command during the subsequent reorganization. If not for her, they feared they wouldn’t have survived that first major thunderstorm.
