Chapter 175: Chapter 155: The Blood and Flesh Mill of Iron Rock Pass

Chen Xing slowly opened his eyes, and the intense light pierced into his pupils like countless fine needles, the stinging pain forced tears to stream down.

He tried to close his eyes again, to avoid the unbearable brightness.

However, the soreness of his body kept reminding him that he was currently in an unfamiliar environment.

His muscles felt as if they had been hammered, each inch telling tales of exhaustion and pain.

The mix of gunpowder and blood filled his nostrils, as if he had been in the aftermath of a brutal battle.

Chen Xing raised his right hand to block the blinding sunlight, struggling to accustom his eyes to the intense light.

“Are you alright? You seemed to have fainted,” the warrior asked with concern.

Chen Xing turned his head and saw a young warrior squatting beside him, his face smeared with ash and dirt, yet his eyes were exceptionally bright.

Chen Xing struggled to sit up from the ground, looking around him.

He found himself amidst the ruins of a battlefield in the wilderness, everything around him so vivid it was as if he had indeed just experienced a fierce battle.

He pinched the back of his hand, and the pain that followed made him realize that this Illusion Realm was more real than he had imagined.

“The enemy’s attack has been repelled,” the young warrior said, his voice tinged with a hint of gloom, “but we don’t know if we can safely deliver the supplies.”

“Where are the supplies being delivered to?” Chen Xing asked.

The warrior suddenly looked at Chen Xing with suspicion, his right hand on the trigger.

“You don’t know the mission?”

Chen Xing glanced at him, “I remember; what I said is, where are the supplies being delivered… and whether we can deliver them or not.”

“Let’s go, back to the camp.”

The warrior frowned, scrutinizing Chen Xing carefully.

He vaguely remembered Chen Xing, having seen him a few times in the military, which is why he had woken him up earlier.

Chen Xing walked ahead, but his mind was on high alert.

He had not expected the reactions of the people in this Illusion Realm to be so realistic.

Along the way, Chen Xing put his hand in his pocket, thinking that since he had been implanted with an identity, there should be something to prove his identity or related materials.

His hand felt something hard in the pocket.

Taking it out, it was something akin to a certificate.

The cover had the words ‘Jiuzhou University’ on it.

Inside were his photo, his name, a number, and his position.

— ‘Jiuzhou University Special Support Group’

Having an identity was good.

Walking into the camp, Chen Xing noticed many cannons around, and even saw tanks inside the camp.

Chen Xing understood.

It seemed this was a “ancient” battle.

Now, these things had been mostly phased out.

This would allow him to further narrow down the scope of the battle.

At the beginning of the invasion from the Exotic Region, Great Xia resisted with firearms.

But as the war went on, firearms were gradually phased out and replaced by Beast Taming. Now, only a few places still used firearms.

A person rushed towards him head-on.

As he approached, he grabbed Chen Xing’s arm directly.

“Old Chen, Platoon Leader Zhou’s condition is still worsening after receiving treatment. Have you seen the doctor in the camp?”

A thought struck Chen Xing, “Where is Platoon Leader Zhou? Take me to him.”

The man pulled on Chen Xing’s hand and ran quickly towards a corner of the camp.

They passed through rows of low tents until they reached a temporary one set up for emergency use.

Inside the tent, a soldier clad in camouflage lay on a cot with a deathly pale face, his chest rising and falling dramatically with each breath, every single one of which seemed excruciatingly difficult.

By his side, a yellow Twin-fiend Dog sat quietly, its eyes filled with anxiety and concern.

Suddenly, the soldier propped himself up and coughed up a mouthful of black blood in agony.

The Twin-fiend Dog, seeing this, immediately let out frantic barks, each one more urgent than the last.

Chen Xing noticed that the eyes of the Twin-fiend Dog were even welling up with tears.

It relentlessly nudged its master’s palm with its head and licked with its tongue, trying to offer some comfort in its own way.

Just then, footsteps approached from outside the tent.

The Twin-fiend Dog’s ears twitched, and it bolted outside.

It quickly caught the hem of a passing doctor’s coat in its teeth and forcefully dragged him into the tent.

The doctor, startled by the sudden action of the Beast Taming, quickly realized its intent and followed it into the tent.

“Squad Leader Zhou, you’ve been poisoned by the King of Martyrs, and my Beast Taming healing skills can’t cure it,” the doctor said after one look at the condition of the soldier, his brow deeply furrowed.

“It’s alright, Dr. Hong, you should go and see to the others. Your Beast Taming magic power is limited; don’t waste it on me,” Squad Leader Zhou gestured with his hand, accepting his fate calmly.

Then he addressed the nearby Beast Taming creature, “Eighteen, no misbehaving, the doctor has his duties too.”

The doctor nodded his head.

Then he hurried out of the tent, as there were many more injured soldiers waiting for treatment after the battle.

Squad Leader Zhou looked at the Twin-fiend Dog with a weak but resolute voice, “Eighteen! Stand down!”

Upon hearing its master’s call, the Twin-fiend Dog immediately perked up and barked in acknowledgment.

Then, it took a step back and sat down, its gaze never leaving the Beast Tamer.

Squad Leader Zhou paused for a moment, as if gathering his strength.

Then he continued, speaking each word deliberately, “I issue my final order, after my death, follow the troop and escort the supplies to Iron Rock Pass. Once the escort mission is complete… you’re granted discharge, your life is yours to decide.”

“Woof!” The Twin-fiend Dog barked loudly, acknowledging the command.

Squad Leader Zhou closed his eyes, his chest heaving violently.

After a moment, he turned to Chen Xing.

“Chen Xing, you are a top student from Jiuzhou University, well-read, and one of the earliest professional Beast Tamers in the country. These supplies are crucial to Iron Rock Pass, you must ensure they get there.”

Iron Rock Pass…

Hearing this somewhat familiar name,

Chen Xing recalled the military knowledge he had rapidly assimilated during this time.

Suddenly, Chen Xing remembered!

In the twentieth year after Great Xia connected to the Exotic Region, the powerhouse of Fentian Giant City launched a full-scale invasion into Great Xia!

The news shocked the nation.

Border residents evacuated inland, while all the major legions on the border assembled near the passage to the Exotic Region, forming four lines of defense.

In the hasty defense, the first and second lines were successively breached, and the Great Xia forces gathered at Iron Rock Pass.

They amassed ninety-six divisions, one and a half million regular troops, and two million militia fighting to hold the fort at Heroic City of Iron Rock Pass.

The slogan at the time was to hold their ground for half a month to buy time for the rear.

But the outcome was that three and a half million soldiers held out for an entire month.

After the battle, out of three and a half million only one hundred and sixty thousand survived, and the entire Heroic City was turned into a grinding field of flesh and blood, with future generations commemorating it with poetry.

Battle fires ablaze throughout endless nights, flesh smeared on walls, blood rivers long.

White bones cover the fields for hundreds of miles, no sign of the travelers returning home.

This battle came to be known as the meat grinder of Iron Rock Pass.