Chapter 515 - 320: Crisis at the Base! One Man, One Sword, into the Illusory Dream Marsh

The outpost was constructed with unimaginable speed.

Thousands of soldiers and hundreds of Engineering Mechas worked in concert. Amidst roared commands and the clang of metal, a steel fortress rapidly rose from the primitive land.

In just half a day, a ten-meter-high alloy wall had been completed, enclosing a one-square-kilometer stretch of the plain.

Rudimentary Spiritual Energy Defense Towers, searchlights, and patrol catwalks were all in place, projecting an aesthetic of order and power.

Floating Transport Ships flew back and forth between Dragon’s Fang Island and the base, delivering a ceaseless stream of troops and supplies.

Ye Jinghong’s plan was clear: first, establish a firm foothold, then plan for expansion.

Twelve three-man reconnaissance squads were dispatched in shifts, conducting a grid search of the ten-kilometer radius around the base.

Ghost Fighters hovered high above, ready to provide fire support and share intelligence at a moment’s notice.

Everything proceeded with exceptional smoothness. Aside from the occasional encounter with a few unlucky Low Tier Sea Beasts, they met no real resistance.

The native tribes, so arrogant during the day, had all wisely chosen to lie low after witnessing humanity’s terrifying construction capabilities and military might.

Night slowly descended.

The night in Dragon Abyss was an absolute black, a darkness so pure it seemed to devour all light.

The base was brilliantly lit. Massive beams from the searchlights pierced the darkness, sweeping back and forth outside the walls, yet they could only illuminate a limited distance.

Farther out, there was only a deep, impenetrable darkness.

The atmosphere inside the central command tent was tense.

On the massive holographic sand table, seven or eight points of light glowed, each representing a native tribe scouted during the day.

"Hermit Crab Tribe. Defensive type. No ranged attacks. Threat Level: Low."

"Snake Lizard Tribe. Assassin type. Skilled in stealth. Threat Level: Medium."

"Black Fierce Ape Tribe. Berserkers. Capable of ultra-long-range physical projectiles. Threat Level: High!"

Gu Jian pointed at the sand table, analyzing the intelligence piece by piece.

"Tomorrow, our primary objective is to eliminate the nearest Hermit Crab Tribe. It’ll be good practice for the troops and will clear the way for our westward advance."

Ye Jinghong nodded, but his gaze landed on Han Feng.

"Advisor Han, that ’Illusory Dream Marsh’ you mentioned—is there any way to deal with it?"

Han Feng was studying a pink point of light on the sand table, the location he had marked for the Mist Eyes Tribe.

"Not at the moment,"

He answered honestly. "That kind of Spiritual Attack is formless and intangible. The ’Silent One’ headbands can weaken it, but not grant complete immunity.

The best solution is to go around it."

"We can’t go around it,"

Ye Jinghong’s tone was grave. "It’s blocking our only path to the Dragon Abyss Core."

The group fell silent. The strangeness of Dragon Abyss was far more troublesome than they had anticipated.

Just then, the tent flap was violently thrown open. A guard scrambled inside, his face deathly pale and his voice trembling.

"R-report, Major General!

Something’s happened!

It’s... It’s Zhang Kui! He... he’s not going to make it!"

Ye Jinghong’s eyes hardened. He shot to his feet. "Where?"

"The engineering sector! He was reinforcing the walls just a moment ago and suddenly collapsed!"

The group strode quickly out of the tent.

The air outside was cold and damp. Not a single star shone in the sky, and the searchlights seemed to be cutting through the darkness in vain.

In the engineering sector, a burly soldier lay on the ground. His eyes were shut tight, his complexion ashen, and his breathing was so faint it was nearly imperceptible.

He had no external injuries, but everyone could sense the Life Force rapidly draining from his body.

A medic was injecting him with a high-concentration Life Recovery Potion, but the Potion had no effect, like a stone dropped into the ocean.

"What’s happening?" Ye Jinghong demanded, his expression grim.

"I don’t know,"

The medic was sweating profusely. "His vital signs are dropping steadily. It’s like... like something is sucking the life right out of him."

Han Feng stepped forward and activated his [Eye of Insight].

He could clearly see a gray-black wisp of energy, thinner than a human hair, coiled around the soldier’s Divine Soul Origin like a writhing worm.

The wisp was continuously siphoning away the soldier’s Life Force.

Physical attacks were useless. Energy Attacks were useless. This was a curse that targeted the soul itself.

"It’s a Spiritual Attack,"

Han Feng spoke, his voice quiet but carrying clearly to everyone. "Some strange power has attached itself to his Divine Soul."

"He needs to ’endure’ it with his own Spiritual Power."

"How strong does his Spiritual Power need to be?" Gu Jian immediately pressed.

Han Feng estimated the strength of the gray-black wisp of energy and replied,

"He needs to reach at least 500 hertz to mount an effective resistance."

hertz!

A stir went through the officers present.

The average soldier’s Spiritual Power was only around two or three hundred hertz. It was an impossible threshold to reach.

Without a word, Ye Jinghong retrieved a golden Divine Soul Crystal from his Storage Ring, pried open the soldier’s mouth, and shoved it inside.

The crystal melted the moment it entered his mouth, transforming into a surge of pure Spiritual Energy.

A hint of color visibly returned to the soldier’s ashen face, and the rate at which he was losing Life Force slowed noticeably.

But it had only slowed.

"It’s not enough!" Han Feng judged instantly.

Without hesitation, Ye Jinghong took out another Divine Soul Crystal and fed it to the soldier.

With two Divine Soul Crystals in his system, the soldier’s Spiritual Power was forcibly boosted. The gray-black wisp was finally suppressed, and the loss of his Life Force stopped completely.

Everyone had just breathed a sigh of relief.

"Report! Defense Tower Three! Two more men are showing the same symptoms!"

"Report! South Sector barracks! Five men in Squad Seven have gone berserk! They’re biting anyone they see!"