The soldiers needed to be equipped with simple filtration masks to maintain long-term activity.

The convoy stopped in front of the simple barricade outside the outpost, the airship was verified and allowed to proceed, slowly landing.

Qin Shi stepped out of the cabin, refused the filtration mask offered by Long Qiuyuan, and confidently stepped onto the frontline scorched earth, which had an extremely high level of pollution, as if shrouded in thick smoke.

The Life Domain unfolded, keeping the silent pollution erosion at bay.

"Lieutenant Qin!"

A middle-aged officer, wearing a combat uniform stained with oil and bearing deep marks of fatigue and weather on his face, quickly approached.

His epaulettes indicated a captain rank.

"I am the commanding officer of Anvil Outpost, Zhao Tie. Thank you and your team for the escort!"

Zhao Tie glanced at the steadily docked Kirov airship, finally resting his gaze on Qin Shi, with undeniable respect in his eyes.

The news of their encounter with a wailing ground worm and its instant defeat by Qin Shi had already been relayed to the outpost via convoy communication.

"Duty calls."

Qin Shi nodded, his words brief and to the point.

"The mechanical soldier is in the third armored vehicle."

"Understood! We'll arrange it immediately!"

Zhao Tie acted swiftly, turning to command the soldiers for reception.

Soon, a mechanical soldier, clothed in thick gear and supported by an exoskeletal frame, disembarked from the armored vehicle, surrounded by others.

Most of her face was covered by a helmet and a breathing mask, revealing only a pair of calm and focused eyes.

In her right hand, she carried a heavy metallic box with a silver-white sheen, adorned with a symbol of the Divine Machine emblem.

"First, identify the pollution node, then set up the purification instrument."

The mechanical soldier's voice was unexpectedly soft and pleasant.

A girl?

Qin Shi was somewhat surprised.

The mechanical pathway, much like the earthworks of a bygone era, was crowded with rough men, and women were scarce.

"She's called 'G-73', the last mechanical soldier left from the Western Front command. A month ago, the seventh battalion escorting mechanical soldiers was ambushed and almost completely wiped out."

Long Qiuyuan explained.

The advance on the Western Front was paid for with brutal sacrifices. In numerous unseen corners, countless soldiers paid with their lives, pushing the front line ever forward.

"G-73?"

Qin Shi found the name odd, like a machine identification number.

"The mechanical pathway requires setting 'rules' to 'practice', giving up some things about being human, to achieve 'ascension'.

Clearly, she abandoned her name."

Long Qiuyuan, a senior expert from Xuyang Heavy Industry, had broad knowledge.

"I see."

Qin Shi nodded, unaware that the mechanical pathway had this concept.

He then thought of young Qin Lan, uncertain of what she was pondering, who insisted on choosing the mechanical pathway.

"The core mechanism is expected to be operational in three hours."

After bustling around, Mechanical Soldier G-73 declared.

Even though her voice was soft, it showed no emotional fluctuations.

"It's apparent that this mechanical soldier is from the 'Ascension Sect'. Forsaking the flesh, embracing steel.

They are the most at risk on the front lines, easily polluted and potentially corrupted.

That's why she's fully armed, with densely imprinted Divine Machine emblems on her exoskeletal armor."

Noticing Qin Shi's interest, Long Qiuyuan continued.

"The pollution level on the frontline is indeed too high."

Qin Shi watched the mechanical soldier, who was activating the purification mechanism, using the power of the Divine Pillar's rules to dispel the deep encroachments of the Netherworld.

"Lieutenant Qin."

Zhao Tie came closer, appearing somewhat uneasy.

"What is it? Does Captain Zhao have a request?"

Qin Shi raised an eyebrow.

Though Zhao Tie outranked him, he lacked the authority to command or oversee him.

"We just detected a large number of high-energy pollution reactions from the northeast direction."

Zhao Tie scratched his head, evidently finding it awkward to bother Qin Shi.

"The purification mechanism is still three hours from activation. The outpost's forces might not suffice... so I'd like to ask Lieutenant Qin for assistance."

Qin Shi understood, clearing out small fry was something he excelled at.

"No problem."

He agreed without hesitation.

"The outpost's supplies are scarce, not much to offer."

Zhao Tie knew the "rules", that high strategic value military experts consumed greatly in battles, requiring timely energy replenishment.

But Anvil Outpost was merely a stronghold, lacking sufficient logistical support.

"Consider it a warm-up."

Qin Shi waved it off, his gaze sharp, looking towards the northeast.

At the edge of his Perception Domain, a heavy, chaotic pollution cloud was swiftly moving towards the outpost.

Mixed within were multiple not insignificant energy fluctuations.

"This isn't an organized group of followers, more like a 'beast tide' driven over by something."

Long Qiuyuan quickly analyzed the shared information.

"The energy signatures are varied, roughly identified as 'Swamp Beasts', 'Ridgeback Dogs'... and stronger 'Wailing Ground Worms'? More than one!"

Ye Xiaotang glanced at the boss,

while Ran Bin quickly retrieved his sniper rifle from the airship, starting to assemble it.

"Prepare for combat."

Qin Shi stated calmly.

"Captain Zhao, our side will take over the outpost, is that alright? Ah-Qiu, you handle piloting the airship, providing aerial support and fire suppression.

Binbin and Xiaotang, you target the high-threat enemies.

The rest, leave it to me."

Lieutenant Qin was indeed decisive and efficient.

Zhao Tie thought, truly worthy of being the battle hero on the western front, such straightforwardness was extraordinary.

"We will do our utmost to support Lieutenant Qin, providing all available resources."

Qin Shi didn't respond, pursuing the Old Martial Limit Break path, his Extraordinary Body accumulated infinite energy, unlike New Martial experts who required a massive logistics team.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.