The special forces team, led by Ling Xin, charged forward relentlessly, breaking through enemy lines and heading towards Wan Lei and the others.
Ling Xin focused solely on the fight ahead, unconcerned with his flanks or rear. Unlike isolated units like the Thunderstorm team, he had the special forces behind him, and the First Army behind them, with the Second and Third Armies following suit. This was the difference between army and small-team combat. Small teams had to worry about enemies from all directions, while soldiers in the army didn't need to concern themselves with their backs; their comrades were there.
The special forces were responsible for clearing the path and piercing the demon army's formation. The First Army would then secure the breach, while the Second and Third Armies would advance on the flanks, expanding the victory and disrupting the demon formation entirely.
Closer and closer they got, until Ling Xin finally broke through the defensive circle set up by the Golden Immortal realm powerhouses. Only then could he truly claim to have sliced through the demon army and reached the Thunderstorm team.
Without a command, the special forces swarmed in, forming a defensive circle and holding off the surrounding enemies. Ling Xin, covered in blood, his face still reflecting the ferocity of battle, strode towards Fang Xiaoyu.
Fang Xiaoyu, carrying Wan Lei on her back, looked at the blood-soaked Ling Xin, the scent of blood thick in the air. Gripping her Rose Sword, she eyed him cautiously, on guard. Her team had a prior conflict with this man. Before the war began, her words to Wan Lei had been harsh, and Ling Xin’s words hadn't been any kinder, nor was his character particularly admirable. They had nearly come to blows. Because of this history, Fang Xiaoyu didn't trust Ling Xin, fearing he might seize this opportunity to attack them while they were all heavily injured.
Ling Xin sheathed his sword and removed his helmet, looking at Fang Xiaoyu with confusion. “What’s with that look, and the sword in your hand? I fought through enemy lines for thousands of miles to rescue you, and this is how you treat a comrade?”
Fang Xiaoyu had retracted her faceplate and helmet, but her armor remained, and her sword still pointed at Ling Xin. She wasn't one for idle chatter, but at this moment, with her entire team injured or unconscious, and Wan Lei too battered to even speak, she had no choice but to step forward.
“I just didn't expect you to actually come and save us.”
“So, you were worried I fought through the enemy to get here just to kill you?”
Fang Xiaoyu remained silent, but her eyes conveyed everything.
Ling Xin let out a cold laugh, shaking his head. “I never thought I, Ling Xin, would experience a comrade suspecting me on the battlefield. Hahaha. Alright, put your sword down. No matter how bad I, Ling Xin, might be, I would never attack a comrade on the battlefield, not even if that comrade had a mortal grudge against me. Besides, the conflict between us was just a verbal spat. Once on the battlefield, we are comrades. I came to save you simply because I consider you comrades. For any other comrade surrounded by the enemy, any soldier from our main plane army would unhesitatingly go to their rescue, even if the enemy numbered in the millions. This is why everyone in our army is willing to entrust their backs to others, because only such comrades inspire confidence.”
Ling Xin smiled brightly, heartily, and frankly.
Fang Xiaoyu finally lowered her sword. She didn't lower it because she was convinced by Ling Xin’s words, but because she realized that with their own people all around, if Ling Xin dared to attack them now, he would be swarmed.
“We of the Thunderstorm team will remember your kindness in rescuing us this time,” Fang Xiaoyu said solemnly.
“What kindness? From the moment you broke through the encirclement and then turned back into the enemy ranks to hold them off, I, Ling Xin, officially considered you comrades who could fight side-by-side. I looked down on you before because I thought you weren’t qualified, that you hadn’t experienced battle, lacked the spirit of sacrifice. But you proved through your actions that you are qualified. It was at that moment, Ling Xin vowed that I would bring you, my comrades, out. You are heroes, and you shouldn’t die by the demons’ blades. We can settle our past grievances later, but for now, I, Ling Xin, would risk my life to save you.”
“Thank you.” After a long silence, the introverted and taciturn Fang Xiaoyu uttered these two words.
“Alright, my task is mostly complete. I have another matter to attend to.” Ling Xin looked around and shouted, “A few of you, come here. Each carry one of our comrades out for treatment. The rest of you, follow me, let’s keep charging and thoroughly cut through the demon army, dividing the battlefield.”
“Yes, sir!” A squad immediately detached from the defensive line, approached Fang Xiaoyu, and began carrying the heavily injured members of the Thunderstorm team one by one, heading towards the First Army.
Fang Xiaoyu followed everyone out. The path of their breakthrough had already been cleaved open and secured by the First Army, and they were safe. All the soldiers they passed made way for them, placing their right fists over their chests and offering the highest respect and salute to this heroic team. These were their comrades, their heroes. Without this team, the millions of demon soldiers would have already broken through their lines, and their desperate battle would have failed to annihilate the enemy completely, rendering the sacrifices of the fallen soldiers in vain. Nothing could avenge their comrades better than completely annihilating the enemy.
After the Thunderstorm team reached the outer perimeter, they met with Commander Ya. Ya arranged a spacecraft and assigned an escort detail to transport them back to Base 18. The entire Thunderstorm team was evacuated from the battlefield, but the war raged on. Under Ya’s tactical command, the main plane army’s outer defenses were impregnable. The First Army had pierced the enemy lines, and the other armies quickly followed, expanding the victory and encircling the demon forces, segmenting the battlefield into smaller zones. At this point, the once unified demon army, no longer possessing the terrifying power of a black tide, had no hope of breaking through, facing only the fate of being slaughtered.
The Demon Wolf Legion, one of the top ten War God-level legions among the demons, had achieved countless merits in past wars between the positive and negative planes, and countless soldiers of the positive plane had died at their hands. This legion had not been undefeated, but it had never been annihilated, and in almost every battle, their casualty ratio was lower than the enemy’s. Even when heavily depleted, they would replenish their ranks with new recruits. The cycle of new replacing old did not diminish the legion's combat effectiveness; instead, they grew fiercer with each engagement. However, this illustrious legion, three days after ambushing Base 18, was completely wiped out. Not a single soul survived.