Chapter 1 Military Operation

The military vehicle moved forward smoothly.

The soldier driving remained silent. Wei Yuan and Zhou Yi sat in the back seat, quietly adjusting the talismans around their waists and the firearm. This gun had been specially modified by military research institutions to enhance its power for cultivators. The recoil was strong, but the power was also very high, capable of severely injuring or even killing ordinary lesser demons at close range.

Six bullets.

Wei Yuan wasn't familiar with this type of gun. At most, he had been pulled in for testing over the past half-month.

His proficiency level was "able to fire bullets."

As for where the bullet would go, that was up to fate.

Wei Yuan put away the gun and took the sword off his back, placing it horizontally across his lap. He asked, "When does it start?"

Zhou Yi said, "Tomorrow morning. The area around Mount Wohu will be completely locked down, so we need to enter the restricted area in advance. We'll rest there tonight. After all, that mountain isn't a true wilderness. There's an upper limit to the power of firearms that can be mobilized. If it were in the wilderness of the testing zone, it would be much simpler."

"Even an ancient demon king could be dealt with by launching five nuclear warheads loaded on Dongfeng series missiles."

*Dongfeng night releases a thousand trees of flowers, more blowing down, stars like rain.*

Wei Yuan imagined that scene and said, dumbfounded, "Then what's the plan this time?"

Zhou Yi lit a lady's cigarette and said, "The maximum firepower we can deploy is a Fire Dragon-class rocket, with a destructive radius of three hundred meters. The power within the effective range is sufficient, but there's a limited quantity, and they're expensive. We can't just level the mountain. As for single-soldier thermobaric weapons, the range of damage from the high temperature and shockwave is about fifty meters."

"Air support will consist of Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles. The destructive radius is limited, but they're flexible enough."

Wei Yuan asked, "Support, meaning someone needs to enter the mountain range?"

Zhou Yi nodded. "Yes. After all, demons aren't ordinary enemies. Fragment damage has limited effectiveness against them, and we don't even know what level of power it can unleash in the mountains. Since it's the Tiger Lord Mountain God, there must be a shrine dedicated to it on this mountain. We need the missiles and firearms to focus their attack on this shrine. Destroying its mountain god shrine will greatly reduce its power as a mountain god, even backfiring and affecting its own cultivation."

"After that is the second phase of the operation, where those who have entered the mountain will kill the heavily wounded Tiger Lord."

"We can't let it escape into the mountain and hide."

"If a mountain god is determined to hide, it will be very difficult for us to find it. That's why someone needs to enter the mountain. If the operation fails, we'll have to mobilize high-level weapons, which will inevitably impact the surrounding cities."

Wei Yuan closed his eyes and said, "Understood."

"Besides me, who else is going up the mountain?"

"Me, members of the Special Operations Team, and a special operations squad from the Shenji Camp."

A period of silence followed.

The vehicle slowly turned.

Wei Yuan suddenly asked, "How's Zhang Yue doing?"

Zhou Yi frowned slightly. "That mukbang streamer?"

"Xuan Yi and a few members of the action team are already guarding the area. The apartment across the street has also been rented. But as you know, talismans from the Tianshi Mansion and my Weiming Sect show no abnormalities. The demon detection disc doesn't react either. His physical examination records are all normal. According to protocol, we can only keep an eye on him and can't take further action."

These were restrictive clauses put in place to prevent the action team from abusing their authority and detaining innocent civilians under similar pretenses. Otherwise, they could simply claim that someone might be harboring a demon and use that as an excuse to take them away. Expanding their authority would inevitably lead to trouble.

Wei Yuan closed his eyes and grunted in acknowledgement.

…

The Tiger Lord in the mountains was originally an enemy that the Sili Xiaowei (Inspector of the Capital) needed to re-suppress and seal.

Moreover, with support and companions, Wei Yuan didn't feel indignant about having to delve into a dangerous place.

However, he couldn't sleep well in the tent that night.

In his dreams, he saw the sixteen or seventeen-year-old Tian family's little daughter and Dong Yu's last words.

Finally, he saw the man in white holding an umbrella.

The next day, morning.

Wei Yuan stretched and, after having breakfast, prepared the sword on his back. A sturdy military off-road vehicle with a powerful look was parked nearby. There were two vehicles in total, carrying three single-soldier rocket launchers each. One vehicle carried special forces from the Shenji Camp, and the other carried the Special Operations Team, former Jinyiwei members.

Zhou Yi opened the car door and said, "Wei Yuan, get in."

The woman had sharp, short hair, combat gear, and was armed to the teeth.

If it weren't for the talismans she was carrying, Wei Yuan would almost forget that she was an elite disciple of the Weiming Sect of Taoism.

As Wei Yuan picked up his sword, three Taoists from the Tianshi Mansion stepped forward. One used a Po Sha Zhu Xie Fu (Evil-Breaking Charm), another used a Liu Ding Liu Jia Hu Shen Fu (Six Ding Six Jia Body Protection Charm), and the third used a Jiao Xia Sheng Yun Zhou (Cloud-Generating Spell). The effects of these talismans were perfectly superimposed and wouldn't interfere with each other. Wei Yuan felt as if he was covered in layers of invisible protective light.

His steps were light and vigorous, his breathing long and steady.

He was also wearing a demon-exorcising special operations suit.

It was completely black, protecting the vital parts of his body. It could greatly defend against slashing and piercing damage, resist the invasion of demonic and ghostly energies, and had built-in talismans that could avoid most of the negative effects of ghost domains. It had a built-in injector that could inject internal medication into the body when a decline in vital signs was detected, restoring expended mana and containing adrenaline to stimulate mental alertness.

Wei Yuan could only sigh. The government was indeed different.

They were rich and had a deep foundation.

Whether or not he had these things would greatly affect his demon slaying. It was an advantage that a lone ranger couldn't possess.

Several Taoists cupped their hands in salute to him.

The surrounding soldiers forcefully shouldered their guns and stood straight.

Wei Yuan gripped his sword and got into the car.

Zhou Yi silently handed him a Bluetooth headset, which Wei Yuan put on for internal communication.

The two armored military vehicles departed from the camp and headed towards Mount Wohu. They could only go part of the way, as the road ahead became narrower and more rugged, making even these off-road vehicles helpless. Everyone got out of the cars and proceeded on foot, raising their guns. Wei Yuan thought for a moment, then placed his hand on his sword and walked forward slowly.

After walking up the mountain for a while, fog gradually began to form.

The mountain path was shrouded in mist, and one could easily fall off the cliff if they weren't careful. In ancient times, countless people went up the mountain in the mist and never returned. However, these special forces soldiers were equipped with devices similar to night vision goggles, so the mist couldn't affect them.

Wei Yuan made a sword gesture with his fingers and brushed it across his eyes.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he saw that these thick mists were tinged with a dark, dull gray color.

It was demon fog.

The scenery on the mountain was also not what the naked eye saw, with lush vegetation and trees that looked deep and verdant. Instead, there were only desolate and rugged rocks, with scattered white bones lying among them. Coupled with the gray-black mist, it looked ghostly and chilling.

As they walked further up, after turning a corner on the mountain road, the view suddenly opened up.

Everyone subconsciously slowed their pace.

The mountain path under their feet turned into a smooth, paved stone road.

In the distance, white clouds slowly drifted, and on the mountaintop within the clouds were many pavilions, towers, lotus ponds, and flowerbeds. They didn't look like ordinary creations and had a faint, ethereal feeling. Beneath the pavilions, a man dressed in white sat quietly playing the qin, his music leisurely and composed, exuding great confidence.

*Click, click.*

Guns were instantly pointed at the man in white.

At this moment, in the rear, the events happening in the mountain range were being filmed and transmitted back via miniature cameras.

"Report, the action team has made contact with the target."

"The opponent... is not concealing himself at all."

The Shenji Camp officer at the base frowned and said, "... It seems he doesn't consider us as equal opponents at all."

ps: I'm having a severe writer's block. The author only roughly checked the power and effective kill radius of modern weapons, which is likely not very accurate. Everyone, just take a look and understand the meaning. After all, it's a fictional upgraded version of the Ming Dynasty, so just treat it as if that world really has this type of model~