Chapter 7: The Star Without Cattle 743

That night, everyone in the camp except Neo suffered greatly—those injured need not be mentioned; the main issue was fear, fear that the monsters would persist in attacking. In reality, the monster leaders were even more decisive than he had imagined. While the fighting continued here, they moved what needed to be moved and carried what needed to be carried, leaving without any hesitation. As for collecting corpses, it wasn’t part of their traditions.

These were the reports brought to Neo by Zhe and Ci. The Death-Eating Vines, Blood-Sucking Vines, Multi-Faced Ones, Blood Guard, and Blood Vine Heather Puppets had been operating in the shadows since the battle began. The battlefield was their feast, and they also collected valuable materials along the way.

For example, the energy cores and thought crystals of the Obsidian Puppet cores were identical to those of the Evil Fire Puppets that had once chased him. Thought crystals could be used to strengthen intelligent brain clones. Energy cores had many uses—golems, constructs, machines—almost all puppets relied on them. Neo planned to use these energy cores in Blood Vine Puppets, which would greatly improve their energy efficiency. Energy consumption per unit time was a key indicator of a puppet’s strength, so proper use of energy cores could truly elevate the combat power of Blood Vine Puppets.

Thus, Blood Vine Puppets would become reliable combat forces. Preliminarily, they could reach the level of sergeants—obedient, controllable, and available at any time. Such forces would be invaluable to Neo in case of emergencies.

If there were enough energy cores, Siege Spiders could also be considered. This defensive and support device was crucial for the still-developing Star 745. Neo knew well that if he didn’t want his efforts to go to waste, he had to focus on three things: improvement, safety, and victory—corresponding to power, support, and confidence. These were the conditions for a combat team to grow rapidly.

He emphasized heightened vigilance and proper rest.

That was the brief message Neo gave to his troops upon returning to the camp. But for soldiers fighting in real combat for the first time, the former was something they would do diligently without further instruction, while the latter proved more difficult. Fear or excitement—whatever emotion the soldiers felt after that night’s battle—was enough to keep them awake. So, unsurprisingly, the entire camp was in a state of low morale the next day.

“Being able to eat, sleep, and remain resilient is essential to becoming a good warrior. Poor rest leaves you confused and less alert; poor rest weakens your body, preventing you from fully utilizing your strength. Soldiers, I ask you—do you value your lives?”

“We do!”

“Answer loudly! Are you whining prostitutes? Show some strength—louder!”

“We do!” the soldiers shouted.

“Hmm, yes. There’s only one life—who wouldn’t cherish it? Who wouldn’t want to use the victory bonus to buy nice things for their family, or go out and feast, or enjoy a beautiful woman? That’s why we have to force ourselves to leave the safe towns with their high walls and pick up weapons to fight against all kinds of enemies. What else? Right—force ourselves to rest when it’s time to rest, and to eat when it’s time to eat. Even when monsters are 50 yards away, we have to force ourselves to sleep peacefully; even when arrows rain down while we eat, we have to chew slowly and turn the food into strength. That’s how we take care of ourselves and live longer. Do you understand?”
“I understand!”
“Louder!”
“I understand!”
“Good. I’ll wait and see. You have 3 days to adjust. After that, those who can’t keep up will learn the lesson with the batons. Now, I declare that training will proceed as usual today, except for the injured. Dismissed!”
Before breakfast, after the drill, Neo gave another lecture to the soldiers of Star 745. Mary Jane carefully took notes. This was how the rules of Star 745 came about—starting from no rules at all and adding more rules one by one, making the soldiers feel quite pressured these days, as if there was always something new for them to adapt to. The impact of yesterday’s battle with the monsters had faded somewhat, and the soldiers were focused on memorizing the new laws and adapting quickly to avoid more beatings. As for what had already passed, who had time to dwell on it?
“Ugh…” He acted tough in front of others, but behind the scenes, Neo was also in pain, gritting his teeth. Carnito, who was having breakfast with him, asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I overexerted my body last night. Even breathing hurts my muscles.” Neo indeed felt pain, but it wasn’t due to overexertion—it was a side effect of the potions. Although Neo had reached level 5 in both of his classes, that didn’t mean he suddenly had a strong physique. So where did all that strength come from? Naturally, the energy treatment chamber laid the foundation, followed by Nancy’s relentless adjustments, and Neo’s heavy use of magic potions. To turn the effects of these potions into real strength, ordinary training wasn’t enough—crazy-level exercise was required.
And so, not long after breakfast, Neo started his intense training again—squats, deadlifts, bench presses… a full set of exercises with increasingly difficult levels. To others, such training seemed almost insane. Neo truly experienced the pain of pursuing pure muscle strength: he wasn’t just sweating—he was drooling, gritting his teeth, veins bulging, as if his goal was to kill himself through this training. In reality, aside from testing willpower, this training was mainly meant to strengthen his physical body, like forging a weapon—flesh and blood made into a weapon.
“It’s terrifying! Such training is absolutely self-destruction. At this rate, he won’t even make it to 35!”
“That’s why he’s so strong at such a young age.”
“Die in battle or die in bed. I believe he’ll choose the former.”

“To become powerful at any cost, even being so cruel to oneself. What a terrifying guy! A pure fighting machine!”… After observing Neo’s training, the members of Moon 412 all agreed: this man is a beast! Not long ago, they had thanked Neo for his help the previous night over breakfast, expressing their admiration for his bravery, but now it made sense—his actions last night weren’t surprising at all. With such a living weapon, it was impossible for him not to become famous. It was only a matter of time before Simon’s Star 745 came into the spotlight, and they were certain of this.
“What’s the absorption rate of the drug this time?”
“3%. The effect is getting worse. We need to increase the dosage or create more advanced potions.”
“Hmm, the supply of potions is also running low. We need to speed things up. It’s time to bring Star 745’s medics into the program under the pretext of growing herbs.”
“That obviously requires a mobile plantation.”
“Exactly. We should apply for another siege spider. After this battle, I think the Temple will propose this plan.”
“That means we’ll have to give up some technology.”
“Well, rather than letting them ask, it’s better to offer it ourselves, so we can gain more benefits…”
This was the conversation between Neo and Nancy. Neo was well aware that both the light thunder and the energy beam barriers used on the siege spider’s legs last night were highly desirable technologies. Given Star 745’s current weakness, it was impossible to keep these technologies. So, if they were to use them, they had to be prepared to give them up. As for what benefits they could gain, it would depend on how they negotiated—after all, giving gifts also required the right approach.
In fact, Neo had overestimated the value of these two technologies he displayed. The Sky Temple possessed far more advanced and mature energy shield protection technology than energy beam barriers. But everyone had their own limits—Star 745 was not yet qualified to access such advanced equipment. However, the method of making light thunder did earn the Sky Temple some interest, as several of its steps could simplify the production process for similar products they made, improving their stability. Making them more accessible, mass-producible, and reducing production costs and time—this was their contribution. Thus, the application for another siege spider was easily approved. In reality, such items were already considered a secret asset by the Temple. Likely, in a few years, they wouldn’t even bother spending money on maintenance and would instead disassemble them to recycle the materials.
It was already the third day since Moon 412’s Manson sought help from Refuge Valley Town. The healer arrived by air rider the next morning and not only treated Maxim and Eric but also took care of Star 745’s soldiers. This was all because an elder from the Temple who came with the healer recognized Star 745’s heroic efforts.

Today, along with the reply from the Temple, came Battle Team Star 743. Another Siege Spider and some other supplies have been arranged, but they can only be collected onceNeo and his team return to their base. What Star 743 brought were 10 Malada II-type loggers. Of course, they weren’t meant for Star 745, but rather to deal with the excessively lush trees in the valleys deep within the Spider Jungle.

Star 743 was established about 40 days earlier than Star 745. At that time, the main focus was still on the threats posed by dark forces and alien races to Hilfanis. Although the situation was tense then, it wasn’t as urgent as it is now. At least when Star 743 went to the barracks to recruit soldiers, they picked the best from among hundreds. After 40 days and five missions, Star 743 had basically grown and developed its own style.

Of course, inNeo’s eyes, it wasn’t really a style—just arrogant soldiers. Victor’s Fangs Regiment and the elite troops from the Holy Church were far more arrogant than the members of this unit; their arrogance was ingrained in them, while these guys were just showing off after winning a few battles in front of their allies.

In fact, Aragon, Star 743’s deputy commander and captain, didn’t just want to show off. After reading the internal report from the Celestial Temple, he saw that Simon Windrunner, the captain of Star 745, had received very high praise for a single mission—so high that he hadn’t achieved it even after five missions. Simon had been promoted to Level 3 Guardian and awarded the Medal of Valiant Combat and the Celestial Medal.

If the former could be seen as something everyone eventually needed in these chaotic times, even those who died might get it, then the latter, the Celestial Medal, was much rarer. It was given only to those who made significant contributions by saving their allies. In other words, if it weren’t for their rescue, those allies would have been destroyed, and since those allies were strong and didn’t suffer heavy losses due to the timely rescue, that could be considered a great contribution. Of course, if one fought enough battles and survived long enough, they might earn the Celestial Medal through accumulated merits, but this was clearly not something Simon of Star 745 could do—after all, he was a complete newcomer. Star 745 was infamous for negative news, and many people were well aware of their establishment time and organizational structure.

Aragon wasn’t lowly enough to find joy in Star 745 suffering heavy losses and even disintegrating on their first mission. It’s just that Star 745’s performance was truly unexpected—too unexpected. Considering that Simon had even paid to arm his battle team (the Temple published a series of reports in its internal publications, fully recognizingNeo’s spirit), Aragon had doubts. That bastard must have bribed Moon 412 and exaggerated the facts, resulting in such a stunning achievement that even the 44 other newly formed units were shocked.

Aragorn naturally wouldn’t tolerate such opportunists; he had to show them some respect. Though clowns would end up as jokes in the face of war, the vigorous Aragorn clearly couldn’t wait for that day. He believed Nio deserved at least a humiliation—just a small price to pay for Simon’s act of “seeking glory and honor through opportunism, thus insulting true honor and even the Temple of the Heavens.”

Unluckily, Aragorn and Star 743 arrived at a bad time, coinciding with Star 745’s most intense daily training. The arrogant soldiers marching in step saw that, on those far from warm days, the warriors of Star 745 were wearing only loincloths and boots, looking as if they had just been pulled out of hot buckets. Steam rose from their bodies as they screamed… really, it couldn’t even be called roaring—their throats were already hoarse, and “roaring” couldn’t capture the nearly insane intensity of their efforts. The warriors screamed repeatedly, making slashing motions, the cold gleam of their long sabers piercing the eyes of all the soldiers from Star 743, including Aragorn.

“Battle energy! Though it’s the lowest tier, it’s still battle energy!” A few chosen ones from Star 743 still had some discernment. What they saw was indeed battle energy. After Nio’s forced acceleration and the fierce battles of that night, at least one squad of Star 745 warriors had reached level 4, all of them having awakened battle energy.

Moreover, Nio’s daily brutal self-punishing exercises ensured that his intense training regimen was enforced strictly in Star 745. You think your training is tough? See how the captain trains, and you’ll realize that’s hell—while here, it’s actually paradise.

Interestingly, Aragorn and his soldiers also witnessed Nio’s training. Fear! Nio’s training instilled fear. If the soldiers’ training meant sweating, then Nio’s training made the ground itself sweat—the area where he trained became utterly damp, and soon other places too would become damp. All the training equipment was extremely primitive and rugged—mountains of boulders, huge trees too heavy for one person to lift… all of these were used in his varied exercises. You could clearly see the hardship and pain from his expression and the bulging veins, while also sensing his madness from a comprehensive perspective—a terrifying and frightening madness!

“Damn it!” Aragorn turned to his werewolf guard beside him. “Buckley, are you sure that guy is a Wild Sand Werewolf like you? Not some hybrid of a giant or a wilderness wolf?”

Buckley swallowed hard and said, “I’m sure. If we clashed head-on, I’d be flung away by him like an armored rhinoceros charging a wildebeest!”

Just then, Neio finished his muscle training, picked up his knife, and began practicing sword skills in a brutal and simple manner—chopping rocks. Yes, exactly, chopping rocks, large rocks, all from the corpses of the dark puppets from that night’s battle in the Spider Jungle.
Whoosh! A flash of cold light! Whoosh! Swings of the knife created smooth-edged stone pieces. With no combat techniques, just pure strength and skill combined, flat-cut stones emerged from the blade. Aragon and his men instinctively glanced at the pile of stones in the open area east of Camp Star 745, facing the entrance to the Spider Jungle—there were already over 200 such stones. They had previously wondered where these stones came from and what they were meant for, but now it made sense—they were all cut by Neio’s knife.
“Listen up, don’t provoke Star 745’s bunch of madmen lightly from now on!” Aragon said to the soldiers behind him. Troubling those who insist on pushing themselves to the brink is truly foolish.
By the time Neio finished his training, took a shower, changed into dry military uniforms, and officially met with Star 743’s colleagues, Aragon’s group had already reported to Maxim. Maxim was appointed as the supreme commander of this operation, with Neio as his deputy. The fact that he was given such a position based solely on good performance showed that despite the Celestial Temple’s long history, it still had considerable organizational vitality.
Maxim’s colleagues had no complaints about Neio being appointed as the operation’s deputy. After all, that night, Neio’s performance in terms of tactics and combat strength was no worse than that of these veterans who had been fighting for over a decade. Moreover, after interacting with him these days, they all developed a good impression of this young man who single-handedly turned a mediocre team into a future ace force. Among them, the one who spoke highly of Neio the most was the sorcerer Nim.
Nim told his companions, “If his combat style and his ruthless methods of organizing the troops make you think he’s a brute, you’re completely wrong. Intelligent, decisive, hardworking, and perseverant—this man possesses almost all the necessary qualities for success. Though strong and ambitious, daring to fight for every bit of benefit for himself and his team, he certainly has the ability to assess situations and the patience of a skilled hunter. The reason he’s not yet well-known is simply because he’s new to this circle.”
Of course, not all were praises. ArcherHill still held some of his original views, believing that Neio’s military tactics were too cruel. Under such conditions, Star 745 would end up like a rubber band that has lost all its elasticity—it could stretch far, but it would also break easily.
Eric, who valued team protection, also said, “The game isn’t played by one person. Neio’s approach of treating everyone below him as mere soldiers might seem efficient at first, but in the later stages, without strong support from other classes, Star 745’s tactics will become rigid and fragile. A slight mistake from the captain will cause the team to collapse immediately—once they fall, they’re doomed.”

As the captain, Maxim had a broader perspective. He said, “Laws are made by humans. Everyone here has probably heard about what Star 745 is like. Under normal circumstances, things might be able to be adjusted gradually, but with the current turbulent situation, this drastic measure isn’t entirely unreasonable. If it can’t be revived, it’s better to end things early to save time and avoid wasting emotions. If there’s value in investing, then the laws will naturally be adjusted according to the specific circumstances. Anyway, it’s all decided unilaterally, with orders changing overnight. As the saying goes: Farmers suffer first before reaping rewards…”

Anyway, the members of Moon 412 were quite interested in observing Star 745, wanting to see how far this young, reckless Sand Wolf named Simon the Windrunner could take the team. At the same time, one thing had already changed—they no longer said, “Oh, that’s the son of the stubborn Matia!” Instead, they said, “The crazy Simon.”Neo had successfully established his presence, and quickly at that, in a distinctive way.

After becoming the deputy commander,Neo immediately stated that everything would be based on the judgment and orders of the experienced Commander Maxim, which earned him a reputation for humility rather than weakness. This was the result of effectively demonstrating his strength before expressing his attitude.

Although it wasn’t yet noon, Maxim still ordered Star 743 to set up camp on the spot, rest for a night, and set out on a mission together the next day. After witnessing the madness of the Dark Ones at night, everyone on Moon 412 lost any fondness they might have had for the period from sunset to sunrise. Making the mistake of underestimating the enemy was enough once.

Once the camps were set up, the differences between the two teams from Phase 7 became evident. First was the camp itself. While Star 745 simply used a tarp to create a sleeping area, Star 743’s camp could be considered luxurious—complete with ditches and earthen ramparts lined with spikes, fire-resistant wooden walls, a gate, a drawbridge, watchtowers, and platforms… It wasn’t an exaggeration to say this camp could serve as a semi-permanent structure. If they passed by here in the future, it would be a good place to stay.

Almost the entire day, everyone at Star 743 worked hard to build the camp. In addition to the 65 soldiers, there were also over 30 support troops including logistics personnel, cooks, engineers, and medics. Though small in size, they had everything needed. With about a hundred people working full force, and people like the Chosen One who could cut wood as easily as chopping vegetables, the construction progressed rapidly.

Zanjin and Valrug were quite curious about their allies and went over to observe in their free time. ButNeo only took one look and ignored them afterward. His views were completely different from those of Star 743’s captain. InNeo’s opinion, although training was intense, it didn’t mean soldiers’ stamina and strength could be wasted carelessly. Most people only saw the soldiers of Star 745 training as if they were risking their lives, but they didn’t see the recovery efforts that followed.

They ate well, rested well, and had medical soldiers help massage their muscles and apply medicine to relieve bruises. Next time, there would even be medicinal baths. In short, the soldiers of Star 745 balanced hard work with rest.

That aluminum eagle equipped with an intelligent brain split was fine, constantly eyeing the legs of the siege spiders, monitoring various situations in the camp, including the soldiers’ training. It aimed to maximize the soldiers’ potential. It was true that after a day of training, the soldiers were too exhausted to lift even a finger, but on the other hand, the basic standards were always well maintained; otherwise, within a couple of days, they would all be severely injured, rendering any missions unnecessary.

As for other troop types, their daily training routines weren’t very demanding—physical fitness, flexibility, shooting skills, and the ability to concentrate for long periods were all that was required. In terms of specialized training, they were still in the foundational stage, with theoretical courses and cultural studies. Compared to this, Star 745 resembled more of an military academy. The people of Unit 412 were deeply puzzled by this: if they trained so intensively for missions, how would they cope in actual combat?

Indeed! Even ordinary people knew that armies usually reduced training volume before missions to get soldiers in the best condition possible for battle. If they were exhausted beyond measure, how could they fight the enemy?

Unit 412 had such doubts because they didn’t fully understand how thorough Neo was in reconnaissance. The various servants he sent out had explored the surrounding area thoroughly, not only cleaning up the battlefield from the night battle but also eliminating all nests in the region. They had even planted countless warning thorns—so how could there be any enemies out of sight?

In the afternoon, when Aragon and his companions realized the water problem, they found that there wasn’t even a small stream nearby, let alone a river. Huh? The soldiers of Star 745 could still take showers after training, seemingly with plenty of water—where did it come from?

The answer was that it was brought in from 7 kilometers away. Their professional and excellent supply unit ensured access to water, firewood, and even some wild food. Neo chose a campsite solely based on its military value, putting other considerations far behind.

Well, we also have a supply unit—getting water shouldn’t be a problem. The people of Star 743 also had some pride and didn’t shamelessly “borrow” water from Star 745 instead organizing their own efforts. Everything is better when compared—Star 743 did manage to get water, but it was just enough for cooking; there was barely enough for washing, let alone bathing.

“Make tonight’s meal more delicious!” someone silently challenged them. Aragon felt a bit frustrated and specifically instructed the cooks to prepare a good meal for everyone.

There was no large amount of wine, but there was plenty of meat. With spices added and carefully stewed until tender, its aroma spread far and wide.

“Showing off!” This didn’t earn envy from the people of Star 745; it was just such a comment. Even those like Yue 412 who were eating there couldn’t help but laugh. Though the stewed meat was delicious, how could it compare to having two dishes and a soup every day here? To ensure the people of Star 745 had a good meal, the cooks went to great lengths. However, there was one rule: Neio ordered that the tradition of keeping the scent contained within the camp be maintained. Food was prepared only in sufficient quantities, never in excess, and even the waste from washing dishes after meals had a specific way of being disposed of. The smell of a single fish could attract hungry grizzlies from dozens of miles away, so Neio took great precautions.

On the second day, the combatants from Star 743 and 745, led by Maxim and his group, charged into the Spider Jungle. Aragon and the others regarded this operation as a critical military mission where a fierce battle could erupt at any moment, while Neio saw it as a training exercise. Every piece of equipment the 2伍 warriors warriors could carry was used, and along the way, there were continuous phase-based tasks—snake-like runs, cat-like runs, supported runs, full-speed sprints—creating a chaotic scene. Several members of Yue 412 were displeased, thinking, “This is a crucial military operation—what are you all running around for?” Maxim indirectly explained for Neio: It seems Simon is quite confident that the Spider Nest is already deserted.