Chapter 73: Corrupted by The Source

Chen Chu's figure swiftly darted through the battered buildings, covering dozens of meters in a second. Soon, he returned to the frontline, only to find the fight was nearing its end.

Building after building had collapsed under the tank's heavy artillery fire, and there were huge craters left by machine gun shots everywhere, with the bodies of rebel soldiers scattered about.

This battle had affected nearly half of the village, with many buildings set ablaze by the artillery fire. Billowing black smoke filled the air, and the scent of gunpowder permeated the area. Fortunately, it had already been abandoned.

Boom!

A tank roared in the distance, and a shell landed on a group of rebel soldiers hiding on the rooftop of a building, engulfing the entire house in flames. Some soldiers had already disembarked from the armored vehicles and formed small teams to encircle the remaining rebel forces, who were still resisting from a few small buildings.

Xia Youhui and the others were standing next to of a partially collapsed building, panting heavily. Their armored suits were stained red with blood, exuding a strong smell.

Another armored squad had also arrived, allowing them to quickly eliminate the remaining rebel forces. Li Hao, with his giant stature, slowly lifted his iron pillar and then rapidly brought it back down. In front of him, a jeep attempting to flee was instantly flattened by his strike, the rebel inside turned into an unrecognizable mass of flesh.

With a flash, Chen Chu landed in front of Xia Youhui and the others. "Old Xia, are you guys alright?"

"I'm fine. I had a great time killing this go round. Ah Chu, you didn't see how cool I looked when I was taking the machine gun fire earlier. I was so awesome!" Xia Youhui was excited.

His heavy shield was now pitted, with many spikes broken and deformed bullets still embedded in the alloy. There were even traces of grenade strikes.

Liu Feng grinned, waving weakly. "I'm not dead either." There were several fist-sized dents in his chest plate, probably from being hit by high-powered bullets. Although they hadn’t penetrated the alloy, the impact force still felt like it had broken his ribs, making him cough up blood.

Among the three, Bai Mu was doing slightly better. His speed-oriented art, along with his swordsmanship, had allowed him to evade most attacks. Though he looked a bit disheveled, he seemed relatively relaxed.

"Ah Chu, what's the situation on your side?" Xia Youhui asked.

"Alright, Li Meng is fine." Chen Chu nodded. "The other classmate got sniped in the thigh, but it's not life-threatening, and I took care of the sniper."

Liu Feng frowned slightly. "These guys really aren’t afraid of death."

Bai Mu shook his head. "It's not that they're not afraid. After practicing the Demon Cults’ fast cultivation method, their minds are influenced, or should I say, polluted by the source of that method. The rebels cooperating with the Demon Cults have probably also been influenced unconsciously. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so insane."

"Their minds are influenced by the 'source?’ The Demon Cults’ cultivation is so terrifying!" Chen Chu was somewhat surprised.

Bai Mu smiled bitterly. "I was also shocked when I first heard about it, but that's the terrifying aspect of the Cults. Their cultivation method is different from our true martial arts; it’s simply not meant for humans. It's very eerie."

As they spoke, the four walked towards the armored squad behind them. Coming across a flipped armored vehicle, Chen Chu, Xia Youhui, and Bai Mu worked together to flip it back, even though it had already been evacuated during the battle.

When they saw their classmate’s body lying in front of them, however, with half of his torso charred and a bloody hole pierced through his chest, the four fell silent.

They hadn't expected someone to die in just two days, especially with the skilled individuals that were supposed to be secretly following behind.

Chen Chu was grateful that he had prioritized his defense. While he had dodged most of the sniper bullets by sensing them in advance, there was still a significant difference between not being able to withstand an attack, and being able to withstand it while still dodging it.

Li Hao, carrying his iron pillar, and three other classmates approached. Following them were Pang Long, Liu Feixu, and another military expert, their movements as swift as phantoms as they effortlessly leaped between the buildings.

Boom!

The military expert casually dropped the bodies of two cultists, while Pang Long held a fanatic who had been severely injured and knocked unconscious.

Pang Long fell silent for a moment, then spoke solemnly. "Since you've chosen the battlefield, you are no longer students, but warriors. Death and injury are inevitable.

"He died in the fight against the Demon Cults. Both the school and the authorities will not mistreat his family when it comes to compensation, and his death will not be in vain. I promise you all that soon, those cultists and rebels will pay for the death of our comrade."

***

The fact that a student had died during patrol in the morning caused a great stir among the new recruits.

Xia Youhui and the others, meanwhile, were surprised when they learned on their way back that the sniper whom Chen Chu had slain had been in the Third Heavenly Realm. Although cultists of the same level were slightly weaker than normal cultivators, the ones at the Third Heavenly Realm were still much stronger in absolute combat power than those at the Second Heavenly Realm.

"Don't look at me like that." Chen Chu shrugged. "I was able to kill that cultist because he was relatively weak, and he was already injured by my shock bomb. Think about it, if that guy had been really strong, would he have needed to resort to sniping from the shadows?"

"Well said." Liu Feng nodded, agreeing with Chen Chu's reasoning.

Unlike Liu Feng and Bai Mu, however, Xia Youhui felt somewhat skeptical. He couldn't shake the feeling that Chen Chu's tone just now sounded familiar.

Chen Chu had originally thought that his classmates would be nervous for a few days after the first death, but as soon as they returned to the hotel, Xia Youhui and Liu Feng hurried off to the logistics department to get paint and wings for their armor.

"It seems like everyone's adaptability is quite strong." Chen Chu was slightly emotional as he once again arrived at the logistics department.

After slaying a Third Heavenly Realm cultist, which was worth 10 contribution points, plus the remaining 1 point from yesterday, he had accumulated 11 total points. He spent 8 of these to exchange for two more Level 1 Life Crystals.

Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side this time. One of the Life Crystals had little energy, and when converted, Chen Chu only gained 6 attribute points. He could only shake his head in frustration at this luck. Back in his hotel room, Chen Chu issued a command. "Consume 2 attribute points to strengthen the armor."

An invisible energy covered the armor he hadn't taken off yet, and it became slightly darker in color, while the helmet seemed slightly heavier. The armor’s attribute was now at [Durability +10].

When supporting Li Meng earlier today, Chen Chu had only been able to dodge two shots from the sniper on the rooftop. The third shot had hit the side of his shoulder.

There had been no way around it; the sniper bullets were too fast. Even though his Insightful Eye had sensed the danger in advance, it didn't mean he could avoid it completely.

If it had been normal armor, that bullet would have shredded the alloy apart, severely injuring his shoulder. But with the +8 Durability, the bullet had only produced a few sparks as it grazed by, its kinetic energy completely deflected by the heavy shoulder armor.

Today's battle once again made Chen Chu realize the importance of defense, prompting him to strengthen his armor to its current limit as soon as he could. With the +10 Durability enhancement, Chen Chu's entire body could now withstand armor-piercing sniper rounds, completely eliminating the need to worry about being sniped from the shadows.

Glancing at the remaining 4 attribute points, Chen Chu again suppressed the urge to strengthen his weapon.

In the afternoon, as Chen Chu practiced the Dragon Elephant Art in his room, he diverted some of his attention to the armored beast.

Now over two meters long, the beast looked even more ferocious. Although its body wasn't very large, it was considered a dominant presence in the estuary; wherever it went, an invisible aura filled the space around it, frightening ordinary fish and shrimp into fleeing. All of the mutant fish that entered this area were its prey, even those twice its size.

With its continuous growth and consumption over this period, the beast had accumulated more than 200 evolution points. At this pace, it could start its third evolution in half a month.