"Now!"
Murong Feiyue's body flashed sideways like lightning, and in an instant, she rushed onto the head of the Kui Jia mother beast. Her right arm rapidly charged up, and with a "chirp," her arc sword extended to nearly 30 meters, exceeding the data limit of the Xi He class. This was also the benefit of her being a Star Shepherd; the combat power she could unleash with the same armor was far superior to ordinary people.
The arc sword swept across, directly severing the mother beast's right eye. Immediately, flesh and blood churned, and various organic substances gushed out. Following that, Murong Feiyue raised her left hand and unleashed a magnetic cannon blast. In a mere instant, the Kui Jia mother beast's entire right eye exploded.
Ning Yu and the other special forces team members attacked in succession, and arcs of sword energy and magnetic cannon fire landed on the mother beast's body, but it was like scratching an itch.
"Hum--"
Amidst the Kui Jia mother beast's furious roar, sharp spikes shot out from the seabed.
"Careful, shields!"
Murong Feiyue hurriedly deployed the Xi He class shield. Instantly, the shield crackled, but more than ten special forces members activated their shields too late. Their armor was directly pierced by the spikes; the Emperor Flame class armor alone could no longer withstand the sea beast's life energy spikes.
Just then, swish, swish, swish, numerous auxiliary arms of the mother beast, covered in barbs, surged out of the sea, sweeping towards Murong Feiyue and the others. They were like flies being swatted, and in a blink of an eye, more than ten special forces members were sent flying. Murong Feiyue, however, blocked with her arc sword, slicing through two of the mother beast's arms. But even with a hundred eyes, she missed one, and the third arm struck her back.
"General, be careful!"
A young special forces member cried out in alarm.
Murong Feiyue looked and was also startled. The sac on the mother beast's head had opened, and with a "puff," it sprayed a torrent of venom. Murong Feiyue was caught in the direct path. The moment her body was corroded by the venom, the external structure of the Xi He class began to melt, and even Murong Feiyue's entire right arm was continuously melting.
"This is bad!"
Ning Yu quickly swooped in, catching one of Murong Feiyue's arms. Looking at her half-corroded body, she was already severely damaged.
"Retreat!"
Ning Yu gave the order. The Xi He class combat armor's flight system was fully engaged, and she carried Murong Feiyue, flying rapidly close to the water surface. The remaining surviving special forces members also withdrew from the battlefield. No one wanted to continue to provoke the unkillable Kui Jia mother beast.
"Ning Yu!"
Murong Feiyue endured the intense pain and turned to look at the situation on the distant sea. The Kui Jia mother beast was still tearing at the 60,000-ton flagship, seeming to harbor immense hatred for it. She frowned, "When everyone is ten miles away, immediately detonate the flagship's reactor."
"Yes!"
In the air, a large number of fighter jets retreated. The human army had completely abandoned the expensive flagship.
Shortly after, a blinding light erupted from the depths of the East Sea, and the flagship's reactor exploded. A mushroom cloud lingered over the sea for a long time, followed by a shockwave that sent Murong Feiyue, Ning Yu, and the others tumbling in the air.
"Leave drones to continue reconnaissance. All other units, return to base."
Murong Feiyue ordered softly, then lost consciousness.
...
Sea Fortress Base.
By the time Murong Feiyue woke up, it was already morning. She lay in the treatment pod, looking down. Her entire body was immersed in nutrient fluid. Her entire right arm was severely corroded, and a portion of her waist had also been corroded for about five minutes. This made Murong Feiyue feel a pang of heartache.
She was a Star Shepherd, it was true, but not a complete cyborg. Only parts of her limbs had been modified, and parts of her brain upgraded. That portion of her waist was her real flesh and blood; it was truly gone, one piece less.
Beside her, a woman in a white coat held a control panel and smiled as she looked at the data. "Awake?"
"Mm."
Murong Feiyue frowned and asked, "Lulu, my injuries?"
"It's nothing serious."
Lulu, Murong Feiyue's personal healer, was very familiar with her physical structure. "It's okay, the problem isn't too big. Your body's auxiliary regeneration system is repairing the corroded tissues. It'll be fine in a while. Just rest well these days."
"Mm, thanks."
"No need to be polite, this is my job."
Lulu smiled. "Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll leave first. Ning Yu is waiting outside to report to you."
"Mm."
After Lulu left, Ning Yu rushed in with a flurry. She gave Murong Feiyue a military salute. "You're finally awake! Everyone's been waiting for you. If you hadn't woken up soon, Commander Chen Cong would have directly taken command of our Seventh Legion."
"Tell me the situation." Murong Feiyue said.
"Mm."
Ning Yu said gravely, "Things have exceeded our expectations. Despite suffering such a heavy blow and being near the reactor's nuclear explosion, the Kui Jia mother beast is still not dead. It's severely injured, and its energy level has decreased slightly, but it's still terrifying. Moreover, due to its injuries, it's in a furious state and is rapidly swimming towards the base. Following behind it are at least 5-10 waves of sea beasts. It seems it wants to devour our base in one go."
"Damn it!"
Murong Feiyue couldn't help but curse. She quickly got out of the treatment pod, disconnecting the tubes. "We can't just wait to die, but in the current situation, it's unlikely we can directly obliterate this Kui Jia mother beast head-on."
"Then what should we do?" Ning Yu asked, frowning.
"We'll retreat and fight, fighting until the Kui Jia mother beast's energy level drops to A-class," Murong Feiyue said calmly. "Order all personnel, except those in defensive positions, to evacuate the base and return to the shore base. Furthermore, send people to man the four heavy railguns deployed around the base. Even if the Kui Jia mother beast tries to land, it'll lose a layer of skin."
"Yes!"
Ning Yu went to make arrangements, while Murong Feiyue put on a new major general's uniform and contacted her superior, Chen Cong. She said solemnly, "The Kui Jia mother beast is about to attack my Base 1, followed by nearly ten waves of sea beasts. Their momentum is fierce. I've already decided to abandon the base. Commander, please have the troops in the Yangtze River Delta prepare to take over. That area has the most population, and the mother beast will definitely head towards large cities like Xicheng, Sucheng, and Ningcheng."
"Understood."
Chen Cong frowned. "I heard you were injured. Are you alright?"
"I won't die."
Murong Feiyue smiled faintly. "I've disappointed you, Commander. I couldn't intercept and kill the mother beast in the deep sea, and now I have to involve the coastal cities."
"How can it be your fault?"
Chen Cong said gravely, "You managed to heavily wound an S-class mother beast. This achievement alone is enough for our Second War Zone to brag about for ten to eight years. Rest well now. The remaining matters will be handled by Chen Boyu, Lu Ling, and their defense zones. Oh, there's one more thing."
"What is it?"
"The news that the Kui Jia mother beast is about to attack the mainland with sea beast tides must be strictly controlled. Otherwise, if panic breaks out, the trouble will be even greater, and it will be difficult for the superiors to save face."
"Is that appropriate?"
Murong Feiyue frowned. "Actually, I think it would be better to warn the residents of Xicheng, Sucheng, and Ningcheng earlier, so they can evacuate sooner. If we can control the sea beast tides, we can just come back."
"This is a major issue, and it's not as simple as you think."
Chen Cong said, "In any case, just obey orders."
"Yes, Commander!"
Murong Feiyue frowned and turned off the communicator. Although she had reservations, there was nothing she could do. Obeying orders was the duty of a soldier. Immediately, she initiated a call to Lin Zhao.
...
In the early morning, Lin Zhao had just woken up and was leaning against his bed. Outside, the spring rain was still falling.
"Sister?"
Lin Zhao looked at Murong Feiyue and smiled. "Is the matter in the East Sea over?"
"..."
Murong Feiyue hesitated, wanting to tell Lin Zhao the truth. But her call was definitely being monitored, and she could say anything except for military secrets. She could only smile and say, "Mm, it's temporarily over."
"Are you not injured?" Lin Zhao asked with a frown.
"I am injured, but not seriously."
Murong Feiyue raised her hand, revealing her metal arm, which was nearly half corroded. The skin and blood vessels on the surface had already melted.
"Sister..."
Lin Zhao knew Murong Feiyue's identity as a Star Shepherd, but he had never seen his sister's arm like this. He couldn't help but feel heartbroken. "Does it hurt a lot?"
"A little, but I can bear it."
Murong Feiyue smiled faintly. "Little Zhao, your sister is a soldier, of course, she can endure this pain. Don't worry. It's been unstable in the East China Sea lately with frequent sea beast tides, so you must be extra careful. Leave a Cloud Shadow class transport in front of the studio. If necessary, you can use it to take everyone to a safe place."
"I know. I've already arranged it."
"Good."
Murong Feiyue nodded with a smile. "I still have a lot to do here, so I won't talk to you for now."
"Okay."
...
Lin Zhao finally felt relieved, so he got up and, as usual, had breakfast with Wang Ju and Xiao Juzi, and then took Xiao Juzi to school. For a time, being sent to school by a Cloud Shadow class vertical take-off and landing transport that ordinary people couldn't imagine, Xiao Juzi became the envy of other children at school.
At the base, Lin Zhao continued to fly the Chi You class with Huo Dao, step by step familiarizing himself with the Chi You class's control techniques and various performance parameters. While familiarizing himself with the Chi You class, he also learned to operate various weapon systems, from the light railguns mounted on the battleship to the rapid-fire pistols that Feiyue transported to the pilots.
The entire day was spent either studying or on the way to study.
To be honest, being pinned under Mount Wu Wang had been immensely beneficial to the real-life Lin Zhao. He was almost reborn, becoming more motivated and far-sighted. This was also the change brought about by the game "Tian Xia." In fact, when Lin Zhao progressed through the storylines in "Tian Xia," he was also tempering his personality and state of mind. A person who could endure humiliation and plan deeply in a game, how could he be bad in reality?
His ability to create Feiyue Transport and operate it so well already spoke volumes.
A year ago, Lin Zhao, besides riding motorcycles and chasing girls, had no such capabilities.