Chapter 970: Reinforcements

It's not a few ships, nor even dozens; it's a densely packed massive swarm!

Star Chariots of all sizes line up in the night sky, the large ones like small tower ships, the small ones only as big as patrol boats.

They press in from the west, their hulls' rune arrays flashing azure‑gold light, illuminating a corner of the night sky.

The lights of the Star Chariots spread across the night sky like a huge light net, blue‑white, azure‑gold, orange‑red signal lamps interwoven, like a glowing river flowing slowly across the heavens.

At a glance, there are at least several hundred, the formation stretching to fill half the horizon, the foremost few already nearing the edge of the blockade zone.

Xing looked up, mouth opening again.

This time it opened wider than when they were watching the iceberg earlier.

Xing's golden eyes reflected the Star Chariots' lights, the whole face illuminated brightly, expression shifting from daze to pure excitement.

"My reinforcements have arrived!"

Xing shouted, then raised both arms, flailing desperately toward the sky.

The coat's sleeves whooshed as Xing waved, and a few shards of ice fell out from the cuffs.

Moreover, Xing waved while hopping and leaping, their throat strained to the loudest.

"Here! Here! I'm here! Look! Hey—!"

Xing shouted hoarsely, fearing the Star Chariots above wouldn't see this tiny figure standing at the foot of the iceberg.

To boost the chance of being spotted, Xing stepped back a few paces, standing on the brightest reflective patch of ice, thinking this should be conspicuous enough.

Then Xing raised both hands overhead, forming a large "V".

"Over here! It's me! Pioneer! Friendly fire!"

A sharp buzzing sound then sliced down from the night sky.

A pale‑blue Light Pillar lit up at the bow of the foremost Star Chariot, shooting straight toward Xing's position.

The beam's heat was so intense that even from a distance it caused the ice near Xing's feet to steam, instantly scorching a charred mark on the surface.

The light traveled so fast that it arrived almost the instant Xing saw it ignite.

Xing's eyes widened, the final "ren" syllable of the word still unsaid, and the whole body lunged sideways.

Xing's body slammed onto the ice, rolling twice; the left shoulder struck a protruding ice lump, pain making them grit their teeth.

The laser grazed Xing's right arm, then hit an iceberg ten meters behind, blasting a two‑meter‑wide crater at its base with a booming crack.

Shards of ice sprayed outward like shrapnel; a few fist‑sized lumps struck Xing's calf, causing another half‑roll in pain.

"Wow!"

Xing lay on the ground, looking up at the Star Chariots, expression shifting from excitement to bewilderment to disbelief, finally freezing in a deeply complex look, "So ruthless?"

Xing touched their right arm.

The sleeve area scorched black where the laser passed, and the air carried a burnt‑fabric smell.

Xing glanced down at the scorch, then looked up at the Star Chariots still adjusting formation.

"Are you blind or what!"

Xing hoarsely shouted toward the sky, half grievance, half anger, "Even our own get hit! I stand in such a bright spot and you still miss! What kind of aim is that, Cloud Cavalry!"

The Star Chariots above continued to advance slowly, their signal lamps flickering intermittently, as if exchanging information.

The bow of the foremost Star Chariot gradually changed course, its glowing main cannon barrel realigning toward Xing.

Xing watched the re‑ignited barrel, and their complexion shifted instantly.

"Hey hey hey, no no no—"

Xing shouted while scrambling up, ignoring the pain in leg and arm, and bolted toward the ruins beside the street.

Xing ran at breakneck speed, black short boots clacking rapidly on the ice, the coat billowing behind like a tattered black flag.

Xing cursed, voice squeezed out through clenched teeth.

"When I get back I'll file a complaint! Report you to the general! You Cloud Cavalry—"

The second laser skimmed Xing's hair tips, scorching a short segment of the gray strands that had been lifted by the wind.

Xing jumped a great fright, not daring to look back, leapt in a single bound into a half‑collapsed paved ruin beside them, crouching behind a broken wall, panting heavily.

"Alright."

Xing pressed against the wall, listening to the buzzing outside and the laser‑induced explosions, a bit unsteady, "Attacking the demonic Yin body like that? So ruthless?"

Perspective shift.

As the Star Chariot formation crossed the western airspace of the blockade zone, the iceberg had already split the moonlight in two.

Yan Qing's face pressed against the observation window glass, amber eyes bulging.

What he saw far exceeded any previous notion of "swordsmanship"; the entire street from east to west was crushed beneath a suddenly risen iceberg, buildings sealed within the ice shell leaving only vague outlines, trees along the road frozen into translucent white sculptures, and even moonlight had to bend multiple times across the ice to find a landing spot.

The iceberg's summit rose excessively high; the Star Chariot formation's current altitude was no longer low, yet the peak still pierced higher night sky, its tip reflecting a fragment of cold silver light.

"How massive could this be..."

Yan Qing murmured, the white breath from his mouth dispersing on the glass; he brushed it away, revealing more details of the iceberg.

Several ice spires jutting diagonally from the main peak hung suspended mid‑air, each as thick as a Star Chariot mast, their ends bearing strings of icicles that tinkled faintly in the night wind.

Xue Yi stood two steps behind him.

Her shoulder‑length black hair glowed with a cool‑toned red under the lights, her magenta eyes not looking out the window but staring level at the live feed projected on the forward console.

The screen displayed the iceberg's full view rotating slowly in a Three‑Dimensional grid, data annotations densely scattered across the ice surface.

"The thickest part of the ice exceeds one hundred zhang."

Xue Yi spoke, voice calm, "The core region's temperature is so low that even mechanical components freeze within moments; based on current observations, this iceberg fully formed in less than twenty breaths."

Yan Qing pulled his face away from the glass, turned to Xue Yi, "Less than twenty breaths? Lady Xue Yi, are you sure the figure's correct?"

"The Ten Kings Office's observation equipment has an extremely low chance of error."

Xue Yi didn't even turn her head, her tone remaining flat.

Yan Qing swallowed a mouthful of spit, then turned back to look out the window.

The ice mountain, under the light of the Star Chariot, gradually drew nearer; the edge of the porthole had already begun to frost over, and tiny ice crystals spread from the window frame toward the center, as if something alive were crawling slowly.