The Southern Defense Line, Little White Rabbits

Heading downstairs, Lu Yuan found Si Tingfeng, Maige, and Yang Ping already there.

Spotting him, Si Tingfeng smiled. "A-Yuan, hurry up and eat. We need to gather at the plaza after breakfast."

"Senior, is everyone required to go on this special mission?" Lu Yuan sat down, took a sip of congee, and asked.

Si Tingfeng thought for a moment. "Unless someone already has a prior assignment keeping them away, yes, everyone has to go."

Yang Ping looked uneasy. "But that's at the forbidden zone defense line. What use are freshmen out there? I really don't understand what the school is thinking."

Maige grinned mischievously and clapped Yang Ping on the shoulder. "First-rank students get to handle logistics in the rear camp — nice and easy. They might even pair you up with the research-type students to give them a hand. Research types are always swamped in camp — fixing equipment, brewing gene serums, all that. You little rookies might not have much firepower, but you've still got a pair of arms."

Yang Ping's expression twisted into something complicated.

*Safe enough, I guess — but it still feels like being looked down on.*

He sulked for a moment, then asked with reluctant curiosity, "But Yuan-bro is already Second-rank, so he'll be joining missions with you guys, right? Yuan-bro is way stronger than you, Senior Maige."

Maige's mouth twitched. He shot Yang Ping a glare. "You little punk — I'm still your senior. Can't you show me a shred of respect?"

Yang Ping rolled his eyes and looked away, pretending not to hear.

Si Tingfeng chimed in with a smile. "The situation at the border hasn't been confirmed yet, so assignments will be based on conditions there. I've heard they'll divide us among different camps. But First-rank students really have nothing to worry about — at the rear camps, you're completely safe unless a Feral Beast actually breaks through the perimeter."

"If there's a chance," Lu Yuan said with a smile, "I'd actually prefer to see some front-line action. The Credit rewards for this special mission should be pretty decent, right?"

Si Tingfeng and Maige exchanged a look, both expressions a little odd.

"The rewards aren't bad, but... A-Yuan, with your level of talent, the school won't let you take on too much risk. You're still in a critical growth phase — safety comes first. Don't be reckless."

"Understood. Thanks for looking out for me, Senior." Lu Yuan smiled, taking the advice in good spirits.

Soon, the four of them finished breakfast and left the dormitory.

Plenty of other students were streaming out of the building at the same time. They exchanged greetings, chatted idly, and made their way toward the school plaza.

Before long, everyone had gathered.

The Talent Camp had a total enrollment of nine hundred and thirty students. A small number were already away on individual assignments, leaving roughly eight hundred present — not a particularly large crowd. Even an ordinary high school would have more students than this.

Along the edges of the plaza, Lu Yuan noticed many of the instructors had assembled as well. Every instructor at the Talent Camp was at minimum Battle King Rank, and simply standing there, they radiated a presence impossible to ignore.

At that moment, several figures swept through the sky and came to hover above the crowd. At their head was a gray-haired elder with a stern, commanding face. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze cold and hard as he looked down at the assembled students. A powerful aura surged from him, pressing down over the crowd.

A dull weight settled in Lu Yuan's chest.

The chatter died instantly. Every student's eyes snapped up to the elder.

Satisfied with the silence, he spoke in a measured tone:

"I'm sure you all received the mission notification yesterday. The Feral Beasts within the two forbidden zones along our southeastern border have long been a thorn in the Empire's side. At regular intervals, the Emperor-tier Feral Beasts within those zones launch beast tides, attempting to breach our borders and devour our people. Never forget — the stability you enjoy within the Empire exists because border warriors hold the line for us. The forbidden zones are stirring again, and the border guards need reinforcement. You are the Empire's finest — its future pillars. It is time to shoulder that responsibility. All present students and instructors of the Talent Camp will now deploy to the border in support of the Guard!"

His gaze swept across the assembly, then he continued, his voice quieter:

"The border is extremely dangerous. You are all precious individuals the Empire cannot afford to lose. Your primary objective on this deployment is your own survival — come back alive. Now, move out."

With those words, massive black fighter craft descended from the sky one after another, landing across the plaza. Five in total. With nearly a thousand students and instructors combined, that came to roughly two hundred per craft.

Lu Yuan and the other three followed the crowd onto one of them.

Once they found their seats, Maige's excitement was barely contained. "The headmaster's right — sooner or later we'll be the ones holding the border. This mission is our first rehearsal."

Yang Ping chimed in. "If you ask me, our Empire's Battle Emperors should just march into the forbidden zones and wipe out every Emperor-tier Feral Beast. That would settle the whole thing."

Si Tingfeng gave a rueful smile. "If only it were that simple. There are quite a few Emperor-tier Feral Beasts in those zones — and if they weren't constantly fighting amongst themselves, the threat to the Red Maple Empire would be even greater. On top of that, we have multiple spatial rifts to guard, competing with whatever races lie on the other side for resources. We don't have unlimited manpower. Sometimes we even have to hire Battle Emperors from outside the Empire."

As a prince of the imperial family, Si Tingfeng understood the Empire's situation far better than any of them.

"There are really that many threats surrounding us?"

Lu Yuan had spent his earlier life in the Slum District of Xili City, where surviving from day to day was achievement enough. He'd had no reason to think about any of this.

Hearing Si Tingfeng lay it out now, he realized the Red Maple Empire was hardly living in comfort.

Si Tingfeng nodded, his expression grave. "Exactly. That's why the Empire wants as many talented individuals as possible — more powerful warriors for the future. Perhaps one day we'll be strong enough to clear both border forbidden zones entirely, and push back every race lurking on the other side of the spatial rifts."

He glanced at Lu Yuan with a slight smile. "The talent you've shown has a lot of people placing hopes in you, A-Yuan. Quite a few strong warriors believe you'll reach Battle Emperor one day — and when that time comes, the pressure on the upper ranks eases a little."

Lu Yuan smiled. "I'll do my best."

As they spoke, the last of the students and instructors boarded. The craft lifted off, shooting forward like a streak of light, hurtling toward the Red Maple Empire's border at several times the speed of sound.

At the center of the Red Maple Empire's southern border stood a massive city.

One side of it faced inward toward Imperial territory; the other looked out over endless, rolling mountains. The range stretched as far as the eye could see, blanketed in dense forest, with the distant roars of Feral Beasts drifting out from somewhere within.

The city was built entirely of black metal, spanning several hundred kilometers — a footprint that rivaled White Cloud City in the Land of Origin.

Overhead, aircraft of various kinds swept past, and Gene Warriors mounted on flying Feral Beasts soared alongside mechanical craft. Warriors streamed through the city gates in a constant flow, entering and leaving without pause.

This was Endless Fortress — the central stronghold city of the Endless Mountain Range Forbidden Zone on the southern border.

Endless Fortress served not only as the headquarters of the Southern Guard but also as a thriving Gene Warrior city in its own right. Most adventurers heading into the forbidden zone passed through here first, gathering intelligence and trading resources.

Just then, five streaks of light split the sky. Five massive black fighter craft materialized above the area near Endless Fortress, decelerating as they swept toward the city. Rather than landing at a civilian airfield, they flew straight toward the Southern Guard's military headquarters.

A group of adventurers aboard a smaller triangular black craft watched the enormous vessels pass close by, eyes going wide.

"Those are Owldragon fighters, aren't they?" a bearded man exclaimed. "Five of them?! What kind of powerhouse can afford that?! I heard one of those things costs half a million Fifth-Tier Spirit Crystals."

"Wait — hold on." A middle-aged man squinted. "Look, they're heading toward the military base. Could this be an official Imperial force?"

The others shook themselves back to attention and watched the Owldragon craft slice across the sky before disappearing into the Southern Guard headquarters airfield.

Inside the vast airfield, the five Owldragon craft touched down. Their hatches opened, and the students and instructors of the Talent Camp filed out.

On the airfield plaza, a small group of Southern Guard soldiers in black uniforms were already waiting. At their head stood a dark-haired middle-aged man — bolt upright, rigid as a spear, his gaze razor-sharp. When it swept across Lu Yuan in passing, it felt like being nicked by a blade.

He strode forward, saluted the gray-haired elder, and spoke with rigid formality:

"Principal Li, given the activity in the forbidden zone, the Commander is occupied with pressing matters and asked me to receive you in his stead. The Commander has also finalized the Talent Camp's assignments: First-rank warriors and research-type warriors will be stationed at the rearmost defensive camps; Second- and Third-rank warriors will be positioned in the middle sector of the defense line; Fourth-rank warriors will be placed at the forward camps at the outer edge of the line. Do you wish to make any changes, Principal Li? If so, I will contact the Commander at once."

The elder gave a small nod. "Distribute them as Karol has arranged."

The middle-aged man nodded sharply. "Understood. If your group requires rest, that can be arranged — otherwise, we can depart for the defensive camps immediately. Military transport vessels are standing by."

The elder studied the man for a moment, approval flickering in his eyes. "Well done — you work fast. In that case, I leave the arrangements to you."

The man nodded, then turned to face the assembled students. His sharp gaze swept over them. "All First-rank warriors and research-type warriors, step forward!"

At those words, Yang Ping shot a glance at Lu Yuan and the others, then shuffled out with slumped shoulders. Of the four dormmates, he was the only First-rank.

Within moments, all the First-rank and research-type warriors had stepped forward — over two hundred of them. Lu Yuan scanned the group and, beyond Yang Ping, spotted two other familiar faces: Lin Wei and Min'er. Both had taken their evaluation alongside him.

They seemed to notice him at the same moment, and both gave a small nod. Lin Wei wore a bright, vivid smile, her eyes lively and expressive. Lu Yuan smiled back and returned their nods.

As a rule, first-year students were almost exclusively First-rank. Only a rare few had reached Second-rank — and then there was Si Tingxue, who was already Third-rank as a first-year.

Once the First-rank and research-type students had assembled, soldiers led them onto a military transport vessel roughly a hundred meters in length. The transport lifted off and departed the airfield, clearly bound for the rearmost defensive camps along the border.

The middle-aged man had spoken openly in front of everyone, and Gene Warriors were not known for poor hearing.

He then called out again: "Second- and Third-rank warriors, step forward!"

This time, the vast majority moved. Only around sixty students remained standing — all of them Fourth-rank Battle Venerables. That tier was typically the territory of sixth-year students. Even Si Tingfeng was still working toward that breakthrough — though by his own account, it was probably only a matter of days away. He was barely into his fifth year, and achieving Battle Venerable at that stage was remarkable talent in its own right.

Given the numbers, the assembled students were split across two military transports. Lu Yuan, Maige, and Si Tingfeng boarded the same one.

Maige's eyes darted around, edged with nerves. "Do you think the three of us will end up at the same defensive camp?"

Si Tingfeng smiled. "You and A-Yuan might end up together — you're both Second-rank. As for me, that's unlikely. I've already reached Third-rank Perfection, so my assignment will probably be somewhere close to the outermost sector."

Lu Yuan asked with genuine curiosity, "Are there really that many defensive camps along the border? With this many of us, will the assignments really scatter us that far apart?"

Si Tingfeng nodded. "Quite a few, yes. The southern border defense line radiates outward from Endless Fortress as its central hub. The Endless Fortress line is the deepest rear position. Five hundred kilometers forward of Endless Fortress is the middle sector, and beyond that is the outer sector. At any given depth, there's generally a defensive camp every hundred kilometers, which gives a single defense line close to a hundred camps — and camps at different depths are interspersed throughout. From what I know, the middle sector alone has nearly ten thousand defensive camps, each guarded by a warrior legion tens of thousands strong. For our numbers, we couldn't fill a single camp if we were split individually. We'll only be assigned to a handful at most."

Lu Yuan was stunned.

*That many defensive camps?*

*If that's the scale, just the southern border alone must station several million Gene Warriors.*

*All of that — to hold one forbidden zone.*

He was beginning to grasp just how dangerous the forbidden zones truly were — and how immense the pressure on the Red Maple Empire must be.

Mid-thought, their transport came to a halt. Lu Yuan looked out the window. They had arrived at one of the camps.

It sat atop a mountain peak within the mountain range — far smaller than Endless Fortress, naturally, but still spanning several kilometers in every direction, built entirely from alloy. It looked for all the world like an indestructible stronghold.

"Second-rank warriors — Nan Lingqi, Grais..." The officer called out ten names. Ten Second-rank warriors disembarked, Lu Yuan and Maige not among them.

Just as Si Tingfeng had said — their group was too small to fill every camp individually. The transport moved quickly, stopping at several more camps in succession, each time dropping off a small contingent.

Then, at last, both Lu Yuan's and Maige's names were called at the same camp. Eight other Second-rank Gene Warriors were called alongside them. They had been assigned together.

Stepping off the transport, they emerged onto a plaza. Several warriors in standard-issue black Gene Armaments stood waiting, hands clasped behind their backs. At their head was a bald middle-aged man with a scar carved across his forehead.

His gaze swept across the ten of them. A grin split his face.

"Ha — command's sent us ten little white rabbits. Looks like we're playing babysitter."