Chapter 58: The Third Line of Defense

Just as everyone had nothing left to say to Xiang Nan but envy, jealousy, and resentment, Lu Ming, though shocked, could not help but continue to question, “He only has the cultivation of Tier Two, Three Stars—he doesn’t even meet the selection threshold! Letting him join the volunteer squad is blatant cheating!”

This time, before Li Mu could speak, the recruiting officer beside him stepped forward.

“Our Longyuan Army fights for the Nine Provinces against monsters with true ability. As long as someone is capable, what’s wrong with promoting them regardless of convention? Students, is there anyone here who thinks they can defeat Xiang Nan? Even if your cultivation is below the required level, we’ll still take you!”

With those words, silence fell over the crowd. The monstrous strength Xiang Nan displayed had left everyone intimidated. Even those already recruited as volunteers dared not utter a single objection.

Lu Ming, unwilling to accept this, tried to argue further. Li Mu quickly stepped forward and called out loudly to the students below:

“Classmates, outside the city, the tide of beasts surges endlessly, battering our defenses. Time is running out. If you have courage and ambition, go pour your passion onto the battlefield!”

“Longyuan Army! Longyuan Army! Longyuan Army!” The crowd below was filled with fervor, united in purpose.

Moments later, this batch of selected volunteers, led by Li Mu, boarded helicopters and flew directly to the eastern border.

Eastern Border Zone, Command Center.

The Lone Wolf watched and directed the war from several surveillance screens.

Suddenly—

“Wailing sirens blared outside, shrill and urgent.”

Lone Wolf’s brows furrowed as he turned to one of the monitors.

A high-level monster had appeared in Section B—the frontline’s combat strength could no longer hold.

Without hesitation, Lone Wolf gripped his submachine gun and rushed out.

On the other side, Li Mu had arrived at the defense zone with the new reinforcements.

This place was a world apart from the school.

The peace within the city only served to highlight the brutality before their eyes.

Every line of defense was a frenzy of activity. In the sky, helicopters hovered and thundered, their rotors roaring. Artillery shells were launched from combat bays above, raining down below. The rumble of explosions, the staccato of machine gun fire, and even the clash of hand-to-hand combat all intertwined.

Wave after wave of soldiers, fully armed, charged up the fortifications. Fewer returned each time, many bearing wounds; lightly injured tidied their weapons and pressed onward, while the severely injured were carried off for treatment.

For all the students experiencing the battlefield for the first time, the scene was overwhelming—including Xiang Nan.

The stability of the Nine Provinces was built upon the flesh and blood of these soldiers.

Watching the wounded, Xiang Nan instinctively thought of something. He reached into his storage space. In the next instant, a large bundle of medicinal plasters, a substantial jar of trauma wine, and a hefty bag of healing powder appeared abruptly on the ground.

Li Mu had long known Xiang Nan possessed a storage space. Seeing so many quality medicines, a rare smile broke through his serious expression.

“I thank you on behalf of the injured soldiers!”

“No need. You guard the Nine Provinces—this support is the least I can do.”

He then took out a handful of Resurrection Grass and handed it to Li Mu.

“These spirit herbs have the power to bring the dead back to life. I don’t have many, but keep them for emergencies.”

As soon as he finished, a system notification sounded in his mind.

“Ding! Righteousness before all, the heart of a benevolent healer—aligned with Zhang Sanfeng’s Dao, compatibility +2%.”

Xiang Nan’s eyes lit up. Good deeds truly bring rewards!

Li Mu took the Resurrection Grass and examined the small herbs. Though the notion of reviving the dead seemed absurd, he knew Xiang Nan would not deceive him. Besides, the medicinal plasters, wine, and powders were all extraordinary.

He gave Xiang Nan a grateful look and said no more. Some gratitude is too heavy to express.

Meanwhile, others watched in disbelief as Xiang Nan produced items from thin air.

“Awakened a storage space during atavism—just something that happens,” Xiang Nan explained lightly.

Who could truly understand? Who else had awakened such a thing? Why was Xiang Nan, an atavist like the rest, so exceptional? Not only was his bloodline absurdly powerful, he had somehow acquired a space ability as well!

Though it didn’t seem to have offensive or defensive properties, its usefulness was unrivaled.

Even Lu Yu, who always prided himself as a favored son of heaven, felt a twinge of jealousy.

“Commander Li, where should we go to assist?” a student timely changed the topic, eager to get to the battlefield.

At that moment, the first-level combat sirens blared, and Li Mu knew not a second could be wasted.

“All volunteers, follow me to the second armory for equipment. You are to defend the third line.”

“The third line?” Xiang Nan asked as they moved.

Li Mu raised his voice, briefing the students on the basics of the battlefield.

“Our defenses are divided into three tiers. The first line is the outermost, the third is the innermost. Since most of you are first-time combatants, your safety cannot be ignored.”

“After all the trouble we went through to get here, isn’t it to slay monsters? Hide in the inner circle? Whoever wants to hide can do so—I, Lu Ming, won’t be a coward,” Lu Ming declared.

Spurred by Lu Ming, everyone became excited.

“Yes! We want to face the monsters head-on!”

“We won’t return until we kill the beast leader!”

“Let us fight on the first line!”

Li Mu nodded gravely. “That’s good spirit—but you lack combat experience. Charging the first line would only make you cannon fodder! Besides, who says the third line is safe? Who says there aren’t monsters? Hold your positions—that’s your task!”

His military authority silenced them; no one persisted further.

They began selecting their equipment.

At times like this, Xiang Nan’s storage space was a source of envy.

On the battlefield, everyone needed to be fully armed, choosing the best cold and energy weapons.

They picked and repicked.

But Xiang Nan had no such concerns.

Submachine gun? Good—into the space.

Rocket launcher? Not bad—into the space.

Wolf-tooth mace? Sounds intimidating—into the space.

Whatever caught his eye, he tossed straight into his storage space without hesitation.

Only children make choices; adults want everything.

Such audacity—who could not envy, who could not be jealous to the point of aching teeth?

Equipment selected, the students quickly made their way to the third defense line.

Due to the dire situation, the battlefield was chaotic in every direction. Li Mu pointed out the location of the third line, handed them over to another officer, and hurried off.