Thanks to Green Kitea for the kofis. Enjoy the bonus chapters!

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Inside the protective shield, the temperature remained between 15 and 25 degrees year-round, and rainfall was artificially controlled, but the outside world still experienced the changing of the seasons.

In fact, due to the Great Cataclysm, the temperature differences between the seasons had become even more pronounced.

In spring, it could rain continuously for a month; in summer, temperatures frequently soared to 40 degrees, and in some places even higher; in autumn, all life withered away; and in winter, temperatures remained below freezing, with the world blanketed in snow.

This also gives rise to beast hordes.

During the depths of winter, food is scarce, and many beasts hibernate, so the front lines are relatively safe during that time.

As early spring arrives, beasts that have been starving all winter awaken, and since many also breed in the spring, they roam everywhere in search of food.

To the humans inside the protective shield—fleshy and numerous—they are undoubtedly the best prey.

Whenever this happens, a beast tide forms.

This period is also the most dangerous time of the year for the entire front line.

The graduation season at Sidi Military Academy coincides with the onset of the beast tide, so the casualties among students deployed to the front line are particularly heavy every year.

This year, the academy’s graduation is still a month away, and the beast tide is set to begin in just over a month, yet the situation on the front lines is already growing increasingly tense.

Qing Jiyue and his father, Qing Suifeng, have been staying at Tong Zhanyan’s base for the past six months. Matters concerning the Qing Family have been handled remotely by Qing Jiyue and Qing Suifeng, with the assistance of the Gu Family Head.

The Qing Family has not been immune to attacks during this time, but they have all been handled effectively.

This time is different. This time, a long stretch of the defensive line has been breached, and the casualties are quite severe.

Qing Suifeng originally intended to return on his own, but Qing Jiyue would not let him.

Qing Suifeng no longer does foolish things, but Qing Jiyue also has no intention of returning to the days when his father shouldered all the responsibility while he hid in the background.

Considering the upcoming beast tide, it’s best for him to go back.

Qing Jiyue has already made arrangements for the rear gate; his father, Qing Suifeng, will manage it on his behalf, so Tong Zhanyan doesn’t need to do anything.

Qing Jiyue had come over specifically to tell Tong Zhanyan this in person.

This time, his return wasn’t just for a few days; for the next three-plus months, he would be stationed on the front lines most of the time.

After saying this, Qing Jiyue left.

Watching his retreating figure, Tong Zhanyan couldn’t snap out of it for a long time.

Having stayed at the base all this time, he had almost forgotten that monsters even existed in this world.

The sudden realization filled his mind with images of the mutated monsters he’d seen in videos before.

Qing Jiyue’s abilities were formidable, but no matter how powerful he was, he was still human and could get injured.

Last time, he’d been injured just by tagging along on a patrol.

“What happened?”

“Is he okay?”

Tian Xinqing, Ning Langdong, and Su Yanran had approached without him noticing.

Tong Zhanyan suppressed his unease and asked, “Is school about to go on break for the holidays?”

“Right, just over twenty days left,” Ning Langdong nodded.

Although the three of them had switched majors, they still had academic exams at the end of the term, so they’d been studying late into the night.

Tong Zhanyan took a deep breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose, a headache setting in.

This was already his second semester in this world, which meant that as a sixth-year senior, he was nearly finished with his seventh year.

When Tong Zhanyan turned back, the planting was nearly finished.

He walked over and inspected every seedling.

No major issues.

After watering them to help them take root, Tong Zhanyan saw he still had some time left, so he had the group start applying fertilizer to the other crops.

As the farmland expanded, fertilizing had become a rather time-consuming and labor-intensive task.

Even though the base now had about two hundred people, they couldn’t finish the work in a single day; they could only do a little today and continue tomorrow.

Those students didn’t live at the base; there were dedicated shuttle buses to pick them up and drop them off every morning and evening.

In the evening, judging that it was about time, Tong Zhanyan told them to head back first.

That night, Tong Zhanyan went online to check on the situation at the Qing Family’s place.

Each of the Four Great Families was responsible for a roughly similar area.

Within their respective zones, using the protective shield as a boundary, a sentry post was established at regular intervals.

The main bases of the Four Great Families were all built next to the massive converters that sustained the energy required to form the protective shields.

The area where the Qing Family was attacked this time was to the left of their base, encompassing more than ten outposts and a combat zone stretching over ten miles.

As a result, quite a few monsters had managed to break through.

Qing Jiyue was transported by a private jet; by the time Tong Zhanyan lay in bed reviewing this information, he had already arrived at the front lines.

In the video, he was leading a large group of people as they moved swiftly through the complex of buildings, clearing out the aberrant beasts and sealing the breaches.

His abilities were extraordinary; he could easily crush those aberrant beasts—which others considered extremely dangerous and troublesome—without even entering his fusion state.

As a result, the front lines advanced rapidly.

Consequently, the men behind him trusted him completely, following his every command.

Qing Jiyue possessed the bearing of a true general.

Upon confirming that everything was proceeding smoothly, Tong Zhanyan breathed a sigh of relief.

The base felt like a completely separate world, cut off from the outside.

The next day, as soon as Tong Zhanyan got out of bed, he was dragged back into the never-ending farm work.

The others were already continuing to apply fertilizer.

Just as he had finished removing the plastic sheeting and watering the seedlings destined for the green manure field, Su Yanran came over—something was wrong with the uncastrated male and female pigs.

They hadn’t been eating much since yesterday, had been squealing nonstop, and were even trying to break out of their pen.

Tong Zhanyan immediately had a hunch.

He went over to take a look, and sure enough, they were in heat.

He’d bought these two pigs seven or eight months ago; it was about time.

But problems arose as well.

Probably because they hadn’t been castrated, they’d always been more aggressive than the other, castrated pigs; even now, they’d still snarl at them during feeding time.

Tong Zhanyan thought it over, decided against breeding them himself, and contacted the farm directly, hoping they could send someone to help.

The farm agreed readily.

After scheduling a time, Tong Zhanyan explained the situation to Su Yanran, asking him to feed them a little less over the next couple of days, then went about his business.

At 10 a.m. the next day, the people from the farm arrived.

Upon entering the pig pen, they took a look around and suggested trying natural mating first.

“Those pigs are too aggressive; artificial insemination wouldn’t be easy either. If natural mating works, that’s best.”

Hearing this, Tong Zhanyan prepared to call a few more people to help.

When he turned around, he saw over two hundred people crammed outside the pig pen, all craning their necks and standing on tiptoe.

Livestock were just as rare here; this was the first time any of them had seen such a thing, so they’d all come to gawk.

Tong Zhanyan’s mouth twitched.

He casually picked two of the younger men standing at the front to assist.

The two pig pens were right next to each other; they just needed to block the exit of the passageway, then open both doors, and the pigs would find each other on their own.

Fearing an attack, the men in charge of opening the doors all climbed onto the pen’s fence.

Tong Zhanyan climbed up as well.

Ready. The two men in charge of opening the doors moved simultaneously.

The doors swung open quickly.

The pigs in both pens heard the commotion. The sows just stared, but the boars were at the door in an instant.

Stepping out, the boar spotted the sow in the adjacent pen. Before he could react, the previously quiet sow suddenly charged at him.

In an instant, the pens were filled with the sound of pigs squealing.

The fight Tong Zhanyan had feared broke out, though with one notable difference: the battle was completely one-sided.

It wasn’t just the boar that was squealing; hearing its agonized cries, the other dozen or so pigs joined in, making the area quite chaotic for a moment.

Tong Zhanyan looked at the few people at the farm.

Their expressions remained unchanged, as if this were exactly what was supposed to happen.

Tong Zhanyan could only watch quietly.

After the sow had given the boar a good beating, she began to explore the area.

The boar lay on the ground, grunting and whining.

The space—two pigsties and a narrow passageway—wasn’t very large, so the sow turned back quickly after her exploration.

Feeling the gaze, the boar, afraid of getting beaten again, immediately stopped grunting and scrambled to his feet.

The sow ignored him and returned to her pen.

The boar glanced around surreptitiously, then slunk back to his own pen.

The group hadn’t expected this turn of events and stood there speechless for a moment.

The farmhands, however, were in good spirits.

“They’re getting along pretty well.”

“We’ll just wait a bit longer and find an opportunity to put them together.”

They were professionals at this, having seen countless pigs.

The two pigs in Tong Zhanyan’s pen were definitely the gentlest they’d ever encountered, which struck them as quite unusual.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t comment on whether this arrangement was good or not, but he was happy that things were moving in a simple direction.

He watched for a while longer, then, taking advantage of the fact that neither pig was in the aisle, opened the door and went out to tend to his own affairs.

Ning Langdong and the others could keep an eye on things.

As Tong Zhanyan walked back to the small house, he spotted a camera hovering over the patch of cherry tomatoes he’d just uncovered from a distance.

This camera was different from the others—its model was much older.

He’d taken it back to the living room earlier and left it on the table without giving it another thought. Had it wandered out on its own?

Had it really become sentient?

Tong Zhanyan walked over, picked up the camera, and took a closer look.

He had only disconnected it earlier; he hadn’t canceled its patrol mission.

Tong Zhanyan reconnected it to the livestream, plugged the charger back into the pile of docking stations in the warehouse, and left it be.

The camera still contained many of his early videos; they might come in handy someday.

As evening approached, the group finally left the pig pen.

The two pigs had successfully been placed together in the same pen; now it was just a matter of observation.

With the livestream, there was no need to stay on guard constantly.

After pondering for two seconds whether his livestream might get banned because of this, Tong Zhanyan sent the farm staff out of the base.

Over the next few days, Su Yanran rushed to the pig pen whenever he had a moment.

Ning Langdong and the others did the same.

A week later, the farm staff came by again; it was about time to separate them.

At this stage, they could still coexist in relative harmony, but once this phase passed and they calmed down, they might start fighting until they were bloodied and battered at any moment.

Separating them didn’t take long.

As for whether it was successful, they’d have to wait another twenty days to see if the sow would go into heat again.

Before leaving, the farm workers asked Tong Zhanyan if he was selling eggs; they wanted to buy some.

They also wanted to buy one of the piglets born to that sow.

The issue of aggressive livestock that can’t be kept together in the same pen has been around for a long time, but the chickens and pigs at Tong Zhanyan’s base were clearly different.

It wasn’t hard for them to figure out the reason, but replicating it was impossible—after all, they didn’t have that much crop.

They thought about buying some eggs to take back and see if using them as breeding stock might improve the situation.

Tong Zhanyan wouldn’t sell the piglets, but he was willing to sell some eggs.

This also reminded Tong Zhanyan of something.

To achieve a healthy ecosystem, he could raise a few more types of livestock.

This was quite similar to crops: the infection rate was high in the first batch, and it could only be reduced through breeding.

Without advance preparation, it would take half a year or even one or two years to breed them once he decided to raise them.

Pondering this, Tong Zhanyan had Ning Langdong and the others select some eggs, while he discussed other livestock matters with them.

Raising livestock in this world is difficult, so a single farm typically raises only one or two types; the pig farm is separate from the chicken farm.

Tong Zhanyan wanted more varieties, but contacting suppliers himself would be a hassle; it would be best if the other party were willing to help.

Upon hearing that Tong Zhanyan planned to raise more livestock, the others couldn’t help but smile wryly.

The crop sector was already in utter chaos due to Tong Zhanyan’s drastic changes.

In particular, Tong Zhanyan’s earlier decision to offer discounts had left all farmers feeling anxious.

The situation in the livestock sector was relatively better—after all, it wasn’t Tong Zhanyan’s main arena—but because of those chickens and pigs, they all felt as if a sword were hanging over their heads.

They had always hoped that moment would come a little later.

Unexpectedly, that moment had finally arrived.

After expressing their sentiments, the few didn’t refuse.

With Tong Zhanyan’s influence, there was nothing he couldn’t get his hands on; helping him might even earn them a favor.

Moreover, with this precedent set, even if Tong Zhanyan didn’t continue expanding, some well-funded companies and organizations had already set their sights on this opportunity.

If anyone could grow crops successfully just by following Tong Zhanyan’s methods, then they too could raise a batch of crops specifically to feed their chickens and pigs.

Although that wouldn’t be feasible in the short term, once the opportunity arose, those who prepared in advance would certainly be the first to profit.

Tong Zhanyan sold the eggs at market price.

The other party was willing to help, saving him a lot of trouble, and besides, he already had more eggs than he could possibly eat.

The group left in high spirits.

That night, they sent over a list of all the livestock and poultry they could purchase.

Tong Zhanyan gave it a quick glance: chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, sheep, cattle, pigs, quails, and fish—it was quite comprehensive.

He already got the chickens covered.

As for pigs, they currently have one male and one female. For long-term breeding, it would be best to buy another two or three pairs.

However, the pigsty was already full, so he’d have to expand it before buying more. Plus, pigs eat a lot, which poses a problem for their crops, so there’s no rush for now.

Cattle and sheep are large, eat a lot, and require a lot of space, so he won’t consider them for now.

Rabbits and quails aren’t very big and don’t eat much, but raising them isn’t particularly useful at this stage, so he can wait a bit longer.

He could buy ducks, geese, and fish first.

Ducks and geese produce manure just like chickens, so raising them was a worthwhile investment.

Fish could add a significant amount of organic matter and microorganisms to the water. Although their benefits for crop growth may not be immediately apparent, over time, they can improve the ecosystem to some extent.

However, raising fish is also troublesome.

First of all, simply throwing them into the river is definitely not an option.

The water in the river looks like it’s flowing every day, but in reality, it’s a stagnant pool—there’s no vegetation and almost no microorganisms. If you just throw them in, they’ll definitely starve to death.

Plus, the river is too wide; even if they actively feed them, the fish won’t be able to find the food.

Build an artificial lake?

The next day, after finishing breakfast, Tong Zhanyan drove his utility vehicle to the back of the base.

There are two rivers on the base.

One encircles the entire base; it’s quite wide and deep, with water pumped artificially to circulate continuously around the base.

The other flows down from the two mountains at the back, cuts across most of the base to the left, and joins the large river encircling the base.

It’s also artificially pumped.

Though called a river, the second one was more like a stream.

Except for a few spots, it was quite shallow for the most part; you could even walk across it without a bridge if you were careful.

Tong Zhanyan followed it to the area in front of and behind the two mountains near the back gate, then turned back and circled around to the riverbank.

An artificial lake could be built.

The area at the foot of the mountains would be quite suitable.

Those two mountains cover a fairly large area. The agritourism facility is on the side near the gate, while the area for patients with deep infections and frenzy, kept in strict isolation, is on the left side of the mountain. The point where the stream flows down from the mountain is directly behind the agritourism facility, ensuring they do not interfere with one another.

With a plan in mind, Tong Zhanyan returned home, gathered Ning Langdong, Old Xu, and the others, and drove over in an excavator.

Old Xu and Wang Lao were currently focused on teaching, but they hadn’t completely given up on farm work; whenever they had free time, they would still come by.

Upon hearing that Tong Zhanyan planned to raise more livestock and even start a fish farm, the group felt both excited and conflicted.

They were excited because they’d never raised those animals before—it was a novelty—and since people outside the base weren’t very successful at raising them, it would be quite an achievement if Tong Zhanyan could keep them alive.

Their mixed feelings stem from wondering if Tong Zhanyan isn’t taking on too much.

His base already has chickens, pigs, people, bees, ants, dung beetles, scarab beetles, cabbage white butterflies, and lacewings.

If he adds ducks, geese, and fish to that, he’ll be raising a full dozen different creatures.

Who farms like that?

Upon arriving at the site, Tong Zhanyan got out of the car, took a look around, and marked off an area of roughly 200 square meters.

Four excavators took turns at work, and in no time, they had dug a large pit in the area Tong Zhanyan had marked.

The freshly dug pit was filled with murky water.

Tong Zhanyan had the lake dug right at the foot of the mountain. There was a steep slope six or seven meters high there; water flowed down from the top, plunging directly into the lake like a waterfall.

This not only kept the lake flowing but also increased the oxygen levels in the water, making it more suitable for fish to live in.

Tong Zhanyan left the downstream channel untouched, though he planned to install a protective net later to prevent any fish from trying to escape.

After watching for a while longer, the group headed back.

On the way back, Tong Zhanyan released some more aquatic plants.

This not only prevents soil erosion, improves water quality, and increases microbial activity, but also helps oxygenate the water.

Fish are actually quite particular about their living environment.

Knowing that Tong Zhanyan had gone out of his way to clear some aquatic plants for the fish—even though the plants were inedible and seemingly useless—Old Xu and Old Wang still felt rather conflicted.

That night, Tong Zhanyan opened his shopping app to browse fish-keeping supplies.

Three days later, when Tong Zhanyan went back to the lake to check on it, the water had already cleared up.

At the same time, the items he’d ordered began arriving one after another.

A week later, when all of Tong Zhanyan’s online orders had arrived, the ducks, geese, and fish he’d requested were delivered all at once.

Yang Hong and the other students at the back gate all came running over to see the commotion.

Tong Zhanyan was actually quite happy to have a crowd, so he immediately stepped back from doing the work himself and took on the role of overall coordinator.

Since these were intended as breeding stock, he hadn’t bought many of each—just twelve of each, and all of them were young.

According to standard practice, new arrivals needed to have their digestive systems flushed, so they had to be quarantined.

The ducks and geese were all housed in cardboard boxes, which were plentiful in the warehouse.

For the fish, Tong Zhanyan bought two large water tanks and two water pumps.

The newly hatched ducks and geese were all fluffy and incredibly cute. The group gathered around them, eager to pet every single one.

Tong Zhanyan wouldn’t let them—the chicks were still too fragile.

The fish were all grass carp, and since they were only about two fingers wide, they were barely visible once in the water and didn’t attract much attention.

After finishing up and sending the others off to work, Tong Zhanyan called Su Yanran over to discuss feeding the animals.

They could all eat cherry radishes and bok choy.

With only thirty of them in total, and given their small size, they wouldn’t eat much.

By the time they grew a bit more, the corn and pumpkins in the fields would be ripe again.

This time, there were sweet potatoes too, so things would be much better.

After giving his instructions, Tong Zhanyan watched Su Yanran go about her tasks and then left the warehouse himself.

A few steps out, he turned back.

He pulled out his terminal, snapped a photo of each of the ducks, geese, and fish, then immediately sent them to Qing Jiyue.

Qing Jiyue replied almost instantly, “So cute.”

Tong Zhanyan was in a good mood.

He had intended to briefly mention the ducks, geese, and fish, but then changed his mind. “I also want to take a look at the cat.”

This time, Qing Jiyue didn’t reply for a long while.

Tong Zhanyan waited for a bit; just when he thought Qing Jiyue wouldn’t reply at all, a photo arrived.

Qing Jiyue’s little tiger was earnestly licking its own paw.

Tong Zhanyan’s heart instantly filled with tenderness, and the corners of his mouth stretched all the way to his ears.

He promptly downloaded and saved it.

When the screen returned to the chat window, Tong Zhanyan asked, “How’s the situation over there?”

He’d been following the recent developments regarding the Qing Family online, but he knew the reports wouldn’t be comprehensive.

Qing Jiyue replied with two consecutive messages: “That area has been retaken, but another location has come under attack twice in the last few days. I’m heading over there now.”

“Attacks usually happen around this time of year, but there have been an unusually high number this year. The situation feels a bit strange.”

Tong Zhanyan furrowed his brow.

If even Qing Jiyue called it strange, then it must be very strange indeed.

“Be careful…”

After exchanging a few more words, Tong Zhanyan didn’t disturb her any further.

The front lines aren’t like the base; one must be cautious.

The day after the ducks, geese, and fish were delivered, the aquatic plants Tong Zhanyan had requested also arrived.

Unlike crops, these plants aren’t edible, and aside from him, hardly anyone else wants them. So, apart from the fixed amount needed for the Sealed Realm, the rest were all sent to him.

Tong Zhanyan went to the lake at the back, scattered the plants in a circle along a section where the current wasn’t too swift, and then covered them with some soil.il

Finally, he scattered the remaining seeds along the banks of the stream.

He didn’t scatter them in the river itself—partly because he didn’t have that many seeds, and partly because the water was too deep and the soil too barren for them to survive.

He didn’t fertilize the seeds either—partly because the water was flowing and wouldn’t hold the nutrients, and partly because he didn’t have enough fertilizer to spare for the plants.

Without fertilizer, the aquatic plants wouldn’t die completely, but they would grow just as pitifully as the trees and grass at the base.

However, as long as they were still alive and as long as the fish were raised, everything would gradually improve.

By the time Tong Zhanyan finished these tasks, the small tomato seedlings were ready for transplanting.

He managed to handle the seedlings for the entire two mu of land all by himself.

Ning Langdong and the others weren’t idle either; with the new farming season in full swing, they now spent every morning pruning flowers and leaves as soon as they got out of bed.

The sweet potato cuttings had been completed.

Tong Zhanyan went to take a look; the work had been done quite well.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

That night, after lying down in bed, Tong Zhanyan was about to check on the situation at the Qing Family’s place when he immediately spotted the latest headline about the Qing Family’s fall.

An attack is different from a fall. An attack is simply encountering an assault; occasionally, beasts might break through the defenses and get inside, but that’s rare.

A breach, however, means the defensive line has been severed, allowing a massive invasion of beasts—or even the collapse of the entire defensive line.

Tong Zhanyan immediately opened the news article.

The moment he saw it, Tong Zhanyan sat up in bed.

The location that had fallen was the Qing Family’s garrison.

At least seven or eight hundred monsters had attacked. At the time, Qing Jiyue wasn’t there; he was at another outpost far to the right, one that had been attacked not long ago.

This caused the defensive line to collapse almost instantly. Now, the entire area—including the location of the energy conversion device that powers the protective shield—has been overrun by those monsters.

To make matters worse, the beasts attacked the energy conversion units, and now those units have ceased operation.

The protective shield overhead—specifically the section covering the Qing Family’s area—was rapidly losing its defensive effectiveness.

The energy conversion units of the other three families are still operational, so the Inner City remains unaffected for now. However, the situation in the Outer City near the Qing Family’s energy conversion units is extremely dire.

After the Great Cataclysm, everything outside has become abnormal—even to the point where the sun can kill people with its rays.

And the limit for being killed by these rays is five days.

That doesn’t mean you’ll be fine if you recover within five days; simply being exposed to direct sunlight causes physical damage. Five days is merely the point of no return.

The section of the outer city under the Qing Family’s jurisdiction is now in complete chaos, with everyone trying to flee.

Yet the monstrous beasts were rampaging everywhere.

It had been less than half an hour since the incident began, and it took only ten minutes for the news to reach the internet, but it was already the top headline.

Attacks were common, and the loss of a stronghold was not unusual, but damage to the energy conversion device—especially a critical blow that caused it to shut down completely—was the first such incident in nearly fifty years.

Tong Zhanyan glanced briefly at the comments section.

The comments section was in chaos.

It wasn’t just the people in the outer city sector under the Qing Family’s control who were panicking; others were too, even those in the Inner City.

Once the Qing Family’s defenses completely collapsed, once they completely lost that quarter of the defensive line, it would be equivalent to losing all their defenses.

A breach that large would be impossible to plug.

It would allow countless beasts to pour in.

As Tong Zhanyan was reviewing the situation, Tian Xinqing sent a communication request; he had also seen the headline.

Knowing that Tong Zhanyan was already aware, he immediately contacted Su Yanran, whose father was stationed in the outer city.

Although he wasn’t in the Qing Family’s sector, he was in the adjacent Xu family’s area.

Once the Qing Family’s defenses were completely breached, the next to suffer would be the neighboring Xu and Gu families.

After ending the call with Tian Xinqing, Tong Zhanyan immediately wanted to contact Qing Jiyue, but hesitated just as he was about to do so.

Qing Jiyue must be busy at a time like this.

After a moment’s hesitation, Tong Zhanyan still sent Qing Jiyue a communication request.

No response.

Tong Zhanyan waited a moment, ended the call, sent Qing Jiyue a message asking for an update, then got out of bed and headed toward the back door.

Qing Suifeng, Yang Hong, and the others must know more.

When he arrived, the back door was brightly lit.

Most people had gathered in the dining hall.

Tong Zhanyan went over as well.

“…The reinforcements sent by the Gu Family should arrive in just over an hour,” Yang Hong was saying.

“The Xu family’s side is about the same, but the breach is getting bigger and bigger. Even if they make it over, I’m afraid…”

“What about the repair unit?”

“They’ve been on standby the whole time, but the problem is that the area has been completely overrun by those beasts. Plus, they have to bring a bunch of equipment—they simply can’t get in.”

“Has Qing Jiyue arrived yet?”

Everyone turned to look at Qing Suifeng.

It was then that Tong Zhanyan noticed Qing Suifeng was in a corner of the cafeteria, communicating with someone.

Tong Zhanyan instinctively looked at the person on the screen.

It wasn’t Qing Jiyue.

“Uh… okay…” A moment later, Qing Suifeng ended the call.

Turning around and seeing everyone staring at him, Qing Suifeng gave a wry smile before explaining, “He’s already arrived and is leading his team toward the conversion device. He’ll retake that area as soon as possible.”

After a pause, he added, “I might have to go back for a bit.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he headed toward the door.

Tong Zhanyan was standing near the doorway. As Qing Suifeng walked past, he instinctively opened his mouth to speak, but swallowed the words before they could escape.

Inside the house, everyone else breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Although Qing Jiyue was still young, they all recognized his abilities.

Tong Zhanyan, however, remained on edge. To reclaim that area, Qing Jiyue would inevitably have to expose himself to a zone without a protective shield.

It was nighttime now, so the situation was slightly better, but it would still cause physical damage.

Half an hour later, a car arrived at the entrance to pick up Qing Suifeng; the plane was already ready.

Chu Yi went along as well.

Many of those left behind also wanted to go, but in the current situation, numbers didn’t matter; the group could only endure.

After watching the two depart, the group didn’t return to sleep but instead gathered in the cafeteria to await news.

Many among them were members of the Four Great Families, so their sources of information were far faster and more detailed than anything online.

Tian Xinqing, Ning Langdong, Su Yanran, and Old Xu also arrived shortly thereafter.

For the next two hours, there was occasional low murmuring in the mess hall or people contacting others on the front lines.

After a while, the mess hall gradually fell silent.

By two o’clock, the entire mess hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

At three o’clock, the mess hall briefly buzzed with activity.

Qing Jiyue had already cleared the area around the conversion device of all monsters.

He left the others to guard the area while he continued pushing forward to retake the breached section of the defensive line.

The beasts were still pouring in.

Although the protective shield was damaged, the defensive lines on both sides hadn’t completely collapsed yet. As long as he could seal the breach, the beasts outside wouldn’t be able to get in for the time being.

As for those who had already breached the perimeter, that would be up to the others.

Repairing the conversion device was crucial, but rebuilding the defensive lines was equally important; otherwise, under attack from both inside and out, they would collapse even faster.

Under such circumstances, repairing the conversion device would become an impossible task.

Qing Jiyue didn’t bring many people; too many would only be a hindrance to him.

His advance went smoothly; in less than half an hour, he had already pushed back to the vicinity of the defensive line.

Realizing the situation had turned around, the group in the mess hall breathed a sigh of relief.

Tong Zhanyan, however, kept his brow furrowed; dawn was about to break.

Repairs were a race against time. Qing Jiyue cleared out all the monsters near the conversion device, and the repair team immediately headed that way.

However, things weren’t going smoothly.

At four o’clock, as the sky began to lighten, they still hadn’t arrived.

Too many beasts had breached the defenses, and they were exceptionally vicious; every route the team tried was blocked.

Things weren’t looking good on Qing Jiyue’s end either.

After Qing Jiyue pushed the beasts back toward the defensive line, the reinforcement units dispatched by the Xu and Gu Families had been trying to rebuild the line.

But the beasts were too ferocious and numerous; as soon as Qing Jiyue withdrew his attention, the defensive line collapsed again.

Moreover, as the commotion around the protective shield grew louder, more and more beasts were drawn to the area.

Qing Jiyue had been fighting nonstop for over four hours.

At five o’clock, when it was fully light out, Chu Yi arrived at the location of the repair unit.

Chu Yi was also a psychic.

Even before Qing Jiyue arrived, he was at the peak of his combat prowess.

The moment he appeared, the team immediately surged forward at breakneck speed.

Qing Suifeng moved further ahead to join Qing Jiyue; the defensive line had to be reestablished.

Qing Suifeng was not a psychic, but his combat prowess was exceptionally outstanding among the group. Coupled with over a decade of combat experience, the front lines—which had been collapsing repeatedly—quickly stabilized as soon as he arrived.

At 6:00 a.m., the front lines continued to be established, while the rear repair unit arrived near the conversion device.

At 7:00 a.m., the sun was fully up.

Repairs continued, and the reconstruction of the front lines was completed.

As daylight broke, more monsters began heading this way.

Qing Jiyue had no choice but to break away from the defensive line and push forward alone to weaken the onslaught and prevent the newly established line from collapsing again.

At 8:00 a.m., the conversion device was barely repaired, and the protective shield was attempted to be restarted amid everyone’s bated breath.

The restart went smoothly.

At the same time, contact with Qing Jiyue was lost.

At first, the troops at the front lines didn’t notice anything amiss until an increasing number of mutant beasts charged toward them unimpeded.

Realizing something was wrong, Qing Suifeng immediately led a group out to search, but they found no one.

Without Qing Jiyue, the pressure on the front lines surged instantly, and Qing Suifeng had no choice but to return to manage the situation.

More reinforcements arrived in the vicinity.

More beasts arrived alongside them.

Two hours later, after they had weathered that wave of attacks, Qing Suifeng immediately led his men out to search the area again.

Still no sign of him.

At this point, Qing Jiyue was declared missing.

The base.

In the mess hall, everyone looked grim.

Going missing during combat usually doesn’t bode well.