Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

Mo Fan was waiting for Zhang Xiaohou at the entrance. He soon saw Zhang Xiaohou coming out with a grim face.

"What happened? They didn't believe you?" Mo Fan asked.

Zhang Xiaohou's words had a certain weight, since he was a Commander. Normally, a military court would attend to the matter right away. Even if they were unsure if Shi Qianshou was guilty, they would still dispense some men to investigate.

"It's not they don't believe what I say, but I didn't even have a chance to say it. The Tarim Basin Fortress is facing something worse," Zhang Xiaohou said.

"Something worse? Is there anything worse than that devil getting his hands on the Earth Pistil? Shi Qianshou is completely out of his mind. He even killed all his men without any mercy. If he leaves the desert, many innocent people are going to die!" Ge Ming exclaimed in agitation.

"We can't really blame the army. I've already asked around. It turns out that Anjiao Town was invaded by the Sandstorm Demon Locusts. The Sandstorm Demon Locusts are circling the sky above the town and the lands nearby. Luckily, a patrolling squad saw what happened in time and asked the people in the town and the ore veins to evacuate to the underground bunkers. They managed to avoid a huge number of casualties, but right now over ten thousand people are trapped underground, and are running short on food, water, and medicine. They didn't have time to transport the supplies into the bunkers. The food and supplies are gone because of the Sandstorm Demon Locusts!" Zhang Xiaohou said.

"Seriously? Aren't the towns protected by a barrier? Why would the towns be invaded so easily… did it have anything to do with Shi Qianshou?" Xu Pingdong asked.

Zhang Xiaohou shook his head, "It happened three days ago. We were still in the desert, and Shi Qianshou still hadn't got his hands on the Earth Pistil."

"It's seriously adding hail to snow. Shi Qianshou is still on the loose, and now the Sandstorm Demon Locusts are stirring up chaos. It's impossible to kill all the Sandstorm Demon Locusts. If the army sends soldiers to attack the Sandstorm Demon Locusts, they will most likely be wiped out, even if they managed to save the people," Ge Ming said.

The Sandstorm Demon Locusts had always been a huge threat in the west. The barriers had significantly lowered their threat. They initially thought the towns could develop in peace, but something so terrifying had still happened so suddenly!

As long as the Sandstorm Demon Locusts were still around, there was no way they could build a city nearby. The lands would be left barren, and the Sandstorm Demon Locusts would eventually spread across the entire Tarim Basin and the places nearby. More places would become barren since fewer people were willing to stay around. It was an endless cycle.

The army at the Tarim Basin was trying to use the fortress as a foundation to develop the nearby towns with the resources that were available. The army was aiming to build a modern magic industrial city. However, the Sandstorm Demon Locusts had easily overwhelmed the barrier that they thought was secure. All their efforts over so many years were in vain!

"The only relief was, there aren't many casualties yet. However, if the people in the town die, most people are going to move away from the Tarim Basin Fortress. This resource-rich land will be listed as a dangerous zone not suitable for humans to live on. The military of the west has invested lots of manpower and funds to develop this area. Many soldiers have sacrificed their lives, but the Sandstorm Demon Locusts are about to ruin it all!" Zhang Xiaohou let out a sigh.

The Tarim Basin Fortress had always been a huge focus of the army in the west. The demon creatures were overpopulating and the number of Mages was limited. Humans had been giving up their territories over the years. The human territories had been shrinking slowly, especially in the west. They had no choice but to compromise when facing the unstoppable demon hordes.

The Tarim Basin Fortress was like a war that the humans had declared against the demon creatures, trying to take back their land. The attempt to build a safe zone and construct a city in the west was a huge breakthrough. It would be extremely meaningful if they succeeded!

However, the Sandstorm Demon Locusts had ruined it just as everything was on the right track!

A town had more than ten thousand people. If all the towns were invaded, the Council would immediately call off the plan, as they would not risk the lives of tens of thousands of people just to construct a city. It was too dangerous, and no longer worth it to put in extra funds and manpower...

"That's very serious… but Shi Qianshou is a huge threat too… I'm just worried that he's going to run away..." Jiang Shaoxu said.

The others fell silent.

Zhang Xiaohou had the urge to tear Shi Qianshou into pieces when he was leaving the desert, but his rational side was telling him that the safety of Anjiao Town was more important than Shi Qianshou now. If the Tarim Basin Fortress did not find a way to resolve the danger, they would not have the time to deal with Shi Qianshou!

The group heard some footsteps coming from the entrance. A female soldier with a huge bust was coming out with a woman in the uniform of an advisor, followed by a few high-ranked Commanders.

The two women were discussing something. The one with a huge bust glanced at the entrance and caught a glimpse of Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou, who felt extremely familiar. She quickly took a closer look.

"Sister, give me a second," the female soldier with a huge bust said to the advisor, and she walked toward Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou.

Zhang Xiaohou and Mo Fan lifted their gazes when they saw someone approaching...

For some reason, Mo Fan thought the woman's bust looked somewhat familiar. When they saw the handsome yet feminine face of the woman, they were both astounded.

"It's you!" Mo Fan was the first to speak.

"The two brothers in hardship, it's been a while," the female Commander with an alluring figure said smilingly.

"Li Man, aren't you in charge of the Dongting Lake? Why are you here in the west now?" Zhang Xiaohou said.

"Dongting Lake is well taken care of. The army is only doing daily routines there. There are more opportunities here in the west, so I requested to be transferred here. I have been here for a year and a half. I didn't think I would bump into you both here..." Commander Li Man glanced at Zhang Xiaohou before looking at Mo Fan. She smiled, "You're a famous person now, little caveman."

Mo Fan could only look awkward.

He was living like a caveman back when he was called the Deathbringer of Dongting Lake while getting rid of the aftereffects of using the Demon Element. He stumbled into Commander Li Man, who had gone to the Dongting Lake to investigate the place. They even worked together to kill some ferocious demon creatures.

Li Man had a deep impression of Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou. They were only Intermediate Mages back then, yet they were daring enough to provoke a Commander-level creature. They were utterly reckless.

Li Man had been following the news about them since then. She knew Zhang Xiaohou had joined the army in the Qinling Mountains and Mo Fan was representing their country in the World College Tournament. Without any surprise, both of them had earned a great reputation despite their young ages...

"Li Man, we are running short on time. You shouldn't be wasting more time on catching up with your friends," the middle-aged female advisor said calmly.

"Sis...oh, Advisor Shao, I'm running short on men. I was hoping these two could lend a hand. They are both reliable," Li Man said to the strict-looking female advisor.

An advisor was on par with a General in terms of military rank, thus she might have a say in the matter regarding Shi Qianshou, too. Zhang Xiaohou never thought he would stumble into Advisor Shao of the fortress here, and it turned out that she was Li Man's elder sister!

"Were you the one that reported Shi Qianshou's betrayal?" Advisor Shao came over and asked.

"Yeah, he has turned against the army, and he now has the Earth Pistil. He is using innocent lives to replenish the energy of the Earth Pistil. He has killed around four hundred people by now..." Zhang Xiaohou said.

"I know how urgent it is, but we have to save Anjiao Town now. Don't worry, we have zero tolerance for betrayers," Advisor Shao said.

"Li Man, how could you rely on two outsiders to help us? Feel free to waste your time here. We'll be going first. Advisor Shao, we should make our way to the camp as soon as possible!" a Commander behind Advisor Shao said.

Advisor Shao nodded, and did not talk any further. She led the Commanders and left the entrance. She must have been appointed to command the army on the front line.

Li Man hesitated for a moment. She looked at Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou and asked, "It's pretty urgent, I was given the mission suddenly too. If you two are willing to help..."

Zhang Xiaohou looked at Mo Fan. He was obviously letting Mo Fan decide.

Mo Fan said helplessly, "If we don't resolve the danger that Anjiao Town is in, the army wouldn't have enough men to deal with Shi Qianshou. The longer it takes, the trickier it will be to track him down. We can help you, but we hope you can let the advisors and the Generals know how urgent it is. That Shi Qianshou is a huge threat; we have to take him down!"

"Mmm, come with me then," Li Man smiled.

"They are coming with us. They are pretty strong too," Mo Fan pointed at Mu Nujiao, Jiang Shaoxu, and Lingling.

"I recognize them. These two must be representatives of the national team too!" Li Man said.

The people of the Golden Battle Hunters did not join them. They were overwhelmed by fatigue after everything they had gone through.

Ge Ming was not in good condition, either. He was the strongest in the group, thus Shi Qianshou had made sure he was well taken care of. He would have to rest for a few days to regain his strength. However, Ge Ming also promised that he would lend them a hand as soon as he recovered.

"Li Man, shouldn't you tell us what's going on first? I thought every town was supposed to be protected by the barriers. It's unlikely that the Sandstorm Demon Locusts could break it down so easily!" Zhang Xiaohou asked on the way.

"That's what bothered us the most. There's no way the Sandstorm Demon Locusts could just bypass the barrier," Li Man said helplessly.

"We'll have to go to the town to learn the truth," Mo Fan said.

"Mm, the only problem is, the Sandstorm Demon Locusts have fully occupied the area. It's extremely difficult for us to enter their territory. We've lost contact with the people in the town too!" Li Man sighed. "My sister has been here for more than ten years! She is determined to turn this place into a safe zone, a city in the Tarim Basin. Who knew things would all go south within a night… if anything happens to the people in the town, everyone's efforts will be in vain!"