Chapter 784: Barrier Assault

At the edge of the light curtain lay Observation Station No. 7.

Here was no longer the quiet outpost it once was, with only a handful of observers.

In its place stood a temporary camp woven with solemnity and a low hum of energy.

The five hundred soldiers of Northward Aspiration Army's First Elite Battalion had already formed their ranks.

They wore not traditional armor, but the Heavenly Craft Institute's specially made "Anti-Pollution" battle armor.

The plates were forged from layered exotic‑metal alloy, their surfaces etched with fine potential‑energy flow patterns that gave a dull metallic sheen in the dim light.

Joints were covered with flexible bio‑leather, lined with activated‑carbon fiber fabric that could somewhat filter Yuneng Pollution.

Their standard issue was no longer spears and halberds.

Their main weapon was the peculiarly shaped "Crystal‑Shard Gun," featuring a complex rear energy cell; it works by using potential‑energy pulses to ignite specially made rounds, which are highly effective against Yuneng constructs and crystalline structures.

Their sidearms were either the short‑handed "Armor‑breaking Mace" or an exotic‑metal blade.

Behind each soldier hung a standard‑issue marching pack containing high‑energy rations, water‑purification tablets, first‑aid medicine, and most important—a palm‑sized but unusually heavy long‑lasting potential‑energy battery.

This battery was their lifeline for keeping equipment running beyond the light curtain; its charge lasted only long enough for one hour of intense combat.

Yue Fei stood before the formation, likewise wearing commander‑grade heavy armor, though his shoulder guards were heavier and his chest‑protector mirror held a faintly glowing pale‑gold exotic‑metal core.

His gaze swept over each face—young or weathered—but all equally resolute and calm.

There was no stirring pre‑battle rally.

Only a brief question was spoken, his voice not loud yet clear enough to reach every ear.

"You all know the situation beyond."

"Going forth, ten deaths, no life."

"Any regrets?"

Five hundred men, not one turned their gaze away, not one spoke.

Only a straighter spine, and the faint sound of armor plates rubbing as they gripped their weapons.

The answer goes without saying.

Yue Fei nodded.

"Target, Ying Tian. Mission, save people."

"Depart."

The unit turned silently and advanced toward the area ahead that seemed empty but actually revealed visible energy turbulence.

There lay the seventh weak point.

Originally intangible, the light‑curtain barrier here, due to prolonged standoff and its own attenuation, had become extremely unstable, the space showing water‑ripple‑like undulations and occasional bursts of tiny energy arcs.

On the observation station's high tower, Zhang Cheng stared intently at the dozens of flashing crystal panels before him, his fingers flying over the control interface.

"Energy turbulence intensity, peak approaching!"

"In three breaths, the penetration window will open!"

"Path plotted, guiding marker pulse… fire!"

Hum!

A slender yet solid golden beam shot from the top of the observation station, precisely sinking into a point in the distorted space ahead.

That point instantly lit up, forming a golden vortex about two zhang in diameter, constantly spinning.

Within the vortex, faintly visible was a starkly different scene beyond: a dim sky, burning earth, and the air filled with an unsettling dark‑blue mist.

"Now! Charge through!" Zhang Cheng's roar echoed in Yue Fei's ear via the communication talisman.

"Cone formation! Charge!"

Yue Fei gave a low shout, taking the lead as he rushed toward the golden vortex.

The soldiers of the First Elite Battalion followed closely, silent yet swift.

Just as the front‑rank soldiers were about to touch the vortex——

Suddenly, an anomaly arose!

The light curtain seemed to sense this large‑scale "illegal" penetration attempt, and the energy turbulence around the weak point suddenly intensified!

Dozens of originally disorderly wandering azure arcs, like enraged poisonous snakes, suddenly converged and lashed out!

At the same time, the vortex itself violently trembled, its edges beginning to show unstable jagged tears!

"Watch out for the arcs!"

"Don't stop! Charge in!"

Yue Fei swung his specially made long‑handled halberd; the tip burst forth with strong potential‑energy golden light, scattering a thick arc aimed at the unit into the air.

But behind him, two soldiers failed to dodge and were struck by the arc.

The Anti‑Pollution armor instantly overloaded and smoked; the soldiers cried out as they collapsed, their bodies convulsing violently, blue light seeping from the armor's seams.

"Save them!" a nearby comrade tried to help them up.

"Abandon them! Keep charging!" Yue Fei's voice was cold as iron.

"Execute the contingency plan! Those directly hit are considered battle losses; we cannot bring them away!"

This was the harsh rule made clear before departure.

Any act that might slow the breakthrough speed or jeopardize the whole mission must be prohibited.

Comrades gritted their teeth, let go, eyes red, and continued forward.

The unit surged like an arrow slammed into a storm, bearing the violent energy turbulence and occasional deadly arcs, desperately squeezing toward the vortex that grew ever more unstable, seeming on the verge of collapse.

Constantly, people were struck down by the arcs.

Constantly, people vomited blood from the tearing sensation caused by the space distortion.

Yet the formation held, the charge did not cease.

Finally, Yue Fei crashed into the vortex!

A violent tearing sensation and weightlessness came, as if passing through a turbulent tunnel of pure energy; around were bizarre color blocks and sharp ear‑ringing.

The soldiers following closely also dove in one after another.

On the high tower, Zhang Cheng watched the light points representing the assault team's life signals on the screen blink through one by one, and also watched those that suddenly went out, his fists clenched white.

"The stability of the passage is dropping rapidly!"

"Seventy breaths! At most it can still last seventy breaths!"

He roared into the communication device: "Marshal Yue! The passage will close soon! You must all pass through within fifty breaths! Rear unit, speed up!"

On the other side of the vortex, Yue Fei was the first to 'fall' out.

Underfoot was scorched, cracked land emitting wisps of blue smoke.

The intense sweet‑stench of corrosion and a low hum in the air instantly enveloped him.

Above, a leaden‑gray cloud layer hung low, and through its gaps poured an eerie azure light.

In the distance, at the edge of the land, the outline of a huge city could be faintly seen, with flames and smoke pillars rising from it.

Answering Heaven!

He suddenly turned his head.

Behind him, the golden vortex was violently shaking and shrinking, its edges beginning to dissolve into particles of light.

His troops kept pouring out of the vortex one after another, many bearing scorch marks or bloodstains, some collapsing to the ground and vomiting as soon as they landed.

"Hurry! Get out!" Yue Fei bellowed at the vortex.

The last few soldiers lunged out almost the instant the vortex sealed.

One of them had his shin grazed by the closing energy edge; the strange‑metal armor plates covering it vaporized instantly, and the flesh turned black.

He grunted, was seized tightly by his comrades, and dragged out.

Hum——

In the final hum, the golden vortex vanished completely, leaving no trace.

As if it had never existed.

All that remained was a faint ripple of lingering energy that quickly dissipated, and… fifty‑three fallen comrades who never made it through, forever left beyond the light curtain or in the energy turbulence.

Yue Fei quickly counted the heads.

Those who arrived alive numbered four hundred forty‑seven.

Losses totaled fifty‑three, at least twenty of whom died directly during the passage.

"Fall in! Check gear! Recharge energy!"

There was no time for grief.

Yue Fei's voice remained steady as he quickly issued orders.

The soldiers carried out the orders in silence, swapping the energy cells of their crystal rifles, checking armor integrity, and taking anti‑contaminant medicine.

Their gazes were already fixed on the distant giant city burning in the apocalyptic landscape.

The barrier has been passed.

The true purgatory lies ahead.

Rescue has only just begun.

And the retreat route is cut off.