The job change is a bizarre and calamity; the nation begs me to tone it down.

Not far away, you can see several makeshift forts temporarily built with wood and vines.

The fence surrounding the fortress was leaning precariously, and some sections still bore obvious signs of fire damage.

Looking further away, scattered flagpoles were stuck in the ground, the flags were torn to shreds, and a few pieces of rags fluttered in the wind.

The ground was littered with discarded supply crates and several broken transport vehicles, their wheels stuck in the mud and the carriages empty.

Yet this is an area that has clearly just experienced a large-scale deployment.

The silence at this moment was unusual.

There were no patrolling soldiers, no watchtowers lit up, and not a trace of life could be found.

The fortress still stood in the same place, and you could even see the embers of an unextinguished campfire inside, but there was no one around, and the only sound was the wind blowing through the dry grass.

Gu Xu stood still, looked around at the surrounding scenery, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Huh, what's going on here?"

He couldn't help but mutter something to himself, then casually picked up a relatively intact supply box from the ground, looked at it for a moment, and then tossed it aside.

"Damn it, I thought I was going to be greeted by a storm as soon as I came in, but wow, everyone ran away cleaner than I expected."

"If I'd known it would be this deserted, why did I bother opening the Calamity Domain first?"

Not far behind him, Su Qiong and the others had also passed through the crack and followed him.

The group surveyed the surrounding battlefield ruins, marked with signs of destruction but deserted.

A look of surprise appeared on their faces.

"Judging from these traces, there must have been several large-scale Elven forces here not long ago."

Su Qiong looked around, her tone somewhat cautious: "But now that everyone has left, it has saved us a lot of trouble."

Gu Xu nodded, then turned to Jiang Shu beside him: "Jiang Shu, tell me, exactly where are we right now?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shu immediately took out a map of light and shadow from her personal spatial device and unfolded it in mid-air.

On the map, various symbols and markers are flashing continuously in response to real-time data.

"Commander, according to the intelligence we gathered before we set off, as well as the location data just transmitted back by the reconnaissance troops, our current location is in the Sunset Forest on the border of the Elven race."

"This area is the first buffer zone for the Elven race to defend against our Qiongqi Legion. The number of troops stationed here is not too large, and it mainly serves as an early warning and delaying force."

"Continue southeast for about half an hour, and you will reach the first true main city of the Elven race, called Falling Cloud City."

Clearly, the Qiongqi Legion had been dealing with the elves for several years and knew these things very well.

The information is indeed comprehensive enough.

"According to the intelligence we have gathered, the defense of Falling Cloud City is the responsibility of an elven legion called the Heart of the Ancient Tree."

"Besides that, there are several dungeons and secret realms scattered around the area surrounding Falling Cloud City. One of these secret realms, called Dark Moon Abyss, produces a legendary item unique to the Elven race: [Tidal Water]!"

"This is a high-level item that can instantly restore 50% of your mana."

"There is another secret realm called Starshine Sacred Forest, where a special sapling called the 'Branch of New Life' grows. It has the effect of improving the purity of a professional's bloodline, which is extremely important for the advancement of many healing professionals in our Divine Sherman."

"If we can successfully take over this area, we will not only severely damage the Elven defense system, but also solve the problem of advancement resources for many soldiers in our legion."

After hearing this, everyone's faces showed a hint of interest.

Song Zhiyao spoke first: "Commander, if that's really the case, this training exercise is actually more worthwhile than we expected."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu's lips curled up slightly, and he looked towards the southeast.

The distant horizon was somewhat blurred by the fog, and the outline of a range of undulating mountains could be vaguely seen.

The mountain range seemed to be shrouded in a faint green light.

That must be the forest barrier that the elves rely on for survival.

After a moment of silence, Gu Xu slowly spoke: "Since they've all run away, let's not be polite."

"Since this place was left behind by the Elven race after their retreat, from now on it shall belong to our Divine Summer Calamity Army."

"take over!"

The single word, though spoken softly, carried an undeniable certainty.

Su Qiong immediately stepped forward, raised her hand in salute, and said, "Yes, Commander!"

Immediately afterwards, Su Qiong turned to the troops who were passing through the crack and gave orders: "All units, upon entering Sunset Forest, immediately deploy for security according to the pre-arranged plan!"

"Engineering units will prioritize the repair and take over the surrounding fortifications and facilities!"

"Heavy armored units are responsible for securing the outer defensive line. Reconnaissance units continue to advance southeast, expanding their reconnaissance area, and must ascertain the specific defensive situation of Luoyun City!"

"Medical and logistical units, establish a temporary supply point here to ensure the supply of materials during the subsequent advance of the main force!"

After the order was given, the entire wasteland quickly became busy.

The soldiers of the Calamity Army were well-trained, and each unit quickly launched its operations according to its assigned tasks.

There was not the slightest confusion or hesitation.

The heavily armored warriors strode steadily, took over the dilapidated fortresses, and began to reinforce the outer defenses.

The engineering corps set up new energy devices next to the abandoned supply depot.

The abandoned stronghold was brought back to life.

The reconnaissance troops moved swiftly, with small teams scattering like streaks of light, sweeping southeast and quickly disappearing into the distant fog.

Gu Xu stood there, looking at the orderly and busy scene before him, a look of satisfaction on his face.

"Not bad, quite efficient."

He casually patted Lin Yuan on the shoulder beside him: "Lin Yuan, go and strengthen the patrols on the outskirts, and see if you can find a few elven scouts who have slipped through the net, capture one and bring him back for questioning."

"Understood, Commander!"

Lin Yuan nodded, turned and left without saying a word, quickly blending into the newly revitalized encampment.

Standing to the side, watching the constantly updating markers on the map, Jiang Shu couldn't help but sigh, "Speaking of which, the elves withdrew so cleanly, could it be that they set some kind of trap?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu did not immediately deny the speculation.

But when he looked up at the outline of the mountain range shrouded in green light to the southeast, his gaze darkened slightly.

"Whether it's a trap or an empty city."

"Now that we've set foot on this land, there's only one direction for the road ahead."

"Keep moving forward."