Ten thousand I am across the heavens

Faced with the attack from the remnants of the Golden Family, the company commander guarding the rune pillars, though only about 50 comrades remained, sighed helplessly and went to the front lines to begin their defense. As genetically modified new humans, their strength was actually quite formidable. Even disregarding their extraordinary abilities, their physical attributes far surpassed those of ordinary people. While their theoretical stats might be comparable to a third-tier expert, in practice, they were stronger than some fourth-tier powerhouses. Their strength lay primarily in the exceptional functionality of their abilities. Their vitality alone was unmatched by normal life forms. After fusing with the eldest son's cells to form a chimera, they could even achieve rebirth through a drop of blood using Gu worms capable of preserving memories. Even top-tier healing Gu worms might not be able to accomplish this, yet they achieved a similar effect through a purely physical method. The eldest son's rebirth was not aided by extraordinary power; it was purely based on physical laws and the self-division characteristics of cells, reshaping his body in a very short time.

However, they don't need to use the resurrection ability for the time being, because the defensive positions left around the runes are still quite sturdy.

Concealed within reinforced concrete bunkers, they only needed to aim at the enemy and pull the trigger. The enhanced bullets, propelled by the machine gun, would slice through a web of death. Ordinary bullets had limited effect on top-tier fighters, but these were firearms that had already been battle-tested and modified to suit local conditions. The bullets' power had been adjusted; the explosive force of any single bullet was comparable to a hand grenade. Even those with considerable skill dared not withstand such onslaught.

The Golden Family soldiers who launched the charge were aware of this; they had fought against the underground base before and knew very well the deadly threat these seemingly low-speed bullets posed. Therefore, the moment the barrage of fire appeared, the charging soldiers scattered in all directions. Some even lay down to avoid the bullets. The scene was chaotic. Soldiers lacking sufficient resolve showed their vulnerability after the battle began. Facing such a barrage of fire, the worst thing to do is to become disorganized and advance slowly, as this is tantamount to piecemeal tactics.

The firepower that a machine gun emplacement can deploy simultaneously is limited. If enough men could charge in, they could break through the blockade and destroy the machine gun fortress in a short time, but this would undoubtedly come at a heavy cost. The mortality rate of the first wave of attackers could be as high as 90%. While a few soldiers of the Golden Family were willing to sacrifice their lives for the family, most prioritized their own interests, and none were willing to undertake such a high-mortality mission.

Lying prone in all directions can indeed effectively reduce casualties within a fire-blocked area. However, this method of advancement is too slow. Crossing a fire-blocked zone takes longer, and overall, the casualties are higher. In fact, due to the massive casualties, a breakthrough may not even be possible.

Upon witnessing this, the current leader of the Ma family decisively halted the charge, calling back all those who had been crawling forward. They were now outside the machine gun's firing range. Although she had somewhat anticipated this outcome, seeing her people so ineffective still deeply disappointed her. Launching a large-scale assault simultaneously, forcibly breaking through the enemy's lines while incurring casualties, was the simplest, most brutal, and fastest way to destroy enemy defenses, generally resulting in the fewest casualties. However, this inhumane tactic was ultimately unworkable. Reluctantly, she had to resort to an even more rudimentary method: ordering her men to dig trenches on the spot. Since bullets travel in mostly straight lines, as long as the trenches followed a zigzag pattern, continuously approaching the concrete fortress ahead, the soldiers could get close to the enemy's lines in a relatively safe manner.

Of course, this wasn't absolutely safe. These trenches could withstand frontal fire, but not all attacks were linear; many were parabolic, such as those from mortars or thrown grenades. These all had a chance of directly hitting those hiding inside the trenches. But ultimately, this approach reduced casualties.

The company commander knew this battle was going to be tough when he saw the enemy digging trenches; his side was simply too outnumbered. They couldn't engage in open battle; that would only hasten the war's progress and their own defeat. His goal wasn't to win, but to buy enough time. Ultimately, he needed to protect the rune pillar behind him. Even if defeat was inevitable, the longer they held out, the better.

When the enemy chooses to dig trenches, their tactical objective is essentially achieved, given the considerable time required for this offensive strategy. Even with superhuman digging speed, the hardened ground around the tower still wastes a significant amount of time. Furthermore, there are interferences during this process; the concrete fortress might occasionally open, deploying mortar positions.

These projectiles followed a parabolic trajectory, meaning they could directly hit enemies hiding in trenches. Constructing trenches required specialized personnel to build passageways. Therefore, being bombarded was quite common, and construction was inevitably delayed. However, the Golden Family members were not few in number. After suffering several bombardments in the open trenches, they began to cover them. This way, even if the shells hit the covers, the casualties on the personnel below would be limited. Although they were now able to manufacture and use armor-piercing projectiles with metal jets, this was not a military base, and the weapons available to the remaining guards were limited, as was the total amount of such ammunition.

They could only launch occasional surprise attacks, preventing the enemy trench diggers from advancing with peace of mind. However, the company commander soon discovered that the surface trenches not only extended in their direction but also dug a deeper tunnel underground. Using this tunnel to attack them was an option they had anticipated, as the thick ground provided sufficient protection for relatively safe tunnel digging.

Normally, the excavation of such tunnels would be extremely well-hidden and difficult to detect, but almost everyone present was a genetically modified new human. For them, their senses were no longer limited to sight, hearing, and smell; they could also detect underground vibrations. They could grow organs similar to eardrums on any part of their bodies, easily pinpointing the location of underground vibrations by touch, with centimeter-level accuracy. In other words, even if rats were digging burrows underground, they could pinpoint the exact location of the burrow.

So much so that they discovered the enemy's digging the moment they started, and had already pinpointed the location of the tunnel. Their next task was to dig their own tunnel and then engage in an underground battle that would severely damage the enemy's morale.

In siege warfare, digging tunnels for counterattacks is an art in itself. How to dig tunnels, how to launch a surprise counterattack? Utilizing one's own advantages, such as foresight, is all part of the art.

Those present were all soldiers with professional military training. They knew that the enemy would be most unprepared the moment they suddenly dug a tunnel. The narrow environment inside the tunnel made evasion almost impossible, and at that moment, a single rocket could cause massive casualties. Preparing large quantities of cement mortar beforehand also allowed them to quickly refill the tunnel after the enemy had dug it through, rendering the enemy's digging futile.

The necessary supplies and technology were readily available to those present. A large quantity of cement had been reserved during construction, along with a system of Gu worms capable of producing cement and steel reinforcements. Using these resources, they could easily repel the enemy's attack. The battle raged for an entire day, with the Ma family gaining little advantage. Although they hadn't suffered many casualties, it seemed a prolonged siege would be necessary to capture the rune pillar.

However, they had plenty of patience. Having besieged the enemy for so long without any reinforcements, it seemed unlikely they would receive any. Furthermore, this winter was unusually warm, providing enough fuel to keep tens of thousands of people warm in the wilderness. Digging underground caves and building temporary shelters would allow them to wear down this stubborn enemy. Paying such a price for a few level-five Gu worms was entirely worthwhile.

The very next day, as they prepared to attack, the earth suddenly trembled violently. They felt as if the entire grassland was shaking. The clouds in the sky began to move in a regular pattern. The clouds seemed to be swirling in the air, as if a mischievous child had stirred them, stretching all the clouds into long arcs that converged into the distance. The vortex was so enormous that looking up at the sky, one could only see slightly curved, almost straight lines of clouds rushing past overhead at high speed.

The ground tremors and the abnormal movement of clouds in the sky both indicate that something earth-shattering is about to happen.

Just as he had guessed, the rune pillars before him were the root cause of all this. One after another, beams of light shot straight into the sky. Where did the distant beams of light originate? That was unknown, but the one right before him emanated from the very top of this rune pillar. Streams of light appeared on the ground, converging towards the rune pillar, then shooting out again from its tip, penetrating deep into the clouds, their ends unknown.

Countless beams of light shot into the sky across the entire grassland. At the same time, the temperature on the grassland, which should have been entering the depths of winter, began to gradually rise. The ice and snow began to melt. Many extremely cold-resistant grass species even turned green again under these conditions.

The once vast, white snowfield miraculously reappeared with patches of green within just a few hours. The melting snow made the grassland incredibly muddy, but none of this could compare to the awe-inspiring warmth of a sudden spring in the dead of winter. Everyone living on the grassland, humans and animals alike, was utterly astonished. This year was supposed to be the once-in-a-decade blizzard, the coldest time of the year. How could it suddenly warm up like this?
The Ma family patriarch stared at the melting snow around him, his expression incredibly grim. Previously, he could still deny everything the underground base had done deep down. He told himself they were just putting on a show, that they couldn't possibly actually harm the eldest son, and that they weren't qualified to do such a thing.

The dramatic changes before our eyes are undeniable facts; the entire grassland has been affected, emerging from the harsh winter. This problem, which has plagued countless grassland people for millennia, has now been solved. Perhaps this warm winter is only temporary. But technology always advances, and perhaps in the future, the great blizzards that once blanketed the entire grassland can truly be completely eliminated by certain technologies.

Beyond his sight, a storm was gathering, and the clouds in the sky were converging in that direction. That direction was the center of the vortex, directly above the eldest son's head. Countless gazes from the heavens converged on this location, forming a massive spherical barrier, comparable in size to a planet, constructed from a hexagonal grid. This barrier enveloped the eldest son's above-ground and underground parts, isolating him from the outside world.

The cloud vortex resembled a funnel, connecting to the barrier and serving as its only ventilation opening. High-temperature gases were rapidly drawn away by the vortex, replaced by substances near absolute zero. This initial cooling process, through thermal convection, would rapidly lower the ambient temperature to near the boiling point of most gases, close to atmospheric temperature.

At this temperature, most organisms cannot survive. The eldest son's power consumption must be reduced to the lowest possible level, and most of the body's cells must enter a state similar to hibernation in order to survive in such a low temperature.

The efforts of the various legions had finally paid off. Due to the high temperature inside his body, the eldest son was forced to transform his body into a heat-dissipating state. At this moment, his body, which was dissipating heat, was in perfect sync with the outside temperature, which was rapidly being conducted into his body.

[To be continued]

Please add this to your favorites and vote for it! (End of Chapter)