Chapter 315: "A Flood of Resources" |
When Su Ming returned from the Mysterious Ice Platform to Bing-7 Defense Zone, the howling snow had eased a little, leaving only fine shards of ice swirling in the air.
The moment he stepped through the camp gate, Su Ming sensed a subtle shift in the atmosphere.
The patrol unit that usually treated him warmly now had a flicker of hesitation in their eyes. A few veteran soldiers who had just rotated off duty huddled at the lee side; when they saw him approach, their previously noisy chatter seemed cut off mid-sentence and the area fell silent in an instant.
Su Ming kept his expression unchanged, did not break stride, and headed straight for Stone Hut Number Seven in Bing-7.
"Brother Su."
A rough, low call came from the side.
Zhao Tiji strode out from the shadows, still wearing his heavy armor, the gaps between the plates crusted with dark red frozen blood. Chen Chuan stood beside him, sword in hand, and both men wore solemn looks.
"Brother Zhao, Brother Chen." Su Ming stopped, his gaze sweeping over them, "Did you just come down from the front line?"
Zhao Tiji said nothing at first. He glanced around warily, then lowered his voice and, with his weathered face almost looming up to Su Ming's, asked, "Why have you been going to the Mysterious Ice Platform so often these past two months?"
"I know you're practicing, but others don't."
Zhao Tiji's brow knotted into a deep furrow, his tone edged with anxious frustration that the man in front of him would not toughen up, "There are people in camp gossiping, saying you… saying you hide at the rear under the pretext of refining formations because you're afraid to die, that you avoid battle."
Chen Chuan's fingers stroked his sword hilt and he added coldly, "A few mouths from Bing-9 spread it, claiming you 'Half-City Su' have grown precious and soft, that you don't even dare to see blood."
Su Ming showed no annoyance. He merely brushed the falling snow from his shoulder.
"Mouths are on other people's faces, let them talk," he said calmly, as if speaking of someone else, "As long as our Bing-7 defenses don't break, that's worth more than any explanation."
"That's true, but military orders are strict. If—" Before Zhao Tiji finished, Su Ming's identity token at his waist vibrated.
A dark-golden sigil lit up on its surface. It was the Spiritual Hub Hall's urgent summon.
Zhao Tiji's expression changed at once, and Chen Chuan's grip on his sword tightened.
"Elder Mo summons you." Su Ming glanced down, his face still composed, "Brother Zhao, I'll be right back."
Watching Su Ming turn and walk away, Zhao Tiji hammered his fist into a nearby hitching post, sending the accumulated snow drifting down.
"Those gossiping bastards! If Brother Su gets blamed, I'll rip their mouths off myself!"
In Su Ming's Consciousness Sea, Lin Yu yawned lazily, his voice laced with amusement.
"Apprentice, this plot twist looks familiar. But for people to question a formation master for shirking? That's as absurd as accusing a chef of not farming."
Su Ming thought inwardly, "Rumors stop where the wise stand."
He quickened his pace and soon arrived at the Spiritual Hub Hall, located behind and to the side of the central command tent.
Pushing the door open, a warm breath of earth-fire hit him.
The hall was bright with lamps. A huge sand table hovered in midair, densely marked with the spiritual energy nodes across the nine defense sectors.
Aside from Elder Mo seated at the main position, there were several unfamiliar faces standing in the hall.
They wore dark cyan ritual robes with the character for "Merit" embroidered on their cuffs, clearly stewards from the Merit Calculation and Strategy Bureau responsible for battle merit accounting and strategic simulation.
When Su Ming entered, several appraising gazes landed on him, laced with curiosity and evaluation.
"Disciple Su Ming, greetings Elder Mo." Su Ming looked straight ahead, performed the prescribed bow, then took the last available seat, posture respectful with not a sliver of impropriety.
Elder Mo set down a jade slip, and for a rare moment his heavily lined old face creased into a smile.
"You're here?"
Without much small talk, Elder Mo tapped his cane lightly on the floor. The sand table's light surged and the seven defense zones in the Bing area were enlarged, forming a faint bluish net-like structure.
"I called you here to announce a joint decision by the Merit Calculation Bureau and the Spiritual Hub Hall."
Elder Mo's voice was aged yet resonant, echoing across the wide hall.
"Through combat testing in multiple sectors like Bing-6, Bing-8, and Ding-3, your 'Spirit Response Spider Web' system produced a very interesting set of results over the past two months."
He drew a few golden lines in the air and rows of numbers floated above the sand table.
"In the seven sectors where the web was deployed, damage from raids by beasts below third rank decreased by an average of forty percent. Early-warning efficiency improved threefold compared to traditional earth-hearing techniques. Especially when dealing with burrowing beasts like Shadow Rats and Earth Fire Scorpions, false alarms were virtually eliminated."
The stewards from the Merit Calculation Bureau nodded in turn. Their eyes toward Su Ming had shifted to unhidden admiration.
Su Ming inclined himself slightly. "This is the result of my comrades' bravery in battle. I only did some cobbling work."
"Modesty would be hypocrisy."
Elder Mo waved a hand, his gaze growing deep, "However, even if you were split into eight and worked day and night, relying on you alone cannot carry the whole picture. Iron Wall Pass has nine defense sectors and hundreds of posts. Daily maintenance alone could exhaust you."
A thought flickered through Su Ming's mind; he vaguely guessed Elder Mo's intent.
"To truly form a combined force, it must be standardized."
Elder Mo produced a pale-gold scroll from his sleeve and unrolled it slowly, "Like the army's standard long blade or Mystic Iron shield, it can be mass-forged, mass-maintained, and widely distributed throughout the army."
Su Ming's eyelids twitched.
They intended to bring the Spirit Response Spider Web into the sect's official system for large-scale promotion.
"I have petitioned the commander," Elder Mo said, his gaze fixed on Su Ming, "Using Bing-7 as the blueprint, you will lead the effort. We'll pull the clever formation apprentices from various sectors to learn this deployment method from you."
Seeing Su Ming's hesitation, Elder Mo shifted his tone.
"You only need to teach them operation, daily maintenance, and simple troubleshooting. The core formation principles and spiritual energy algorithms remain in your head; they need not be disclosed."
Su Ming felt certain in his heart.
This was exactly what he wanted. The core technique had to remain under his control; what he distributed would be limited to "usage rights."
"This is, in a way, a form of 'technical authorization,'" Lin Yu whistled inside Su Ming's Consciousness Sea, "This old man knows the value of protecting intellectual property."
Elder Mo raised two fingers and spoke earnestly.
"If this is done, it will count as a major contribution. I can vouch to record 'instructing and transmitting the art' as your merit. According to wartime regulations, this counts as a first-class battle merit and can be converted into twenty thousand military merit points."
Twenty thousand points.
Su Ming's fingers, hidden in his sleeve, curled slightly.
With what he had saved these past two months, and adding these twenty thousand points, that once distant Earth Vein Spirit Milk could now be redeemed, with surplus to spare.
"That's not all."
Elder Mo dropped a second bomb, "Additionally, for every spider web deployed thereafter in accordance with this 'Outline', each defense zone will allocate 100 military merit points per year to your name, as compensation for ongoing maintenance and updates."
Soft gasps escaped in the hall.
Although the Merit Calculation stewards had known of the plan, hearing Elder Mo state it aloud was still striking.
This was a long-term, stable contract—practically a way to earn military merit passively.
Su Ming drew in a deep breath, rose, and performed a deep bow to Elder Mo.
"Disciple accepts the order."
His voice was steady and strong, unclouded by reckless joy over the large reward, reflecting instead a resolve forged by careful thought.
"This thing was created to resist the enemy and save lives. If it can be spread so more comrades survive on the battlefield, that is just. I will do my utmost and not betray Elder Mo's trust."
Elder Mo nodded in satisfaction and the wrinkles at his eyes smoothed.
"Good, not arrogant or impetuous—a seed for doing big things. Prepare your teaching plan these few days. In three days, the first batch will report to Bing-7."
...
When he left the Spiritual Hub Hall, the wind and snow outside seemed even stronger.
But Su Ming felt warm all over.
He tightened his ritual robe and the corner of his mouth lifted into a small smile.
Rumors, before absolute strength and proper arrangements, are like dead leaves in the wind—blown away at a gust.
Su Ming strode forward into the wind and snow, heading back to Bing-7 Defense Zone.