Before Arthur could act, the female soldier had already arrived.
An ice-blue breath swept across the sand, condensing into a narrow but solid ice-shell path a few meters in front of Arthur.
A figure galloped across the ice, moving so fast it left afterimages in the heatwaves.
She reached the end of the ice path; while she was still ten meters from Arthur, the quicksand had already spread to the edge of the ice.
At this distance, it would be difficult for an ordinary control system Soul Master to perform a precise rescue.
But she didn't pause.
With her hands clasped, ice spikes thrust out diagonally from the sand in front of her, one after another.
Their ends extended, precisely piercing into the relatively stable sand layers on the periphery of the quicksand vortex.
This formed a chain of temporary fulcrums pointing toward Arthur.
At the same time, she shouted at Arthur, "Grab on!"
Arthur blinked; since the other party meant well, he might as well comply.
He reached out and grabbed the rope made of ice.
"Up!" The female soldier exhaled and exerted force with her wrist.
She pulled Arthur straight out of the quicksand and flung him in her direction.
Almost at the same moment.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Sniper rifles fired in the distance, and specialized armor-piercing bullets hit the weak joints of several Sand Demon Worms about to burst from the sand, causing purple-black slime to splatter amid pained and angry shrieks.
Arthur was tossed into mid-air, passing over her head. She timed it perfectly, using her left hand to guide and press down in mid-air; a gentle current of icy Soul Power supported Arthur, helping him shed his momentum and land steadily on the ground.
He landed right inside the protective circle formed by the four team members arriving from behind her.
As for her, the moment she flung Arthur, she had already led the others to swarm forward.
With her as the center, a wave of cold air spread out. Wherever the extreme cold reached, a fragile layer of ice condensed on the surface of the rolling yellow sand, temporarily solidifying the most active area of the swarm.
"Firepower coverage, suppress them!" Her command was concise and clear.
The team members coordinated perfectly, pouring spirit tool rays and explosive shells like rain onto the temporarily solidified sand surface. Shell fragments of the newly emerged Sand Demon Worms flew everywhere as they shrieked incessantly.
Arthur stood within the protective circle, looking thoughtfully at the blue figure fighting the worm king not far away.
It looked like an ice-attribute elemental Martial Soul, with a Soul Power Rank around Peak Spirit Ancestor, seemingly close to a Breakthrough into Spirit King.
Generally, a Spirit Emperor would be qualified to be a Mecha Battalion Captain of a city.
As a Peak Spirit Ancestor, it was normal for that Female Officer to lead a hundred-man team.
But... those were just on the surface.
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly, and his vast Spirit Domain Realm Spiritual Power silently probed out, taking in everything around him.
He hadn't noticed before.
Only now did he realize there were several other auras nearby silently watching everything.
Among them were no lack of Spirit Douluo and even Titled Douluo level experts.
They were also wearing military uniforms, but unlike the camouflage worn by the soldiers on the surface, theirs were white.
It seemed they were protecting this team in secret and wouldn't act until a critical moment.
Then the question was, what were they transporting?
To be so cautious.
Arthur lowered his head in thought.
At this time, a team member threw water and an energy biscuit to Arthur.
"Stay still," that team member barked, then focused entirely on guarding against Sand Demon Worms that might emerge from other directions.
Arthur took the water, said thanks, and silently retreated to a relatively safe position in the rear.
At the same time, to avoid misunderstanding, he tried to stay as far away from the transport ship as possible.
He took small sips of water, but his gaze never left the battlefield.
Under the organized firepower sweep of the army, the entire engagement lasted less than two minutes.
With Martial Soul Abilities and spirit tools intertwined, the small swarm was quickly repelled, leaving behind some broken insect corpses that slowly sank into the sand.
The quicksand vortex also gradually subsided.
The battle ended, and the desert returned to its scorching silence, with only the sound of wind-blown sand.
The Female Officer's breathing was slightly rapid, and fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, but her uniform remained crisp.
She first quickly checked the team's condition and the vehicles, and after confirming no major losses, she walked toward Arthur.
Arthur immediately stood up straight: "Thank you for your help, Officer."
The Female Officer stopped in front of him, her gaze calmly sweeping over his dust-covered, somewhat disheveled clothes and face, then looked at the half-drunk water bottle in his hand.
"Crossing the Flowing Fire Desert alone?" she asked, her voice clear and devoid of much emotion.
"Yes," Arthur answered honestly.
The Female Officer nodded, then waved her hand, and the surrounding soldiers' spirit tools immediately turned to aim at Arthur.
"Uh, what's the meaning of this, Big Sister?" Arthur scratched his head.
"I don't sense any Soul Power on you," the Female Officer's eyes turned cold.
"But to cross this desert alone, an ordinary person... no, even an average Soul Master couldn't do it."
"Not to mention anything else, those Sand Demon Worms just now could have killed you."
She aimed her gun at Arthur: "Furthermore, I consider my scouting skills to be quite good."
"If it weren't for the large-scale attack by the Sand Demon Worms just now, I wouldn't have even noticed you were there."
"All this indicates you are a Soul Master with extremely strong concealment methods."
Arthur looked at the spirit tool muzzle pointed at his brow, looking innocent, the ahoge on his head swaying.
He slowly raised his hands to show he had no ill intent: "Then why did you just save me?"
"One thing is one thing; I am a soldier first."
The Female Officer's Soul Power circulated slightly in her other palm, and an ice spike extended to press against his throat: "Confess your identity and purpose, otherwise, don't blame me for dealing with you by military law."
"Alright."
Arthur sighed softly, and under her suspicious gaze, he gave a light flick, and the ice spike pressed against his throat melted into a handful of clear water without any warning.
No Soul Power fluctuations, no spirit rings lighting up; it was as if the ice had naturally melted upon meeting heat, eerily mundane.
He raised his hand to scoop up the water and casually wiped the dust from his face. The messy hair on his forehead became wet, revealing a stunningly handsome face.
He looked like a completely different person from his previous disheveled state; one look made one's heart sway involuntarily.
For some reason, she felt that a Prince Charming from a fairy tale should look like this.
"Well, can you see I have no ill intent now?" Arthur spread his hands.
The Female Officer's cheeks warmed imperceptibly, and she immediately gathered her thoughts, her eyes turning colder as she scolded sharply: "Don't try any tricks! To think you'd even use a low-class method like the Handsome Man Trap to survive, I despise you!"
Despite saying this, her gaze couldn't help but linger on Arthur's face.
It couldn't be helped; she had grown up in the military camp, surrounded by iron-blooded men.
Suddenly seeing an 'Incubus' with such a completely different temperament like Arthur, the sheer novelty was more than she could handle.
"Your looks don't clear you of suspicion. If you don't reveal your identity, I'll order my men to fire immediately!"
"Eh, you actually don't recognize me." Arthur found it strange; he felt he was very famous now, whether in the Star Luo Continent or the Douluo Continent.
Not to mention, Arthur had been hunting Evil Soul Masters everywhere lately.
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