Cultivation Online

Some time later, Yuan spotted six silhouettes approaching from the distance.

Once they drew close enough for him to make out their appearances, the first thing that caught his attention was their attire, which differed noticeably from the military uniforms he had grown accustomed to.

The Ironwoman moved to hover beside Yuan before addressing the approaching group in a calm yet cold tone.

"How can we help you?"

The group did not respond immediately. Instead, their gazes settled on the insignias worn by Yuan and the Ironwoman, silently examining them.

"A corporal and a major? Are the two of you lost or something?" one of them finally asked.

"No, we’re not lost," the Ironwoman replied.

"I know you’re trying to put on a brave front, but there’s no shame in asking for help, even if we’re from different cities."

In their eyes, there was only one reasonable explanation for why two soldiers would be wandering the Black Zone alone—the rest of their squad had perished.

"But still... sending a mere corporal into the Black Zone? Is Gaia’s Heaven’s military really in such a dire state right now?" another soldier remarked with a weird look on his face.

"I won’t repeat myself. We’re not lost, so you can leave us alone."

"Hey, asshole, we’re only trying to help!" one of the soldiers snapped. "You should watch your mouth, especially when you’re practically alone out here!"

"That sounds like a threat," the Ironwoman said calmly.

"So what if it—"

"Shut up!" another soldier suddenly interrupted, clamping a hand over his companion’s mouth. "Look closely! A major wearing a mask—that’s the Ironwoman!"

"?!?!"

"Is it true? You’re the famous Ironwoman of Gaia’s Heaven?"

"And what if it’s true?"

"T-Then there’s no doubt that you don’t need any help. We apologize if we’d offended you."

Without another word, these soldiers turned around and swiftly flew away.

"What was that about?" Yuan asked afterward.

"What do you mean?"

"Was that attitude really necessary? They were only trying to help us, weren’t they?"

"Perhaps," the Ironwoman replied. "But nothing good ever comes from getting involved with soldiers from another city. It’s better if we simply keep our distance from one another."

"Why is that? Are our cities at war with each other or something? What warrants so much caution?" Yuan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We may not be at war, but we still compete over resources," she replied. "In this world, nothing is more valuable than Unknown Ores and Unknown Crystals, since they serve as the primary source of energy for practically everything."

"Soldiers from the same military are forbidden from harming one another, but that restriction doesn’t apply to soldiers from different cities, which is why altercations between soldiers from different cities are extremely common and borderline expected."

"While it’s entirely possible that they genuinely wanted to help, there’s an even greater chance they were simply trying to confirm whether we were alone before deciding to rob—or even kill—us," she added after a brief moment of silence. "There’s a reason they left the moment they recognized who I was."

"I’ll keep that in mind the next time I have another encounter with soldiers from another city," Yuan said.

Some time later, Yuan resumed hunting Void Specters throughout the Black Zone while the Ironwoman quietly observed him and helped him pick up Unknown Ores.

A few weeks later, she finally said, "I think I’ve seen enough. It’s obvious that you have no trouble surviving out here on your own, so I’ll leave you be and return to the city. General Mei is probably losing her mind by now, especially since you never returned with the Scorpion Squad."

"I thought you’d never leave," Yuan joked.

"..."

After a moment of silence, the Ironwoman asked, "How long do you plan on staying out here?"

"A few more months, probably."

"Try to return within a year," the Ironwoman said before turning around to leave.

However, after moving a few meters, she suddenly stopped. Without looking back, she asked in a puzzled tone, "I was expecting you to ask about my mask. Aren’t you curious why I wear it? Or what I look like underneath?"

Yuan smiled. "Not really."

Since he already knew what she looked like beneath the mask, there was no reason for him to ask. Of course, revealing that would only invite questions he’d rather not answer.

"That feels like a rejection for some reason," the Ironwoman remarked in a joking tone.

Just as she was about to leave again, the Ironwoman suddenly turned her head and reached for her mask. Without saying a word, she removed it, revealing her beautiful face with a playful smile to Yuan.

Yuan raised an eyebrow at her actions and asked, "Are you sure you want to reveal your face to me?"

"Since you showed me some of your secrets, I figured that I’d show you one of mine to be fair."

The Ironwoman quickly wore her mask again and said, "Anyway, stay safe out here. If you die, I won’t be able to face General Mei again. Oh, right. As for your Unknown Ores, I’ll store them for you until you return."

Yuan silently nodded.

Once the Ironwoman left, Yuan returned to his training.

Meanwhile, back at the military base, the Scorpion Squad was taken in for interrogation the moment they returned to the city.

To ensure the interrogation was conducted fairly, General Mei wasn’t the only high-ranking officer present. Several other senior officers attended as witnesses, and even General Gu was required to be there.

"So you admit to bringing Corporal Yuan outside the city?" one of the interrogators asked.

"Yes," Captain Chen answered truthfully.

"Where did you take him?"

"To the Purple Zone."

"For what purpose?"

"To clear a tunnel."

"And why did you choose Corporal Yuan for that?"

"To verify the recent rumors."

The interrogator narrowed his eyes. "According to those rumors, Corporal Yuan is capable of defeating a Void Guardian by himself—but only one from the Red Zone. Yet you brought him into the Purple Zone. What was your reasoning behind that decision?"

"We initially planned only for the Red Zone, but Corporal Yuan insisted he wanted something more challenging, so we brought him to the Purple Zone instead."

"What happened in the Purple Zone? Why did you return without Corporal Yuan?" the interrogator asked.

"Everything went smoothly at first. We even managed to clear the tunnel in the Purple Zone. However, just as we were preparing to return, Corporal Yuan said he wanted to take a look at the Black Zone."

"Of course, we were against it at first, but he insisted that he wouldn’t leave until he had seen the Black Zone for himself."

"And then? What happened?"

"We traveled to the Black Zone—or at least to its border. However, Corporal Yuan wasn’t satisfied with merely looking at it from the outside and entered by himself. We tried to follow him, but he was too fast. The Black Zone was far too dangerous for us to pursue him any deeper, so we decided to return to the city and report what had happened."

Captain Chen paused briefly before continuing, "That was when we encountered the Stellar Squad and were arrested."

Once they finished interrogating Captain Chen, they brought in the next member of the Scorpion Squad. Each of them was questioned separately until every member had given their testimony.

Unsurprisingly, they all gave similar answers.

"A bunch of nonsense!" General Mei sneered in disdain after hearing their testimony. "Why the hell would Corporal Yuan enter the Black Zone all by himself?! That makes no sense at all!"

"I must agree with General Mei. Nobody would be stupid enough to enter the Black Zone alone, especially someone who’d just recently joined the military."

General Gu then spoke. "Corporal Yuan is an unusual and rather arrogant individual. It wouldn’t surprise me if he entered the Black Zone purely out of overconfidence."

He paused briefly before adding, "It’s unfortunate, but I highly doubt Corporal Yuan can survive in there alone."

Another officer then spoke. "We can discuss Corporal Yuan later. Right now, we should focus on the Scorpion Squad. Although they didn’t break any rules by bringing Corporal Yuan outside the city, if he truly is dead, they should still be held responsible for failing to ensure his safety—regardless of the choices Corporal Yuan made while outside."

"That hardly seems fair to the Scorpion Squad. They didn’t do anything wrong, and it was Corporal Yuan who insisted on entering the Purple Zone, let alone the Black Zone. I don’t think they should be blamed for his death, much less held responsible for it," another officer argued, one publicly known to support General Gu.

"That’s assuming the Scorpion Squad is telling the truth," remarked an officer seated beside General Mei. "For all we know, they could’ve deliberately brought Corporal Yuan, who didn’t know any better, into the Black Zone and abandoned him there to die."

"That’s a serious accusation, Colonel Jing. Do you have any proof that they intended to do such a thing?"

Colonel Jing sneered. "I could ask you the same question. Do you have any proof that they didn’t bring Corporal Yuan outside with the intention of getting him killed?"

"The fact that the system hasn’t branded any of them as traitors should be more than enough proof of their innocence!"

"There are plenty of ways to circumvent the system, and we all know that the Scorpion Squad is notorious for bending and breaking the rules."

For the next several minutes, the officers on both sides continued arguing back and forth, neither willing to concede to the other.

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