Warden of the Beast World: Everyone is a Hakimi

The beast tides in the North and South broke out almost simultaneously. Countless beasts surged out from the abyssal rifts outside the defensive lines, the dark, overwhelming tide of beasts crashing against the empire's border defenses like a flood bursting its banks.

With the Shadow Hunter holding the line in the North, the SS-rank Azure Wolf's imposing presence was like an insurmountable mountain, forcefully keeping the beast tide at bay. Shadow Demon was also directing the troops; the two brothers worked together seamlessly, and the situation remained relatively under control.

The situation in the southern border was completely different. There was only one S-class warrior stationed there, and facing a far greater number of fallen beasts than expected, the defense line was almost breached several times.

Han Zhou personally went to the battlefield. He was still wearing his impeccably tailored black military uniform, with the collar buttoned up to the top. He stood in the forward command post of the southern border defense line, surrounded by overwhelming alarms about the beast tide and constantly rising casualty figures.

He was not only the commander of the southern frontier battlefield, but also responsible for allocating the resources of the entire military, including logistics, medical team deployment, and requests for assistance from neighboring principalities. Every single matter had to go through his personal terminal.

His mental domain was like a finely crafted spider web, with every node operating efficiently. However, the catnip he had brought out from Prison Zero had already been distributed to the wounded soldiers and officers in the Southern Frontier, and he had no more stock on hand.

"Commander-in-Chief, please take a break." This was the third time the adjutant had spoken today. Since the outbreak of the beast tide, Han Zhou hadn't slept a wink, and he had even had to be forced to drink a few sips of the nutrient solution by the adjutant.

"Don't get distracted." Han Zhou spoke sparingly, his golden eyes still fixed on the battle sand table in front of him. The red dots on the sand table continued to increase, the number of beast tides far exceeding expectations.

"Reinforcements." He gave a brief order, his fingers rapidly scrolling through the military reserve unit numbers on the personal computer, beginning to replan the defensive line.

"The beast tide has broken out ahead of schedule?" When Luo Ling received Luo Zhaohua's message, she jumped up from the mahjong table.

The catnip and defective products cultivated by the research institute that were purchased from Ye Tang a few days ago have all been transported to the battlefield. However, the beast tide broke out in both the southern and northern borders at the same time, and the consumption of resources far exceeded expectations. The Empress is urgently allocating resources, and the tone of the official document carries a rare hint of anxiety.

"Little Wild Tang, do you have any more?" Luo Ling put down her personal terminal and turned to look at Wild Tang, who was watering the scallion seedlings in the yard.

"Yes, we do." Ye Tang placed the kettle on the windowsill, then added after a moment's thought, "Do you want that shower gel—no, that Guiyuan Healing Essence?"

"How many do you have?!" Luo Ling rushed to Ye Tang in three quick steps.

"How long does a beast tide usually last?" Ye Tang didn't rush to answer; she first needed to assess how much she would need to give up.

"It's hard to say, it could be as short as a week or as long as a month." Chi Heng poked his head out from the kitchen, holding half a roasted corn in his hand. "This time, both the southern and northern borders are experiencing outbreaks at the same time, so the pressure is considerable. However, it's not uncommon; there's a small beast tide every year around this time, it's just that it's earlier this year."

"Will the Ghost Hunt be dangerous?" Ye Tang immediately put down the kettle and began rummaging through her spatial storage. She first pulled out a large pile of catnip, then took out several bottles of Spirit-Crossing Dew and Bone-Returning Elixir, filling her storage ring to the brim.

"Little Firebird, take this to Ghost Hunter." She shoved the ring into Chi Heng's arms.

"Alright. But little Tangtang, SS-level combat power won't be in danger. This is just a small beast tide that happens once a year, it's a piece of cake for you." Chi Heng took the ring, his wings already popping out, and he didn't forget to comfort her before leaving.

"Little Wild Tang, you still haven't told me, how much catnip do you have?" Luo Ling asked cautiously.

"A lot." Ye Tang glanced at Luo Ling, her eyes clearly saying, "Is there even a need to ask?"

"Um, could I write you an IOU first?" Luo Ling rubbed her hands together. "I just gambled away all my allowance and I still owe several months' worth of chores. I don't even have a thousand star coins in my account right now."

She had lived for over ninety years and had never uttered the words "IOU" to anyone, but in front of Ye Tang, she had almost completely abandoned all pretense of dignity.

"Consider these my donation to the Empire." Ye Tang picked several large boxes of catnip from her spatial storage. The emerald green leaves were stacked neatly, each plant still covered in moist soil and dew.

She then took out several bottles of Duling Bailu and Guiyuan Healing Liquid, saying, "Just give me this bottle of Duling Bailu and this bottle of Guiyuan Healing Liquid at the market price."

She paused, then added, "I want the kind of market price where even close brothers keep clear accounts. Don't double it again. Last time, Her Majesty the Empress doubled it so much I felt embarrassed."

"You also have the Spirit-Crossing Dew?!" Luo Ling's voice rose a full octave, her amber eyes widening like copper bells.

"Look at you, so naive and unsophisticated." Chi Heng leaned against the door frame, proudly wagging his tail, and pointed at Qi Xuan, who was lying in the water tank next to him, showing off his baby bottle. "Look at Qi Xuan, the Spirit-Crossing Dew is just a drink to him, he shows off several bottles a day."

"I...I really have never seen it before." Luo Ling watched Qi Xuan drink an entire bottle of Spirit-Crossing Dew like water and suddenly realized that she really had never seen the world.

The Spirit-Crossing Dew, even the research institute only has ten diluted drops, and it's been passed down for tens of thousands of years. Now, people in Prison Zero are using bottles of it every day.

"Just tell me if you want it or not." Ye Tang waved the bottle in front of her.

"Yes." Luo Ling took a deep breath. "However, the Spirit-Crossing Dew is priceless. How can I repay it? I'm even being restricted in my allowance now. Although my father is wealthy, I lost two-thirds of his dowry when I opened the seafood market last time. The auction house is raking in money every day, but I don't have any shares in it right now—"

"The beast tide is over. Can you ask your mother to approve a manor transfer to my name?" Ye Tang said casually. After witnessing the exorbitant housing prices in the core area of ​​the capital, she had been longing for a house ever since.

The Empress would definitely approve the best location. She was very satisfied with the set that Youlie had given her as part of her dowry, but she wouldn't mind having another one.

"Okay!" Luo Ling readily agreed, but inwardly she was screaming, "Trading a manor for Du Ling Bai Lu, Ye Tang is the empire's number one spendthrift!"

The northern defense line was impregnable. The SS-level Ghost Hunter stood on the line, his imposing aura overwhelming all who approached. Even the low-level Fallen Beasts dared not get close, and those that did charge were torn to shreds in no time. The Wolf Clan's ability to manipulate low temperatures froze the battlefield into a silvery-white ice field, with the corpses of Fallen Beasts piling up like mountains beneath the ice.

Standing atop the command tower, Youming watched the one-sided massacre below, showing no interest whatsoever in joining the fray himself. He narrowed his grey-blue eyes, identical to Youlie's, and pondered the situation on the sand table for a moment before issuing a few orders with a casual air—a feigned retreat on the left flank, an encirclement on the right, and a trap in the middle.

The fallen beast, devoid of reason, charged forward headlong into the trap he had laid, only to be met with a barrage of energy cannon fire from the elite Third Legion troops who had been lying in ambush on both sides. The Northern Territory suffered virtually zero casualties.

It was at this time that Chi Heng arrived in the Northern Territory. He folded his wings and landed in the center of the camp. When the soldiers guarding the camp saw his pair of crimson wings, they didn't even stop him. The young clan leader had already become familiar with the camp when he came to deliver supplies last time.

"Youlie, I've brought you some supplies." Chiheng took out a bottle of Spirit Dew from his storage ring and tossed it to Youlie. "Little Tangtang asked me to make sure you finish it." He stood in front of Youlie with his arms crossed, his crimson eyes staring at him without blinking, looking just like an examiner.

Youlie caught the milk bottle and looked down at the milky white liquid. Although he didn't quite understand why Yetang wanted to give him animal milk, he had no reason to refuse since it was Yetang's order.

He unscrewed the cap, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. A warm, soothing current slid down his throat, and the mental energy he had expended on the battlefield over the past few days began to recover on its own at an astonishing speed.

"Here, take this. Don't let that dead cat snatch it." Chi Heng took out another storage ring and stuffed it into You Lie's hand. Inside were the Guiyuan Healing Liquid and the self-heating hot pot that Ye Tang had put in. He leaned closer to You Lie and lowered his voice, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily. He was only relieved when he confirmed that Jing Yao was not nearby.

"Tangtang said she'll donate the rest of this catnip to the Empire." Chi Heng pointed to the mountain of supply boxes behind him, the emerald green leaves neatly stacked. You Lie looked at the pile of catnip, then looked down at the ring in his hand, and his tail swayed gently behind him.