Chapter 146: Human Cannon

This is not the only frontier outpost surrounding the City of Energy, and every single one of them is built upon strategically perilous terrain.

However, the number of troops stationed inside these outposts is never particularly large.

Instead of acting as a primary defensive line, it would be more accurate to say their sole purpose is to sound the alarm and relay messages.

Due to the open terrain surrounding the outpost, the night wind howled fiercely and bitterly.

The chandelier hanging inside the watchtower's observation room swayed wildly in the wind, looking as though it could detach and fall at any given moment.

Down on the lower floor of the tower, a large group of outpost guards sat huddled together, burping from their meal.

Some rested against the walls while others sat cross-legged, every single one of them wearing the lazy, satisfied expression of someone who had eaten and drunk their fill.

The outpost commander nudged one of the guards with his foot and ordered:

"Hey, hey... don't fall asleep sitting there. Now that you're stuffed, get back outside and take your watch.

"You should be grateful we called you down to join the midnight snack at all, otherwise you wouldn't even get to sip the broth!"

Compared to the freezing wilderness outside, the interior felt as warm as spring.

Firewood crackled and popped in the hearth, casting a bright, ruddy, and cozy glow across the room.

A large pot was suspended over the fire, but its contents—both the soup and the ingredients—had long since been swept completely clean.

Qiao Mugua picked his teeth with a toothpick, patted his distended belly, and narrowed his eyes as he quietly digested the food in his stomach.

The firelight made his forehead gleam brightly.

"Ah! So comfortable!" A young guard in the corner nudged his comrade in the ribs with his elbow and asked with supreme contentment:

"Getting to eat fish stew in the middle of the night feels amazing. Do you think we'll have it again tomorrow?"

His comrade couldn't answer right away, and could only cast an equally hopeful gaze toward the commander.

The commander, in turn, shifted his crafty gaze to Qiao Mugua beside him and flattered:

"Of course it feels amazing! You wouldn't look at whose fish it was, right, Brother Gua?"

Qiao Mugua opened his eyes and smiled smugly:

"I'll stew two more tomorrow. None of you lot have any culinary skills; I have to do it myself.

"Once we eat those two, the ones I brought this time will be gone, so don't go getting any ideas!"

Another, older guard sighed wistfully:

"Spring is almost here. Once it arrives, I can go out and hunt some game to bring back and stew in this big pot. That makes for a damn fragrant meal too!"

Someone immediately chimed in with a tease: "By the time you actually catch any game, the rest of us will be stuffed on the northwest wind!"

A roar of laughter erupted from the crowd!

...

Upon returning to his assigned resting quarters, Qiao Mugua felt the communicator in his pocket vibrate once.

He pulled it out, memorized the information on the screen, and slipped it silently back into his pocket.

If anyone were to check the profile data behind his communicator, they would be astonished to discover that Qiao Mugua's identity had somehow been elevated to Assistant Director of the Inner City Patrol Bureau.

Just think, prior to this, he had merely been a squad leader in the Outer City Patrol Bureau.

Yet after his transfer to the inner city, his status had undergone a meteoric rise, vastly surpassing even Lu Biao, the current captain-general of the Outer City Patrol Bureau.

That was quite the rapid climb up the official ladder!

No wonder even the outpost commander had to treat him with such utmost reverence.

Not long after, a soft knock sounded at the door.

The commander entered carrying half a bottle of his prized strong liquor and a small plate of side dishes, intending to have a chat with Brother Gua before bed.

Naturally, his motives were blatantly obvious.

Meanwhile, Qiao Mugua was busy polishing the ammunition he had brought with him.

This had become a mandatory bedtime ritual for him every single day, and the commander was long used to it.

The commander knew that Qiao Mugua was a rising star in the Inner City Patrol Bureau, a genuine Awakened individual. As for his specific tier, however, he had no idea.

Yet Awakened individuals like Qiao Mugua were never permanently stationed at frontier outposts, because these outposts fell under the jurisdiction of the Defense Bureau.

Thus, even if an outpost had stationed Awakened personnel, they could only be assigned by the Defense Bureau.

The only reason Qiao Mugua was here was to await the arrival of a cargo convoy.

Whenever an important cargo convoy crossed the border, the Patrol Bureau was required to dispatch an Awakened individual to escort it all the way back to the city.

Much like how his younger brother, Qiao Mucao, had escorted a convoy back to the capital through a snowy night in the past.

This was simply one of their fundamental duties.

It was just that the commander could never quite figure out what manner of crucial convoy could possibly require an official of Qiao Mugua's caliber to personally escort it.

At this moment, two ammunition boxes lay open on the floor.

Pistol bullets, assault rifle bullets, and a full stack of empty magazines were neatly arranged across the table.

The types of elemental energy infused in these rounds were remarkably thorough, and they could be easily distinguished by the color of their tips.

Yellow signified lightning, red represented fire, blue stood for ice, and green indicated wind.

There were also a few extremely rare black-tipped rounds. Inside their specially crafted glass caps, a swirl of ink-like darkness churned menacingly—this was the dark attribute.

Several more unopened crates sat in the corner of the room.

Anyone unaware of the truth might have thought Qiao Mugua was sleeping inside an armory.

Qiao Mugua accepted the cup handed to him by the commander, took a large gulp, and declared with a hearty breath:

"Hah! Strong liquor hits the spot!

"It really has to be standard 52-proof to taste right. Your wine is lacking just a tiny bit!"

With that, he lowered his head once more to resume polishing his ammunition, seeming to have lost all interest in the unfinished wine beside him.

The commander offered an awkward smile and said:

"Yes, yes, yes. Next time, I will definitely prepare standard 52-proof liquor to entertain you, Brother Gua!"

As for why the commander felt compelled to use the word "standard," it was because he knew all too well that Qiao Mugua's obsession with "precision" was notoriously demanding.

Once he finished maintaining the ammunition, he began meticulously cleaning the magazines, his expression intensely focused as he failed to miss even the tiniest corner.

Finally, he carefully loaded the various types of ammunition into their respective magazines, sorting and arranging them neatly.

Only when the table was covered with fully loaded magazines—enough to fully equip a squad of soldiers—did Qiao Mugua finally pack up with a look of satisfaction.

In truth, the commander had always found it rather curious. Anyone who performed maintenance on ammunition should logically be cleaning their firearms at the same time.

Yet he had only ever seen ammunition; firearms were entirely absent.

This likely touched upon the other man's secrets, so the commander knew better than to ask.

However, he was well aware of Qiao Mugua's notorious moniker: "Human Artillery."

...

Early the next morning.

After finishing breakfast, Ye Chen swung his saber in the courtyard, practicing his moves to aid digestion.

Within his own private sanctuary, even the air smelled comforting.

Just before going to sleep last night, Ye Chen had filled the second sphere within his watch's core mechanism.

His storage space had instantly expanded from one cubic meter to ten cubic meters.

Ye Chen was immensely satisfied with such a storage capacity.

Thinking back to his hunting days, if he had wielded a divine artifact like this, he wouldn't have just wandered around the outskirts of the capital—the dream of crossing the entire continent might actually have been achievable.

Yet upon second thought... a person had to be realistic. Even if I had possessed the artifact back then, I wouldn't have had enough money to buy supplies.

Still, right now, he seemed to genuinely possess the prerequisites for it.

If given the opportunity, he really wanted to go and see other capital cities... Ye Chen gazed into the horizon, letting his imagination wander.