Almost the instant the blue dot of light entered the area—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of deep explosions echoed from the distance. It wasn’t the devastating roar of missiles, but something more precise—a dense barrage of targeted demolitions.

Flashes of fire lit up various spots on the scorched earth, accompanied by the dying shrieks of Star Beasts, and then quickly faded.

In Xu Wuyi’s Spiritual Perception, the life signatures scattered across the area, some strong and some weak, were vanishing at an astonishing rate.

Clean, decisive, and efficient.

This was the power of the regular army.

There was no need for Martial Artists to charge in and fight for their lives one by one. By relying on advanced detection systems and long-range firepower, they could complete the cleanup in the shortest time possible.

Of course, this was all on the premise that someone had already laid out the "eyes"—the signal base stations.

Otherwise, a full-coverage strike would have caused irreversible damage to the environment, and the land would take a very long time to recover.

"Damn efficient," Lei Lie remarked, grinning as he heard the explosions. "A lot faster than us hacking them down one by one."

A team member beside him gave a wry smile. "Of course. We’re the blades, they’re the guns. No matter how fast a blade is, it can’t compare to a gun’s range and suppressive fire."

Another team member looked toward Xu Wuyi and said in a low voice, "If he hadn’t pushed forward so quickly and set up all the base stations, the military couldn’t have locked onto the targets this fast."

Lei Lie didn’t reply, simply glancing in Xu Wuyi’s direction again.

’This young man’s contribution to the mission truly exceeded all expectations.’

The explosions continued for about twenty minutes, gradually becoming sparser before stopping completely.

The regional communication channel crackled to life again.

"Cleanup complete. All confirmed Star Beast life signals within the area have been eliminated. I repeat, cleanup complete."

"All squads, please evacuate in an orderly fashion from the designated exits. Transport vehicles will be waiting at the perimeter."

"Mission merits and additional combat contributions will be calculated and distributed upon your return to base."

Zhao Zhen paused for a moment, his tone softening slightly.

"Thank you for your efforts. You all did well."

The communication ended.

Xu Wuyi stood up, stretching his slightly stiff limbs.

After the continuous high-intensity combat and vigilance, even with his current physique, he felt a distinct exhaustion.

It wasn’t physical, but more of a mental strain.

’Now, I can finally relax.’

Lei Lie also got to his feet and waved to the others. "Let’s go, let’s go! Back to base to collect our merits and have a drink!"

The atmosphere finally lightened up.

Everyone began to head for the perimeter, following the evacuation route indicated on their terminals.

Xu Wuyi walked in the middle of the group, with Luo Geng following silently a short distance behind and to his side.

Looking back, the dark red membrane of light from the rift still twisted and seethed at the edge of his vision.

But now, more military vehicles and engineering equipment were converging on it from different directions.

The framework for an Energy stabilization tower was already being erected, and large protective force field generators were being deployed.

’Next up is repairing the rift and decontaminating the environment. That’s a job for the military and the specialists.’

’As for those man-made traces...’

Xu Wuyi retracted his gaze.

Just as Zhao Zhen had said, it was no longer something they needed to be involved in.

Reporting it and thoroughly investigating it was the responsibility of the higher-ups.

He only hoped that the shadows lurking in the dark could be rooted out as soon as possible.

...

The evacuation went smoothly.

At the perimeter cordon, several military transport vehicles were already waiting.

Xu Wuyi and the others boarded. The transports started up, carrying them away from the scorched land.

The view outside the window changed from a scene of devastation to a desolate Gobi Desert, and finally to sparse vegetation and a paved road.

Two hours later, the transport returned to the temporary command base they had departed from.

The base was much busier than when they had left, with many more vehicles and personnel. The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant and Energy.

Everyone disembarked and was guided to the front of a large tent.

Zhao Zhen was already waiting there.

He had changed into a clean duty uniform, but he couldn’t hide the exhaustion on his face. He nodded upon seeing the group.

"The mission report has been submitted. The calculation of everyone’s merits and combat contributions is complete."

He motioned to a civilian officer beside him, who distributed electronic credentials to everyone.

Xu Wuyi took his terminal, and the screen lit up.

[Mission Code: LK-4472 (Rift Exploration/Cleanup)]

[Status: Complete]

[Base Reward Points: 2000]

[Bonus Combat Contribution Points: 1217]

[Total Points: 3217]

[Note: Bonus combat contributions include...]

3,217 points.

It was a little more than he had expected.

A flash of satisfaction appeared in Xu Wuyi’s eyes.

The gains from this trip had far exceeded his expectations.

Lei Lie whistled from the side. "Whoa, not bad."

He glanced at his own terminal and grinned, clearly pleased with the merits he had received.

Luo Geng stared silently at his own numbers, his expression unchanging, but he gently clenched his fist.

The Martial Artists from the other two squads, although they knew their rewards couldn’t compare to Xu Wuyi’s trio, still received a generous amount and had smiles on their faces.

Isn’t risking life and limb all for the sake of resources and advancement?

"The merits have already been transferred to your accounts at the Martial Artists Association or your respective academies," Zhao Zhen said. "If you have any disputes regarding the calculations later, you can file an appeal using the mission code."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the group, lingering on Xu Wuyi’s face for an extra moment.

"Everyone performed exceptionally on this mission. In particular, the early work of deploying the base stations and conducting reconnaissance laid the foundation for the subsequent operation."

"Regarding... the discovery at the edge of the rift," he lowered his voice slightly, "it has been reported as classified information. There may be follow-ups, but for now, it no longer concerns any of you. After you leave, please do not discuss the details with outsiders."

Everyone nodded.

They were all veterans; they knew the rules.

"Alright, you’re all dismissed to rest. The base will provide temporary barracks and meals. The transport plane back to Yuntai City is scheduled for nine o’clock tomorrow morning."

After speaking, Zhao Zhen saluted and turned to leave.

The group dispersed, each heading off to find a place to rest.

Xu Wuyi walked into the temporary barracks assigned to him.

It was simple—a cot, a table, and a chair—but it was clean enough.

He took off his damaged combat suit and checked his injuries.

They were mostly minor burns and scrapes, which were already no big deal thanks to the self-healing ability of the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace.

After a quick shower and changing into a spare set of casual clothes, Xu Wuyi felt much more refreshed.

He didn’t rest immediately. Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled up his personal data panel.

[Life Energy Level: 34.8]

[Spiritual Strength: 36.9]

[Current Points: 5359]

He had 2,142 points remaining before, and adding the 3,217 from this mission brought his total to 5,359.

A huge sum.

It was enough to support his training for some time, and he could even exchange it for some high-level resources he couldn’t afford before.

But Xu Wuyi didn’t let himself get carried away by optimism.