August 25th, 3 p.m. The sky was cloudy, windy, and the temperature was bitterly cold.

"It's so windy outside... Commander Xu, this is a briefing from the Forward Command today. "In the August weather, Company Commander Geng Jun was already wearing a dark winter coat, he walked into the headquarters, saluted first, and then handed over the documents.

Outside the window, the sky was covered with clouds, as if it was about to snow. Xu Yan turned around: "What is written in the report?"

"A report was sent to our company by the Forward Command, and the Command received a notice from the Joint Command that the situation was not right today, and that the monsters were about to move in all the defense lines of the Demon Covered Zone. The number of monsters has increased significantly, and the frequency of impact on our defense line has also been significantly strengthened, and in some areas, even large-scale monster groups have been found. In addition, the climate in many defense areas has been abnormal, with unseasonally unseasoned temperature drops, heavy rains, thunder and lightning and dark extreme weather are common, and even snow may fall.

The forward command all judged that this should be a precursor to the imminent large-scale attack of the monsters in the Demon Covered Zone, and they reminded us that all the troops on the front line should be ready for a big battle and prepare for a big battle, and hurry up to replenish ammunition and store supplies.

The other copy was sent by the Forward Command to Regiment Commander Xu personally, and they wanted to ask what views or suggestions you had, Commander Xu. Commander Xu, even if there is no news from the headquarters, we can also see that something is wrong, this weather is very evil, the weather in August, it is so cold that you have to wear an overcoat! Excuse me, do you want to reply to them?"

Company Commander Geng Jun said seriously, he looked at Xu Yan with blazing eyes, his eyes were full of expectation: The person in front of him is the leading expert on the issue of supernatural disasters, and even the Japanese joint command attaches importance to his opinion and specially writes to ask him for advice. Now, the legend is alive in front of him, close enough to be touched.

Xu Yan sighed secretly, now, whether it is the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, the advisory group of Huaxia, or even the domestic military leaders, they all regard themselves as all-powerful magic that can predict the future, as long as it involves something from other worldly creatures, their first reaction is to come to them for advice.

With such high expectations on his back, Xu Yan felt a lot of pressure. He is a cultivator, but he is not an immortal, and he has no ability to predict the future. All the knowledge he knew about the demon world was taught to him by Zhu Youxiang, but Zhu Youxiang's own understanding of natural disasters is very shallow, and natural disasters have now developed to this stage, and Xu Yan does not know more about natural disasters and the demon world than the country or others, and the spiritual sense of a cultivator may not be more powerful than that of meteorological satellites, remote sensing technology, drones or various detectors.

Xu Yan glanced at the bulletin in his hand and said calmly, "I agree with the command.

I believe that the abnormal abrupt change in climate is caused by changes in the space-time channel. The decrease in temperature and the increase in cold mean that the cold breath from the other world increases, which often means the expansion of the space-time channel, which also means that more monsters may pour into our earth from the other world. So, I agree with the Command that it is indeed necessary to raise the alert level. ”

Xu Yan said while Geng Jun recorded, and then, he asked, "Understood, Commander Xu, I will reply to the command headquarters." By the way, the command also wants to ask, which section of the area the monsters are likely to attack, can this be predicted?"

Xu Yan glared at him angrily - he was not the commander of the Demon Realm, how could humans know where the monster was going to attack?

In the afternoon, the clouds in the sky were thicker, and it was dark, and the lights in the bunkers had to be turned on to see clearly. The soldiers knew that this situation was quite abnormal, and the lookout posts on the rooftops were arranged with double posts. The camp was also not as relaxed as it used to be, and the soldiers were all in front of the position, preoccupied.

The wind was howling, and there was a dull sound of gunfire in the distance, "bang bang bang" and "da da da", the gunfire was intermittent, and everyone knew that this was the defense line on the left and right flanks killing the approaching monsters.

There was oppression in the calm atmosphere, and from time to time a group of helicopter gunships flew in the sky, including those of the Chinese army, the Self-Defense Forces, and the Indian army. The helicopter group kept circling above the position, and the group walked and flew again, and the roar of the helicopter was a headache, and the infantry on the position shouted and cursed.

Xu Yan returned to the company headquarters and happened to hear Company Commander Geng Chao talking into the microphone, still speaking Japanese.

Seeing Xu Yan coming, Geng Jun pressed the receiver and introduced in a low voice: "This is the divisional artillery wing of the Third Division of the Self-Defense Forces, they took the initiative to contact us and inform us that if necessary, they can provide artillery cover." ”

"The artillery wing of the Third Division? They should be responsible for covering the infantry of the Third Division and the infantry of the Indian Army, right? Even if they want to contact us, they should contact our regimental headquarters, how can they directly contact one of our infantry companies?"

"Today's electromagnetic interference is very serious, and the communication between us and the command is greatly disrupted. The forward command of the regiment informed us that if we continued like this, the communication between us and the regimental headquarters might not be guaranteed, and it was very likely that we would not be able to contact our artillery at that time. The regiment headquarters said that when the time comes, no matter which part of the artillery or air force can be contacted, no matter which country it is, it can ask them for artillery assistance and support.

The artillery wing of the 3rd Division had just contacted us, and the artillery of the Akino Special Brigade had given us their communication channels and contact passwords, so that we could ask them for artillery support in case of emergency. In addition, the nearby Tank Wing of the 3rd Division and the Army Helicopter Regiment of the Eastern Military District also called us, saying that they could provide us with cover, and their communication frequencies and contact codes were also given to us. ”

Xu Yan was a little surprised, the second battalion and the first company were just an ordinary infantry company of the military advisory group, why did the Japanese side attach so much importance to it, and several surrounding Japanese units offered to provide support?

Immediately, he realized that it was not the second battalion and the first company that were important, but his own importance. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces should have known that they were in the position of the second battalion and the first company, and they were afraid that something would happen to them, so they took the initiative to express their willingness to provide support.

At this time, the phone of the command rang again. Geng Jun glanced at the number and quickly picked up the receiver: "This is 632187, I'm Company Commander Geng Jun, the command headquarters, please speak—oh, hello chief! You want to talk to Regiment Commander Xu on the phone? Yes, he is there—" Then, he looked at Xu Yan and said in a low voice: "Regiment Commander Xu, he is the Minister of Culture who stayed at the Yokota base, and he wants to talk to you directly." ”

Xu Yan took the microphone and said in a deep voice: "I am Xu Yan, is it the Minister of Culture?"

The noise in the microphone was very loud, and Wen Xiuzhi's voice was a little distorted and intermittent, and he could only barely hear it clearly: "Commander Xu? I'm Wen Xiuzhi! We have been notified that the weather on the Hakone front has changed abruptly, and the natural disaster area may be further expanded, and it is very likely that large-scale battles will occur, and the situation is dangerous... According to the order of the superiors, you are now required to immediately stop the special training, and both you and the teaching team are immediately withdrawn from the front line and immediately return to the Yokota base... This is a domestic order, please carry it out immediately ... ”

Xu Yan remained silent: "Hey, hey, Minister Wen, what are you talking about? The phone signal is too poor, I can't hear it clearly, you say it again! Hey, hey~~"

shouted "Hey, hey" in his mouth, Xu Yan pinched the phone with his hand. Looking at Company Commander Geng who was stunned next to him, Xu Yan said calmly: "If there is another call to me from the Yokota base, just say that I went to the second company position next to me, and you can't find me." ”

Company Commander Geng looked at Xu Yan's eyes as if he was looking at a fairy: "Commander Xu, you do this... ”

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. ”

Xu Yan comforted Geng Jun, he put on a military hat, pushed the door and came out of the company headquarters, and a gust of wind rushed in front of him. He glanced up at the sky, the wind was stronger, and the dark clouds above him were thicker, and the clouds were so low that they seemed to be pressed down.

A non-commissioned officer led a few soldiers to stand at a high place and was flying an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, but the wind was too strong, and the drone was blown over by the wind as soon as it flew and fell to the ground.

"Head Xu, were you looking for me just now?"

Xu Yan turned around and saw Huang Xi. Her whole body was wrapped in a wide military coat, shivering like a chick who was afraid of the cold. Xu Yan smiled: "Yes, there is something, you can help me convey it to everyone." ”

"Head Xu, you say. ”

"Huang Xi, you also saw that this weather is very abnormal. Tonight, there should be a big fight. Talking about the battle, Xu Yan was very relaxed, as if talking about where to eat dinner, he said: "I plan to stay and take a look at the situation, but the students of our teaching team are all new recruits, and their situation... Huang Xi, you also know, they are all domestic sons and daughters, and the training subjects of the recruits have not been completed, and if they really fight, they will not be of much use.

The situation at the front can become dangerous, casualties are possible. You convey to everyone what I mean: those who want to quit the teaching team can apply to go back. Wait until we have a car back to the headquarters, they can follow the car back to the headquarters first, and then from the headquarters back to the Yokota base, and then arrange for them to leave the army and return to China. ”

The smile disappeared from Huang Xi's face, and her expression turned serious: "Commander Xu, with all due respect, your order is inappropriate! I also know that the students of the teaching team are quite promising, but no matter what their background or identity, since they have joined the army and gone to the front line, soldiers should look like soldiers! If they retreat and run away when they see danger, then what kind of soldiers are they called? This is not true! We are troops, not amusement parks, and we are not people who come and leave as soon as they want!"

Huang Xi said angrily, Xu Yan didn't speak, just looked at her with a smile.

After Huang Xi finished speaking, Xu Yan said softly: "Huang Xi, just take it as my willfulness, please listen to me in this matter." Execute the order! Within half an hour, convey my words to every student in the teaching team, and let them make their own choices.

If you want to leave, don't stop them, just send them away. ”

Huang Xi pursed his lips and looked at Xu Yan silently for a while. is too familiar with Xu Yan, and she knows by listening to the tone that Xu Yan has already made up her mind.

She reluctantly raised her hand and saluted: "Yes, Head Xu, I know." I'll do it. ”

Watching Huang Xi turn to leave, Xu Yan sighed secretly.

In fact, Xu Yan also knew that what Huang Xi said was right, the army has the discipline of the army, and it is taboo to escape from battle and escape when it is in danger. But the problem is that these trainees are not real soldiers, they have not undergone complete recruit training, many of them do not even know how to shoot guns, according to normal procedures, such recruits should not be sent directly to the battlefield.

The reason why the students came to Japan thousands of miles away was because they came for themselves, and their parents also trusted them because they put their children in their own hands. If they are killed or injured in battle, these young people who have not been deeply involved in the world, they really died because of themselves.

Xu Yan was unwilling to bear such a moral responsibility, so although he knew that this was not in line with the discipline of the army, he still gave the students one last chance to choose.

In this way, no matter what happens next, everyone has their own destiny, and Xu Yan does not have to feel guilty.

Huang Xi was very neat, and in less than half an hour, the matter was done: among the 20 special training trainees, five chose to leave the regiment and quit.

At dusk, the snow finally fell, and the white snow began to cover the brown earth, covering the barbed wire, forts, and bunkers. Looking at the heavy snowfall, the officers and soldiers were all discussing: In Japan in August, it actually snowed heavily, what kind of bird thing is this?

Standing on the lookout of the company headquarters, watching a military transport vehicle leave its position in the heavy snow and drive towards the rear along the wartime passage, Xu Yan silently looked away.

None of the cadets who were selected to participate in the training team were fools: the abnormal weather, the stern expressions of the officers, the nervousness of the soldiers, the erection of heavy equipment such as anti-aircraft machine guns, heavy machine guns, and infantry guns, the frequent flights of helicopters and drones over the battlefield, and the tense atmosphere on the positions - the cadets could see that there was going to be a war, and a big battle.

Obviously, between the danger of their lives and their cultivation, those five students chose to put their lives first.

Looking at the transport vehicle that was far away, Xu Yan thought: The five students who left, in the future, will they regret that they missed this great opportunity and envy those comrades-in-arms who stayed?

And the students who stay, when they die in battle, will they regret not staying in the future?

In the face of the two forked paths, no one knows which path is correct, perhaps, this is fate.

No one ordered, but at this time, the remaining fifteen cadets had already spontaneously gathered at the company headquarters and came to their side.

The boys and girls in military uniforms stood up straight, and although the two-week special training failed to achieve the purpose Xu Yan expected, it was not in vain: these delicate sons and daughters really dared to pick up knives and cut monsters now. This kind of bloody battle can train people very well, and the temperament of the cadets is much more mature, and in them, there is a little less of the tenderness of a teenager and a little more of the sharpness of a veteran. They looked at Xu Yan silently, with anticipation in their eyes.

Chen Yaoyu, who was standing in the front row, took a step forward, and she simply saluted: "Master, there are a total of fifteen disciples of the Holy Heaven Imperial Sword Sect, and all of them have gathered here, please speak to us!"

Xu Yan looked at the students, looking at the teenagers and girls whose faces were red with excitement, he was also excited for a long time: the students in front of him, although their strength was still very weak, but these teenagers did not choose to retreat and run away in the face of monsters, but chose to stay and fight side by side with themselves, they believed in themselves with their lives, and they were indeed their comrades-in-arms.

Who says that there is no clothes?

At this time, words are redundant, and the teenagers have already shown their loyalty and determination with practical actions, so Xu Yan just raised his hand, saluted everyone, and said calmly: "Comrades, next, everyone is going to prepare for battle, and you should protect all your strength." Let's all go back and rest. ”

The young soldiers were all stunned - they expected that Xu Yan would give an impassioned speech to encourage people and boost morale, but they didn't expect to hear such a bland sentence, and everyone was very interested in feeling unfinished.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "Master, don't you tell those cowards who have escaped?"

Xu Yan said lightly: "Those students who leave, they may not necessarily be greedy for life and afraid of death, they may also have their own reasons - or they are worried about their parents at home, or they may have some things that they can't let go, but this is not important, the important thing is that they made their own choices."

There is no shame in choosing to give up cultivation and cherish life.

You have also made your choice, you have chosen to stay, you have chosen to face difficulties and meet challenges!

Since you have chosen the path under your feet, you are responsible for your choices!

Cultivation is a long and difficult path, and it is dangerous and difficult to speak. Today's battle is just the beginning of the path of cultivation, and in the future, you will face more and more difficult challenges on this path, and you may even lose your life! I hope that no matter what time you are, you will remember your decision today and not regret your decision today!

Good luck to all!"

The students dispersed, and the students were quite at a loss for Xu Yan's meaningful speech, and they still couldn't understand it.

Xu Yan sighed softly - although in terms of age, he was still the same age as these students, and even some of the students were older than him, but in terms of his comprehension of cultivation, he was much deeper than them. There are many things that they can't understand now, but in the future, as they cultivate more deeply, they will naturally be able to understand it, and on the path of cultivation, many choices are life-defending.

As night fell, the snow grew heavier and whiter.

It was dark, but the position could not give up its defense, and several pillars of light of the searchlight pierced through the night and the snow like Optimus Prime, shining into the field in front of the position, and the sentries stood high in the snow, constantly looking into the dark distance with infrared binoculars.

In the dark night, there was a constant sound of "bang" gunshots, which were the troops on the left and right flanks constantly sniping and killing the sporadic monsters that approached, and the drones swept across the snowy night sky from time to time, drawing a beautiful arc.

Although the atmosphere was a little tense, no trace of the monster had been found after all. After visiting the trainees, Xu Yan meditated in his temporary military tent to recuperate. At eight o'clock, he suddenly heard a sharp whistle outside, and a sharp voice shouted, "Alarm!! Monster, come up!"

Xu Yan opened his eyes suddenly, he jumped up, grabbed the spring cicada sword beside him, lifted the curtain and walked out of the tent, and flew up to the height of the shelter house with a leap, staring into the distance, only to see that in the vast snow, a shadowy black shadow appeared on the horizon, and the black shadow was expanding rapidly.

A cold glint flashed in Xu Yan's eyes: The large-scale demon tide is coming!

At this time, there was already a shout of shouts from the position, soldiers with rifles poured out of the bunkers everywhere, and in the night sky, flares were fired one after another, illuminating the open space and barbed wire in front of the position, as well as the approaching monster group.

Company Commander Geng Jun rushed out of the company headquarters while wearing his clothes, and shouted loudly as he ran: "Enemy attack! Large-scale enemy attack!"

Observer, where is the observer? Call for artillery reinforcements quickly! Immediately send the direction over and ask for artillery fire covering 800 to 1,000 meters in front of our position!"

"Roger, company commander, we have sent a report to the artillery battalion!"

Artillery reinforcements came quickly, and in the night, a string of shining meteors flew from the rear, and the dense meteors in the sky were like fireworks across the dark night sky and fell towards the field ahead. When it landed, purple-red balls of light bloomed on the ground, and then mushroom-shaped smoke and dust rose one after another, and from a distance, it looked like many gray-white giant trees had grown in the field in an instant.

After a few seconds, the sound of the explosion was heard, like a continuous muffled thunder, as the mushroom clouds continued to expand, and the smoke gradually completely covered the entire plain, and the night wind blew, and a heavy smell of gunpowder smoke was heard.

The artillery showed great power and gave the monster a blow to the head, and the position suddenly thundered with joy. Company Commander Geng Jun was as excited as a child, and he jumped up and cheered: "Well fought! Well fought! Observer, continue to report the direction and ask for a covering shot at 500 to 800 meters in front of our formation!"

With the call, the artillery fire intensified, and not only rocket artillery, but also howitzers and cannons joined the battle. The sound of various shells passing across the night sky is not the same, some are sharp and hissing, some are sharp and clear, some are dull and long... The sounds of various artillery pieces converged into a symphony of artillery fire.

On the horizon in the distance was a continuous flash of light, cannonballs swept densely across the night sky like a meteor shower, falling to the ground and blooming one after another like fireworks, the light of the explosion was colorful, the red fire stained the sky red, and the earth under his feet was constantly shaking with a loud bang.

In the roaring artillery fire, Geng Jun walked quickly to Xu Yan's side, he leaned into Xu Yan's ear to speak, but the cannon sound was too loud, Xu Yan could only hear the other party's intermittent voice: "... A call from the headquarters... Monsters on a large scale... Under attack on all fronts ... Please... Back to the Forward Command Headquarters... ”

Xu Yan nodded, made a gesture, and signaled that he had heard. Even Geng Jun didn't say it, but he also saw it: the scale of the artillery bombardment was so grand, it was obvious that tonight, it was not only the positions of the second battalion and one company that were attacked, but the eastern section of the Hakone defense line was fully attacked on a large scale!

Seeing the power of this large-scale artillery fire falling apart and the earth cracking, Xu Yan couldn't help but be moved: This is the powerful force of human industrial civilization! The sky is falling apart! Put himself in his shoes, Xu Yan assumed that even if he was in a place bombed by concentrated fire, even if he went all out to open the protective cover, he did not dare to guarantee that he would definitely survive.

The power of real artillery bombardment is by no means as easy as shown in TV dramas, a heavy caliber artillery will create huge craters, the kind of craters with howitzers can even fit a car, a howitzer falls from the sky, within a radius of tens of meters, within the range of a full basketball court, no one can survive.

If it is a human army that is attacking, such a powerful firepower is enough to destroy the will of the attackers and stop their offensive, but the problem is that the other party is not human, low-level monsters, they don't know how to be afraid and fearful.

Scattered monsters passed through the wall of artillery fire, and shadows appeared in the open field in front of the position. Some monsters stepped on the ambushed mines, only to hear a loud "boom" sound, they were blown to pieces, while others threw themselves in front of the barbed wire, and the searchlights set up on the high place immediately caught them, and the anti-aircraft machine guns and heavy machine guns on the positions gathered fire, and the metal storm composed of bullets tore the monster to pieces in an instant.

The position was filled with gunfire, the smoke of gunpowder was filled, the officers kept shouting orders, the soldiers frequently ran and shifted, machine guns, rifles, searchlights, sniper rifles and other weapons cooperated, sniping monsters step by step, and the battle was orderly, as efficient and fast as an assembly line in a factory.

As long as the monsters caught by the searchlight are immediately sniped, even the monsters that tear through the barbed wire and rush in, they also have to face the fire of hundreds of automatic rifles, and in an instant they are beaten to the ground and struggle to fall. No matter how fierce and hideous the monsters are, in the face of the defense system of the modern army, under the saturation attack of dense metal bullets, they have no place to go unpunished, and in the blink of an eye, hundreds of monsters have been corpses all over the field in front of the position.

The trainees of the training team were all experiencing modern warfare for the first time, and they were all dumbfounded when they saw the infantry company killing monsters at such a high speed: as outstanding people who had been selected to participate in the training team, they all had a faint sense of superiority in their hearts in the face of the officers and men of ordinary troops. Many students felt that they were selected elites who would embark on the path of cultivation in the future, and that they would have a bright future, but the other party was just an ordinary soldier who only knew how to shoot and fire, so how could they compare with themselves?

But now it seems that these ordinary soldiers who only know how to "shoot and fire" are no worse than themselves when they kill monsters - no, it should be said that they are much stronger than themselves!

For a while, many of the students were confused: It seems that the killing power of the modern army is not inferior to the supernatural powers of cultivators! Is it worth it to devote a lifetime of time and energy to cultivation?

Not only the students, but also Xu Yan also had a feeling in his heart: the human body is fragile, and neither physical strength nor body can compete with monsters. However, if the fragile humans were armed with modern weapons and formed an army, they would be able to form a terrifying killing machine that could fight not only monsters, but even cultivators!

A new recruit, from conscription to the formation of combat effectiveness, only needs half a year of training time before he can be sent to the battlefield; but a cultivator, normally speaking, it takes at least ten years of cultivation to form the most basic combat effectiveness, and ten years of hard training, he may not be able to resist a skilled sergeant armed with an automatic rifle.

A thought faintly appeared in Xu Yan's heart: for human beings, cultivators only have a relative advantage. In the face of cultivators, human beings are not defenseless...

"Commander Xu!" a hurried call from behind him interrupted Xu Yan's thinking, he turned around and saw the company commander Geng Jun walking briskly, his steps flustered.

Xu Yan frowned slightly: At the critical time of the war, the company commander was not in command at his post, so what were you doing in such a panic?

"Company Commander Geng, what's wrong?"

The sound of artillery and gunfire from far and near became one, and it was as lively as the early morning of Chinese New Year's Eve. Company Commander Geng's face was reflected by the flames of the explosion, and it was red. The capable officer's face showed an anxious expression, he approached Xu Yan and whispered: "Commander Xu, something is wrong! The Indians have fled!"

"What?!"

"Our third platoon has just reported that the United Nations peacekeeping force bordering our right flank, that is, the Gurkha infantry battalion of the Indian army, their soldiers have collapsed and fled, and their positions are no longer empty! The monsters rushed in from their positions and went around behind us! Commander Xu, what should we do!"