Chapter 132: The Iron Empire

Quartermaster Yu Mi heard Zhao Jie’s exclamation and instinctively turned her head, her gaze following his to rest upon the painting of steel.

"You recognize it?"

Yu Mi’s voice sounded by Zhao Jie’s ear. He looked up to find the dashing, heroic-looking female officer already standing right before him.

"I don’t, I just think it looks cool!" Zhao Jie blurted out without hesitation.

Cool?

Hearing this, Yu Mi didn't think much of it, but she sneered as she looked at the Machinedramon in the image. "I hope you still think so when it appears right in front of you."

Her indifferent words echoed in Zhao Jie’s ears. By the time he looked at her, the quartermaster had already walked over to the main seat and sat down.

"Alright, students of Xiang University. The situation in the Secret Realm is not optimistic. Shortly, members of various squads will come to select you. Those chosen will temporarily report to their respective squad leaders."

"Now, give me your Digital Spirit accounts. You will be rewarded with Digital Points for every mission completed. In the unfortunate event that you die inside, your Digital Points will be converted into money and delivered personally to your families by our colleagues."

"However, rest assured, you will not be placed on the most dangerous front lines. All you need to do is assist in transporting supplies."

As Yu Mi finished speaking, the tension in the room eased. When she first began, everyone had been physically rigid with anxiety. But that final sentence brought a great deal of relief. Even if they were Elite-level Tamers, they knew they would be nothing more than fodder in the meat grinder of the front-line battlefield.

"What was that giant beast earlier?" Zhao Jie asked curiously once the quartermaster had finished collecting everyone’s information.

"First time at the No. 3 Ultra-Large Secret Realm, right?" Yu Mi organized the files, glanced at her watch, and looked at Zhao Jie with a smile.

"Yes." Zhao Jie nodded. He was certain that the Machinedramon was incredibly powerful, but he had no idea what kind of status it held within this massive realm.

"Our No. 3 Ultra-Large Secret Realm is different from many others. Aside from the usual mountains, rivers, and vegetation, there are countless structures forged from steel."

"According to our years of research, every area we have explored belongs to a single faction! That Digimon you thought looked so cool is called Machinedramon, and it is the absolute sovereign of this known region."

"Because of this powerful Machinedramon, our No. 3 Ultra-Large Secret Realm is also known as the Steel Realm. Among the Digimon we have encountered, they refer to the entire realm as the 'Steel Empire'!"

*Hiss...*

Zhao Jie gasped, his face filled with disbelief. If what was said earlier was true—that this No. 3 Ultra-Large Secret Realm was larger than the entire Earth—then this "Steel Empire" was terrifyingly powerful beyond imagination.

"This Machinedramon leaves for the deeper reaches of the realm periodically. The current beast tide eruption happened shortly after it left, which is highly suspicious," Yu Mi said, a hint of helplessness on her face.

No one had expected that after so many years of peace with the Machinedramon, a beast tide would break out today.

"Has the Machinedramon never attacked us before?" Upon hearing the word "suspicious," Zhao Jie’s first thought was the Di faction; it was possible that this riot was their doing.

"How could it not have?" Yu Mi answered instinctively, then realized she had said too much. She glared at Zhao Jie and stopped talking.

"Interesting."

Zhao Jie muttered to himself, reading the expression on Quartermaster Yu Mi’s face and wisely choosing not to press further. Machinedramon was a Mega-level Digimon, yet China had been able to withstand its attacks a long time ago. Could it be that the Chinese authorities had already mastered Mega-level evolution?

Before Zhao Jie could think too much, several burly men walked in from outside, each exuding a hint of murderous aura.

"These are the first batch of reinforcements sent by Xiang University. Aside from that girl, who is to remain with me, the rest of you may choose as you please," Yu Mi said, looking up at the men and pointing toward Hua Feihua, who was sitting quietly in her seat.

"Haha, if Sister Mi has spoken, we have no choice but to listen. Alright boys, pick your people!" the leading middle-aged man laughed heartily. As he spoke, his gaze swept back and forth over Zhao Jie and the others.

"You, you're coming with me!" The middle-aged man quickly pointed at Zhao Jie.

"Me?" Zhao Jie looked at him, pointing at himself in surprise.

"That’s right, you. You’ll join my squad in a moment!" The man nodded firmly, then crossed his arms, waiting for his companions to finish their selections.

Some, like the middle-aged man, chose only one person, while others chose two. Soon, all fourteen students had been claimed. After completing the registration, following the man’s gesture, Zhao Jie left the room with him.

"My name is Wen Gong. I’m much older than you, so if you don’t mind, you can call me Uncle Wen." As they walked, the man introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you, Uncle Wen. My name is Zhao Jie, and these two Digimon are my partners." Zhao Jie spoke respectfully and introduced his Agumon and Gatomon.

"Good." Wen Gong nodded, glancing at the two Digimon by Zhao Jie’s side.

"I believe Quartermaster Yu Mi already told you about our mission, but I have to repeat it."

"Even though we are only transporting supplies in the rear, it doesn’t mean we won’t face danger. You’d better be mentally prepared."

"Transport squads operate in groups of five. Besides me, there are three other members. If we encounter danger and you flee without my order to retreat, you will be treated as a deserter!"

"You’re a university student, a top talent from Xiang University. I know you value your lives, but I don’t think you’d want to be a deserter."

"Of course, I won't lead you to your death on purpose. You can rest assured on that point."

Zhao Jie nodded to show he understood. He didn't say much—before experiencing real combat, any promise was just empty words. Under Wen Gong’s lead, Zhao Jie and his Digimon entered the ultra-large Digital Secret Realm. After a flash of light that wasn't too blinding, Zhao Jie found himself in the place known as the Steel Realm.

The sky was a pale gray. Looking into the distance, Zhao Jie did not see the steel city he had glimpsed in the breakroom. Not far from the entrance, there stood a fortress forged of steel, from which various noisy sounds could be heard.

"The area we currently occupy is centered around this entrance. As we expand, we have built four fortresses in the North, South, East, and West."

"Currently, only the North and East fortresses are under assault by the beast tide, but according to our scouts, a large number of Digimon are also gathering in the West."

As they walked, Wen Gong continued to brief Zhao Jie. Soon, they arrived at a small building where two men and one woman were waiting—the rest of his team.

"Captain!" One of them stood up upon seeing Wen Gong.

"Why did you bring a student back?" The man looked at Zhao Jie, his tone filled with unconcealed disappointment.

"Xiao Liang!" The only woman in the group stood up and shot a reproachful look at the man who had just spoken. She then turned to Zhao Jie with an apologetic smile. "Don't mind him, classmate. He didn't mean anything by it."

"Enough. This is a member of the Xiang University school team and an Elite-level Tamer. He’s at least as good as you, if not better. Keep your opinions to yourselves," Wen Gong said flatly, glancing at Xiao Liang.

Zhao Jie soon learned the details of the team. Captain Wen Gong’s Digimon was a Mammothmon (Perfect level); the man who spoke, Wang Liang, had a WereGarurumon; the other man, Shi Zhi, had a Seagullmon (the team’s only Mature level, serving as a scout); and the woman, Fu Yue, had a rare Medusamon. Her petrifying gaze was enough to make any Digimon of the same level suffer a heavy loss.

"Our team’s division of labor is as follows: my Mammothmon handles the heavy transport, Shi Zhi’s Seagullmon handles low-altitude reconnaissance, and Xiao Liang and Fu Yue’s Digimon serve as escorts."

"You’re new, so just join the escort team with the others for now," Wen Gong decided after a moment’s thought.

"I have no objection."

"Neither do I!"

The three members nodded. Since he was already here, they couldn't exactly kick him out. Besides, they were the ones who had begged Wen Gong to find them some extra help.

"Zhao Jie, do you have any issues with that?" Wen Gong asked.

"None at all." At this point, it was best to follow orders.