I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield - Chapter 541 - 440: Battlefield Cleanup and Pursuit

Chapter 541: Chapter 440: Battlefield Cleanup and Pursuit

Outside the Ice Extreme Pass, the mechanical roar shattered the post-war tranquility.

The soldiers maneuvered bulldozers and cranes, bustling around the snow-covered battlefield, collecting the remnants of Snow Beasts one by one.

These remains were valuable—the thick Snow Beast fur could be sent to the market for sale, the Spirit Energy-filled crystal cores could aid soldiers in cultivation, and some ice crystals and crystallized stones could directly be fed into the reactor to replenish the base’s energy.

According to the welfare policies on Mingwang Planet, only ten percent of such spoils need to be handed over as Empire tax, with the remaining ninety percent used entirely for the daily operation of the Ice Extreme Pass.

Whether it’s distributing military achievement bonuses to the soldiers, advancing the base’s environmental transformation, or purchasing new defensive equipment, it can all be funded from these resources.

This is the Empire’s way of encouraging Guardian Envoys to venture forth, and now it has become the post-war “heart tonic” for the Ice Extreme Pass.

This campaign ended in a great victory, with countless Snow Beasts slain, and everyone knew the final gains would certainly bring a great change to the Ice Extreme Pass.

“Old Tang, do you think our Ice Extreme Pass will really take off?”

A young soldier pushed a scanner, sweeping across the snowy ground, picking up a faintly glowing ice crystal stone whenever the scanner lit up, unable to hide the smile on his face.

The elder warrior known as “Old Tang” was helping secure the remnants with the bulldozer, and upon hearing the question, straightened up, brushed off the snow on him, and replied with a smile: “No need to say! With the Military Lord’s strength, he can surely lead us to rise, maybe even match the scale of the Rift Soul Ice Valley one day!”

Though Old Tang spoke confidently, he knew deep down that the Rift Soul Ice Valley is currently controlled by the Holy Blood Clan, with resources and heritage far beyond what the Ice Extreme Pass could compare to. It would be challenging to truly catch up.

Nonetheless, the arrival of the New Army Commander has already breathed new life into this long-quiet base, and they, as stationed soldiers, would certainly benefit greatly.

“I really hope that day comes sooner.”

The young soldier gazed towards the Ice Extreme Pass, his eyes full of longing.

Having guarded the Ice Extreme Pass for years, he always felt his life was like this boundless snowfield—cold, monotonous, devoid of any hope for change.

Former Military Lord Haimo was a competent leader, always leading by example and never harsh on subordinates, but he ultimately failed to bring substantial breakthroughs for the Ice Extreme Pass.

For those like them, transferred from regular forces to the icy Mingwang Planet, if unable to earn military merits and advance, then the hardships endured over the years would be meaningless.

Therefore, when Haimo left his post, many felt reluctant, yet more like him held great expectations for the new Military Lord.

This expectation was fulfilled beyond anticipation on the very first day of the new Military Lord’s appointment—the Ice Extreme Pass not only safely withstood a tier-six ice and snow storm but also eradicated a large-scale Snow Beast tide with zero casualties.

Though most Snow Beasts were dealt with by the Military Lord, every soldier involved in the defense could earn substantial Military Merit Points from this campaign.

And this was only the first day of the new Military Lord’s arrival; what about the days to come?

The young soldier tightened his grip on the scanner, scanning each inch of snow more diligently.

The cold wind swept broken snow upon his face, yet the biting chill couldn’t pierce through the flame ignited in his heart—a hope for the future, a longing that resurrected after years of dormancy.

The stationed tenure at the Ice Extreme Pass might still be lengthy, but he knew something had fundamentally changed.

“Military Lord, leave battlefield cleaning to us; please take a break.”

Battalion Leader Zhang Hao approached Qin Tian, speaking respectfully.

Qin Tian looked at the bustling scene below and nodded;

“Alright, make sure to supervise well. I need to go out for a bit.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hao felt a jolt of anxiety; having just gone through a crisis, the Military Lord wanting to leave Ice Extreme Pass now made him somewhat worried, prompting him to ask instinctively:

“Military Lord, where are you going…”

Qin Tian glanced into the distance, furrowing his brows: “This ice and snow storm came too abruptly; it shouldn’t have been naturally formed. I need to investigate the cause, can’t let the same incident happen again.”

Oh, I see~

Zhang Hao suddenly understood. Generally, the meteorological station would give at least two days’ warning before an ice and snow storm formed, but this time, from storm outbreak to nearing Ice Extreme Pass, only twenty-plus minutes elapsed, indeed unusual.

“Military Lord, please take care.”

“Yes.”

Qin Tian nodded and then vanished in a flash of silver light.

This sudden disappearance shook Zhang Hao’s body; immediately after, he widened his eyes, waves surging in his mind.

This is… spatial flicker!!!

…

Desolate Icefield

A black figure suddenly appeared mid-air.

As soon as Qin Tian landed, the ice beneath emitted a crisp crackle, with fine cracks spreading from him as the center, eventually shattering with a boom, revealing an abyssal ice pit below—clearly, this area had endured a terrifying force impact.

He lifted his eyes, scanning the surroundings, where his gaze found a scene of devastation.

Not far away, several ice mountains were severed at their waists, with massive ice chunks scattered across the icefield, bearing traces of being torn apart by energy. The ground was riddled with ravines, some as wide as dozens of meters, their edges encrusted with an exceptionally hard layer of Profound Ice, apparently formed by freezing under extreme cold energy.

The air was filled with lingering battle turbulence, mixed with a violent Spiritual Energy aura, even though the battle had ended long ago, it still struck fear in the hearts.

“Exactly as expected.”

Qin Tian’s gaze sharpened as his speculation was confirmed.

This ice and snow storm wasn’t naturally formed but resulted from a battle involving High Tier Spiritualists, causing a climatic anomaly.

The destruction of this magnitude, even triggering an ice and snow storm, meant the attacker’s strength must be Tier Seven or higher.

He closed his eyes, maximizing his Spiritual Energy perception, carefully tracing the lingering aura in the air.

Soon, two distinct auras entered his perception range, one of chilling cold, devoid of any human life waves, more concentrated and oppressive than regular Snow Beast auras, akin to monsters birthed by the ice and snow itself.

The other aura distinctly belonged to a human but carried an intimidating killing intent and Blood Qi, so dense it could almost materialize, clearly having claimed countless lives.

“This killing vibe… could it be them?”

Qin Tian squinted.

As a strongman who walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he had encountered many battlefield-hardened warriors radiating dreadful killing vibes, and himself, since Spirit Awakening till now, the living beings perished by his hand numbered in the millions at the very least, with Blood Qi and killing intent long embedded in his bones.

Yet even so, his killing vibe compared to this one is like a firefly before the bright moon, utterly insignificant.

This lingering killing intent is excessively intense, excessively pure, seemingly nourished by countless vibrant lives, even partly dissipated over time, still carrying an overwhelming pressure, as if at any moment countless vengeful souls would escape from the aura, dragging anyone near into Hell.

“If my guess is correct… this killing vibe’s owner might well be an Asura from the Luoho Clan.”

Qin Tian’s mouth curled into a cold smile—if it involved someone from the Luoho Clan, he might as well join in the fray to see what the Luoho Clan was up to.

He gazed towards the direction the aura extended, and the next moment, entered an invisibility state, vanishing instantly without leaving any trace of Spiritual Energy.

Following the trail left by the two lingering auras, he flew ghost-like into the depths of the icefield, moving incredibly fast yet maintaining absolute silence, as if he never appeared upon this icefield.