Chapter Sixteen: This Is a Soldier's Duty

General Xu waved his hand with a cheerful smile and said, "No need to be so formal, have a seat."

Without any airs, General Xu sat down on the cushion.

Ji Ling smiled and nodded, then took a seat as well.

“Still awake at this hour?” Ji Ling asked with a smile.

“Hmm.” General Xu nodded but did not look at Ji Ling. His sharp gaze, like that of a hawk, fixed intently on a patch of dark mist ahead. The piercing look in his eyes seemed as if it could cleave a path through the thick fog itself.

“Uh, your name is Jiang... Jiang what again?” General Xu suddenly spoke, as if he had forgotten Ji Ling’s name.

“Jiang Ling,” Ji Ling reminded him with a smile.

“Right, Jiang Ling.” General Xu nodded with a friendly grin and looked at Ji Ling. “You don’t have a divine realm, do you?”

Ji Ling was slightly taken aback. In truth, even he wasn’t sure how to answer that question.

He had once possessed a divine realm—a perfectly square, standard world with limited space for the contracted deity’s activities. Even the heavenly-grade divine realm he acquired then had its bounds.

But now, the chaotic realm gestating within him was entirely different from a typical divine realm of a god-contractor.

It was a world of chaos, a realm without defined boundaries or restrictions.

Most remarkably, Ji Ling’s own consciousness could enter this realm.

Though uncertain if it was the same as an ordinary god-contractor’s divine realm, it undoubtedly served a purpose.

It restored Ji Ling’s status as a god-contractor.

Now he could once again contract and command deities.

No longer just an ordinary man forced to rely on human firearms to fight strange creatures to the death.

“Probably... it counts as not having one?” Ji Ling thought for a moment before replying, “But I have indeed become a god-contractor again. I can contract and command deities. I don’t really know how it happened.”

“Do you have any other deities?” General Xu asked again.

Ji Ling was startled once more, shook his head, and said, “Just this one.”

“What about the Dragon King of the East Sea?” General Xu turned his head, eyes blazing as if trying to peer into Ji Ling’s soul.

Ji Ling inhaled sharply.

He knew he had once contracted the Dragon King of the East Sea, Ao Guang.

That meant he was likely in the Southwest Front at that time.

Seeing Ji Ling remain silent, General Xu smiled warmly and said, “No need to be so tense. This isn’t an interrogation—just a casual chat.”

“Though I don’t know why you use an alias and won’t reveal your real name, I choose to respect that.”

General Xu’s words made it clear he already knew Ji Ling’s background.

Ji Ling gave a wry smile and looked at General Xu. “General Xu, I don’t quite know how to explain all this to you, but—”

“It’s alright.” General Xu waved his hand and said, “Didn’t I say I respect you? Ha ha ha!”

Suddenly, General Xu reverted to the boisterous manner he’d shown during the day, which put Ji Ling somewhat at ease.

Just now, General Xu’s serious demeanor had been a stark contrast to his daytime joviality, making Ji Ling feel tense.

General Xu continued, “Let me introduce myself first. Two years ago, the Southwest Front was hit by an avalanche that scattered our troops. Many died in the black mist, and several comrades are still missing.”

“That avalanche cost us Major General Zheng Yun, the frontline commander. The Divine Bureau called me in, and I was assigned command of the Southwest Front. Every battle you fought after rejoining was under my command, though I suppose you never met me.”

Hearing this, Ji Ling quickly nodded, stood up, and saluted General Xu. “I didn’t expect to meet you here, sir!”

“Sit down, sit down!” General Xu gave Ji Ling a sideways glance and waved his hand. “I hate all these formalities. Like I said, it’s just a casual chat—no need to fuss over it.”

Ji Ling smiled, scratched his head, and sat beside General Xu.

General Xu went on, “I remember back then you contracted a king-tier deity—the Dragon King of the East Sea, Ao Guang. It was because of this contract that we swiftly eliminated the ferocious beast on the Southwest border, dispelled the black mist, and restored peace to the people there.”

Ji Ling nodded slightly. “I don’t seek credit. Though it was my doing, it was my duty as a soldier.”

“No need for lofty words. I’m not here to talk about glory,” General Xu said quietly, looking at Ji Ling. “Actually, I noticed you early on in the Eastern Front. From start to finish, you fought with guns, never summoning any deities.”

“At first, I thought you were just being protective, unwilling to use your powers. But then I realized that even in life-or-death moments, you never called upon the Dragon King. I began to suspect something had happened.”

“It wasn’t until you contracted Yinglong that I found out you no longer had a divine realm.”

Ji Ling gave a sheepish smile and nodded. “You guessed right—I did go through some changes. But it’s not that I don’t want to tell you; it’s just... those matters are too messy. Besides, although we’ve occupied Base 3176, the danger is far from over. This isn’t the time for family talk—I don’t want to trouble you.”

General Xu sighed deeply, nodded, and gazed at the black mist ahead. “This black mist invasion in the Eastern Front is even fiercer than what we faced in the Southwest.”

“The Southwest took over three years of our main forces, but the strange creatures there weren’t very powerful. Heavy firepower was still effective.”

“But this time, according to the statistics me and Old Lin compiled, it takes over three thousand rounds of 7.62mm ammo to take down just one of these beasts. Terrifying.”

“Over three months have passed, yet our advance is slow, and we still haven’t located the boss of this black mist invasion.”

Every strange invasion is first accompanied by an overwhelming black mist. The mist conceals these creatures, making it impossible for the military to strike effectively. In return, the creatures feed the mist, preventing it from dissipating naturally.

The only way to dispel the black mist is to eliminate every strange creature lurking within it.