Chapter 32: Beacon Retrieval
On the morning of the fifth day of rest, the war zone's mission notification arrived at the barracks.
A number three monitoring beacon on the outer perimeter of Black Mountain had lost its signal. After it was deployed last time, the beacon had been continuously transmitting data, but the signal suddenly dropped three days ago. The command center assessed two possibilities: first, the equipment was destroyed by low-level scaled beasts; second, a psychic storm from within the rift had interfered with the signal transmission. Someone had to be dispatched to the scene to retrieve the equipment and recover the locally recorded data stored inside.
Instructor Zhou continued to serve as the squad leader. The personnel configuration was basically the same as the previous patrol: two veterans, Su Qing, and Lin Yan. The four formed a combat team and were assigned to the twelve-man main squad to depart together.
The assembly point was still the military armory. Everyone lined up to receive supplies, service their energy rifles, replenish their Sea of Consciousness stabilizer patches, and check their medical kits and energy cells. Lin Yan touched the short blade at his waist, his fingertips brushing over the fine scratches on the blade's surface—marks left from the rocky ambush battle.
"The core objective of this mission: retrieve the number three beacon, with priority given to extracting the stored data." Instructor Zhou stood at the front of the formation, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his voice steady. "The frequency of scaled beast activity in this area continues to rise, and the third-tier scaled beast that trailed us last time is still roaming around here. Once its heavy psychic fluctuation is detected, everyone must immediately terminate the mission and retreat in an orderly manner on the spot; absolutely no prolonged engagements. If you encounter low-level scaled beasts, bypass them if possible. If forced to engage, form a four-man formation and fight in an orderly manner."
A new recruit asked in a small voice, "Is the data in the beacon really that important?"
"Extremely important," Instructor Zhou nodded. "The beacon continuously records the psychic wave maps of the surrounding area. If it captures records left by a swarm of scaled beasts, it can help the war zone predict the outbreak window of a massive beast tide."
The vehicles drove out of the south gate of the bastion, once again entering the gray, hazy wilderness. Scorched trees stood crookedly on the earth, the ground was crisscrossed with fissures, and the air carried an inescapable, cold, and foul stench.
The convoy stopped at a high ground about two kilometers from the number three beacon. The main squad split into two groups: one provided large-scale perimeter security, responsible for intercepting any scaled beasts that came after hearing the commotion; Lin Yan's four-man squad pushed deep inside to reach the beacon's location and complete the retrieval.
"Let's move." The leading veteran raised his hand to signal. The four lowered their bodies and crept forward along the shadows of the depression.
Everyone maintained their Seas of Consciousness in a semi-contracted state, extending only fine mental tentacles to probe the surroundings, minimizing the leakage of psychic signals to avoid being detected by high-level scaled beasts in the distance. Lin Yan walked on the right rear of the formation, responsible for flank early warning. His silk-thin mental tentacles extended outward, distinguishing hidden psychic anomalies amidst the mixed environmental noise.
As they moved forward, they occasionally saw massive claw marks left by crawling scaled beasts. There was still fresh black mucus in the mud, indicating that a scaled beast had passed through here not long ago.
When they were only three hundred meters from the beacon's location, a low hiss suddenly came from a cluster of rocks.
"Left side, rock crevice, two low-level scaled beasts!" Lin Yan was the first to detect the two abrupt psychic stings charging up, and immediately warned in a low voice.
Two scaled beasts burst out from behind the massive boulders, their fangs bared, foul-smelling mucus dripping from their snouts. Almost the instant they appeared, two dense psychic needles plunged straight toward the four people's Seas of Consciousness.
"Form up!" The front-line veteran raised his gun and fired continuously. The energy beams struck the heads of the scaled beasts, slowing down their charge.
Su Qing steadied her breathing and aimed at the soft flesh of the scaled beasts' front limbs, firing supplementary shots to limit their movement. Lin Yan maneuvered on the right flank, keeping a close watch on the depths of the rock crevices to prevent any more scaled beasts from lurking in the shadows and waiting to circle behind them. While maintaining his Sea of Consciousness defense, he observed the surrounding rock crevices, his mental tentacles continuously scanning the environment.
The two psychic stings slammed into the Sea of Consciousness barrier one wave after another. Lin Yan skillfully employed layered defense. He kept his core completely still, allowing the outer barrier to absorb the impact with controllable consumption. In the past, this continuous, uninterrupted stinging would have rapidly drained his mental power; now, he could handle it with ease.
After more than ten minutes of fierce entanglement, the two scaled beasts were wounded. Not daring to continue fighting head-on, they turned and burrowed deep into the chaotic rocks to escape.
The squad took a brief rest, checked their Sea of Consciousness status, and confirmed there were no severe contusions before continuing forward.
They soon arrived at the burial site of the number three beacon. The dirt pit where the beacon was buried had been dug up, with mud scattered everywhere. The beacon's casing had been scratched with several deep marks by the scaled beasts' claws. The shell was damaged, and the signal transmission module was completely destroyed.
"The equipment was destroyed." The veteran squatted down and carefully extracted the beacon. "Fortunately, the storage chip is still intact and hasn't been crushed."
He took out his tools and carefully dismantled the chip, placing it into a sealed protective box.
The moment the chip was removed, Lin Yan's mental tentacles suddenly caught several chaotic psychic fluctuations rapidly approaching from the northern canyon.
"Four low-level scaled beasts coming from the north, approaching fast!" Lin Yan reminded them in a low voice.
"Secure the equipment quickly and prepare to evacuate!" Instructor Zhou ordered in a deep voice.
The four immediately formed a defensive formation, standing back-to-back with their gun barrels aimed at the canyon exit. A moment later, four low-level scaled beasts rushed out from the shadows of the canyon, pincering in a fan shape. The overlapping psychic needles pressed down on the four people's Seas of Consciousness like a dense rain.
The two veterans in the front took the frontal combat, continuously firing their energy rifles to draw the scaled beasts' attention. Su Qing was responsible for precisely striking the beasts' wounds to weaken their offensive momentum. Lin Yan continued to guard the flank, pacing back and forth, continuously firing to disrupt the scaled beasts that wanted to circle behind, preventing them from finding a gap in the formation.
The scaled beasts released psychic stings in turns, wave upon wave. While dodging the swinging claws and tail whips, Lin Yan made micro-adjustments to the intensity of his Sea of Consciousness defense. When the impact was fierce, he contracted his barrier inward; during the gaps between impacts, he extended fine tentacles to maintain continuous vigilance.
His Sea of Consciousness was still stuck at the second-tier peak, with not a hint of looseness in the core. But the toughness of the barrier and the speed of switching defensive modes were polished once again in this practical combat.
A scaled beast bypassed the frontal firepower and charged fiercely toward Su Qing. Lin Yan pivoted sharply, hitting its hind legs with two consecutive energy blasts. Agonized by the pain, the scaled beast's movements stalled. Su Qing seized the opportunity to fire a supplementary shot, severely wounding the beast.
"We can't fight for long! Break out quickly and link up with the main perimeter force!" the veteran shouted a warning.
The four-man formation slowly moved backward, fighting as they retreated, and orderly withdrew toward the outer high ground. The four scaled beasts pursued relentlessly, continuously releasing psychic stings, biting down hard on the squad.
Just as the squad was less than five hundred meters from the outer perimeter defense line, a heavy, cold psychic fluctuation slowly rose from the direction of the distant rift.
Lin Yan was all too familiar with that oppressive feeling.
It was that third-tier scaled beast.
It did not approach; it merely released a faint layer of psychic pressure from afar, shrouding the entire area. It was like a warning, or perhaps it was silently recording the characteristics of everyone's Sea of Consciousness fluctuations in this battle.
"Third-tier scaled beast! It's in the distance!" Lin Yan warned everyone in a deep voice.
Everyone's heart sank, and they quickened their pace of retreat. Receiving the signal, the outer perimeter security squad immediately turned their guns, aiming the energy cannons toward the distant rift in vigilance, ready to provide fire support at any moment.
The third-tier scaled beast did not launch an attack; it merely maintained its long-range psychic surveillance. The squad retreated all the way back to the high ground position, and all personnel linked up. The scaled beasts behind chased to the edge of the high ground. Wary of the position's firepower, they stopped, let out a few resentful roars, and ceased their pursuit.
"Mission accomplished, the chip was successfully retrieved." Instructor Zhou checked the sealed box and breathed a sigh of relief. Then, his expression turned grave as he looked toward the rift. "That third-tier scaled beast has been watching from afar. It is getting more and more accustomed to this tactic of long-range observation."
No one could have imagined that this scaled beast was merely a "spy." Deep underground, the Lizardmen were collecting data on the characteristics of human warriors' Sea of Consciousness cultivation and the squad's tactical habits through the scaled beasts' Seas of Consciousness. All of humanity's intelligence records still attributed all of this to the individual intelligence of high-level scaled beasts.
The squad rested in place. The medic checked everyone's Sea of Consciousness, confirming it was only slightly overdrawn. Lin Yan sat in meditation to regulate his breathing, turning his awareness inward to inspect his Sea of Consciousness. A few extremely shallow new cracks had been added to the pale white barrier, but fortunately, they were only surface-level damage. The bottleneck of the second-tier peak was still solid, with no signs of a breakthrough, but his experience in Sea of Consciousness perception and layered defense had grown even richer.
"Everyone prepare, pack up your gear, and return to the bastion," Instructor Zhou issued the order.
The convoy started up and returned along the original route. In the darkness of the Black Mountain rift, those eyes continued to watch the direction of the human bastion, silently collecting all information. A greater storm was quietly brewing beneath the earth.
End of Chapter
A number three monitoring beacon on the outer perimeter of Black Mountain had lost its signal. After it was deployed last time, the beacon had been continuously transmitting data, but the signal suddenly dropped three days ago. The command center assessed two possibilities: first, the equipment was destroyed by low-level scaled beasts; second, a psychic storm from within the rift had interfered with the signal transmission. Someone had to be dispatched to the scene to retrieve the equipment and recover the locally recorded data stored inside.
Instructor Zhou continued to serve as the squad leader. The personnel configuration was basically the same as the previous patrol: two veterans, Su Qing, and Lin Yan. The four formed a combat team and were assigned to the twelve-man main squad to depart together.
The assembly point was still the military armory. Everyone lined up to receive supplies, service their energy rifles, replenish their Sea of Consciousness stabilizer patches, and check their medical kits and energy cells. Lin Yan touched the short blade at his waist, his fingertips brushing over the fine scratches on the blade's surface—marks left from the rocky ambush battle.
"The core objective of this mission: retrieve the number three beacon, with priority given to extracting the stored data." Instructor Zhou stood at the front of the formation, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his voice steady. "The frequency of scaled beast activity in this area continues to rise, and the third-tier scaled beast that trailed us last time is still roaming around here. Once its heavy psychic fluctuation is detected, everyone must immediately terminate the mission and retreat in an orderly manner on the spot; absolutely no prolonged engagements. If you encounter low-level scaled beasts, bypass them if possible. If forced to engage, form a four-man formation and fight in an orderly manner."
A new recruit asked in a small voice, "Is the data in the beacon really that important?"
"Extremely important," Instructor Zhou nodded. "The beacon continuously records the psychic wave maps of the surrounding area. If it captures records left by a swarm of scaled beasts, it can help the war zone predict the outbreak window of a massive beast tide."
The vehicles drove out of the south gate of the bastion, once again entering the gray, hazy wilderness. Scorched trees stood crookedly on the earth, the ground was crisscrossed with fissures, and the air carried an inescapable, cold, and foul stench.
The convoy stopped at a high ground about two kilometers from the number three beacon. The main squad split into two groups: one provided large-scale perimeter security, responsible for intercepting any scaled beasts that came after hearing the commotion; Lin Yan's four-man squad pushed deep inside to reach the beacon's location and complete the retrieval.
"Let's move." The leading veteran raised his hand to signal. The four lowered their bodies and crept forward along the shadows of the depression.
Everyone maintained their Seas of Consciousness in a semi-contracted state, extending only fine mental tentacles to probe the surroundings, minimizing the leakage of psychic signals to avoid being detected by high-level scaled beasts in the distance. Lin Yan walked on the right rear of the formation, responsible for flank early warning. His silk-thin mental tentacles extended outward, distinguishing hidden psychic anomalies amidst the mixed environmental noise.
As they moved forward, they occasionally saw massive claw marks left by crawling scaled beasts. There was still fresh black mucus in the mud, indicating that a scaled beast had passed through here not long ago.
When they were only three hundred meters from the beacon's location, a low hiss suddenly came from a cluster of rocks.
"Left side, rock crevice, two low-level scaled beasts!" Lin Yan was the first to detect the two abrupt psychic stings charging up, and immediately warned in a low voice.
Two scaled beasts burst out from behind the massive boulders, their fangs bared, foul-smelling mucus dripping from their snouts. Almost the instant they appeared, two dense psychic needles plunged straight toward the four people's Seas of Consciousness.
"Form up!" The front-line veteran raised his gun and fired continuously. The energy beams struck the heads of the scaled beasts, slowing down their charge.
Su Qing steadied her breathing and aimed at the soft flesh of the scaled beasts' front limbs, firing supplementary shots to limit their movement. Lin Yan maneuvered on the right flank, keeping a close watch on the depths of the rock crevices to prevent any more scaled beasts from lurking in the shadows and waiting to circle behind them. While maintaining his Sea of Consciousness defense, he observed the surrounding rock crevices, his mental tentacles continuously scanning the environment.
The two psychic stings slammed into the Sea of Consciousness barrier one wave after another. Lin Yan skillfully employed layered defense. He kept his core completely still, allowing the outer barrier to absorb the impact with controllable consumption. In the past, this continuous, uninterrupted stinging would have rapidly drained his mental power; now, he could handle it with ease.
After more than ten minutes of fierce entanglement, the two scaled beasts were wounded. Not daring to continue fighting head-on, they turned and burrowed deep into the chaotic rocks to escape.
The squad took a brief rest, checked their Sea of Consciousness status, and confirmed there were no severe contusions before continuing forward.
They soon arrived at the burial site of the number three beacon. The dirt pit where the beacon was buried had been dug up, with mud scattered everywhere. The beacon's casing had been scratched with several deep marks by the scaled beasts' claws. The shell was damaged, and the signal transmission module was completely destroyed.
"The equipment was destroyed." The veteran squatted down and carefully extracted the beacon. "Fortunately, the storage chip is still intact and hasn't been crushed."
He took out his tools and carefully dismantled the chip, placing it into a sealed protective box.
The moment the chip was removed, Lin Yan's mental tentacles suddenly caught several chaotic psychic fluctuations rapidly approaching from the northern canyon.
"Four low-level scaled beasts coming from the north, approaching fast!" Lin Yan reminded them in a low voice.
"Secure the equipment quickly and prepare to evacuate!" Instructor Zhou ordered in a deep voice.
The four immediately formed a defensive formation, standing back-to-back with their gun barrels aimed at the canyon exit. A moment later, four low-level scaled beasts rushed out from the shadows of the canyon, pincering in a fan shape. The overlapping psychic needles pressed down on the four people's Seas of Consciousness like a dense rain.
The two veterans in the front took the frontal combat, continuously firing their energy rifles to draw the scaled beasts' attention. Su Qing was responsible for precisely striking the beasts' wounds to weaken their offensive momentum. Lin Yan continued to guard the flank, pacing back and forth, continuously firing to disrupt the scaled beasts that wanted to circle behind, preventing them from finding a gap in the formation.
The scaled beasts released psychic stings in turns, wave upon wave. While dodging the swinging claws and tail whips, Lin Yan made micro-adjustments to the intensity of his Sea of Consciousness defense. When the impact was fierce, he contracted his barrier inward; during the gaps between impacts, he extended fine tentacles to maintain continuous vigilance.
His Sea of Consciousness was still stuck at the second-tier peak, with not a hint of looseness in the core. But the toughness of the barrier and the speed of switching defensive modes were polished once again in this practical combat.
A scaled beast bypassed the frontal firepower and charged fiercely toward Su Qing. Lin Yan pivoted sharply, hitting its hind legs with two consecutive energy blasts. Agonized by the pain, the scaled beast's movements stalled. Su Qing seized the opportunity to fire a supplementary shot, severely wounding the beast.
"We can't fight for long! Break out quickly and link up with the main perimeter force!" the veteran shouted a warning.
The four-man formation slowly moved backward, fighting as they retreated, and orderly withdrew toward the outer high ground. The four scaled beasts pursued relentlessly, continuously releasing psychic stings, biting down hard on the squad.
Just as the squad was less than five hundred meters from the outer perimeter defense line, a heavy, cold psychic fluctuation slowly rose from the direction of the distant rift.
Lin Yan was all too familiar with that oppressive feeling.
It was that third-tier scaled beast.
It did not approach; it merely released a faint layer of psychic pressure from afar, shrouding the entire area. It was like a warning, or perhaps it was silently recording the characteristics of everyone's Sea of Consciousness fluctuations in this battle.
"Third-tier scaled beast! It's in the distance!" Lin Yan warned everyone in a deep voice.
Everyone's heart sank, and they quickened their pace of retreat. Receiving the signal, the outer perimeter security squad immediately turned their guns, aiming the energy cannons toward the distant rift in vigilance, ready to provide fire support at any moment.
The third-tier scaled beast did not launch an attack; it merely maintained its long-range psychic surveillance. The squad retreated all the way back to the high ground position, and all personnel linked up. The scaled beasts behind chased to the edge of the high ground. Wary of the position's firepower, they stopped, let out a few resentful roars, and ceased their pursuit.
"Mission accomplished, the chip was successfully retrieved." Instructor Zhou checked the sealed box and breathed a sigh of relief. Then, his expression turned grave as he looked toward the rift. "That third-tier scaled beast has been watching from afar. It is getting more and more accustomed to this tactic of long-range observation."
No one could have imagined that this scaled beast was merely a "spy." Deep underground, the Lizardmen were collecting data on the characteristics of human warriors' Sea of Consciousness cultivation and the squad's tactical habits through the scaled beasts' Seas of Consciousness. All of humanity's intelligence records still attributed all of this to the individual intelligence of high-level scaled beasts.
The squad rested in place. The medic checked everyone's Sea of Consciousness, confirming it was only slightly overdrawn. Lin Yan sat in meditation to regulate his breathing, turning his awareness inward to inspect his Sea of Consciousness. A few extremely shallow new cracks had been added to the pale white barrier, but fortunately, they were only surface-level damage. The bottleneck of the second-tier peak was still solid, with no signs of a breakthrough, but his experience in Sea of Consciousness perception and layered defense had grown even richer.
"Everyone prepare, pack up your gear, and return to the bastion," Instructor Zhou issued the order.
The convoy started up and returned along the original route. In the darkness of the Black Mountain rift, those eyes continued to watch the direction of the human bastion, silently collecting all information. A greater storm was quietly brewing beneath the earth.
End of Chapter