Chapter One Hundred Fifty: The Night Watchman

Chapter 150: The Night Watchers

Xia Zheng slipped into the deep, dark night. Unlike him, the others were equipped with night-vision devices and other gear. His eyesight was far superior to that of ordinary people, allowing him to discern shapes even in pitch-black surroundings. At the same time, he possessed psychic scanning capabilities that others lacked. Operating much like the radar of a lacewing bat, it allowed him to perceive information beyond what the eyes could see, rendering auxiliary equipment unnecessary for him.

The scout forces had suffered rather heavy casualties. If this continued, the entire unit faced the grim possibility of being completely wiped out. Under the cover of night, the combat prowess of these Blood Tribe members had increased significantly, whereas the humans found themselves somewhat weakened.

"Movement ahead at the two o'clock position," Luo Bing whispered into her comm-link, lying prone in the customized personal bunker Xia Zheng had built for her, her sniper rifle zeroed in on a specific bearing. This was their private channel.

Xia Zheng nodded, then pulled several alloy-crafted spikes from his gear, assuming a defensive posture primarily to ensure Luo Bing's safety.

Although he could utilize psychic power for attacks, its efficiency and speed fell short of a sniper rifle in these circumstances. Moreover, he needed to conserve his mental energy. Whenever he had a free moment, he would immediately channel it into his psychic beads, relying as much as possible on the restorative properties of his moon-glow wristband.

Xia Zheng was entirely unversed in firearms, save for close-quarters shooting, so he did not participate in the sniping. The elite soldiers selected by Luo Bing were all proficient in marksmanship. Furthermore, their weapons were far from ordinary sniper rifles; the bullets had undergone specialized processing and modification specifically targeted against the Blood Tribe, yielding rather astonishing firepower.

In head-to-head, one-on-one combat, humans might fall short of the Blood Tribe, but under this kind of covert sniper fire, the Blood Tribe proved inferior to the humans.

Amidst a faint tremor, Luo Bing fired. Almost simultaneously, at a distance of about five hundred meters in the two o'clock position, Xia Zheng sensed a Blood Tribe warrior collapse in response to the shot, seemingly taking a direct headshot for an instant kill.

Following that, the surrounding concealed snipers continuously opened fire. Blood Tribe scouts fell one after another. In an instant, the Blood Tribe fell into chaos and abruptly halted their advance.

Human technology retained its superiority over the Blood Tribe. Therefore, despite Eternal Night City having been breached by the Blood Tribe, the Federation and the military command still mounted a steady and forceful counterattack without panicking.

Ten minutes later, as the first wave of intense sniping peaked, the Blood Tribe retreated a kilometer away. Realizing the sniping effectiveness would diminish at that range, Luo Bing ordered a halt and switched to a state of heightened vigilance. She understood well that it was impossible to completely resolve the Blood Tribe threat through sniping alone.

Xia Zheng intervened once or twice when a few reckless Blood Tribe members attempted to approach Luo Bing with utter disregard for their lives. Naturally, he showed them no courtesy.

After suffering heavy losses and breaking their heads against the human defense, the Blood Tribe finally realized that inflicting further casualties on the humans was nearly impossible, forcing them to make a temporary retreat.

By this time, it was around one in the morning. The soldiers in the camp were mostly resting. Although everyone harbored a near-pessimistic attitude toward the future, military discipline still compelled them to rest on schedule.

Xia Zheng and the others, tasked with standing watch in place of the regular guards, could only snatch a brief moment to close their eyes and rest their minds during the lull. Luo Bing and Xia Zheng sat back-to-back against the trunk of a large tree.

"Benson, have you ever thought about the future?" Luo Bing asked.

Xia Zheng shook his head and replied, "Not yet." This was a difficult question for him to answer. In reality, his immediate plan was to participate in the retaking of Eternal Night City. If that grand aspiration could be realized, he would entertain more personal dreams. But here, Eternal Night City had not yet fully fallen, so naturally, he had no long-term plans.

"I figured as much, but I have," Luo Bing smiled, affectionately pressing her forehead against the back of Xia Zheng's head. Ever since the two of them had crossed the invisible barrier between men and women, Luo Bing had long since reverted to the demeanor of an ordinary girl when she was alone with him.

Curious, Xia Zheng asked, "As a Star-Radiance martial artist, shouldn't you continue serving in the military until the day you retire?"

"Originally, yes. But now I've witnessed the twilight of the genetic martial artist era. The human future that you represent is destined to rise. Therefore, once the Eternal Night City incident concludes, I intend to submit an early retirement request to the military." Luo Bing seemed to have considered this long ago. It was unclear when the thought had first formed, but Xia Zheng surmised it must have been after he revealed his "true identity" to her. Yet, Luo Bing had never mentioned it to anyone else. As a person connected to humanity's future, Luo Bing could already perceive the unbridgeable gap between genetic martial artists and ability users—a gap that spanned two distinct eras.

"Then what do you plan to do after you retire?" Xia Zheng continued to ask.

"Find a good man and marry him," Luo Bing laughed, making it sound like an exceedingly ordinary wish.

"Hehe... Then let me offer my congratulations in advance..." Xia Zheng said offhandedly.

"Jerk!" Annoyed, Luo Bing turned around and punched Xia Zheng in the chest. Xia Zheng did not resist, letting his momentum carry him backward to land squarely on her full thighs, where he was met with her deeply affectionate gaze.

"You... will eventually return to the future, won't you?" Luo Bing asked cautiously.

Xia Zheng pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes, I don't belong to this era, and I cannot stay here forever."

"Oh... Then what if both of us die in battle here in Eternal Night City?" Luo Bing asked further.

"Then perhaps there won't be a future, hehe... I'm just joking, I really don't know. Even if Eternal Night City falls, and even if we die on the battlefield, the Federation will not collapse. You and I both know that." Xia Zheng couldn't help wrapping his arms around Luo Bing's waist, pulling her close. If the current circumstances weren't so extraordinary, he truly would have liked to relax and spend some intimate time with her.

Luo Bing nodded, then said with resolute determination, "Then once this war ends, if both of you and I are still alive, let's hold our wedding."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't say things like that. That is the ultimate death flag! Please don't say that, I'm a superstitious person." Xia Zheng hurriedly stretched out a finger to press against her lips.

This was the first time Luo Bing had ever heard such a term. After Xia Zheng provided an explanation, she understood and laughed, "What nonsense about flags! What's meant to happen can't be avoided, and what's meant to survive needs no worry. From the day I became a federal soldier, I saw through all of this long ago. Dying on the battlefield is a soldier's glory, and while alive, striving to live the life one desires—that is my philosophy. Flag or no flag, I'm going to say it."

"You are so strong, combining emotional depth with rational thought. Perhaps that is the very essence of your character." Without knowing when it happened, the two of them kissed right there in the deep night.

Following that, every single hour, the Blood Tribe launched tentative probing attacks. Upon meeting stubborn resistance, they would retreat, only to return and harass them again with untiring persistence.

Seeing Luo Bing and the others experiencing a continuous decline in mental alertness, Xia Zheng simply arranged for everyone except himself to take an extended rest, taking full responsibility for the night watch during that period. Luo Bing trusted him implicitly and took the lead in resting, while the others likewise lay down to sleep fully clothed.

This time, Xia Zheng held nothing back. Sitting cross-legged on another tree, he manipulated dozens to hundreds of concealed weapons, sending them out to a distance of one kilometer to continuously slaughter the Blood Tribe forces as they approached in small groups. He pressed the attack until the enemy was forced to retreat three kilometers away before finally stopping, leaving behind hundreds of Blood Tribe scout corpses strewn across the ground.

By the time dawn broke, Luo Bing and the others officially relieved Xia Zheng of his watch. He then returned to the tree where Luo Bing had previously rested, hypnotized himself, and plunged into a deep, hour-and-a-half sleep.

During the first day of engagement, both humans and the Blood Tribe suffered heavy casualties. Nearly ten thousand humans were killed in action, while over a thousand Blood Tribe elites perished, alongside more than ten thousand undead soldiers controlled by the Blood Tribe. Both sides suffered severe blows, resulting in a stalemate.