Stronger with More Jobs-Chapter 438 - 231: If You’re Tired, Then Rest...

Fang Qingyu stood next to the shattered skull of the mountain demon’s remains.

He slowly exhaled a breath laden with the strong scent of blood.

His molten gold eyes calmly swept over Zhang Tiezhu, nodded, but didn’t speak.

He knew, of course.

Since that rainy night in Qingjian City, he knew more than anyone else the ferocity of the Life Ghost and the relentless tides.

This experience was earned through countless brushes with death, with flesh, blood, and will.

The battlefield cleanup began swiftly under Zhang Tiezhu’s hoarse command.

The soldiers worked silently and efficiently, pairing up as one remained alert for any spatial fluctuations that might reappear from the depths of the ruins, while the other quickly inspected the corpses of the Life Ghosts on the ground to ensure they were completely dead.

Meanwhile, they carefully gathered the remains of their fallen comrades.

The young warrior who had first greeted Fang Qingyu that morning was now just a bloody torso, carefully wrapped in a body bag.

His tightly gripped broken battle blade was silently picked up by an old soldier.

He wiped away the dirty blood forcefully and sheathed it into his spare sword scabbard at his waist.

"Captain Fang."

Zhang Tiezhu strode over, his voice low, "We need to ’move house’ next. With the onset of the Ghost Festival, everything inside the force field becomes the front line. Life Ghosts could emerge from any crack inside the hollow at any moment. We must be on standby inside at all times! The outside camp will handle logistics—food, drink, and medical supplies will be delivered regularly. It’s just... the conditions are a bit harsh, and we’ll have to settle in this ’Ghost Village’."

Fang Qingyu looked around at the death-filled ruins and nodded: "It doesn’t matter."

Five of them then followed the previous deployment plan, moving to their respective defensive zones, ready to take advantage of this precious respite to rest.

The temporary position on the inner side of the valley entrance was quickly cleared, erecting simple windbreaks and rotation rest points.

Chu Kuanglan sat down heavily in the leeward spot at the high point of the left-wing ruins, gritting his teeth in pain.

The medic from the Fierce Tiger Company quickly came up, cleaning the bloody scratches and corrosive stains left by the mountain demon’s claws on his arm and under his ribs with antiseptic fluid and wrapping them with bandages.

The medic’s technique was deft.

Yet the painful sting from the antiseptic still made Chu Kuanglan gasp sharply.

"Damn it..."

He grumbled, but fished out a crumpled cigarette pack from the inner pocket of his combat uniform.

He held one in his mouth, and pulled out another one, tossing it to Lu Jiuyuan who was sitting cross-legged, regulating his breath.

Lu Jiuyuan opened his eyes, said nothing, caught it quietly, and held it in his mouth too.

Chu Kuanglan then looked towards the direction of the valley entrance and nodded his chin, indicating Fang Qingyu.

Fang Qingyu sat cross-legged on a relatively clean stone inside the valley entrance, eyes closed, regulating his breath.

Chu Kuanglan flicked his wrist, and a cigarette flew accurately towards Fang Qingyu.

Without opening his eyes, Fang Qingyu raised a hand to catch it steadily and placed it at his mouth, but didn’t light it.

Chu Kuanglan lit his own cigarette with a click of a lighter, taking a deep drag, the acrid taste of the cheap tobacco seemingly diluting some of the stimulation from the blood and gunpowder.

Exhaling a cloud of thick smoke, he looked at the ravaged battlefield in front of him, spoke in a muffled voice: "Damn... the density of Life Ghosts here... is really fierce... tougher than I thought..."

Fang Qingyu held the cigarette, eyes still closed, but a subtle, almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

His voice came through calmly: "Back then, you all insisted on switching locations, claiming staying in Shangjing would rust your bones."

Upon hearing this, a sheepish expression immediately appeared on Chu Kuanglan’s face. He scratched his freshly bandaged arm: "Alright, alright! God Fang, I’m just griping! We’ll do our job without a hitch! Don’t worry, with us here, we’ll definitely seal this breach tight!"

Fang Qingyu slowly opened his eyes, his molten gold gaze sweeping over Chu Kuanglan, then looking towards Lu Jiuyuan, who was also watching, and Wei Banmeng, who was just coming from the stone wall behind.

He took the unlit cigarette from his mouth, twisting it lightly at his fingers, though his tone was tinged with an undeniable gravity:

"No."

"If we can’t hold it, withdraw immediately to rest. Bracing isn’t a solution, it’ll only cause more casualties."

He paused briefly, his gaze became deep and calm.

"Moreover, if the frequency of Life Ghost appearances exceeds our endurance limit..."

"You four, split into two teams. Chu Kuanglan and Lu Jiuyuan, one team; Wei Banmeng and Xiaojiang, the other. Rotate between being on and off duty, ensuring enough stamina and condition."

Fang Qingyu’s gaze swept over the four of them, stressing: "Only by maintaining optimal condition can we avoid unnecessary casualties to the greatest extent, and ensure that this line of defense... isn’t breached!"

Chu Kuanglan, Lu Jiuyuan, and Wei Banmeng were all momentarily shocked upon hearing this.

Rotating rest?

Then who will ensure the absolute suppression at the front of the valley entrance?

Who will take on the toughest parts?

Chu Kuanglan instinctively blurted out: "If we’re rotating, what about you, God Fang!?"

Lu Jiuyuan and Wei Banmeng’s eyes also instantly focused on Fang Qingyu, with the same question.

Fang Qingyu met their gaze. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Putting the unlit cigarette back into the corner of his mouth, his move was casual.

He turned his head slowly, looking towards the depths of the hollow where it was deathly silent, dark, filled with ruins, a village where deadly spatial fissures could erupt at any moment.

His smoky voice, through the swirling smoke, reached everyone’s ears clearly, with a certain decisive, indisputable calmness:

"Me?"

"I’m stationed here."

...

A dozen hours later.

BOOM!!!

The impact of the fifth Life Ghost Tide was more frenzied than the previous four combined!