Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Elite Among Elites
"You’re really piling the pressure on me." Martial Artist Shen Yu totally understood interstellar world Shen Yu’s words, but was also at a bit of a loss for words.
The highest-level Body Refining Martial Dao, and you need sufficient numbers? Well, isn’t that just the crowd from the Earth Martial Sect?
That group are a bunch of extremely tough powerhouses.
Martial arts cultivation isn’t easy, but when it comes to Body Refining Martial Dao, its difficulty stands out the most among all mainstream martial arts.
At the start, you have to undertake insane physical training, pushing your body to its absolute limits again and again, then break through those limits using Primordial Energy and Cultivation Techniques—especially when it comes to condensing Earth Evil, the process is both dangerous and excruciating.
In terms of sheer agony, only some truly inhuman fringe martial arts could surpass it.
The toughness of experts honed in such conditions speaks for itself.
Still, no matter how hard it gets, it’s not as tough as dealing with the apocalypse. Martial Artist Shen Yu, shuffling through his hidden cards, started to have a plan.
"I’ll get on it as soon as possible," Martial Artist Shen Yu finally said. "At the very least, I’ll do right by that warship you gave me."
"A warship is nothing," laughed interstellar world Shen Yu. "I’ll help you build a massive survival base in the future! And using the highest standards—no matter how harsh the environment on a planet, everyone can live comfortably."
"You have a deal!" Martial Artist Shen Yu felt a surge of excitement in his heart.
This was one of the things bothering him lately: even if food is sufficient for now, the brutal environment is still a huge problem.
Right now, there are still refugees freezing to death out in the piercing cold wind.
It’s only going to get worse in the future.
"Don’t worry, the martial arts foundation your civilization has accumulated absolutely merits this," interstellar world Shen Yu replied seriously.
"Alright!" Martial Artist Shen Yu replied firmly.
Both he and Shen Yu were actually already aware of it.
Interstellar world Shen Yu had undergone a slight change; not only was he more energetic, but he was also noticeably more confident.
If it were before, he wouldn’t have made such a direct promise—he couldn’t be sure.
But now, clearly, things were different.
Still, it was only a matter of time. Each of them should have this kind of confidence.
"On my end, there’s a new crisis too," Shen Yu took the opportunity to share the latest developments over here.
After hearing him out, both were left a little stunned.
The meteorite monsters that had evolved for over three months had already become this terrifying.
Endless vines rampaging—a scenario so troublesome it’s hard to even imagine.
"Let me set up an all-purpose aerial reconnaissance hive for you first," interstellar world Shen Yu was the first to speak. "No matter what, we’ll need to get solid intel on these monsters."
"Exactly," Martial Artist Shen Yu agreed. "Based on our previous experiences, as long as we can resolve the crisis, that marks the start of the harvest. The more monsters there are, the greater their value—Mother Star can get filthy rich just by selling monsters."
This, of course, was just a joke to lighten the mood. Still, it really was something to look forward to.
Shen Yu felt considerably more at ease too.
Afterward, he discussed a few more things with the two other Shen Yus.
For example, the trade list prepared by the Interstellar Civilization, and Martial Artist Shen Yu’s cultivation progress of the Life and Death Nirvana Scripture—whether or not he needed to use Gray Mist.
Since establishing contact, the three of them traded information with remarkable frequency.
Time slipped away unnoticed.
Shen Yu finally reached his destination.
Sitting in the armed helicopter, he could see the endless expanse of forest and rolling mountains in the distance—this was a sight Shen Yu had never witnessed with his own eyes until now.
"Nature." He slowly exhaled, shocked to find that this forest—supposedly brimming with life and vitality—seemed dead and menacing.
The helicopter touched down directly at the nearest military base, obviously a temporary setup. He could see a fleet of excavators still busy at work.
But what really caught Shen Yu’s attention was the group of warriors already assembled down in the plaza.
They were clearly different from those he’d seen before.
There were only a bit more than sixty of them, but each one was equipped with specialized gear—night-vision goggles, personal computer terminals, portable drones. Shen Yu even spotted a few carrying heavy shields.
Division of labor was clearly defined.
And judging by the green war paint streaked across their faces, it was obvious what kind of unit this was.
Special forces!
Sure enough, after Shen Yu got off the helicopter, the man in charge stepped forward, saluted him, and declared loudly, "Entire Old Thirteen Special Operations Squad reporting to the commander!"
"Old Thirteen..." Shen Yu muttered the name to himself, a little bewildered.
Usually teams like this have far more intimidating names.
Like Snow Wolf or Battle Hawk.
Old Thirteen sounds a bit lacking in presence.
But he didn’t comment, instead turning toward another man standing off to the side, clearly unarmed and more bureaucratic in bearing.
"Advisor Shen, hello, I’m Song Yao, instructor for the Old Thirteen Special Operations Squad." Song Yao stepped forward, saluted Shen Yu, and said, "We’ve received orders from above to fully support your investigation of the meteorite monsters inside First National Forest Park; you can issue any order, even ones with a near-certain death rate, and we will carry it out without hesitation. Every member of Old Thirteen is always prepared to sacrifice."
When he finished that last sentence, his tone hardly changed.
The warriors standing at attention showed not a flicker of emotion either.
Shen Yu instantly understood—this squad must be elite among elites.
In relatively peaceful Eastern Country, there wouldn’t be many teams at this level. Yet they had still been sent to his aid, taking this stance—clearly, from front-line soldiers to command staff, their resolve was entirely transplanted onto Shen Yu’s shoulders.
Which also brought a certain pressure.
After a brief silence, Shen Yu nodded and said, "Understood. If I need anything, I’ll give direct instructions."
"Yes, sir!" Song Yao saluted once again, then retreated a few steps, standing motionless.
"When did you arrive here?" Shen Yu raised his wrist, his personal terminal projecting a holographic map of the whole forest.
"Forty-three minutes ago, Commander."
"Where are we on this map? And the meteorite impact site?"
"Both marked for you, Commander."
"Anyone go deep for recon before now? Where are those people?"
"They’ve been tightly protected since several hours ago. If you need, we can coordinate and bring them over."
"Not for now—let’s see how things play out. You all should know the situation; any thoughts?"
"..."
Shen Yu’s last question seemed to stump them; none of the other soldiers moved, but Song Yao glanced at his comrades and then said in a grave tone, "I believe we should carry out the investigation as soon as possible—ideally, capture a live monster. We’re willing to penetrate the forest and approach the meteorite impact site for investigation and combat operations!"