16: Chapter 16: The First "Safe" Field Mission

In the early morning council hall of Hengchuan Peak, there was a strange sense of tension in the air, more so than usual.

Several new notices were posted on the wall; they were no longer blood-red death warrants, but a "Mission Board" written neatly in ink.

[Field Mission Board (First Batch of the Month)]

Mission 1: Escort a batch of Low Grade Spiritual Plants to the Sect's outer stronghold (Distance: 40 li, via gentle mountain paths).

Mission 2: Clear a small Yao Beast nest on the outskirts of Desolate Valley (Estimated Yao Beast Rank: First Rank Low Grade).

Mission 3: Patrol the borders of the spiritual fields and drive away scavenging rodent Yao Beasts.

In the past, no one would have been willing to take such missions.

Escort? No profit. Clearing nests? Easy to run into big guys. Patrolling fields? That's work for handymen.

Everyone would rather gamble on a high-risk mission for that one-in-a-million chance to get rich if they survived, or simply wait to be sacrificed and have one last fling before dying.

But today, everyone was forcibly gathered in the council hall by Shen Xingzhou.

"For this field mission, we won't assign based on 'who wants to go,' nor will we assign based on 'who has the biggest fist.'"

Shen Xingzhou stood on the high platform, holding a freshly made [Project Panel], and tapped the table.

"We'll go by the data."

With a flick of his wrist, clear parameters appeared on the large screen behind him (which only he could see, but he could describe it vividly).

[Project: This Month's Safety-Type Field Pilot]

Core Indicators:

Single mission casualty rate ≤ 5% (Absolute Red Line)

Karma output not less than 90% of the average for similar missions

Personnel:

Captain: Senior Sister Xie Handeng (Forced Binding)

Member Selection Criteria:

Cultivation at Spirit Gathering Middle Stage or above (Qualified)

Stable mood values, no major fluctuations recently (No depression/mania)

No prior record of 'charging without authorization' (Obedient)

The crowd below instantly erupted.

"What do you mean by safety-type? Cultivators cultivate by going against the Heavens; what's this talk about safety?"

"Senior Brother Shen, is your selection criteria for eunuchs? Obedient and emotionally stable? We're going to hack Yao Beasts, not do embroidery!"

Before Shen Xingzhou could speak, Senior Sister Xie Handeng, standing beside him, had already pressed her hand onto her sword hilt.

She didn't draw the sword, but that piercing Killing Intent instantly suppressed all the noise.

"You don't want to follow safety standards?"

She looked coldly at the crowd. "Then what standards do you want to follow? By who dies the fastest?"

"If you want to go out and hack people, fine, but get past me first. Or, prove you're immortal within Shen Xingzhou's 'safety standards.'"

"Now, those whose names are called, step forward."

...

Ten minutes later, a small squad of twelve people stood on the plaza.

They weren't the strongest on Hengchuan Peak, nor the weakest, but they were the 'steadiest' filtered by Shen Xingzhou and the System.

There were no hotheads shouting about killing all day, nor were there any cowards scared out of their wits.

Shen Xingzhou walked over and handed each person a crumpled piece of paper.

It was covered in dense writing that he had rushed out overnight.

"This is the 'Field Standard Operating Procedure,' or SOP for short."

Shen Xingzhou pointed to the first line. "Rule one: When entering the mountains, you must follow the planned route. Taking shortcuts through dense forest areas is strictly prohibited."

"Rule two: Upon encountering an enemy, the Formation is: front row defense, back row long-range attack, middle row support. No solo duels, no breaking Formation."

A Disciple couldn't help but complain: "This doesn't look like Cultivators killing Yao Beasts; it looks like the regulations of some unlucky escort agency."

"And this, 'Do not deviate from the captain's instructions to snatch Karma without authorization'? Don't we fight our hearts out just for that bit of Karma?"

Shen Xingzhou looked at him and gave a serious smile: "Then consider us an escort agency."

"If an escort agency loses a guard, they have to pay compensation. If we lose people, we don't even have a grave."

"Remember, the goal of this mission isn't to 'kill the most,' but to 'have everyone come back alive.'"

"Let's go, Captain Xie."

...

The mountain path was winding, and the autumn wind was bleak.

This was just a simple escort mission, the goal being to deliver several carts of Spiritual Plants to a stronghold forty li away.

In the past, this kind of mission would have been completed with everyone chatting or even playing around, as there were no strong enemies along the way.

But today, the atmosphere of this team was as tight as a fully drawn bow.

Shortly after entering the edge of the dense forest, a dark shadow suddenly darted down from the treetops.

It was a First Rank Middle Stage 'Windblade Leopard.'

This kind of Yao Beast was lethal to ordinary people, but to this team of Cultivators, it was originally just something to practice on.

Following old habits, the Disciple who had just complained would have drawn his sword and rushed up, shouting "Watch me!" then killed the leopard with one strike and turned back to wait for the praise of his Junior Brothers.

His body did move; he instinctively leaned forward, his long sword unsheathed by half an inch.

"Stop!"

Senior Sister Xie Handeng's voice rang out coldly, sharper than a sword's edge.

She didn't even look at the leopard, only staring at the Disciple's position.

"Look at SOP Rule Three. Enemy Encounter Response."

The Disciple's body stiffened, and he forcibly pulled back his momentum. His face turned red, but his feet didn't move.

"...Understood."

The next second, the team moved.

No messy shouting, no solo heroics.

Two tank Disciples in the front row quickly raised their shields, their bodies sinking slightly to form the first line of defense.

Three archers in the back row bent their bows and notched arrows, their Qi condensing.

The backup members in the middle gripped their Magical Artifacts tightly, their eyes scanning the surroundings alertly.

"Spread out, triangle Formation!"

Senior Sister Xie Handeng only said three words.

Whoosh!

The Windblade Leopard pounced on a shield, letting out a dull thud. Before it could even hit the ground, three arrows had accurately pinned its joints.

The leopard let out a mournful cry and fell to the ground, unable to move.

A front-row shield-bearer followed up with a hammer blow, and the battle was over.

Time elapsed: Less than ten breaths.

Shen Xingzhou walked at the rear of the team. In his field of vision, the System's sidebar was rapidly scrolling through data.

[Real-time Tactical Analysis:]

Enemy Combat Power Estimate: Low (First Rank Middle Stage)

Team Formation Integrity: 100%

Estimated Kill Time: 12 seconds (Actual time: 9 seconds)

Estimated Injuries: 0 (Actual injuries: 0)

[Evaluation: A textbook low-risk battle.]

Shen Xingzhou breathed a sigh of relief.

Although this kind of battle didn't look hot-blooded enough for a 'cool novel protagonist,' every step was written with two words: Staying alive.

On the way back, the team's morale had clearly changed.

At first, everyone felt awkward, feeling like they were being managed like fools by Shen Xingzhou.

But after actually fighting and realizing they hadn't even broken a sweat or taken an injury to kill a leopard, the feeling of "it's good to be alive" spontaneously arose.

Everyone began to talk tentatively, no longer with suppressed complaints, but with a hint of relief.

"That move just now—if it were me before, I definitely would have rushed up to tank it head-on. I might have lost a layer of skin."

"Yeah, this Formation might be rigid, but... it's damn safe."

Shen Xingzhou walked to the front and said to Senior Sister Xie Handeng, "See? Cutting out a few fancy sword strikes won't cost anyone a piece of flesh. This is efficiency."

Senior Sister Xie Handeng held her sword, her gaze sweeping over the Disciples chatting easily, a nearly imperceptible softening appearing in her eyes.

"That's because the opponent was weak."

She remained stubborn. "When we meet a tough nut, a rigid Formation is just a coffin lid."

"If it's a tough nut, we run."

Shen Xingzhou shrugged. "Come back alive, and we can slowly grind them down later."

Just then, a heavy roar suddenly came from the forest ahead.

The ground vibrated slightly.

The team instantly fell silent, everyone's nerves tightening once again.

Senior Sister Xie Handeng raised her hand, signaling to stop advancing.

The bushes ahead were crashed through, and a giant bear three times the size of the previous Windblade Leopard walked out.

Its body was covered in scales like black iron, and its eyes glowed with a bloodthirsty red light.

Second Rank High Grade—Iron-Armored Back Bear.

This kind of Yao Beast was not within the "risk assessment" range of this mission at all. It should have been deeper in the mountains.

The hands of several Disciples holding their swords began to tremble, but a strange light flickered in their eyes.

It was greed.

It was the greed of "if we take down this big guy, we'll have this month's Karma sorted."

"Senior... Senior Brother Shen!"

An archer lowered his voice, his breathing rapid. "This is a Second Rank Yao Beast! If we can take it down..."

"That would be a massive amount of Karma!"

Another Disciple also couldn't help but step forward half a pace. "This bear looks slow. If we just cooperate well..."

"Combined with Senior Sister Xie's sword, it might not be impossible to take a shot!"

At times like this, it was usually the bridge in cultivation novels where the "squad erupts" or the "protagonist decapitates the foe for a fortuitous encounter."

Everyone gets hot-headed, and even if they lack combat power, they charge in anyway. The result is often heavy casualties, with one or two survivors escaping with serious injuries and treasures, calling it "the glory of the survivor."

"Shut up."

Senior Sister Xie Handeng coldly interrupted their fantasies.

She didn't draw her sword but instead looked back at Shen Xingzhou.

Shen Xingzhou looked at the giant bear, and the System in his vision had already given a glaring red warning:

[Warning: Encountered high-risk target!]

[Enemy Combat Power Estimate: Extremely High (Far exceeding the team's current output limit)]

[If battle is forced: Estimated casualty rate 40% - 60% (i.e., 4-6 people dead)]

[Suggested plan: Retreat / Detour]

Shen Xingzhou didn't hesitate for a second. He looked directly at Senior Sister Xie Handeng and made a gesture:

Palm down, pressing down firmly.

Withdraw.

"The Captain has spoken."

Shen Xingzhou's voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear it. "This is not within the scope of the mission."

"Losing half a squad for one bear—the math doesn't add up."

Senior Sister Xie Handeng nodded and turned to face the team, her voice decisive:

"Sheathe your swords. About face."

"Full silence. Detour."

"Huh? Just... let it go?"

The archer looked at the giant bear unwillingly, the greed in his eyes not yet faded. "Senior Sister, this is a once-in-a-lifetime..."

"This job isn't worth your life."

Senior Sister Xie Handeng looked back at him, her gaze cold as ice. "If you want to die, fine. Wait until the mission is over and come back yourself. Right now, if anyone dares to move a step, I'll cut them down first to save them from dragging the team down."

The team was silent for three seconds.

Then, everyone silently put away their weapons and, like a group of silent ghosts, quietly retreated into the depths of the forest.

The Iron-Armored Back Bear roared twice, seemingly puzzled as to why these prey ran away so quickly, but it didn't give chase.

...

By the time they returned to Hengchuan Peak, it was already dark.

There were no cheers, no display of spoils.

The team just silently handed over the Spiritual Plants and walked into the cafeteria.

But Shen Xingzhou knew that this trip was more important than any "slaying of demons and monsters."

Because this team had all walked back together.

Late at night, the System provided the final project report.

[Mission: Escort Supplies I (Completed)]

Statistics:

Completion: 100%

Karma Output: 93% of similar missions (Slightly lower due to forgoing the kill of the Second Rank Yao Beast)

Casualties: 0

Estimated Injuries: 0

Team Feedback:

Disciple Satisfaction: +15% (Main growth source: Sense of security)

SOP Approval: Increased from -20% to +10%

Trust in Shen Xingzhou: Slight increase

[System Evaluation:]

[This is the first 'perfect' zero-casualty field mission in the history of Hengchuan Peak.]

[Although slightly less Karma was earned, the saved pension costs and rebuilt confidence are immeasurable.]

Shen Xingzhou looked at that "0" and let out a long breath of turbid air.

He turned to look at Senior Sister Xie Handeng, who was wiping her long sword nearby.

"Even though you said it's because the opponent was weak, I think... you executed it well."

Senior Sister Xie Handeng ignored him, only snorting: "Don't get cocky. If we encounter something we can't bypass next time..."

"Then we'll just have to fight for our lives."

"Fighting for your life is the last resort."

Shen Xingzhou stood up, preparing to go back to his shed. "It's not the only choice."

Just then, the System interface in front of him flickered. The [Heavenly Dao Monitoring Bar] that had been sitting in the corner suddenly jumped.

The color changed from a light "pale red" to a more glaring "deep red."

[Field Mission Data Abnormality Monitoring Report]

Expected Casualties: 0% (Severely deviates from the 25% average for similar war zones)

Survival Rate: 100% (Severely violates the Law of 'Survival of the Fittest')

[Heavenly Dao Monitoring Degree: 5% → 10%]

[Warning:]

[The host has intervened in the natural selection process through 'safety tactics.']

[Heavenly Dao Determination: Although this behavior does not directly break the rules, it belongs to 'exploiting rule loopholes to survive.']

[Increased monitoring degree means: The probability of the next 'Random Calamity' is increasing.]

Shen Xingzhou looked at the rising progress bar and felt a chill down his back.

The little bit of joy from success just now was instantly extinguished by a bucket of cold water.

So, in this world...

The more people you save, the more you let people live who shouldn't have...

The more unhappy the Heavens become.

"Heh..."

Shen Xingzhou gave a cold laugh, closed the System panel, and looked up at the pitch-black sky.

"You want me dead? Then I'll show you what it means to 'cling to life and never leave.'"

"Monitoring degree at 10%, is it? I'll bet that your Heavenly Eye can't keep track of so many ants."