Yuan Ming frowned in thought. "But how do we destroy the building? A shipyard must be quite large. We probably can’t take it down in a short amount of time."

Jia Liangcai smiled faintly. "You’re thinking about it the wrong way. We only need to kill the shipyard’s Lord of the Homeland. If the Lord dies, their Home is destroyed, and the building will vanish on its own."

"Holy shit, you’re right." Yuan Ming clenched his fist.

Most of the people present were Lords of the Homeland. Hearing Jia Liangcai’s words, a chill shot up many of their spines.

’If we clash with other Gated Communities in the future, won’t we Lords of the Homeland be the primary targets?’

’Because once the Lord of the Homeland is dead, everything in their Home vanishes.’

At this thought, everyone looked at Qin Ziwen in unison.

"What are you looking at me for?"

"Leader, how about you pull back as soon as you open the Node?"

"Yeah, our Gated Community can do without a lot of things, but we can’t do without you."

"Anyone in our Gated Community can die, besides you, and we’ll keep going. But if you... we’ll be sent straight back to the stone age."

Du Yu clasped his fists and volunteered for battle. "My Lord, please entrust tonight’s main assault to me."

"Enough. I value my life more than any of you. Except for Du Yu, ten of you combined would be no match for me," Qin Ziwen said. Since gaining his ability from the Beaked Eagle, he could perceive air currents, making a sneak attack practically impossible. Besides, he could open a Node back to his Home at any time. He had multiple layers of security prepared.

"If the worst happens, I’ll immediately open another Node for us to retreat directly back to our Home." Qin Ziwen looked at Jia Liangcai. "You will lead another team and guard our Home. If we have to fall back and the enemy dares to pursue, you are responsible for holding them off."

"Yes."

...

On an open field in the Home, eighty hand-picked, able-bodied men stood in formation, shoulder to shoulder.

All eyes were on Qin Ziwen.

This group was the elite of their Home. Every one of them had physical attributes that reached the Three Stars level.

"Gear up."

At his command, a rustle of Leather Armor filled the air as the men efficiently donned their armor, fastened straps, and put on their helms.

The ten men at the front, including Cao Biansheng, silently donned their Zha Armor.

Iron plates scraped and clanged. As the Iron Armor enveloped them and their visors fell shut, the ten men’s silhouettes became imposing and grim.

"Take your spears."

The men in the rear ranks stepped forward one by one, picking up the pre-prepared Long Spears and slinging shortswords at their waists.

Once everyone was clad in Armor and armed, a grim, murderous air descended upon the open field.

A dense forest of metal spear tips pointed toward the sky.

Most of them had been trained in the Martial Arts Arena. The few who hadn’t were still seasoned fighters who could learn by example.

Qin Ziwen gazed at the eighty men before him, a fire swelling in his chest.

He raised his right hand, and the field instantly fell silent.

"Is everyone clear on tonight’s mission?"

"CLEAR!" The response thundered, full of vigor.

Qin Ziwen had prepared a few words, but as he was about to speak, he felt they were unnecessary.

His gaze swept over the faces below. He’d known some of them since the first map, others had joined on the last, and a few were promising transfers from the Student Union.

"Eighty men out, eighty men back."

"Win this fight, and I’ll throw a feast in your honor!"

"Wait here for me. The moment the Node opens, we move out!"

Qin Ziwen vaulted onto the Beaked Eagle’s back.

The night was thick as ink. With a single beat of its wings, the Beaked Eagle became a black shadow, shooting high into the air and vanishing behind the clouds in an instant.

After Qin Ziwen departed, Jia Liangcai gave Qin Ziwu a meaningful look.

Qin Ziwu took two steps forward, a ruthless glint in his eye. "There can only be one winner in this war. If we don’t strike, they will. The advantage goes to the one who strikes first. When we’re in the thick of it, I don’t want to see any bleeding hearts. If you can’t bring yourself to kill, you’ll be dragging everyone around you down with you."

Cao Biansheng stepped forward and cursed, "What kind of fucking bullshit is that? Look at you, trying to act tough. We’ll see who kills more in a bit. Only one Gated Community is moving on from this. If we don’t get them, they’re sure as hell ready to get us."

On the opposite Island, by the beach and behind a line of trees, four men huddled in the shadows.

They rubbed their hands together, blowing on them to keep warm.

The Island was chilly at night.

"They won’t even let us make a fire. I’m freezing to death out here. Should’ve worn an extra layer."

"Ah, Brother Long is just being paranoid. Worried they might launch a sneak attack at night? That giant thing in the sea isn’t just for show. There’s no way they could get across."

"Exactly. It’s pitch black out. Anyone who dares to take a boat out is just asking to be fish food."

"Alright, you two are the ones full of crap. It’s just one night on watch. If you don’t want to do it, plenty of others will. Can’t three pounds of meat for one night’s work shut you up? If you’re not willing, I’ll go find a replacement."

"Heh heh, I was just running my mouth..."

"Running your mouth? If Brother Long hears you, you’ll have hell to pay."

The one who had been complaining fell silent for a long moment, then suddenly asked, "Hey, for real, once we’ve dealt with those sons of bitches on the other side, what are you hoping to score?"

Someone next to him said, "Food, drink, supplies... I’ll grab whatever I can."

"Is that all you can think of?"

"By the way, can’t our two sides negotiate?"

"Negotiate my ass. Stop dreaming. What’s that saying? ’What you can’t win on the battlefield, you won’t get at the negotiating table.’ If you can’t beat them into submission, you think you can talk them into it?"

As the men talked beneath the trees, a dark shadow passed silently overhead.

At night, several large braziers were lit around the perimeter of the Urban Village and its buildings, dispelling the darkness in the immediate area.

A flicker of surprise crossed Qin Ziwen’s eyes. ’Looks like they have some capable people here.’

’They’re surprisingly cautious.’

After circling overhead once, the Beaked Eagle descended toward a nearby hill at Qin Ziwen’s command.

Suddenly, the Beaked Eagle accelerated, diving downward.

Qin Ziwen was almost caught off guard.

A scream from below made him realize that a scout hiding in the woods had been spotted.

The Beaked Eagle sank its talons directly into the man’s head and lifted him into the air.

Then it slammed him to the ground. Pierced by its four talons, his head was crushed like a watermelon. He was dead instantly.

Qin Ziwen jumped down. It was a man. The hilltop had been empty during the day, but now there was someone here at night.

After a moment’s thought, he guessed his actions during the day must have put some people on alert.

The man was holding a lighter. On the ground next to him was a brazier filled with flammable materials.

’He must have been preparing to light it at a critical moment to send a smoke signal to the people below.’

He just hadn’t counted on the Beaked Eagle reacting so quickly, giving him no time to light it.

Qin Ziwen climbed a nearby tree, took out his telescope, and surveyed the Urban Village below.

The Giant Wood Shipyard, which had been operating during the day, was now idle.

From above, he could only make out an open-air courtyard.

The shipyard was located in a small courtyard near the center of the Urban Village. ’The owner of this building must hold a high rank within the Urban Village,’ he thought.

’In any Gated Community, the ones who own Advanced Buildings are usually among the top-ranked members.’

’So the shipyard’s owner must be a high-ranking member of the Urban Village’s Jianghu Association, or perhaps even their Leader.’

Putting himself in the owner’s shoes, he figured that if he were the Lord of the Homeland, he too would feel safest inside his own Home.

’Perhaps that’s why the shipyard closes down at night, to keep any outsiders away.’

’But they seem prepared tonight. I wonder if the owner has moved to a different location.’

As Qin Ziwen mused, his gaze fell on a small, three-story building diagonally across from the courtyard.

The Heavy Crossbow he had spotted during the day was mounted in a room in that building, aimed directly at the shipyard’s main gate.

After a moment’s thought, Qin Ziwen decided against making things too complicated. ’I’m no master tactician. It’s best not to overcomplicate a simple mission. The more steps, the more chances for something to go wrong.’

’This is a decapitation strike, not a full-blown assault.’

’I’ll head over to that courtyard first and open the Node. At the same time, I’ll dispatch a small team to seize the Heavy Crossbow in the building across the way. The rest of the men and I will charge straight in. Once we take out the target, we’ll retreat back to our Home through the Node.’

...

...