Cultivation Online novel Chapter 2600

Chapter 2600: Five Zones

"It hasn’t been a month since he joined the military?! And he’s already a Corporal?! Do you really expect me to believe that?!"

"He was promoted to Corporal right after the recruitment due to his performance, which broke all of the previous records," said Sergeant Quang.

"I heard rumors of a monster with talents on par with the Ironwoman appearing in the recent recruitment... Are you telling me that individual is him?" The squad leader swallowed nervously at this realization.

"Of course. Why else would we, Sergeants, be accompanying a Corporal like him?" Sergeant Bing remarked.

"I thought you were friends..."

"Nope. He is under our protection... by General Mei’s orders." Sergeant Quang revealed.

The soldiers turned to look at Yuan with dazed expressions, seeing him in a new light.

Over the next several days, Yuan single-handedly eliminated every Void Specter they encountered.

Because he was clearing them so quickly, the squad traveled much farther than originally planned. In fact, they didn’t realize how far they’d ventured until they began encountering Void Specters that were noticeably larger than the ones they’d seen before.

Not only did the Void Specters become more durable as they ventured further away from the city, but they also grew larger in size.

Of course, this also meant that the amount of Eternal Essence they left behind increased.

"Hey, I know you’re having fun, but it’s time to start heading back. There’s no point cleaning more than we should... and we’ve already gone overboard."

"Can we stay for two... no, one more day?" Yuan asked.

"What are we, at the amusement park...?" The squad leader remarked while shaking his head.

"What are you trying to achieve by staying longer?" asked another soldier.

"He has a personal reason for wanting to clear the Void Specters," Sergeant Bing answered for him.

"He volunteered to participate in this mission for a reason," Sergeant Quang added.

"What did you say? He volunteered for this mission?"

The soldiers looked at him with wide eyes.

"I thought he was being punished."

"Nope."

"..."

"Well, whatever his reason is, it’s too dangerous to go further than this," said the squad leader. "Hell, we’ve already entered the Orange Zone."

"Orange Zone? What’s that?" Yuan asked, as this was his first time hearing such a term.

The squad leader was prepared to mock Yuan for not knowing such basic knowledge, but quickly recalled that Yuan had just joined the military and held himself back.

"The world outside the city is divided into five zones, with each color representing a different danger level. The Green Zone is closest to the city, followed by the Orange Zone. Beyond that are the Red, Purple, and Black Zones. Cleanup missions typically remain within the Green Zone," he explained.

"What makes each zone different besides the Void Specters becoming larger and harder to kill?" Yuan asked.

"The Void Specters don’t just become harder to kill," Sergeant Quang explained. "In the Orange Zone, they begin fighting back. In the Red Zone and beyond, they become aggressive and actively hunt anyone who enters."

"Then what sort of mission requires one to traverse so far away from the city?" Yuan continued to ask.

"That’s..." The soldiers immediately looked hesitant to tell him for some reason.

"Let me guess... You can’t tell me because of my rank?" Yuan speculated.

"..."

"What is it?" Yuan asked when he noticed Sergeant Quang staring at him with an odd expression.

"Is it really okay for you to visit the General so often?" Sergeant Quang asked. "Besides the Ironwoman, you’re probably the only soldier to speak with her so frequently."

Yuan shrugged.

"If she has an issue with that, she’ll tell me. Until then, I’ll take advantage of it. And since we’re already on the topic, I am going to visit General Mei tomorrow."

"Alright..."

The following day, Yuan visited General Mei in her office.

"General, is it possible for me to go outside the city by myself?" Yuan wasted no time and went straight to the topic.

"You want to go outside the city and do cleanup missions... alone?" Mei Feng repeated with a dumbfounded expression.

He nodded.

"..."

After a moment of silence, Mei Feng said, "Don’t you think you’re moving a little too fast? You joined the military less than a month ago, and after only two missions, you’re already asking to go out alone? Sorry, but even if you’re capable, I can’t allow it."

"Can I ask why?" Yuan replied, unwilling to give up so easily. "The soldiers don’t like this mission, right? I’m more than happy to handle all the cleanup myself. That would free everyone else to take on other—more important—missions, wouldn’t it?"

"I have a better question," she replied. "What’s your deal? Why are you so eager to leave the city every chance you get?"

"This isn’t about me wanting to leave the city," Yuan said while shaking his head before elaborating, "It’s the Void Specters. I want to ’clean’ them."