High-level martial arts: Contract cashback, invincible starting from the Zerg.

Chen Feng was awakened by the cold.

It wasn't the biting wind of the icy plains on Hill 74 that could penetrate armor and gnaw into bones; it was the heating in the apartment in the permafrost fortress's rest area that had gone out.

Chen Feng sat up, wanting to pick up his terminal to check the time, but this triggered a sharp pain in his tired body.

When we retreated from the high ground, we were almost completely exhausted.

The aftereffects of overdrawing Leviathan and Tia energy still seemed to linger, and all the muscles in his body felt like iron wires that had been repeatedly rolled over, pulling at him with every breath.

In total, he had slept for a full fourteen hours since returning to the permafrost fortress from that mission...

...

When Chen Feng carried his change of clothes into the officers' bathhouse in the living area...

Inside, a dozen or so officers were leisurely showering.

Hot water in the permafrost fortresses is always rationed. Ordinary officers only have their quotas temporarily increased after a war. Under normal circumstances, taking a bath once every three or four days is almost the norm for every soldier.

However, with Chen Feng's current official rank, he can enjoy enough hot water to take a bath almost every day.

As Chen Feng turned on the hot water valve, scalding water, accompanied by white steam, immediately hit his shoulder, causing him to shudder and let out a deep sigh.

The not-yet-cleared bloodstains on my fingers trickled down my skin, quickly forming a murky, purplish-black puddle at my feet before disappearing into the drain like a whirlpool.

Chen Feng closed his eyes tightly, savoring the only hot shower he had taken in over ten days.

But in my ears, I seem to hear again the earth-shaking roar of the Berserkers charging, the soldiers' dying shouts, and the dull thud of the electromagnetic cannon piercing the nest.

Nearly six hundred soldiers from two battalions were left forever on that icy plain.

All he got in return was a promotion and appointment from the military.

It's so heavy.

A few minutes later, Chen Feng reluctantly turned off the tap, dried his body inch by inch with a rough military towel, and changed into a clean dark gray military uniform.

When the fabric rubs against the skin, it carries a clean and warm fragrance.

......

The officers' mess hall was located in the middle level of the fortress, and Chen Feng could smell the aroma of stewed meat and wheat porridge as soon as he got close.

The mess hall was packed with soldiers who had just been relieved of their posts. They sat around a long table, wolfing down stewed meat and drinking hot soup from enamel bowls, talking loudly about the day's battle.

Most people were laughing and joking, their voices carrying a lighthearted sense of relief after surviving a disaster. Some remained silent, their heads buried in black bread, their eyes fixed on the empty seats in front of them.

The warm yellow light fell on the young faces.

It looked as if it overlapped with the snow-covered faces on Hill 74, making Chen Feng's eyes sting.

Chen Feng quickly found Li Yuanwei.

"Brother Feng, come on! Sit down!" Li Yuanwei called out enthusiastically. "I thought you'd have to sleep until dawn tomorrow. The medical staff said you were severely exhausted, so they wanted you to sleep a little longer."

"I can't sleep." Chen Feng picked up the tin water cup on the plate and took a sip. "I've never seen such a fierce battle before. Now... closing my eyes, I can see the battlefield."

"That's normal. The Purple Clan isn't that easy to defeat."

Just then, Li Yuanwei raised his chin, gesturing for Chen Feng to look behind him.

Chen Feng didn't reply. He glanced back at the cafeteria and was surprised to find that many people were looking at him with awe and a touch of indifference in their eyes.

Chen Feng subconsciously avoided those gazes and lowered his head to take a sip of water.

"Have the casualty statistics been released?" he asked in a low voice.

"The initial assessment is complete. A total of 523 people were killed in the three lines of defense plus the artillery positions. More than 30 people are still alive, mostly from the logistics and artillery companies. On the Purple Azure Zerg side, the Berserker Zerg lost more than 4,000. Including the five Purple Azure Guards that Lu Ling sniped, we took down a total of 12 Guards."

The lives of 523 soldiers of the Great Xia were exchanged for the destruction of 12 Purple Guards and a swarm of insects.

This casualty ratio is definitely among the top tier in the permafrost fortress, but the cost is still heavy.

"Have all the officers from the 79th Regiment arrived?" Chen Feng asked again.

"I met their deputy regimental commander last night. He's a veteran officer who's been stationed on the border for two years, named Chu Zijing. He said he'll come to report to you tomorrow morning."

Chen Feng didn't look up, but simply said to himself, "Okay, then I'll go talk to him tomorrow."

Li Yuanwei chuckled.

"Brother Feng, you understand the Zerg very well. Conventional generals rely on firepower ratios in battle. Without sufficient firepower suppression, they simply cannot win. But you are very different. You can figure out the Zerg's patterns, know their tactics, and know where the weak points of the broodsite are. If any other regimental commander had been in charge of this battle today, I'm afraid they wouldn't have been able to hold out."

Li Yuanwei leaned forward and lowered his voice.

"Besides, although Li Can and Da Zhu didn't say it, they all admire you..."

Chen Feng remained silent, then picked up a piece of black bread, broke it in half, and handed one half directly to Li Yuanwei.

Li Yuanwei looked at Chen Feng's still somber face, but directly took the piece of black bread.

"Brother Feng, I know you're still struggling with this, but you're the commander, not a savior. You can't save everyone, but as long as we can keep more people alive, we can win this battle. By taking over the 79th Regiment... you're also carrying on the path they didn't finish."

Chen Feng put the half-bread into his mouth. The dry, hard wheat flour spread on his tongue, carrying the bitterness of coarse grains. He chewed for a long time before swallowing it.

Chen Feng knew that Li Yuanwei had seen through his thoughts, so he kept comforting himself.

"Where's Lu Ling?" Chen Feng suddenly asked. "She should be alright, right?"

"She's a Desolate Rank expert and a Transcendent Mechanic, what could possibly happen to her?"

"Starting tomorrow, we will officially take over the equipment and personnel of the 79th Regiment. You will accompany me to the military headquarters; I need your help," Chen Feng said.

Li Yuanwei smiled, but pushed the plate of precious cured meat towards Chen Feng.

"No problem, I'll go to the military headquarters with you tomorrow."

The wind and snow in the distance are still roaring across the permafrost plain.

However, the lights inside the fortress remained steadily lit.