Fierce Rain, Calling for Reinforcements

Military zone. Dormitory building.

"Phew... we're finally back. God, I was terrified. I really thought we were done for this time."

Ding Wen collapsed onto the sofa, completely drained.

Scared half to death, that was all.

Groat looked at Lu Yuan and cracked a grin.

"We owe Ah Yuan big time this round. If it weren't for him, things could've turned really ugly."

"Yeah."

The others nodded in agreement.

Lu Yuan smiled. "I was just doing what needed to be done."

His mood was genuinely upbeat. After returning to the military zone, Wang Jiashu had officially logged his combat contributions from the engagement.

Those records could be exchanged for Credits at the Talent Camp later.

Not only had the squad located the Beast Tide, but they'd wiped out nearly half the beasts — the Credits reward should be substantial.

"Alright, get some proper rest. The Beast Tide has only just begun. More Feral Beasts will likely push into this area, so make sure you're fully recovered."

Groat stood and addressed the group.

Lu Yuan and the others nodded, then dispersed to their own rooms.

Dawn broke the following day.

In the meeting room of the Central Fortress — the foremost position on the defensive line.

The blond-haired man sat among a gathering of powerful warriors, the atmosphere thick with tension.

Of the fighters who had battled the Emperor Grade Feral Beasts, only a handful remained present, including the muscular man with the boxing gloves.

That man looked pale now, his aura noticeably diminished compared to before.

The blond man glanced at him and a few of the others, then spoke evenly.

"How's your recovery coming along?"

The muscular man grimaced. "Not bad. A few more days and I should be completely back to normal."

The blond man's brow furrowed deep. "I didn't expect even Emperor Grade beasts to be Aberrated. What exactly is that Aberration Entity lurking in the depths of the Endless Mountain Range? Its power is beyond anything we anticipated."

A heavier silence settled over the room.

In the recent clash, a significant number of the Emperor Grade and King Grade Feral Beasts had manifested signs of Aberration. The phenomenon had amplified their strength considerably — and, more alarmingly, it had interfered with the mental faculties of Gene Warriors.

Many Emperor Grade and King Grade fighters had been overwhelmed and sustained serious injuries. Only a handful were still operational; most were still laid up.

"We owe a great deal to the instructors from the Talent Camp for coming to our aid."

Without their intervention, the defensive line's existing roster of Battle King and Battle Sovereign warriors would have had a genuinely difficult time holding against that many beasts.

Many eyes drifted toward Si Tingyu, who sat in her characteristic composed posture.

Si Tingyu's name as a prodigy was known throughout the Red Maple Empire — but very few people truly understood the extent of her combat strength.

Today, everyone in this room had learned.

That terrifying defensive capability. That terrifying raw power.

She was only Battle King Rank, yet she had managed to go toe to toe with an Aberrated Emperor Grade beast. Her combat effectiveness was staggering.

Si Tingyu paid no attention to the stares. Her elegant brows drew together slightly, touched with concern.

"Several of the Beast Sovereign and Beast King-class beasts are still alive — they fled rather than died. They'll almost certainly come again. And if more Aberrated beasts appear in the next wave, that's another brutal fight waiting to happen."

The room agreed in grim silence.

The commander looked at Si Tingyu and asked carefully.

"Does Your Highness have any recommendations?"

A cold glint crossed Si Tingyu's golden-crimson dragon eyes.

"My recommendation: take the offensive. Locate the source of the Aberration within the Endless Mountain Range and eliminate it."

"What?!"

The reaction rippled through the room. Those who had been hoping for a sound strategy stiffened visibly.

Elder Yu's brow furrowed.

"Tingyu, the Endless Mountain Range harbors quite a few sovereign-tier Feral Beasts. Pushing into its depths to destroy the Aberration source — that's an enormous ask."

"Indeed, Your Highness." A Battle Sovereign from the Guard Corps leaned forward, frowning. "If we commit our strength to an advance, who holds the defensive line if the beasts press through?"

Si Tingyu met their objections steadily.

"I've heard from my ancestor that Emperor-tier beasts are territorial by nature — they don't enter other Emperor-tier beasts' domains. I have a distribution map of Emperor-tier beasts within the Endless Mountain Range. Beyond that, we can contact the Empire for reinforcements. The Aberration phenomenon is involved, so the Night Watchmen won't stand idle — and the Imperial government won't look the other way either. We form an elite strike team and send them into the mountain range on a reconnaissance sweep first. We may learn something valuable."

"Requesting reinforcements, then."

The idea settled over the room in contemplative silence.

The blond man was quiet for a moment, then nodded.

"Very well. We'll leave that matter to Your Highness. While the reinforcements are en route, our wounded can use the time to properly recover. Once they're back on their feet, the defensive line will be considerably more stable."

Si Tingyu nodded. "Agreed."

"That concludes this meeting."

The blond man rose, and the others filed out of the conference room.

Si Tingyu had barely stepped through the door when someone called behind her.

"Instructor Si! Instructor Si!"

She turned.

A handsome black-haired man was striding toward her.

Several warriors still lingering nearby caught the scene and quietly shifted their attention her way, curious.

The black-haired man's gaze was fixed on her, his smile easy and confident.

"Instructor Si, I didn't expect your strength to advance so much in such a short span — especially your defensive capability. My Golden Forest Sword Rain has had a breakthrough of its own recently. What do you say we train together and compare notes?"

Si Tingyu shook her head, meeting him with a direct and unapologetic look.

"Du Kai, I don't like training with other people. Please also stop seeking me out — I find it bothersome."

Du Kai's smile stiffened. He recovered with a dry laugh.

"I see, I was too forward. Oh, right — didn't you recently take that student of yours, Lu Yuan? You've never taken a student before. What changed your mind?"

Si Tingyu held his gaze, still completely matter-of-fact.

"I don't see why I need to explain that to you. Also — I can tell you have feelings for me, but I'm sorry to say I don't feel the same way. Thank you for your interest. Please direct it toward someone else."

With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Du Kai standing there looking rather stunned.

The warriors who had been watching nearby stifled smiles and traded low murmurs — especially the Talent Camp instructors.

Who didn't know Du Kai had a thing for Si Tingyu?

The unfortunate reality was that Si Tingyu was completely indifferent. She'd turned him down multiple times, and yet here he was again.

Just then, a curious Battle King from the Guard Corps spoke up.

"A prodigy like Instructor Si Tingyu actually took a student? Lu Yuan — is he really that impressive?"

A nearby Talent Camp instructor broke into a grin, a note of pride in his voice.

"Ha — a normally Awakened Gene Warrior who etched a Lord Grade gene at Second-rank. You tell me. And haven't you been following Battle Net? That student has been quite the name lately. Back during the Aier Mechanical Ruins mission, he lured an Innate King Grade warrior into a trap."

"That impressive?"

Several Guard Corps warriors stared, ice shooting down their spines.

"Second-rank etching a Lord Grade gene — by that measure, Battle Sovereign is a floor for him. Could even hit Battle Emperor."

Another Battle Sovereign warrior shook his head in admiration.

"If we had more prodigies like that, the pressure on our end wouldn't be this crushing. Facing something like this Aberration phenomenon and we couldn't handle it independently — if the Talent Camp instructors hadn't stepped in, the casualties would've been severe."

A Talent Camp instructor smiled. "Aberration incidents — which nation in Great Qi isn't plagued by them? It's not just us; every other race faces the same thing. Don't dwell on it too much. But honestly — if there were more talents like Lu Yuan, that would truly be something."

"Speaking of which — Lu Yuan is a Talent Camp student, so he's here at the front line too?"

"He is. Right now he should be out at one of the defensive camps, keeping the beasts at bay."

"A talent like that — I'd like to meet him someday."

Smiles spread around the gathered warriors. A prodigy like Lu Yuan was exactly the kind of person they were eager to see for themselves.

Si Tingyu returned to her quarters. After briefing the Si family and formally filing for reinforcements, she placed a call to Li Qinghe.

The line rang once before it connected.

A languid, honeyed voice drifted through the receiver.

"Well, well — Fierce Rain, what possessed you to call me? Aren't you supposed to be on the southern defensive line?"

The moment that nickname landed, Si Tingyu — composed as she always was — couldn't quite suppress a twitch at the corner of her mouth. A faint flush crept across her face.

She said, with deliberate precision.

"Qinghe, I've told you before — don't call me that. It's... it's just too much."

On the other end, Li Qinghe immediately perked up, amusement threading into her voice.

"Too much how?"

"It's just—" Si Tingyu's cheeks went a deeper shade of pink. She paused, then exhaled in resignation.

"I'm calling about something important."

"Oh? You sound serious. What is it?"

Genuine surprise entered Li Qinghe's voice.

"There's been a Beast Tide on the southern defensive line. You're aware of it?"

"Of course I'm aware — Beast Tides break out in the Forbidden Zones all the time, don't they? What's the big deal? Once I reach Battle Emperor, I'll go flatten both those Forbidden Zones myself!"

Li Qinghe's tone was carelessly breezy, but the arrogance behind the words was absolute.

Si Tingyu didn't argue the point. She pressed on, measured and precise.

"This Beast Tide is different from previous ones. There are unmistakable signs of the Aberration phenomenon."

"...Hmm."

Through the phone, Si Tingyu heard rustling — Li Qinghe sitting up in bed.

When she spoke again, the lightness was gone.

"You said Aberration?"

"Yes. When the Beast Tide surged at full force, several Beast Sovereigns appeared alongside a significant number of Beast Kings. A large portion of them bore signs of Aberration — their strength markedly enhanced. There is likely an Aberration source somewhere within the Endless Mountain Range, actively corrupting and mutating the Feral Beasts."

Si Tingyu recounted what had transpired.

Li Qinghe went quiet.

After a moment, she spoke.

"So you're calling me because you want the Night Watchmen involved?"

Si Tingyu's tone was mild, almost matter-of-fact.

"Aberration events — isn't that exactly what you're supposed to handle?"

"Heh, can't argue with that... But deep inside the Endless Mountain Range..." A note of real wariness entered Li Qinghe's voice. "That's dangerous territory. Depending on how far in the Aberration source is, it may have already spread to Emperor-tier beasts."

Si Tingyu's breath hitched. Her eyes sharpened.

"It's that serious?"

"Absolutely. You don't deal with Aberration incidents regularly — you're probably underestimating it. That thing is stranger than you think."

A silence stretched on Si Tingyu's end. Then, quietly.

"...It seems I was right to request backup."

"No question about it. If the Guard Corps went in alone, not many would come back. I'll head to headquarters immediately. I'll need to bring my grandfather along — otherwise it'd be cutting it uncomfortably close. Better safe than sorry."

Si Tingyu nodded. "Thank you. I know it's an imposition."

"Ha, since you feel bad — when this is over, come take a bath with me. It's been a while since I've had a good chance to squeeze your—"

Si Tingyu hung up without expression.

She glanced down at herself, brow faintly furrowed, and muttered under her breath.

*Am I really... all that? She's hardly lacking herself.*

She shook her head, started toward the door — and her phone rang again.

Li Qinghe.

Si Tingyu considered it briefly, then answered.

The instant the line connected, Li Qinghe launched into complaint mode.

"How dare you, Fierce Rain! I wasn't done!"

Si Tingyu suppressed every instinct to hang up again.

"What else did you need to say?"

"How's my little Yuan doing lately? He's safe, right?"

Si Tingyu blinked.

"Haven't you been in contact with him yourself?"

"I message him basically every day — except when he's in the Land of Origin. But you know how he is, he only ever shares good news. This is his first deployment to a Forbidden Zone front line, and I'm worried, okay?"

Li Qinghe knew Lu Yuan's personality all too well.

"He's fine," Si Tingyu said. "From what I heard, last night he located a splinter Beast Tide and eliminated half the beasts on his own."

Even as she said it, a trace of genuine admiration flickered in her eyes — a faint warmth that didn't usually color her voice.

"Little Yuan is already that strong?"

"He acquired considerable resources from the Aier Mechanical Ruins," Si Tingyu said evenly. "As you know, that's more than enough to handle Feral Beasts at this level."

Li Qinghe didn't dispute it.

Then, a curious edge crept into her voice.

"By the way, Fierce Rain — how do you know all this in such detail? I never asked you to keep tabs on him."

Si Tingyu's answer was calm and direct.

"Lu Yuan is my student. Of course I keep an eye on him. If anything happens to him, I'll step in — so you don't need to worry."

"Oh ho — so Fierce Rain really has taken my little Yuan seriously as her student. Not bad, not bad~ I'll treat you to dinner next time. Alright — hanging up now."

Click.

Si Tingyu stared at the silent phone, let out a helpless sigh, pocketed it, and stepped out.

Deep within the Endless Mountain Range, vast numbers of Feral Beasts were massing once again around the mountain valley.

More than before — far more. Inside the cave at the valley's heart, the pitch-black mist had taken on a sickly thread of dark green.

A deep, terrible rumble resonated from within. The beasts prostrated across the valley floor trembled where they lay.