CHAPTER 9

"What in the world? Can you repeat that?" Admiral Zeng Rong asked, struggling to believe what he'd heard.

"I'm reporting to you, Admiral, that by sheer luck, I advanced to Silver One-Star yesterday. I assure you I won't be a burden," Xu Mo hastily clarified, misunderstanding Zeng Rong's incredulity.

"Hold on!" Zeng Rong exclaimed with a raised voice and widened eyes.

God, if a Silver One-Star is considered a burden, he wished all his subordinates would be burdens like this!

However, he couldn't possibly decline Xu Mo's request. "Alright, I approve. If you're heading to the city wall, make your way to the Canglong Division. Tao Yi, come here!"

Zeng Rong appeared somewhat awkward and then loudly called for Tao Yi outside the conference room.

"Here!" Almost instantly, an officer in his thirties emerged at the conference room's door, saluting Zeng Rong.

"Admiral, Tao Yi reporting," he declared, standing at attention.

"This is Xu Mo. Take him to the Canglong Division to defend the city. Ensure his safety until the beast tide subsides," Zeng Rong instructed Tao Yi, stepping forward.

They both saluted Zeng Rong and departed from the City Guard's Mansion. Tao Yi nodded to Xu Mo, saying, "Follow me, but stay close!"

And off they raced toward the towering wall like an arrow.

Soldiers were visible everywhere, rushing towards the city wall. The roars of cannons and the clamor of various weapons echoed from the wall. But what resonated more prominently in Xu Mo's ears were the fierce howls of monsters.

Evidently, the beast tide was sizeable this time.

Tao Yi casually inquired, "What type of weapons do you need?" as they swiftly moved.

"I don't need any. I'm more proficient in close combat," Xu Mo's response caught Tao Yi off guard.

Tao Yi didn't press the matter. He could now understand why Zeng Rong had tasked him with safeguarding Xu Mo. Perhaps the young man possessed an extraordinary bloodline that had piqued the Admiral's interest. Nonetheless, Xu Mo claiming proficiency in close combat was a stretch.

Engaging in close combat with monsters was irrational for an inheritor who had recently acquired a bloodline. Nevertheless, Tao Yi resolved to protect the youth by his side as long as he didn't recklessly throw himself into danger.

Tao Yi's thought process solidified his pace.

As they drew nearer to the city wall, the noise of the monsters outside intensified. This was Xu Mo's first real battle, and the prospect of confronting the mortal enemy of humanity, the monsters, thrilled him.

They soon reached the city wall, encountering numerous monsters charging toward it from the sky and the ground. Flying monsters filled the sky, swooping and screeching madly, while the ground forces assaulted the city wall with their bare claws.

Most of the monsters attempting to ascend the city wall were met with staunch resistance from the inheritors positioned there. The city wall was alive with sonic booms, the clashing of metal and flesh, and unyielding soldiers.

Yet Xu Mo noticed several soldiers on the frontline – the linchpin of this section of the city wall.

"That's the Canglong tribe. They oversee this part of the city wall, and there are only four of them. Each is above six-star bronze," Tao Yi explained to Xu Mo, not plunging him directly into the battle but offering an overview of the scene on the city wall.

He pointed out, "Here's the Tiger Division's defensive section. The two divisions' captains protect the junction."

Xu Mo observed and absorbed the information attentively. He recognized that, despite the intensity of the battle, this section of the city wall was the least attacked.

It became evident that Zeng Rong's primary intention in assigning Xu Mo to this area was to familiarize him with the battlefield before fully engaging him.

As he watched the sparse number of monsters outside the city wall, Xu Mo couldn't help but feel a sense of restlessness, but he knew he had to restrain it. This knowledge would be vital for his survival.

"To comprehend your enemy, you must understand yourself. This may be the only time I have the chance to learn about the enemy like this on the battlefield," he thought.

Suddenly, a deafening noise emanated from beyond the city wall, freezing Xu Mo in his tracks. The dense woods, a few hundred meters from the wall, trembled violently.

Within moments, the forest disgorged countless monstrous forms surging directly toward the city wall, bellowing in madness.

This unforeseen spectacle left everyone wide-eyed and immobile.

"Watch the skies!" Xu Mo discerned something and shouted, propelling himself forward like lightning.

"Xu Mo!" Tao Yi was taken aback. As he gazed in the direction where Xu Mo had raced, his eyes widened.

In the sky, the previously hovering flying monsters abruptly converged and hurtled toward the city wall.

Simultaneously, monsters from the ground surged upwards.

Both airborne and ground-based monsters were mounting an assault together.

By the time the Canglong Department soldiers and those on the city wall reacted, it was too late. The swooping monsters from the sky were incredibly swift. One menacing bird, armed with razor-sharp claws, was already closing in on a Canglong Department soldier.

"This is trouble," the soldier muttered, facing the vicious claws poised above his head. It seemed certain that he was about to perish.

"Damn it, you're going down!" Just as the soldier prepared to launch a special grenade, a thunderous sound resounded from above.

Turning to look, the soldier was stunned to find another figure beside him, who was vigilantly observing the sky.

In the next instant, the bird that had lunged at them whined and soared high into the air. The Canglong soldiers realized that the man next to them had saved their comrade. By his attire, he appeared to be a newcomer.

Could new recruits be this formidable?

"Thank you for saving me," one of the Canglong soldiers started, but Xu Mo intervened. "No time for talk; stay ready!"

Before the soldier could respond, Xu Mo vanished once more.

He reappeared moments later on a different section of the city wall and swiftly pulled a soldier away from the clutches of a bird.

"Open fire! Fire without discrimination!" Witnessing this, the Canglong soldiers reacted promptly, ordering the others to shoot.

On the city wall, electromagnetic cannons roared to life, firing both visible and invisible electric arcs into the air and on the ground.

The airborne monsters evaded the onslaught, while the densely packed ground forces erupted into blood and gore, scattering limbs and flesh.

Explosions reverberated in quick succession, and the city wall's protective system revealed its devastating effectiveness.

Witnessing the assault, Xu Mo, who had already saved two soldiers, was genuinely impressed.

Evidently, the Canglong Division's defense system had not been fully activated earlier.

But before Xu Mo could ponder this, colossal figures suddenly manifested on the city wall – monsters had scaled the fortifications!