Chapter 126 “The Commander”

What’s Aunt Dragonfly doing here?

Shouldn’t they take the initiative to avoid suspicion at this time?

Upon hearing Peony’s report, Wang Jixuan signaled Peony to take the invisibility device and go forward, asking Aunt Dragonfly to wait a moment.

The Commander-in-Chief’s efforts to extend his lifespan were only halfway through, and they could not be abandoned halfway.

Extending Fu Jian’s lifespan is not an easy task for Master Wang these days.

Generally speaking, extending the lifespan of mortals only requires expending magical power to “cleanse their essence and marrow,” which can strengthen their bodies and bones, prolong their lives, and make it no problem for them to live to be a hundred years old. Moreover, cultivators in the Gathering Spirit Realm and Returning to Truth Realm can do this. The level of cultivation only determines the speed of cleansing the essence and marrow.

But the situation was entirely different for Commander-in-Chief Fu Jian.

Fu Jian’s body has almost completely disappeared, leaving only his brain and a few organs. His brain is covered by two high-tech membranes that simulate the biological environment of the human body. There are no acupoints, meridians, or even muscles on his body.

This brain has already shown signs of marginal shrinkage.

Wang Jixuan dared not mess with Fu Jian’s mind, but instead used his own magical power to transform into the gentlest aura to help Fu Jian slow down the aging of his brain.

The only level that can truly be manipulated is the soul.

‘Extending the lifespan of the pillars of humanity doesn’t mean arbitrarily manipulating other people’s souls.’

Master Wang muttered to himself, made a hand seal, and pressed his sword finger against Fu Jian’s head.

Soon, Wang Jixuan frowned deeply and subconsciously took two steps back.

“What’s wrong?” Fu Jian asked.

“Uncle Hei, there’s a strong malevolent aura around your soul.”

A few beads of cold sweat appeared on Wang Jixuan’s forehead:

“I was almost injured by that malevolent energy just now.”

“A malevolent aura?” Fu Jian asked, puzzled.

“This is hard to explain. It can be seen as the soul of the murderer becoming entangled with the resentment of the victim after the murder. Generally speaking, this evil energy will gradually affect the soul of the murderer. For example, the murderer will have nightmares and his spirit will gradually weaken. If there is a lot of evil energy, it is easy to go crazy.”

Wang Jixuan frowned and said:

“Has the Commander-in-Chief killed many people?”

Fu Jian calmly replied with his eyes closed, “Yes, several million is possible.”

“No wonder they call you the Devil Commander-in-Chief.”

Wang Jixuan shook his head, took out more than ten talismans and stuck them on his body, then walked back again.

“Try to relax. I need to check the state of your soul first, and then I will try to extend your life.”

“I’ll do my best. Do I need to put myself into a sleep state?”

“If it’s convenient.”

Fu Jian nodded, took a soft breath, and a slight humming sound came from the machine. The red light in the mechanical eyes became very dim.

The Commander-in-Chief was asleep, truly asleep, completely unprepared.

Wang Jixuan activated two Soul-Suppressing Talismans and cast a spell on his own soul before pointing a finger at Fu Jian’s forehead.

‘Who exactly is this person whose lifespan I wish to extend? Why does he possess such a powerful aura of malevolence?’

“Excuse me, but I must ascertain whether you are indeed a serial killer.”

A petal drifts into my dream;

I’ve glimpsed half a lifetime adrift like duckweed.

…

【25 years before Fortnite】

Even in the urban jungle built of reinforced concrete, there are some quiet corners, such as the community fitness corner.

At this age, the six-year-old is still wondering if “going to primary school” means switching to a bigger kindergarten to continue playing, and is also thinking about how to trick his mother into letting him play on her phone for a while at night.

Fu Jian, in his smaller form, gripped the exercise disc with all his might, as if he were sailing a medieval pirate ship.

“Fu Jian!”

The boy named ‘Heizi’ was just a vague outline in Fu Jian’s memory; as his parents led him past, he turned and called out:

“Let’s go to Happy Valley this weekend!”

“I have a soccer lesson tomorrow! You go by yourself!”

These images are blurry, shaky, and fleeting because they are from so long ago, worn away by time, leaving only fragments.

The scene shifts to Fu Jian, who is eating with his head down, while his parents chat anxiously beside him.

“Honey, the news says the battle line is basically stable now, and the alien invaders have been stopped at the coastline!”

“It’s just encouraging, the situation is terrible. The internet says that Donghai City has fallen and the strongest defense line has been breached by the Blade Beast horde.”

“Honey… I’m so scared. I’m afraid of what will happen to our son in the future…”

“Don’t cry, what are you crying about? We’ll be leaving in a few days, picking up our parents and heading west. They say the plateau is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and they’re building the last line of defense there… Wife, the kids are watching you.”

“Xiao Jian, it’s alright.”

The scene shifts to the stairwell of a somewhat old residential building.

Fu Jian’s grandfather and father were arguing. The father was pulling his suitcase out, but the old man was pulling it back with all his might.

“What are you doing! Let go! I’m not leaving! Take Xiao Jian with you!”

“Dad! The Blade Beasts are attacking soon!”

“If they attack, then attack! I’ll go to the police station, get a gun, and fight them to the death!”

“If those guns were effective, would we humans be getting shot like this? Haven’t you seen the videos online? They’re terrifying; ordinary rifles can’t even hurt them, and only heavy machine guns are barely enough to deal with them! The front lines have almost exhausted all their stockpiled heavy firepower!”

“Then I’m not going to be a deserter! If you want to leave, go ahead! I’m sixty-five! I’ve lived enough!”

“dad!”

“Get out of here! Take all this with my grandson! And this money, take it. I withdrew it during the panic, I don’t know if it will be of any use in the future. I bought a whole house full of grain, oil and salt. Don’t worry about me, go! Go now!”

The image fades out and then transitions again.

The SUV is packed with daily necessities.

Fu Jian asked softly, “Dad, isn’t Grandpa coming with us?”

The middle-aged man driving, his eyes red, hummed in agreement, then wiped his eyes with his hand. He turned and smiled at Fu Jian, who was huddled in the back seat with pots and pans, without saying anything more.

The SUV was quickly stuck on the highway, having traveled less than 100 kilometers in 30 hours.

The first relatively clear image appeared in Fu Jian’s memory.

It was on the fourth day after they left the city, when they passed through a small town. The sun was shining brightly and the weather was fine.

Not far from the highway, in the fields dotted with fruit and vegetable greenhouses on the edge of the small town, the earth suddenly arches upwards!

A giant burrowing worm burst out of the ground and shot upwards for dozens of meters, its enormous body smashing through several greenhouses!

Inside the SUV, the father was swearing, the mother was shouting frantically, and Fu Jian was staring blankly.

Countless basic blade beasts poured out of the large hole, like a ‘black fountain’ gushing from the ground, each one terrifying.

One group of bladed beasts charged towards the small town, and another group charged towards the highway.

Fu Jian’s father jerked the steering wheel, and the modified SUV sped across the emergency lane, crashed through the highway guardrail, and plunged into the fields.

Screams, cries for help, shouts.

Fu Jian strained his body to look at the highway. What he saw was a chaotic convoy of cars, people hurriedly getting out of their cars and fleeing in this direction, ‘blade beast wheels’ rolling over and crushing human bodies at high speed, and basic blade beasts with their bladed limbs outstretched, quickly reaping human lives.

“husband!”

Fu Jian turned around abruptly and saw the high ridges of the field ahead. The SUV crashed directly into them.

The screen went black.

Several scenes flashed by: six-year-old Fu Jian was carried out of an off-road vehicle by a group of soldiers, held in their arms, and rushed toward a helicopter not far away.

That year, he lost his parents and family.

…

【Year 12 BC of Fortress Age】

Military training camp on the edge of the plateau.

Fu Jian’s memories gradually became clearer, but they were filled with relatively monotonous training content: physical training, shooting training, long weapon combat training, explanations of the weaknesses of the blade beast, and so on.

Fu Jian was constantly learning and didn’t have many important memories.

The only color fragments are among the most vivid images in Fu Jian’s memory.

A female soldier entered his heart after he lost to her in a simulated shooting competition.

The memories are tinged with pink. Fu Jian went to great lengths to be assigned to the same company and battlefield as the female soldier. The two patrolled the mountains and fields with tactical backpacks on their backs. Finally, they got a rare vacation and tasted the forbidden fruit of love in a small tent.

“Fu Jian…”

She called out tenderly in her confusion and passion.

This handsome and somewhat alluring face suddenly turned deathly pale and its eyes became vacant a few days later.

The female soldier’s half-body lay on the stretcher, blood still dripping from her waist, which had been slashed by a sharp knife.

Fu Jian knelt beside the stretcher, tightly holding his lover’s hand. Tears kept trying to flow, but he kept holding them back. He didn’t say a word, poured the small amount of fuel he had been allocated onto her, and lit it with a lighter.

“I love you,” he said, his voice choked with emotion, “and in the next life too.”

…

【8 years before Fortnite】

The humanoid mecha project was officially proposed.

“Those who want to participate in the renovation plan, step forward!”

With a whoosh, all fifty-six remaining men of the company stepped forward simultaneously.

“The modification project will kill people! The current survival rate is only 20%! We’ll replace your spines with mechanical ones! Even if you survive the modification surgery, you’ll likely be paralyzed from the waist down! If you don’t want to die, take two steps back!”

No one moved.

The company commander pursed his lips, jumped down from the wooden stake in front of him, stood in front of Fu Jian, and saluted the empty wooden stake!

“The entire 6th Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Regiment of the Qiongshan Special Operations Group Army has volunteered to participate in the transformation program!”

Fu Jian took a deep breath and, along with the other fifty-five brothers, repeated the shout.

However, after the shouts, the figures gradually darkened and were swallowed by the darkness at the edge of memory, leaving only four people who walked forward together for a while.

Modification, mechanical arm trial installation, mounting of the first-generation destruction cannon, battlefield testing, joining the battle, and a death charge.

Fu Jian’s teammates kept falling down, and new teammates kept arriving.

In his memory, enormous and terrifying general-level blade beasts began to appear, as did hordes of blade beasts that surged like a tsunami, and rains of cannonballs that could almost blot out the sky.

The human front was being torn apart by the Blade Beasts.

Humanity has never ceased to resist;

Fu Jian was constantly lying on the operating table, sometimes receiving treatment for serious injuries, and sometimes having parts of his body removed.

His face gradually changed from youth to adulthood, but his eyes remained unwavering throughout.

All he has now is this unwavering resolve.

…

【Bastion Era Year 1】

From Fu Jian’s perspective, this was a somewhat gloomy conference room, and he was sitting in the far corner.

The 3D projection, whose technology is not yet fully mature, plays the “Fortress Declaration” read by the Secretary of the Joint Governing Representatives Conference of the Human War Zones.

A dozen or so veteran generals, dressed in military uniforms and from different war zones, were smoking and discussing something in hushed tones.

Most of their words were actually pessimistic.

Because they know the current state of resources within humanity, and they also know just how terrifying the Blade Beast race is.

“The Twelve Pillars, alas, the twelve most powerful King-level Blade Beasts. We are only fighting against five of them now, and the five continents have already fallen.”

“Don’t be too pessimistic. According to the latest satellite data analysis, the activity of the central Blade Beast group has dropped significantly in the past three years. They seem to be hibernating. Now, only the Blade Beast groups led by the five outer pillars are active.”

“The Thirteenth Institute has set a price, demanding that we recognize the results of their biological experiments and that our military actively cooperate with them. It’s ridiculous! Humanity needs their monsters to protect it? The only things that can protect humanity are the shells and laser cannons that humans produce themselves!”

“Their experiment successfully utilized the Blade Beast’s crystal core, which may be a viable path. Perhaps we must learn from the Blade Beast’s civilization; aren’t fortresses products that imitate their lairs?”

“Alright, today’s meeting is to discuss the resource allocation for the first batch of 392 fortresses.”

“Although we have verified the feasibility of the fortress ecosystem, fortresses and surface cities will coexist for a considerable period of time. We cannot pour all our resources into fortresses at once. We can only fully transition to the fortress era when the number of fortresses worldwide exceeds 1,500.”

“The Blade Beasts won’t wait for us; we must speed up our turn.”

The latest novels are first published on 69shuba!

“Sigh, I’m starting to doubt whether there’s any such thing as justice at all. Doesn’t everyone say that justice will prevail? So where is justice for us humans? Where is it?”

Fu Jian stood up and saluted: “Marshal! We are the justice of humanity!”

The dozen or so elderly people immediately burst into laughter.

“Who’s this guy? Hahaha! He’s got quite the nerve!”

“Fu Jian, one of the three pilots of our latest terrifying mech project, has already taken down twenty-six general-level blade beasts.”

“Heroes! Excellent! Let us uphold justice for humanity!”

“Let’s continue the meeting; hype won’t save human civilization.”

Fu Jian sat down, and the first-generation battle maiden beside him gave him a thumbs up.

…

【Fortress Era 3】

Battle of life and death at Fortress 24 in the D5 Comprehensive War Zone Vanguard Zone: The first-generation terrifying mechs are put into use.

Through Fu Jian’s memories, Wang Jixuan saw the first-generation terrifying mech for the first time and was also shocked.

This was also the first time Fu Jian had seen the humanoid mecha in its entirety outside the experimental base.

It stands 116 meters tall and looks like a’skinny giant’ from a distance.

Because the war was so urgent, some of its paintwork was not yet finished, and you could still see some of the original luster of the alloy. In order to provide enough power, five modular small nuclear reactors were distributed on its chest, shoulders, and outer thighs, and various weapon systems were mounted on its body.

Having completed 80% of his body modifications, Fu Jian donned a thick load-bearing suit and entered the terrifying mech from the back. He was then enveloped by airbags and transported to the cockpit.

The cold, synthesized sounds kept ringing out.

The mechanical spine acts as a bridge, connecting Fu Jian to the terrorist armor control system.

The sensors that automatically extended enveloped Fu Jian’s entire body.

All 360 subsystems of the terrifying mech were activated simultaneously, and the pilot began to endure extremely high loads.

Scaffolding removed;

Fu Jian grunted, and the terrifying mech leaned forward like a giant slowly falling. Veins bulged on his forehead, his body was pressed forward and fell down, then he forced himself to kneel on one knee with a low growl before slowly getting up.

He held his arms out straight, kept steady, and took two steps forward.

The earth rumbled, and the concrete ground continued to crumble.

Fu Jianping slowly clasped his hands together, and the mecha synchronized, forcefully punching each other.

Synchronization and coordination rate: 95%!

Fu Jian took a deep breath: “Report to command center, our unit is ready to launch an attack!”

An aged, hoarse, almost manic voice screamed through the headphones:

“Target, a King-level Blade Beast! Number TT230! Fu Jian! I’m giving you all the firepower support! Go and win this battle! Tear that giant worm to shreds! Damn it! The fortress is about to be breached!”

“yes!”

The terrifying mech activated its strong magnetic field ring, its body weight diminished, and it began to race towards the mountains ahead.

It was the first battle, and also a major battle.

The terrifying mechs entered the battlefield an hour later.

The horde of Blade Beasts surged toward it like a tidal wave, with a giant, 150-meter-tall, battering ram-like King-class Blade Beast roaring at the terrifying mech.

Countless drones surrounded the terrifying mech, each drone a flying projectile, constantly launching attacks forward.

Bombers roared overhead, dropping various heavy bombs;

The swarm of ‘Teyron’ drones that came with outstretched wings was attacked by a large number of fighter jets, and both sides launched a near-suicidal charge.

None of these attacks could threaten the King-level Blade Beast with its extremely thick shell!

The ground ahead is constantly collapsing, and the horde of bladed beasts is destroying the underground structure.

Fu Jian piloted the terrifying mech and began to leap forward. The’slender’ mech began to unleash tremendous speed, with beams of light shining behind it and strong magnetic halos appearing on its limbs.

The terrifying mech seemed to take flight, smashing into several general-level bladed beasts.

The King-level Blade Beast released an electromagnetic pulse to clear the area, and a thick shielding layer appeared on the entire body of the terrifying mech, so that the uniquely designed electronic components inside were not affected in any way.

For the first time, humans have charged right up to a King-level Blade Beast!

For the first time, humanity wielded a steel fist and shattered the facial exoskeleton of a King-level Blade Beast!

This is also the first time that humans have pried open the mouth of a King-level Blade Beast, stuffed in the giant Destruction Cannon transformed from the mecha arm, and fired it fiercely!

boom!

The king-level head exploded, and the terrifying mech stood proudly on its corpse, gazing ahead before pouncing on the general-level blade beasts that were beginning to flee.

A local counter-offensive has begun on the human front;

The age of heroes has arrived!

…

【Fortress Era 27】

“Commander! The final list of pilots for the second-generation Terror Mechs has been finalized. Please take a look!”

Fu Jian, with his gray hair, smiled and said, “Yes, I hope they can shoulder this responsibility. I’m almost too old to fight anymore.”

“Everyone takes you as their role model and trains hard. It’s already quite good that you have some half-human body indicators.”

“Now that the main force of the twelve pillars of the Blade Beasts has entered a period of inactivity, our pressure has been greatly reduced.”

“Commander, should we expand the fortress appropriately? The current population growth is already constrained by the number of fortresses.”

“We don’t need to worry about what happens in other places. In D5, we should prepare more vacant fortresses as backup. It’s enough to reach industrial population saturation. Current research shows that if the number of humans in an area exceeds a certain value, it will attract attacks from King-level Blade Beasts. Before there is a significant breakthrough in military technology, we can only maintain the current population density in the area.”

“Yes, Commander! Please take care of yourself and get some rest. You’ve been working too hard lately.”

“My body is already overburdened. There have been too many injuries and too many repairs. My telomeres are almost worn away. It’s time to train a successor. What I’m most worried about now is the Psionic Capital. The Thirteenth Institute has essentially lost control, and a group of extremely powerful psionicists have emerged. While psionicists have helped humanity stabilize the front lines over the past ten years or so, their demands for all kinds of resources have also increased, especially their use of ordinary humans as experimental subjects. This is not a good sign.”

Fu Jian said calmly.

“Let’s prepare early.”

…

【Bastion Era 32】

The Psionic City Rebellion.

The principal governors and commanders of each major war zone were detained during a meeting in the Psionic City. The Six Elders of the Psionic City demanded that each human war zone pledge allegiance to the Psionic City.

Fu Jian sat alone in front of the narrow projection screen for three hours in silence, then let out a bitter laugh.

“A bunch of trash.”

“If they don’t die this time, I’m going to completely transform them. I finally managed to train two promising young men, and now I’ve compromised.”

He got up and went to the cockpit of a transport plane. Through the porthole, he could see large transport planes speeding through the air, and the flashes of explosions could be seen in the surrounding area.

The aircraft swarm advanced relentlessly, disregarding casualties.

Humanoid mechs and fully armored units launch a surprise attack on the central urban area of ​​the psionic capital!

Fu Jian clutched his aching heart, took a deep breath, donned his Blade Slash Suit, and led dozens of half-human mechs in a leap down!

…

Wang Jixuan frowned as he watched the fierce battle in the City of Spiritual Energy, his heart filled with doubt.

The battle was fierce, and Fu Jian chose indiscriminate killing. Any psionicists, psionic city armed forces, or civilians who tried to attack them that stood in their way were directly destroyed.

Several centaur armored figures charged forward carrying thermonuclear bombs, determined to die together, activating the bombs to the final stage. All that was needed was to press a button to level the psionic capital.

The six elders were terrified.

Their fear only made Fu Jian’s steps forward more determined.

But based solely on this killing…

How could such a strong evil aura possibly form?

‘What memories does the Commander-in-Chief have that I haven’t seen?’

Wang Jixuan looked around and suddenly noticed a series of dark and extremely somber scenes, which were often seen in the command room.

“Commander, the Blade Beast horde has driven about 150,000 civilians to the front to block our fire…”

“Indiscriminate attack. Are you deaf? Execute the order.”

“yes!”

“Commander, all four positions near Fortress No. 22 have been breached! The 450,000 men inside the fortress couldn’t be evacuated in time!”

“Abandon them, shrink the battle lines, and prepare for a counterattack with all our might.”

“Commander! The Blade Beast horde isn’t attacking directly. They’ve surrounded Fortress 43, releasing poison gas area by area, experimenting with how to kill humans faster… They haven’t damaged the fortress’s structure! The Blade Beast horde is looking for a quicker way to breach our fortress!”

“Use new types of bunker-buster bombs, loaded with nuclear warheads, to indiscriminately attack and destroy the main structure of the fortress city.”

“Commander! Brothers, we can still make one more push! We can take back the fortress! Destroy the upper city structure! Those 300,000-plus people down below will suffocate!”

“Execute the command.”

“commander!”

The young guard, Dongfang Zhenghong, raised his rifle, his eyes filled with tears and his breath trembling: “I’ll charge too, let us try one more time! Please! They’re not dead yet!”

Fu Jian snatched the rifle, disassembled it into parts, and slapped Dongfang Zhenghong away.

“Three months of confinement.”

“yes!”

Many evil energies… originate from this…

Wang Jixuan remained silent.

Behind these somewhat dark memories, he saw a small house, which was Fu Jian’s mental defenses, the most solid place in his heart.

Wang Jixuan glanced at it and immediately retreated, preparing the Soul-Stabilizing Secret Technique that he could currently use, which had the best effect and the fewest side effects.

Behind the psychological barrier is a photo wall, with colorful photos of smiling people hanging on it.

Fu Jian’s spirit often sits in front of the photo wall, with countless ghostly figures behind him and a vast blue ocean beneath his feet, constantly murmuring to himself as he looks at the photos.

“Do we humans even have a future…?”

…

【Bastion Era 84】

“Commander, strange events have recently occurred at Fortress 76 in the Middle Basin. A psionicist who does not belong to the Psionic House has appeared. His name seems to be Mu Liang. It is suspected that he has awakened naturally.”

“Oh? Natural awakening? Hasn’t that been proven impossible? I’ll keep an eye on it for now.”

Fu Jian clicked his tongue:

“While those main Blade Beast groups are asleep, we must kill more of the peripheral Blade Beast groups.”