Cultivation Online

Chapter 2653: A Quick Briefing

*Knock* *Knock*

Someone knocked on Yuan’s door as he rested from his training.

"I’ll get it." Mei Xiaoyun said, not thinking too much about her actions before going to answer the door.

"Hey, Sergeant Yu—?!"

The voice abruptly halted when they noticed Yuan wasn’t the one who answered the door.

"Y-You are... Private First Class Mei?! What are you doing inside Sergeant Yuan’s living quarters?" Sergeant Bing asked with a bewildered expression.

Even as she voiced the question, however, a single conclusion had already taken root in her mind.

"We’re training," Mei Xiaoyun said.

"Training... What sort of training can one even do in such an environment? If you’re sparring, there are much better places..." Sergeant Bing continued to ask.

"Sorry, but it’s not something I can reveal," Mei Xiaoyun shook her head.

"I-Is that so..." Sergeant Bing muttered in a dazed voice.

"You looking for me?"

A moment later, Yuan appeared at the door.

"Y-Yes..." Sergeant Bing snapped out of her daze and quickly explained the reason for her visit. "General Mei sent me to inform you that the briefing for the upcoming drill will take place tomorrow at ten in the morning. It’ll take place at the Parade Deck, so make sure you don’t miss it."

"I understand. Thanks for letting me know," said Yuan. "By the way, now that we’re at the same rank, you can just call me by my name. Let the others know, too."

"Sure. You can call me by my name, too. I’m Bing Bing."

After Sergeant Bing left, Mei Xiaoyun said, "I’ll also take my leave then. Thank you for the training."

"You can come back whenever you want to continue."

"I will."

The following day, Yuan, Mei Xiaoyun, Sergeant Bing, and Sergeant Quang made their way to the Parade Deck for their briefing.

By the time they arrived, nearly half of the military was already present.

"How many soldiers do we have, anyway?" Yuan suddenly asked.

"Approximately 70,000 soldiers."

"That’s... a lot less than I expected."

"Well, it’s not exactly easy to join the military."

About ten minutes later, the rest of the soldiers appeared.

At this moment, practically all 70,000 soldiers were present, with a few exceptions.

General Mei and General Gu were also present, both standing on an elevated platform.

Eventually, General Gu began speaking. "I know it hasn’t been long since our last drill, but with Gaia’s prophecy looming over us, we’ve decided to increase the frequency of these drills."

"Since we have new soldiers with us, we’ll explain the purpose of the drill and the exercise to them."

Mei Feng then spoke, "The purpose of these drills is simple—to prepare us for what lies in the near future. Gaia, the protector of this world and Messenger of the Universe, received a prophecy from the universe itself. According to that prophecy, this world and every living being within it will one day face an unfathomable ordeal—a tribulation unlike anything we have ever experienced."

The soldiers who were already aware of the prophecy showed little reaction, aside from the firm determination visible on their faces.

However, those who had only recently joined the military and were hearing about it for the first time reacted with shock and disbelief, as though the peaceful future they had taken for granted had suddenly been ripped away.

"I won’t go too deeply into the details of the prophecy, but there exist beings in this universe whose power is beyond anything we can currently comprehend. They dwell beyond the skies above us, and according to Gaia’s prophecy, there will come a day when they descend upon this world with the intent to destroy mankind."

Mei Feng paused briefly before continuing, "During the drill, everyone here will be assigned a position somewhere within the city. Your objective is simple. Defend the city from the invading forces."

"In simpler words, it’s an all-out war."

General Gu then spoke, "There are two things you must keep in mind. First, although you won’t actually die during your clashes with the invaders, you can still be ’killed’, which will result in you being ’removed’ from the drill. In addition, a pain-enhancing formation will amplify the pain you experience. Its effect will begin at the maximum level and gradually weaken as the drill progresses, so do your best not to die too early."

"Second, every invader you defeat will earn you merit points, which can contribute toward your future promotions. If you defeat a certain number of invaders, you will receive additional rewards, such as Gaia’s Gifts and powerful techniques."

Mei Feng spoke next. "The drill is scheduled to begin sometime next week, but we will not reveal the exact time. The moment the sirens sound, every soldier will be automatically teleported to their assigned position, regardless of whether they’re ready."

She then swept her cold gaze across the area.

"That concludes the briefing. And for the newer soldiers, I shouldn’t need to say this, but everything discussed here is strictly classified. Revealing any of this information to civilians carries the death penalty, so you are forbidden from sharing it with anyone—including your own family."

Once the generals left, the soldiers lingered to chat with each other.

"Man... we gotta do this drill even more frequently now? What a pain in the ass!"

"What are you talking about? This means there will be more opportunities to earn rewards and merits! This is a great change!"

"Please tell me it’s a joke... That Gaia’s prophecy is not real..."

"Sorry to break it to you, but it’s real."

"W-Why...? Why can’t we tell the civilians? I feel like something this important should be known by everyone..."

"Who knows?"

"You nervous?" Sergeant Quang asked Yuan.

He shook his head with a smile before asking, "How many invaders do we need to defeat for the rewards?"

"The minimum for a reward is 10. The most anyone has defeated is 979 invaders."

"How long is this drill?" Yuan continued asking. "Surely, it won’t last for years..."

Sergeant Bing shrugged as she responded, "Who knows? It varies on our performance, and it has lasted for years in the past, so it’s definitely possible."