Chapter 514 - 319: Boundary Membrane Atomization! Ghost Squad’s Lone Probe

He didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone understood the danger.

At twenty times gravity, forget piloting a fighter jet—an ordinary person would be instantly crushed into a bloody pulp.

Even an Enlightenment Realm Martial Artist would find their movements severely restricted in such an environment.

"We were attacked by a Giant Ape Tribe. They’re immensely powerful, capable of hurling boulders a thousand meters into the sky."

"After Liu Feng’s fighter went down, we attempted a rescue with covering fire. We managed to get him back, but the fighter... it was unrecoverable."

Wang Rui said it all in a rush, and the entire conference room fell silent.

"All that matters is you got him back."

After a moment, Ye Jinghong finally spoke. He walked up to Wang Rui and Liu Feng, patting them both on the shoulder.

"Fighters can be rebuilt. You two are East Sea City’s most valuable assets. The intelligence you brought back is worth far more than a single jet."

He turned to Liu Zhen and ordered, "Take Liu Feng to the medical bay. Get him the best treatment we have. Wang Rui, you get some rest, too."

"Yes, sir!"

The simple words of reassurance warmed Wang Rui and Liu Feng’s hearts.

After the two men left, Ye Jinghong turned back to the tactical display, his expression once again becoming ice-cold.

"Mark the region where Wang Rui’s team ran into trouble as a ’Highest Threat No-Fly Zone.’ All aerial units are prohibited from approaching within ten kilometers of this area."

Gu Jian immediately entered the command on his terminal. On the tactical display, the red canyon was instantly overlaid with a massive, flashing red skull.

"Now, let’s reassess the dangers of Dragon Abyss." Ye Jinghong’s gaze swept across everyone in the room.

"Advisor Han, please give us a more detailed report on your reconnaissance findings."

Han Feng nodded, walked over to the tactical display, and pointed to a small, pink-colored area.

"This place... I’ve named it the ’Illusory Dream Marsh.’"

"While flying over it at supersonic speed, I was subjected to a formless, intangible Spiritual Attack that directly induces hallucinations."

He looked at the others. "My own Spiritual Power is quite high, so I was fortunate enough to be unaffected."

"But for anyone else, even with a ’Silent One’ circlet, getting hit would likely lead to a fatal error during high-speed flight."

A chill went through the room at his words.

A physical "Gravity Field," on top of an insidious Spiritual Attack that’s impossible to defend against.

And this was just fifty kilometers into the outer rim of Dragon Abyss. Two completely different, lethal threats had already emerged.

"And this tribe,"

Han Feng then pointed to a humid rainforest region. "The lifeforms here have extremely low body temperatures, blending in almost perfectly with the environment. Conventional thermal imaging is completely useless against them."

As Han Feng continued his briefing, and intelligence from the other scout teams was compiled, the once-blank tactical display lit up with markers for seven or eight distinct native tribes.

There were the "Hermit Crab People" who occupied the rock forests, their bodies covered in hard carapaces.

There were the "Snake Lizard People" who lived in the rainforest, their skin covered in green scales.

There were the "Spirit Fox Race" who inhabited the lakeside marshes, adept at illusion techniques.

And, of course, the ferocious and warlike "Black Fierce Apes" that had just crippled the Ghost Squad.

Ye Jinghong stared at the glowing points of light on the tactical display, his silence heavy.

"We can’t afford any more risks."

Gu Jian, also seeing the problem, was the first to speak up.

"Major General, these natives have an endless array of bizarre abilities. Until we have a complete understanding of their capabilities, any kind of offensive action is a gamble."

"I agree."

Ye Jinghong nodded. "Humanity has never conquered unknown worlds on bravado alone. A cautious, methodical approach is the key to survival."

He extended a finger and drew a circle on the tactical display. The location he marked was about thirty kilometers inland from Dragon’s Fang Island.

"Here."

All eyes focused on the spot.

It was a sizable river valley plain. To its back was a steep, thousand-meter-high cliff, and before it ran a surging river, creating a natural chokepoint that was easy to defend and difficult to assault.

Most importantly, the location was over twenty kilometers away—as the crow flies—from both the newly designated "Black Fierce Ape" restricted zone and the "Illusory Dream Marsh" Spiritual Contamination zone Han Feng had mentioned.

It was a safe point tucked between the threats.

"According to our intelligence summary, there’s only one native tribe in that region: the defensive-oriented ’Hermit Crab People.’ And their settlement is a good fifteen kilometers from our chosen site."

Gu Jian added quickly, "They don’t appear to have any ranged-attack capabilities, making their threat level the lowest."

"We’ll establish our first forward base right here," Ye Jinghong declared, his tone final.

"Relay my orders! Operation ’Forward Base’ is a go!"

"Engineer Corps, Engineering Mecha Division, First and Second Combat Battalions, embark immediately! All materials to be loaded within ten minutes!"

"Ghost Squad, scramble again! Your mission: escort duty!"

At Ye Jinghong’s command, Dragon’s Fang Island instantly transformed into a high-speed war machine.

Ten massive Floating Transport Ships, already on standby, slowly opened their cavernous cargo bays.

Ranks of ten-meter-tall Engineering Mechas, armored personnel carriers, and thousands of fully-equipped soldiers boarded the ships in an orderly fashion, directed by the roaring commands of their officers.

Han Feng returned to his X-01 Prototype as well.

This time, his mission wasn’t high-speed reconnaissance, but to fly in formation with the slow-moving transport fleet.

WHIRRR—

Twenty-three Ghost Fighters ascended once more, circling the ten mountain-sized transport ships like a flock of loyal falcons.

The massive fleet slowly departed Dragon’s Fang Island and plunged resolutely into the white mist that signified both danger and the unknown.

Their passage through the mist was once again uneventful.

The fleet arrived in the Dragon Abyss World.

This time, the initial shock was gone, replaced by a grim resolve in everyone’s heart.

The fleet maintained an altitude of one thousand meters, advancing cautiously.

Han Feng piloted his fighter, leading the way at the very front of the fleet.

His [Eye of Insight] had an enormous range, allowing him to detect the movements of the tribes below well in advance so the fleet could evade them.

Along the way, they passed over several of the primitive tribal territories.

Angry roars and a sporadic volley of thrown stones rose from below, but for the massive fleet hovering a thousand meters in the air, such harassment was utterly meaningless.

An hour later, the fleet arrived safely at its destination: the plain backed by the cliff and facing the great river.

"Transport One and Two, provide area suppression! All other ships, begin landing procedure now!" Ye Jinghong’s voice boomed across all channels.

Two of the transports hovered high above as armored plates on their sides slid open, revealing rows of dark, menacing cannon muzzles.

The remaining eight transports descended slowly, their massive hulls touching down on the plain and kicking up clouds of dust.

CHUNK! CHUNK!

The bay doors opened, and a torrent of soldiers and vehicles, already in position, flooded out.

"Perimeter teams! Establish a three-hundred-meter defensive line, using the transports as your center!"

"Engineering teams! Lay foundations and erect the alloy walls! Power spire is top priority!"

"Recon teams! Fan out and deploy high-sensitivity sensor nodes!"

Officers roared one command after another, and thousands of soldiers moved like the precision components of a machine, instantly beginning the base’s construction.

Piece by heavy piece, special alloy wall panels were hoisted by Engineering Mechas and fitted together with precision. In just over ten minutes, the basic structure of a ten-meter-high wall, gleaming with a metallic luster, was already in place.

Small Spiritual Energy Turrets were installed at key nodes along the wall, their muzzles crackling with dangerous blue light.

Han Feng circled his fighter above the nascent base, watching as a military fortress rose from the ground before his very eyes.

The military fortress, an edifice of steel and order, stood in stark contrast to this primitive, savage land.

He knew that from this moment forward, the nail of human civilization had been driven deep into this new world called Dragon Abyss.

The war had only just begun.