In his imagination, squads dispatched from Biluo Pass would scatter and fight independently once they exited the pass. But as things stood, it was clear that arrangements had long been made within. The benefits of establishing these three forward operating bases were obvious — on this vast expanse of the Void battlefield, far from Biluo Pass, they could provide a safe haven for humanity's soldiers when they needed resupply and rest.
Moreover, an Eighth-Order Open Heaven was stationed at each base. If they encountered an Ink Clan Territory Lord and found themselves outmatched, they could retreat to the base and seek shelter.
"They're all temporary forward bases," Feng Ying explained. "They only become operational after each Ink Clan army has been repelled. Once the Ink Clan finishes recuperating, these bases have to be abandoned — otherwise the Ink Clan will seize them."
Yang Kai nodded. It wasn't hard to understand. The Ink Clan army had suffered a crushing defeat and its strength was greatly diminished, which was why humanity had the opportunity to occupy these bases. But once the Ink Clan had recovered sufficiently, they would inevitably launch another assault. At that point, the bases would have to be abandoned and the soldiers would need to return to Biluo Pass. To remain behind would simply mean being swallowed up by the Ink Clan army.
"These three bases correspond to three resource-rich zones," Feng Ying continued. "The truth is, the Ink battlefield is not lacking in cultivation resources. You lived in the Ink Clan's heartland, so you should know that. It's just that most of the time, we humans have had no opportunity to mine or search for them, which has led to the shortages inside the Pass."
Yang Kai inclined his head in acknowledgment. Having lived in the Ink Clan heartland for two years, he understood this point better than most.
For humanity, the cultivation resources on the Ink battlefield were extraordinarily abundant. Setting aside the peculiar Secret Realms, even in the void itself — within lifeless stars, within continents stripped of vitality by the devouring force of heaven and earth — all manner of cultivation resources and rare minerals of various grades lay concealed.
But humanity had no freedom to mine and collect at will. Only after repelling the Ink Clan army did they gain a brief window to do so, and the length of that window varied — depending on how quickly the Ink Clan recovered their Yuan Qi, it could be as short as a dozen years or as long as a few decades.
Once the Ink Clan weathered their lean period and regained their strength, humanity had no choice but to withdraw.
And these cultivation resources were of enormous value to the Ink Clan as well. Yang Kai had once seen the Ink Nests — those required vast quantities of resources to be devoured, giving rise to new Ink Clan members and providing the energy for the Ink Clan's advancement.
So when humanity withdrew, the Ink Clan would send personnel to these resource zones to mine in turn.
Throughout history, humanity and the Ink Clan had taken turns occupying the resource zones — one side withdraws, the other steps in.
Many resource zones had already been abandoned, their resources completely depleted. Of the ones humanity currently occupied, the nearest was sixty thousand li from Biluo Pass, while the farthest reached a full million li.
"However," Feng Ying said, "even when humanity occupies a resource zone, the Ink Clan doesn't simply sit back and watch. Although they're too weakened to mount a large-scale assault on Biluo Pass, plenty of stragglers and scattered fighters still roam these zones. First, it gives them an opportunity to capture Ink Disciples. Second, they use it to disrupt our mining operations. So no matter which location we go to, while we mine and search for resources, we must always be prepared to fight the Ink Clan at any moment."
Yang Kai nodded. He understood less about these matters than Feng Ying did, so naturally it was best to heed her judgment. He asked, "Then in Senior Aunt's opinion, which location should we go to?"
Feng Ying glanced at him. "That depends on whether you want to mine resources or fight the Ink Clan."
"What's the difference?" Yang Kai asked.
Feng Ying explained, "Humanity has essentially already secured these three locations. Even though Ink Clan fighters operate within them, their numbers won't be large. So if we go to one of these three, mining will be safer and we'll encounter relatively fewer battles. Whether you mine resources or fight the Ink Clan, both earn campaign merits — there's no difference there, only a difference in the division of labor."
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow slightly. "From Senior Aunt's tone, it sounds like there's somewhere else besides these three?"
Feng Ying gave a faint smile and tapped a different point on the World Map. "Before we departed, I made a point of inquiring. Over half a year ago, the Pass established a fourth base here, intending to occupy the resource zone in this area. But because it's been such a short time, they haven't fully secured it yet. The Ink Clan resistance there is particularly fierce. Just half a month before our departure, the Pass sent a fresh batch of reinforcements — including two Eighth-Order Open Heaven masters!"
Yang Kai's eyes lit up. He reached out and tapped that very spot. "We're going here."
Feng Ying wore the expression of someone who had already seen through him. "You're the squad leader. What you say goes."
Yang Kai smiled. "What I mean is, since Dawn is a special squad, we ought to do what a special squad does. If we have abilities other squads don't, then we should go after Ink Disciples. Leave the resource mining to others."
Shen Ao and the rest all nodded in agreement, several of them rolling up their sleeves with eagerness.
With the plan settled, the Dawn warship set off slowly toward the location of the fourth base. Those assigned to pilot the ship and keep watch returned to their duties, while the rest headed back to their cabin quarters to meditate and cultivate, conserving their energy.
The fourth base was the farthest from Biluo Pass — the journey would take at least seven or eight days. The Dawn squad members were still familiarizing themselves with the warship, so their speed wasn't particularly fast, which would add even more time.
The void was desolate. Shattered fragments of worlds could be seen everywhere, drifting aimlessly through the emptiness, large and small, their ultimate destinations unknown.
After seven or eight days of travel, the Dawn warship gradually drew close to the fourth base. Another two or three days, and they should arrive.