He then looked at the others. "The rest of you Martial Artists, please choose based on your individual situations. You can either follow Martial Artist Lei Lie’s team or form your own squads of two to three. You will enter from the other access points and handle base station deployment and clean-up in the remaining sectors. All operational data must be shared in real-time with the command network."

The scar-faced, middle-aged Lei Lie nodded but said nothing, simply standing there with his arms crossed, exuding a fierce and formidable aura.

The other Martial Artists began to confer in low voices. Soon, two of them walked over to Lei Lie, obviously planning to follow the strongest vanguard, where their safety would be better guaranteed.

The other four formed two teams of two.

That left only Xu Wuyi and another man standing alone. The man looked to be in his thirties, with an ordinary face and a straight-bladed sword sheathed on his back.

Zhao Zhen looked at the two of them. "And you two? Do you plan to operate alone, or...?"

The man with the sword on his back smiled and spoke up. "I like to go it alone. Don’t worry, I’ll complete the mission, guaranteed."

His voice was somewhat hoarse.

Zhao Zhen turned to Xu Wuyi.

Xu Wuyi stated calmly, "I’ll be working alone as well."

Zhao Zhen’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

It wasn’t unheard of for a Martial Artist to operate solo, but such individuals were typically seasoned veterans, confident in their strength and experience.

’This young man... his aura isn’t weak, but he seems far too young.’

’But his qualifications to take on this mission were approved by the academy and the association, so it’s not my place to question it.’

"Very well. Please select your entry point numbers. Note that once you’ve made your choice, you must strictly adhere to the planned route to avoid straying into another team’s designated area or getting too close to the core danger zone."

Xu Wuyi glanced at the entry point distribution map displayed on his personal terminal.

There were six entry points in total, all evenly distributed around the perimeter of the target area.

Lei Lie chose Entry Point 3, due north. It led directly into a relatively open expanse of scorched rock, a terrain well-suited for his abilities.

The other two teams chose the northeast and northwest entry points, respectively.

The man with the sword chose the southeast entry point.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Wuyi chose Entry Point 6, located to the due west.

’According to the map, the terrain in that direction is more complex, featuring rugged landscapes formed by molten rock and potential underground caverns. The probability of encountering surviving Star Beasts is slightly higher, but that also means a chance to earn more bonus points.’

"Entry points selected. Everyone, check your equipment and restock necessary supplies. In one hour, you will enter in sequence. Martial Artist Lei Lie will go in first. Ten minutes after he enters, the other entry points will open simultaneously."

After he finished speaking, Zhao Zhen signaled to some nearby soldiers, who brought over several crates. Inside were standard-issue radiation indicators, emergency medical kits, and backup communication modules.

Xu Wuyi collected his share and moved to one side to double-check his weapon, Potions, and the ten special High-Explosive Concussion Grenades.

He distributed the concussion grenades into various pouches on his combat suit for easy access.

The man with the sword on his back came over and stood nearby, silently arranging his own equipment. The two of them didn’t speak.

Ten minutes later, all preparations were complete.

Lei Lie nodded to Zhao Zhen and the two Martial Artists who had chosen to follow him, then took the lead, heading toward the designated Entry Point 3.

He strode forward with purpose, his figure quickly vanishing over the undulating horizon.

「Another ten minutes later.」

"All other entry points are now open!" Zhao Zhen’s voice crackled over the comms channel.

Xu Wuyi took a deep breath of the scorching air, gripped the gun slung over his back, and started toward Entry Point 6 to the west.

The ground beneath his feet gradually shifted from hard-packed to somewhat soft, its color deepening as he went.

The acrid, burnt smell that filled the air, along with the faint radiation alerts from his suit, served as a constant reminder of the cataclysmic destruction this place had recently suffered.

The sky was an oppressive, grayish-yellow, devoid of sunlight.

He slowly extended his Spiritual Power as he walked.

His Spiritual Strength of 36.9 gave him an effective perception radius of nearly two hundred meters. It also allowed him to penetrate moderately thick ground, sensing any movement within a few meters of the surface.

The terrain was just as complex as the map had suggested.

There were massive, reflective slabs of lava as smooth as polished glass, twisted and fractured rock strata, bottomless fissures, and bizarre stalagmites formed from matter that had been instantly vaporized by the intense heat only to re-condense.

The temperature was extremely high, and his combat suit’s climate control system had already engaged. A faint halo of light flickered across his faceplate from time to time, a sign that the filtration system was working.

After advancing about five hundred meters, Xu Wuyi came to a halt.

Within his Spiritual Perception, he detected several slow-moving life signatures. They were about three meters deep, beneath a porous, scorched rock formation to his front-left.

’Ash Worms.’ 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

’Five of them... with Energy Levels between 27 and 29.’

They seemed to be in a semi-dormant state, perhaps to escape the surface heat, or maybe to lie in wait for prey.

Xu Wuyi didn’t alert them.

He continued onward, silently committing the location to memory.

’Now isn’t the time to deal with them. I need to get to the first base station deployment point.’

Following the navigation on his terminal, he passed through a lava field where jagged formations stood like a monster’s fangs, skirted two deep ground fissures, and finally reached the first set of coordinates.

It was a small, relatively flat highland.

Xu Wuyi took a fist-sized silver disc from his tactical backpack, placed it on the designated spot, and activated it.

The disc emitted a soft hum as anchoring spikes extended from its base, digging into the ground. Three small solar panels and an antenna then unfolded from its top.

A faint indicator light began to flash rhythmically.

"Base Station A7 activated. Attempting to link to network..." came the feedback from his personal terminal.

Without lingering, Xu Wuyi immediately headed for the next set of coordinates.

He moved with speed and stealth, like a shadow flitting across the scorched earth.

He was less than two hundred meters from the first base station, preparing to circle a tilted slab of lava, when the edge of his Spiritual Perception suddenly picked up an unusual stir.

It was coming from the direction where he had found the Ash Worms.

And it wasn’t just those five.

More life signatures, similarly scorching and foul, were being "awakened" from deeper underground. They were slowly converging toward the surface—or, more accurately, toward the location of Base Station A7, which he had just deployed.

’Were they attracted by the Energy fluctuations from the station’s activation?’

Xu Wuyi’s eyes narrowed. In a flash, he silently scaled the nearby lava block, pressing himself low and turning his gaze toward the source of the commotion.

The charred ground began to heave slightly before cracking open.

The first dark-red Ash Worm broke through the surface. Its segmented body was as thick as a bucket.

It had no discernible eyes. Its front end was a circular, tooth-filled maw that constantly opened and closed, secreting a corrosive slime. It swayed from side to side, as if sensing its surroundings.

It was followed by a second, then a third...

Within just a dozen seconds, a total of eight Ash Worms had emerged from the ground in that area.

Their bodies rubbed against one another, producing a grating SHHHH sound that set one’s teeth on edge. Then, as one, they began to writhe toward Base Station A7.