"All other squads, accelerate deployment of base stations and clearing operations in your respective areas. Then, assemble at the K7 rendezvous point as planned."

"Once you’ve converged, use the real-time environmental data from Target Six to advance on the fissure’s edge at an opportune moment. The final objective is to establish complete control over the target area and collect samples."

"Any questions?"

"None!" everyone responded.

"Stay alert. The enemy may have left behind contingencies or observers nearby. Move."

The communication ended.

Xu Wuyi stood beside a massive black lava rock, his gaze once again sweeping over the area of collapsed rock that concealed a secret.

’Signs of human activity... An Alien Race? Or traitors?’

He recalled the reports he had seen on the Red Star Network about increasing pressure on the Star Realm Battlefield and the rising number of fissure incursions.

’If there really is a force within humanity fanning the flames behind all this...’

Xu Wuyi tightened his grip on the long spear in his hand, his knuckles turning white.

But he quickly suppressed the turbulent thoughts in his mind.

Now was not the time to dwell on it. His mission was to stand guard here, to be the "eyes" and the "anchor."

He first checked the operational status of the KZ-1 base station, confirming that everything was normal and stable.

Then, using the base station and the black lava rock as a foundation, he began to construct a simple defensive position.

He moved some suitably sized, scorched-black rocks from the surroundings, piling them up to create simple cover.

He placed his remaining High-Explosive Concussion Grenades and a few specially-acquired motion-sensing warning mines along several key approach routes.

Finally, he chose a depression that offered a view of the entire fissure, covered the approach from the rear, and provided some concealment, establishing it as his main observation and standby point.

After doing all this, he slowly sat down, leaned his back against the warm rock, and began to circulate the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace to recover.

Time passed, second by second.

The fissure’s membrane of light continued to twist and boil erratically, releasing unsettling waves of Energy.

Occasionally, one or two small, suicidal radioactive creatures would try to approach from a distance, only to be spotted in advance by Xu Wuyi.

He found no new signs of human activity.

The area of collapsed rock was silent, as if the metal wreckage was nothing more than a forgotten ruin.

But Xu Wuyi didn’t dare to relax in the slightest.

He noticed that after Zhao Zhen reported the signs of human activity, the other teams had clearly picked up their pace.

On the terminal map, the dot representing Lei Lie’s squad was rapidly closing the distance to K7. Luo Geng’s dot was also drawing near, following a more roundabout but determined route.

The other two squads, while slower, had also sped up considerably.

The pressure seemed to forge an invisible bond among these Martial Artists, who hailed from different places and had been temporarily thrown together.

「Twenty minutes later.」

Lei Lie’s squad was the first to break through the final obstacles and set foot on K7 High Ground.

All three of them bore the marks of fierce combat. A tear in the shoulder of Lei Lie’s combat suit even revealed the bronze-colored skin underneath, marked with a burn scar.

But their eyes were sharp, and though their auras fluctuated slightly, their fighting spirit was high.

"Xu Wuyi." Lei Lie spotted him behind the lava rock cover from afar, waved, and strode over. "Nice work! You really stole the show this time!"

He walked closer, glanced at the heart-pounding membrane of light from the fissure not far away, then looked at the simple defensive position Xu Wuyi had set up. A look of approval crossed his scarred face. "Very solid."

"Senior Lei." Xu Wuyi stood up and nodded in acknowledgment.

"None of that ’Senior’ business, it sounds weird. Just call me Old Lei." Lei Lie waved a hand dismissively, then his expression turned serious. "Major Zhao told us to get a situation report from you when we arrived. So? Anything new to report on your end?"

Xu Wuyi quickly relayed the detailed location where he had found the signs of human activity, and described the subsequent lack of any new developments.

After listening, Lei Lie stroked the stubble on his chin, a vicious glint in his eyes. "Cowardly rats, hiding in the shadows... If I ever get my hands on them, I’ll twist their heads off and kick ’em around like a ball!"

Just then, Luo Geng’s figure appeared on the other side of K7 High Ground as silently as a ghost.

He still had that ordinary appearance, but the scabbard of the straight saber on his back now bore a few fresh scratches.

He didn’t approach, merely nodding to Xu Wuyi and Lei Lie from a distance. Then he found a spot for himself, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest, but it was clear that he had extended his senses to monitor the area.

About twenty minutes later, the other two two-person squads also arrived at K7 one after another. Every one of them was wounded, their expressions exhausted but tense.

Seeing Lei Lie’s squad and Xu Wuyi, who had arrived earlier, they visibly sighed in relief. However, they didn’t dare to relax completely, quickly taking up positions to rest and stand guard.

At this point, of the six teams that had accepted the mission, five had assembled at the K7 rendezvous point. The only exception was Xu Wuyi, who was already positioned far ahead at the edge of the fissure.

No one spoke. There was only the sound of heavy breathing and the low hum of the combat suits’ filtration systems.

The air was filled with the smell of burnt flesh, blood, and the faint scent of radioactive dust.

Lei Lie leaned against a waist-high piece of charred rock, pulled an Energy Elixir from a tactical pouch on his belt, bit open the stopper, and chugged it down.

The dark green liquid trickled down from the corner of his mouth, mixing with his sweat and dirt.

He wiped his mouth casually and looked in Xu Wuyi’s direction.

The young man had sat down again, his back against a rock and his eyes slightly closed as if he were resting.

But Lei Lie could feel that the other man’s Spiritual Perception was like an invisible spiderweb, still covering a radius of nearly a hundred meters around them.

’A monster,’ Lei Lie muttered to himself, though his expression remained neutral.

Luo Geng sat further away, the sheathed straight saber resting across his knees.

His breathing was so light it was almost inaudible, and his entire being seemed to have merged with the shadows of the scorched earth.

The Martial Artists from the other two-person squads were either treating their wounds or checking their equipment. Occasionally, someone would glance toward the fissure, their eyes still filled with vigilance.

Time passed in silence.

About ten minutes later, their personal terminals vibrated simultaneously.

"Attention all Martial Artists. Military support units have arrived at the perimeter of the target area. Thank you for your hard work."

It was Zhao Zhen’s voice, coming through the area communication channel.

"Based on the base station network you deployed and the real-time combat data you shared, Command has locked onto the life signal coordinates of all remaining Star Beasts. From this point on, the military will conduct a targeted sweep."

"Your mission is now complete. Please hold your position at K7 and await further instructions."

A few soft sighs of relief could be heard over the channel.

The frayed nerves could finally relax a little.

Xu Wuyi opened his eyes and looked at his terminal screen.

On the map, the green dots representing friendly forces were still clustered at K7. Meanwhile, at the perimeter of the area, dozens of blue dots were moving rapidly, advancing inward in a fan formation.

Those were the military’s cleanup crews.