Atlas of Heaven and Man

Half an hour later, Chen Chuan, Yuan Qiuyuan, and Qin Qingque boarded the train together, accompanied by a twenty-two-person tactical squad assigned to them.

These personnel were responsible for coordinating attacks and undertaking related auxiliary tasks such as logistics, communication, and transportation.

Also accompanying them was a Rao surnamed tactical advisor familiar with the situation. Ding Mou had considered that they were new and not very familiar with the surrounding circumstances, so he specifically arranged for him to help them formulate tactical plans.

Because this trip was rather rushed, Advisor Rao only began to brief them on the mission situation after the train started moving.

“Iron Demon, this is our target this time,” he placed a roll of documents in front of the three people. After opening it, the first thing they saw was a large, color-printed photograph.

Chen Chuan looked at it. The so-called “Iron Demon” was a person wearing a scarlet, ferocious iron mask and clad in old-style armor and helmet, holding a long spear adorned with white tassel feathers. He was mounted on a large, black horse with blood-red markings.

This horse was also covered in old-era armor, its eyes a blood-red color. According to the reference objects beside the photo, the horse's shoulder height was at least two meters, its muscles and bones were incredibly strong, yet it also felt swift and agile.

Advisor Rao said, “We received information from the front that this person is leading a fifty-man squad, preparing to take advantage of the fact that most of our manpower has been transferred to the front lines to harass and sabotage our rear.”

Yuan Qiuyuan looked back and forth. Then, touching his chin, he said, “I originally thought this was a monster from the Convergence Lands, but listening to you, Advisor Rao, and looking at this guy's appearance, doesn't he just seem like a person? Harassing us? Is he from some hostile faction?”

Advisor Rao said, “He is indeed from the Convergence Lands.”

He raised his head, “But you should all know that in the past, when two worlds approached, there were many periods of change. When two worlds get close, contact, exchange, and even collision are inevitable.

So, in the old era, the Convergence Lands already existed.

In the past, the understanding of the Convergence Lands was not profound, and the rifts between the two worlds were scattered in various places. Therefore, many people fled here, and it was once regarded as a place for exiled and demoted officials and political failures.

As the military fortress expanded, it would naturally gradually compress their space. In their view, this was clearly an attempt to eliminate them once again, which led to the current intense conflict between the two sides.

Advisor Rao pointed to the photo, “This leading ‘Iron Demon’ is a devoted elite warrior of an old imperial family, commanding a group of mounted soldiers. These people often take advantage of our tense front-line defense tasks to harass us.”

Chen Chuan picked up the attached documents. Warriors were actually the term for fighters in the old era, but devoted warriors were different. The so-called devotion was to the imperial family, and they were fighters who had obtained a title.

And those who could be granted titles by the imperial family must have reached the Third Threshold.

The information introduced that because the Convergence Lands were sparsely populated, these devoted warriors all had their own fiefs or manors, basically existing in the form of walled villages. Each devoted warrior commanded a group of mounted soldiers for their use in battle.

He turned his thoughts. This was a relatively ancient system, but it seemed quite suitable for this place.

Advisor Rao continued, “This ‘Iron Demon’ has repeatedly sabotaged railways, dismantled and damaged our communication stations, attacked patrol teams going out, and even has a record of attacking outposts.

They use vehicles, but they usually ride specially bred Dragon-Nose Horses, and some have even undergone implant modifications, like the one he is riding in the photo.

This kind of horse is strong, brave, and fearless, with extremely strong endurance and load-bearing capacity. When wandering in the wild, even at a normal trot, they can run at about the same speed as an off-road vehicle, and they can run for a whole day without eating.

Relying on these horses, their harassment is wide-ranging, swift, and sudden. Once we mobilize a large force, they quickly withdraw and move to other places.”

Qin Qingque felt a little strange. She asked puzzledly, “Advisor Rao, even if their mobility is strong, we have more advanced tools, convenient communication methods, and powerful weapons. Why can't we do anything about them?”

This is not the old era anymore. Even if the Dragon-Nose Horse has good mobility, an off-road vehicle can always catch up with more fuel. Moreover, they are operating within our lines, and all aspects of logistics and communication are very convenient. There are also airships in the sky. As long as we are determined, we can temporarily mobilize some capable people to eliminate them.

Advisor Rao said, “These people are not unaware of technology. They are very clear about our advantages, and they also have their own informants within us. They only move when our personnel are transferred to the front lines, and they repeatedly test before taking action to confirm that we do not have enough strength to go deeper.

And they have an advantage that we do not have, that is, abnormal situations in the wild… Well, the instructor probably hasn't had time to tell you, which is to try to avoid spending the night in the wild.”

His expression was very serious, “Night is when abnormal situations frequently occur. All kinds of inexplicable situations and bizarre events will occur.

Inside the fortress, there are complete fortifications and the barrier of protective bodies to ensure safety, but it is not so in the wild. We suffered too many losses in this area early on.

But the Iron Demon and these people have mastered some method. They can also move at night, and some harassment actions are often carried out at night. During the day, they will lurk or simply leave the area of the attack, which makes it difficult for us to make targeted arrangements.”

When Chen Chuan heard him mention this, he paid attention to their respective activity indexes. Possibly because of their activity in the wild, the two team members were fluctuating upwards, reaching about seven or eight, and as time went on, the values were still increasing. If this continued, they would have to use breathing techniques to adjust.

After looking at it, he asked, “Since those people are active outside for a long time, how do they resist and overcome activation?”

The advisor said, “There are several possibilities. Maybe these people have lived here for a long time, and through natural selection, the people who can survive have a certain resistance, or they believe in some existence, which gives them a certain resistance.

There is also the possibility that they use the same methods as us, relying on drugs and breathing techniques to resist. Finally, there is a part of people…” He said solemnly, “They are already complete bodies after activation.”

Yuan Qiuyuan couldn't help but be shocked when he heard this, “These are not people anymore, right? They dare to use them?”

Advisor Rao said, “Although they are not people, their thinking may not be human thinking. The old imperial family seems to have some way to identify and use them, so there are many such beings in this old dynasty.

We have had this situation before, where after killing the enemy, their brain or a certain limb ran away, and they might take the opportunity to occupy the person responsible for the inspection. When you see such a person, you must completely eliminate them from head to toe. They are a group composed of old-era aristocratic warriors and demons and monsters from the Convergence Lands!”

He reminded, “This ‘Iron Demon’ is said to have been originally named Qu Mohu. He likes to wear a ghost mask when he travels, so many people suspect that he is a demon!”

Yuan Qiuyuan pondered for a moment, as if he had thought of something, and asked, “By the way, Advisor Rao, you just said faith, right? Can faith also prevent activation?”

Advisor Rao seemed unwilling to discuss this issue. He hesitated for a moment before vaguely saying, “They may believe in some transcendent beings in the Convergence Lands.

Those beings are gathered in the first half of the Convergence Lands and are said to be hostile to certain beings on the other side. I don't know much about this, and we have regulations that we are not allowed to talk about these things casually, so try to mention them less in the future.”

Yuan Qiuyuan said, “Understood,” he clenched his fingers, making a sound of bone friction, “In short, this time, we are dealing with this guy called Iron Demon, right?”

Advisor Rao said, “Yes, the task assigned to us this time is to try to drive this team out as much as possible, or at least keep an eye on them so that they don't cause more damage.”

Chen Chuan said, “Just drive them away or keep an eye on them?”

Advisor Rao looked at them, considered his words, and then said, “Actually, it would be good to be able to do that. You are just a newly established team and don't understand the situation. Qu Mohu is not only a devoted warrior but also has been granted the title of ‘Captain’ by the imperial family.”

Yuan Qiuyuan gave a surprised sound and said, “This is a military position from the old era, right? I heard my grandfather say that if it were in the past, he would have been awarded a title sooner or later.”

Advisor Rao said, “Yes, devoted warriors are theoretically personal soldiers belonging to the emperor, but they are only soldiers. It is different to be awarded a title. That is a military officer who can command troops.”

He emphasized, “And those who can be formally awarded a title are truly elite warriors. You may not understand what I mean, but to put it another way, according to the judgment of the higher-ups, this person is likely to be a fighter who is about to hone his spirit and body to perfection.”