First Wave

Chapter 30 First Wave

Soon everyone in the team took their position.

As a veteran in marksmanship, each of them had sharp eyes. Combined with the technological aid from their magic rifle, it didn't take long for them to see the approaching Vulcan Eagles.

Seeing their eager eyes, Captain Vlad immediately whispered in their communication line.

"Hold on. Wait until the four of us ambush their elites first. Meanwhile, those of you at Mortal Level 3, capitalize on your numerical advantage to take out the level 1 and 2 Vulcan Eagles when we launch our initial attack."

"After that, revert to our original plan. And Dark Eyes, keep an eye on our surroundings for that beast king."

Soon, the red-feathered eagles came into clear view through their optical scopes. Even the fierce look on these eagles could be seen. They showed their aggressive stance bordering berserk.

At this time, a voice was heard from the communication line. It was Dark Eyes.

"Captain, I've visual confirmation. The approaching Vulcan Eagles match the reported count, totaling 134. No sign of a beast king among them yet," reported Dark Eyes.

"Understood. Maintain vigilance. Without a Beast King leading them, they can't coordinate a high-level attack. There should be one hiding somewhere," Vlad replied.

"Roger," Dark Eyes acknowledged, noting his orders.

-

Simultaneously, the base's command center's monitoring was also observing the approaching Vulcan Eagles.

Everyone knew this attack would signal that the beast tide battle officially commenced.

Lt. Colonel Gran and everyone in the command center were well-informed about the battlefield's dynamics. Thus. they too shared the same suspicions as Captain Vlad.

However, despite having the latest advanced radar, upgraded with various recent technological breakthroughs, and equipped with magical artifact relics, they couldn't detect the presence of a Vulcan Eagles Beast King within its range.

The situation was highly unusual.

After deliberating about it, he gave out an instruction. "Get in touch with Captain Zhang for assistance in locating and neutralizing the Vulcan Eagles Beast King. We can't afford to be constantly on guard against aerial attacks from a Beast King while we confront the approaching ground beast horde."

"Yes, sir."

-

Not far from the base. On a nearby mountain.

Several individuals concealed themselves within a small aperture near the summit.

The crevice provided enough space for them to stand upright without risking detection, sparing them the need to crawl. With their helmets' AR displays, they could observe the distant approach of the Vulcan Eagles while simultaneously monitoring the battlefield map.

As a special detachment tasked to deal with beast kings especially, they were already on the lookout for the possible appearance of the Vulcan Eagle beast king.

In the initial report, there was no mention of the Vulcan Eagle beast king energy signal being detected. But considering the current composition of these eagles, they too knew there should be at least one beast king-level Vulcan Eagle.

At this moment, Captain Zhang's AR display flashed with an incoming call notification. While confused, he promptly checked the caller's ID.

He couldn't help but wonder why the base was reaching out to him directly, especially when they were supposed to be maintaining radio silence.

With recent advancements in communication technology, they weren't worried about being eavesdropped on by others. It was unlikely that the beasts could even understand the intercepted communications.

However, conventional army rules were still being followed—not for confidentiality, but to avoid one's location being traced from the energy signal.

Like many technologies nowadays infused with Aura Qi for everyday use, communication devices rely on Aura Qi to function. Therefore, during communication, an increase in Aura Qi energy signal could potentially expose their location.

This was especially dangerous when they were dealing with beast kings who have high levels and are highly sensitive to Aura Qi fluctuation.

When they entered radio silence, protocol dictated that others should refrain from contacting those under radio silence unless it was an emergency.

After connecting the call, he heard Lt. Colonel Gran, the base's commander, voice.

Hearing the words from the other side, he quietly whispered, "Yes, sir...

Yes, we are already aware of the situation. We are already monitoring the surroundings for any signs of the beast king...

I understand. But may I state my worry?...

Yes, sir. What I'm worried about is that the number of beast kings is more than two. If there are three or more beast kings, we would not be able to promptly respond given our distance."

On the side, Ren Ya quietly listened while keeping watch of the tactical changes in the beasts' movement. From the fragments of words he caught from Captain Zhang's conversation, he gathered that the base was also concerned about the unaccounted beast king.

"Yes, sir. I understand. We'll continue keeping watch. Please inform Captain Vlad's team that we'll do our utmost to ensure the beast king-level Vulcan Eagles do not disrupt their battle. Roger and out." After assuring the commander, the communication was immediately cut.

Then Captain Zhang nodded to Ren Ya while briefly mentioning the commander's worry. Since they were also concerned about the same thing, there was nothing much to discuss since their battle plan was already in place.

They continue to silently watch the battle change.

-

Near the peak of another mountain, Captain's Vlad team was ready to take action.

On the side, Selena had begun preparing her rifle. She skillfully crafted ice bullets within her custom rifle. These bullets with their intricately designed, feature silent, sharp, and hypersonic speed.

With her seasoned skill, she could accurately strike targets from up to 1km away.

The only regret was that her specialization was in handling daggers and ice arrows rather than sniping.

Thorne and Lyra were also preparing their rifles. However, instead of condensing customized bullets like Selena, they used the customized bullets supplied by the army meant to deal with awakened beasts.

They simply needed to infuse Aura Qi into the specially designed magazine. As the Aura Qi fused with the bullets inside, pulling the trigger would shoot the Aura Qi-infused bullet toward its target.

So, the damage it carries depends on the amount of Aura Qi infused within the bullet. Thorne and Lyra, being Mortal Level 5, could potentially kill a Mortal Level 7 beast with their attack if shot properly. However, there's an effective distance limit for this shot to kill said beast.

Therefore, to effectively utilize the element of surprise in their attack, Captain Vlad needed to ensure that their target had entered the effective distance before taking the shot.

"Remember, we take down the furthest beasts first. This prevents them from fleeing and adds to the chaos. Ensure that your first shot kills the four furthest Level 6 beasts. Use your AR display to designate your target," Vlad instructed quietly.

Taking their positions, everyone waited patiently like experienced hunters.

"Wait for it," Vlad began to estimate the distance using his sixth sense and heightened spiritual sense.

"Three..."

"Two..."

"..."

Bang!

The numerous gunshot echoes the silent valley, signaling the start of the fight. Soldiers hidden within the walls and bunkers knew that the battle had commenced.

-

 16th March 11AE, 26:12 at night.

Ceid was standing on the top floor of his building.

Lately, whenever he was bored or wanted a peaceful place, he would come to the fourth floor, looking outside through wide glass walls.

As he immersed himself in the peaceful atmosphere, a sudden prompt disrupted his reverie.

[Ding!]

[The latest report battle report: 5 minutes ago, at 26:07, the first wave of the beast horde reached the 70km mark. Currently, the military has initiated bombardment in the 10km area outside the first defense line.]

[Preliminary estimates suggest there are over 42,000 beasts in the first wave of the beast horde.]

Ceid listened silently to the report.

While he wasn't personally worried about his safety, he remained concerned about the beast tide situation. After all, these individuals were his potential customers, provided they survived the beast tide.

After a while, he asked, "Wyd, what happened to the first contact two hours ago?

<Host, 1 46 to be precise, the first contact happened hour and minutes ago, at 24:26.>

<The 3 136 219 updated report indicated that a total of Vulcan Eagles had been eliminated. Thankfully, there were no fatalities, but individuals sustained severe injuries, while others suffered minor injuries.>

<However, a beast king at the level of 8th layer Junior Practitioner managed to escape despite sustaining heavy injuries.>

<As of now, there have been no sightings its whereabouts, and the military has conducting extensive searches. However, due to stealth skills, location remains elusive.>

"Well, if it were any other beast in normal condition, it would probably hide somewhere to heal."

<Affirmative. >

<Unfortunately, this local species, Vulcan Eagles, is known for being hot-blooded and easily provoked.>

"True, we still don't know why it was involved in this beast attack in the first place.

Now that it's injured, it's likely enraged to the point of losing its mind. When it recovers some of its injuries, it will likely retaliate against the humans," Ceid concluded.

Looking towards the sky, the moon was shining brightly. In another 5 days, it would be a full moon.

"It's been just over three days here since I arrived."

Ceid glanced at the internal clock he set.

16th March 11AE, 26:13 / 21st January 2026, 08:13

"If this were Earth, right now it would be Wednesday morning, right?"

<That's correct.>

"If I hadn't transmigrated, would I still be asleep after staying up late, instead of worrying about beast tide?" Ceid wondered to himself.