Chapter 522 – Opportunity!
Translated by: Kun
Unedited
"The capitals!! If only I can get them under my control." Yue Zhong sighed in his heart with some bitterness.
There were 2 blueprints in Yue Zhong's hands, one was the Nucleus Energy Converter Diagram, the other the Laser Gun Design. If he could start manufacturing the items from these 2 blueprints, the might of his factions would grow by leaps and bounds.
However, the technology over at Guang Xi region was seriously lacking. It could not match with the capitals, and even if he wanted to get started on the manufacturing of the items, he could not.
Based on the current rate of advance of technology, it would take at least another 15 years for there to be the slightest hope of developing the laser guns.
However, after destroying the Greater China Alliance and Thousand Hero Alliance, Yue Zhong had gained some decent rewards. Outside of the 170,000 survivors, he had gained a powerful underground city with its own defense systems both under and above ground.
The underground city was spacious, with various tunnels, and it could easily accommodate 300,000 survivors. There were even small factories inside and given enough manpower and materials, they could produce 80,000 rounds of ammunition each month. Inside these factories, there was 8 months' worth of materials. That was to say that they could produce about 800,000 rounds of ammunition.*
"Leader! There are signs of strange movements from the zombie hordes over at Bin Qi City and Yan Zhou region. The majority had been blown and scattered by the snowstorm. Please relay your instructions on our next move." Right as Yue Zhong was preparing to consolidate and reallocate the forces of the Greater China Alliance and Thousand Hero Alliance, Wei Ning Guo suddenly came up to Yue Zhong and reported excitedly.
"What! Bring me the pictures." Yue Zhong's eyes brightened up.
"Yes!"
Soon a number of pictures were transmitted over at the underground city. The photographs showed Bin Qi City And Yan Zhou, both that were crowded with zombies previously, were now largely free by more than half.
When Yue Zhong took over Gui Ning City, he had a few unmanned drones that could be used, and they were precisely sent to investigate the situations over at Bin Qi City and Yan Zhou City.
Yue Zhong swiftly passed his next order: "Good! Good!! Relay my next orders! Deploy Lang Son City 2nd and 3rd Battalion. Gui Ning City's 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and the Scum Battalion to gather at Yang County."
Initially, the number of zombies over at the 2 cities had numbered over 5 million, and a horde of this size deterred Yue Zhong from making a frontal assault, as it would spell casualties of unknown proportions.
However, the sudden snowstorm that blew over had caused a large number of them to be scattered, and this was a huge opportunity for Yue Zhong. He could easily take control of 2 cities at one go.
If it hadn't been for that snowstorm, then Yue Zhong would have to take slow and painstaking steps to nibble at the hordes.
"Yes!" Wei Ning Guo replied excitedly.
Under Yue Zhong's orders, his troops began to move, in the direction of Yang County.
Countless firearms, ammunitions, rations were all being transported towards Yang County. Other than the large trucks, there were survivors also pushing their handmade carts, helping to transport rations and uniforms as well as other equipment and logistics.
Among Yue Zhong's establishments, he had plenty of vehicles, but fuel was too precious In comparison, manpower was cheaper and much more abundant. Hence, the support and logistics divisions were made up of survivors.
If he had the resources, Yue Zhong would make use of vehicles and trucks to transport them over. However, it was a matter of being prudent now.
This upcoming battle was vital to the future of the entire Guang Xi region. If Yue Zhong could not take down Yan Zhou City, then the lack of ammunition would spell the demise of Gui Ning City should there be a large scale horde attack. The moment Gui Ning City falls, it would be incredibly difficult for Yue Zhong to take on the Kingdom of God. Therefore, this was a battle he could not afford to lose.
When the 6th Battalion of Gui Ning City arrived, Yue Zhong handed the defenses to them, while he brought the 2nd and 3rd Battalion, as well as the 1st Battalion of Yang County that he had just reorganized 2 days prior towards the direction of Ji County.
He had to make use of this window when the numbers of zombies were still manageable at Bin Qi City and Yan Zhou City to quickly control them. The zombies might be blown away, but not necessarily dead. As long as they were still 'alive', they could gather again.
The moment he gained control over these 2 cities, his strength would not only go through an earth-shattering change, but his factions would also increase in might. After today, with enough resources, he would be able to churn out ammunition as well, and it would be one less problem on his mind.
Furthermore, once he gained the factories in Yan Zhou City, his establishments would truly be considered to have some decent military support. The small factories in the Yang County's underground city or Lang Son City could not compare with the large scale industries over at Yan Zhou City. With a decent military power enterprise, he could produce better weapons. Otherwise, the designs he had were just scrap paper.
Yue Zhong quickly brought his troops and made for Bin Qi City like a sharp sword, with Hu Yi leading the 1st Armored Battalion.
When they arrived there, the 1st 500,000 zombies they saw were mostly made up of L1s, S1s, L2s and S2s. These evolved zombies made their way towards the armored battalion.
The majority of those zombies blown away were mostly the low-level ordinary zombies, and some other evolved ones, however, the bulk that remained were the evolved types.
"Fire the cannons!! Fire the cannons!" Facing the 500,000-strong horde, Hu Yi called out his commands in excitement.
A number of the tanks unleashed their powerful projectiles, blasting patches of evolved zombies into pieces.
As for the machine gun-mounted vehicles surrounding the tanks, they began firing rapidly as well.
A terrifying hail of bullet covered a large number of zombies, causing them to fall on the ground.
Yue Zhong personally led the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion to guard the armored battalion. The command of the operation had been handed to Zhang Xue Wang, Zheng Ming He and other intelligence officers.
Zhang Xue Wang had been trained in the military before the apocalypse, and being by Du Ming Shan's side they had gone through a few large-scale battles as well. He had a better understanding of commanding troops than compared to Yue Zhong, who was half-baked and not as experienced.
When Yue Zhong was at Gui Ning City, he didn't abuse his authority to bully the weak or to indulge in vices. Instead, he had wholeheartedly sought to reclaim the stability and peace before the apocalypse. At the same time, he focused on expanding his power, conquering Nan Ning, and this caused Zhang Xue Wang to have a stronger sense of trust and respect for this young leader.
In the command post, many of the intelligence officers and subordinates were handpicked trusted aides of Yue Zhong, and Zhang Xue Wang and his men would not have an opportunity to backstab Yue Zhong anyway.
Yue Zhong stood on the battlefield, wielding his Black Tooth Blade, and chopped up the fallen evolved zombies.
Beside Yue Zhong, there were Ning Yu Xin, Xin Jia Rou, Mu Xiang Ling, Xue Ning, Nangong Bing Yun, all dressed in military uniforms. They were similarly launching attacks on the zombies. In order to evolve, they had to kill more zombies. These women were not willing to stay at home and become vases, leading comfortable lives. They hoped to better themselves.
In this apocalypse, to live better, one had to be strong or to rely on the strong. Although Ning Yu Xin and the few ladies had decided to rely on Yue Zhong, they wanted to gain strength and control their own destiny as well. Otherwise, if Yue Zhong were to die, their future would be bleak.
A large number of the evolved zombies were eliminated by the armored battalion, when all of a sudden, the horde parted, and 80 Devourers of different levels pounced out, making their way towards the tanks, machine gun-mounted vehicles, and IFVs.
On top of that, there were 400 L3s and S3s shooting forward towards the 2nd Battalion led by Yue Zhong.
"Not good!" Yue Zhong eyed those galloping L3s, S3s and Devourers, and his face fell. These were the elites of the evolved zombies, and a single L3 could destroy an elite force of soldiers without any heavy weapons. Machine guns were useless against them, and such horrifying existences could definitely decimate the 2nd Battalion of elites.
"Kill them all! Lightning, White Bones!" Yue Zhong pointed towards the horde of L3s and S3s and roared out his order.
With that, Lightning turned into a flash of light and charged towards the L3. With its extreme speed, it could break the sound barrier, and as it charged through the battlefield, numerous L3s would be decapitated, their headless corpses slumping to the ground.
White Bones charged amongst the S3s, and as they tried to pounce on it to bite it, it released its bone blades from various parts of its body and spun viciously, slashing many of them into pieces.
"Tian Hao! Protect the ladies!" Yue Zhong left an order, and he charged towards the Devourers.
Tian Hao, being a Strength and Agility-type Dual-attribute Evolver, stepped out silently to protect Ning Yu Xin and the rest. He was a strong expert, and after Yue Zhong had given him a set of equipment as well as a Type 3 Mutant Beast hide, his combat prowess rose by 3 times. As long as he was not surrounded by any high-level zombies, he was definitely capable of protecting the women.
Facing the Devourers, the armored battalions unleashed all their projectiles, including the IFVs, which turned their firing targets towards the Devourers.
Many of them were instantly torn apart by the various firepower. However, due to their insane speed, many of them managed to leap onto the IFVs, and they tore apart the hulls, spitting out a poisonous fog that turned the soldiers within into zombies in a manner of seconds.
TN:
Seriously, I have no idea how 80,000 a month could translate to 800,000 with 8 months. But ah well, stick to the author's point!
Chapter 523 – L4! Promotion to Level 70!
Translated by: Kun
Unedited
One of the IFVs was destroyed just like that at the hands of the Devourer. When Yue Zhong saw that, he was furious and immediately leapt into the air, channeling his Devil Flame. A huge ball of fire blasted towards the head of the Devourer, causing it to explode.
"Congratulations on achieving Level 67, you've gained 2 attribute points to be allocated."
Yue Zhong had disposed of 20 Devourers in a short span of time, and absorbed a large amount of experience, thus, stepping into Level 67.
The elites of the 2nd Battalion were also launching their skills towards the Devourers. Large ice picks, sharp wind blades, terrifying fireballs, and piercing air bubbles, there were even enhanced bullets that were all launched at the Devourers. Many of the Devourers were blasted into pieces or incinerated.
Under the combined efforts of the experts in the 2nd Battalion, those Devourers were annihilated quickly. Many of the experts also gained levels because of their slaughter of the Devourers.
Some of the brave soldiers managed to slaughter the other evolved zombies, causing large numbers of skill books and amounts of Survivor Coins to drop out.
With the armored battalion acting as a temporary base, Yue Zhong's 2nd Battalion continued to advance in a frenzy. They crushed any evolved zombies that they came across, slicing the horde in two.
At this time, the 3rd Battalion, together with Yun Zi Ge's command of Yang County's 1st Battalion came engaging the other zombies in a violent clash.
Under that continuous onslaught, large numbers of the evolved zombies were slowly being worn down by Yue Zhong's troops.
The intense battle carried on throughout the night. Yue Zhong finally eradicated all of the 50,000 evolved zombies with his 4 battalions, before directly setting up camp outside Bin Qi City.
"Today's battle, we've destroyed 50,000 zombies. We lost a total of 117 soldiers. The expenditure of ammo…." Within the temporary camp, Xin Jia Rou was reporting the details of the day's battle to Yue Zhong.
"Tough!! A horde with a commander is truly hard to deal with!" Yue Zhong frowned when he heard Xin Jia Rou's report. He had only managed to kill 50,000 zombies after an intense day's of battle. His side had suffered losses as well. It was hard to deal with the loss of 117 elite soldiers.
In the past, Yue Zhong could easily destroy a few dozen thousands of zombies, it was because they were ordinary zombies. Furthermore, they were usually squeezed together, making it easy for their heavy artillery to hit. That was how they achieved efficient results. As for the evolved zombies, while the heavy artillery was still useful, it was not as effective.
The more the numbers of the enemy, the stronger the effect of the heavy artillery. With lesser enemies, then the area of effect of the heavy cannons would be less effective.
Yue Zhong silently came to a decision: "This will not do! I need to deal with the Z-Type in Bin Qi City. Otherwise, even if we conquer it successfully, we will lack the strength to proceed to Yan Zhou City."
The 50,000 zombies today had been sent out as an advance party by the Z-Type within Bin Qi City. Inside the city, there were sure to be many more evolved zombies protecting the Z-Type.
Yue Zhong had the confidence to conquer the city when the rest of the troops arrived. However, that would take up too much time, and the casualty rate might rise as well.
After making the decision, Yue Zhong made some preparations and left towards Bin Qi City by himself.
Yue Zhong had many experts under his command, that was true. However, to scout Bin Qi City, he felt that he was the best choice. If there was a need, he could activate his Bone Encompassing Armor, and make use of the bone spikes to dodge the zombie horde. If he brought men, he would be worried about their safety. Furthermore, his current objective was to assassinate the Z-Type in Bin Qi City, not engage in an all-out clash with the horde.
Yue Zhong blended into the night, and his passive ability Night Enhancement was engaged. It allowed him to move like a fish in water in the darkness. He activated his Bone Encompassing Armor and rushed out towards Bin Qi City.
Within Bin Qi City, there were huge, deserted areas. Many abandoned vehicles laid strewn out. There was no sign of life, nor any signs of zombies.
"Are all the zombies already gathered?" Yue Zhong entered Bin Qi City and surveyed his surrounding. He shot out a piece of bone spike, propelling him up on top of a roof.
Yue Zhong's hands shot out bone spikes that supported him as he scaled the sides of the tall buildings, searching for signs of the zombie horde.
After searching for a long time, he finally discovered a huge sea of zombies gathered at the center of Bin Qi City.
"They're there!" Yue Zhong stood atop a building and looked down at the vast sea of zombies, and determined the location of the Z-Type.
The Z-Types were like the top echelons of human hierarchy, they were fearful of death. They would stay within the protection of their strongest subordinates.
Yue Zhong laid on top of the skyscraper and kept his gaze fixed on the centre. When he concentrated, his eyes became powerful enough to absorb all the information even from a distance. The image of the city centre became like a feed to him as it entered his eyes, and he scanned all the information for the targets he required.
While the Night Enhancement ability did not do much to help Yue Zhong in his constitution, it gifted him with strange skills in the dark of the night. One of them was to enhance his vision in the night to an overpower level.
"Level 70 Type IV Strength – Evolved Infected L4. It possesses immense strength and powerful defenses. It has the ability to infect, affecting any lifeforms."
"Level 65 Type IV Agility – Evolved Infected S4. A monster with terrifying speed. It has the ability to infect, affecting any lifeforms."
Yue Zhong saw the 2 species of Type 4 zombies. The L4-type was huge, towering at 4m, looking like a building. Its entire body was covered with a layer of black scales, and it had huge blocks for hands. The S4 was a green freak, that had huge powerful thighs, and sharp claws. It was about 1.5m or 1.6m tall.
The 2 types of zombies surrounded a huge supermarket, and there were about 10 of the L4s, but almost 200 of the smaller S4s.
Other than those L4s and S4s, the large supermarket contained over 20 Level 70 Devourers. 200 L3s and 500 other S3s filled the place as well.
Such an evolved troop of zombies were all surrounding the supermarket, protecting the center. The defenses were extremely tight, and no one would be able to just charge in like this.
Yue Zhong observed the surroundings and discovered nothing that he could use. He sank into deep thought for a moment, before using both his hands to aim at the entrance of the supermarket and activated his Devil Flame.
In an instant, 2 balls of blazing flames shot towards the ground like wrath from heavens and enveloped the L4s, S4s, and Devourers.
Yue Zhong's Devil Flame was the bane of the zombies after all, and while the exterior of the L3s and L4s could withstand the heat, their brains would definitely be turned to mush.
Hence, when the 2 balls of flames landed on the horde, it instantly caused chaos among the evolved zombies.
The L3s and L4s began to charge outwards, while many S4s and S3s were turned into ash by the Devil Flame.
Right at this time, a shrill and sharp howl sounded from the large supermarket. Countless zombies began to charge towards the location, intending to answer to the calls of help. However, many of the L3s, L4s, S3s and S4s were still burning from the Devil Flame, and were stuck together. Nothing could move.
The zombies were in a state of confusion and fear, and many swarmed to jump into the burning flames, intending to use their corpses to vanquish the flames.
Yue Zhong continued to release 2 huge tornadoes of flames downwards, while the evolved zombies continued to rush into the flames, sending themselves into oblivion.
The strong L3s, L4s, S3s and S4s were all squeezed tightly by the rest of the horde, unable to move. They could only struggle helplessly as the Devil Flames consumed them. At the same time, under the shrill call of help from the Z-Type in the supermarket, the terrifying Devourers also leapt into the burning flames, meeting their end.
Numerous highly evolved zombies were turned into ash just like that, and huge amounts of experience orbs rushed into Yue Zhong, causing him to charge through levels.
Ordinarily, Yue Zhong would find it extremely tough to deal with either an L4 or S4. However, because they were squeezed and had no way of escaping, they could only stay there helplessly as they burnt.
"Congratulations on achieving Level 68, you've gained 2 attribute points to be allocated."
"Congratulations on achieving Level 69, you've gained 2 attribute points to be allocated."
"Congratulations on achieving Level 70, you've gained 1 attribute point to be allocated, as well as an additional active skill."
Under those conditions where the evolved zombies rushed to their own deaths, Yue Zhong actually gained 3 levels in one shot, breaking the Level 70 limit.
He immediately allocated 6 points into Agility, and kept the additional skill point. He wanted to collect them, in order to evolve the Devil Flame into its Second Order stage.
The zombies were still continuing to charge into Yue Zhong's fiery pit of death. Yue Zhong's pupils constricted as he sent 2 more hurricanes of flames towards the supermarket.
Immediately, a shrill scream sounded out from the supermarket, as it began to combust and burn.
Yue Zhong slapped his hands together, and the 2 raging tornadoes of fire enveloped the entire 3-storey building, causing the whole supermarket to burn.
With a crash, the windows of the 2nd-storey broke, and an L4 charged out from the shattered glass.
A number of L4s and S4s, as well as Level 70 Devourers, leapt out from the supermarket, their total numbers reaching 200. There were even 30-over heads of the tank-like L4s.
"Powerful! Fortunately, I didn't go in." Yue Zhong eyed those 200 Type-4 Evolved zombies and celebrated in his heart.
TN:
I'm at a loss for words. The plot armor is strong in this chapter.
Chapter 524 – Promotion! Second Order Devil Flame!
Translated by: Kun
Unedited
If Yue Zhong had encountered 200 Type 4 zombies or even those Level 70 Devourers, he did not have the confidence to deal with them.
Yue Zhong saw the Type 4 evolved zombies and Devourers jump out from the supermarket and waved his hands. A huge Devil Flame tornado blasted towards the 2nd level of the supermarket. He had to force the Z-Type out.
Under the pressure of Yue Zhong's blazing tornadoes, the entire 2nd level was covered in flames, creating a burning hell.
"It didn't appear! The Z-Type should be within those zombies that jumped out just now." With a thought, his eyes swept over the fleeing group of Type 4 zombies. He concentrated his Spirit, and his pupils constricted, and the entire scene was taken in.
Those 200 zombies that had escaped from the supermarket were now gathered in a tight bunch, making their escape in a hurry.
A sudden shrill scream sounded from the group of 200 Type 4 zombies, and the surrounding horde immediately made way, creating a path for the group to run.
Yue Zhong waved his hands as he watched the escaping zombies, and his Swift Shadow Bike appeared beside him. He quickly adjusted the cannons on the bike and fired rapidly at the zombies.
All of a sudden, thousands of projectiles bombarded the horde of zombies.
Under the assault of the cannons, holes were blasted in the bodies of the S4s, and even some Devourers were injured as well. However, the rounds only bounced off the scaly defenses and exploded without hurting the zombies, not even shaking them in the slightest.
"These zombies are truly fearsome!" Yue Zhong sucked in a breath of cold air as he watched the bullets having no effect on the tank-like L4s.
The L4's armor could not even be pierced by the bullets from a gattling cannon. The only weapons available to men that could possibly threaten it were heavy rockets, tanks, and missiles. Even the IFVs would be useless against them, only serving to be hammered.
The bullets seemed to have frightened the Z-Type and it suddenly screamed. Under that rallying call, a few hundred Type 3 zombies charged over and surrounded it.
"Got it!" Within that darkness, Yue Zhong's eyes were unparalleled. He instantly located the source of the scream, with many of the zombies around shuddering at the time of the scream. Only 1 L4 was special, not moving even after that rallying cry.
After locking on to his target, Yue Zhong fired out a bone spike, supporting him towards the direction of the Z-Type. At the same time, he waved his hands and a fearsome fiery tornado was sent in the direction of the Z-Type.
As though it had sensed the danger, the Z-Type immediately screeched out. A number of S3s and S4s leaped up to take the blow. They were burnt black as a result.
A number of the L4s and S4s were also assembled around the Z-Type, acting as some form of meat shield. The terrifying Devil Flame tornado burnt for a while, incinerating the brains of the Type 4 zombies.
Yue Zhong activated his Shadow Steps atop the building and his speed exceeded a Type 2 Lightning. It was almost 22-times that of an ordinary person. In just 10 mere seconds, he had managed to catch up to the group of zombies. He jumped down from the building, aiming at the opposite roof. He shot out some silk from the Spider Silk Ring, and he swung towards the zombies like Spiderman.
There were 2 S4s remaining and they jumped high into the air. Their obscene leg muscles enabled them to reach a height of 15m, and they slashed out viciously at Yue Zhong.
Yue Zhong immediately responded by firing 2 bone spikes with just a thought, slicing the 2 S4s in two, their blood spraying everywhere.
After Yue Zhong took down the 2 S4s, he waved his hand to send out another Devil Flame Tornado towards the L4s that surrounded the Z-Type.
Urged by fear, the Z-Type hiding in the body of the L4 continued to screech out sharply, as a powerful Spirit attack was launched towards Yue Zhong.
Yue Zhong's Spirit and Endurance had reached a powerful degree. He only frowned a little when the attack landed on him.
At the next moment, the fiery Devil Flame tornado enveloped the entire body of the L4, cooking it.
The L4's body could even block cannons, so the Level 4 Devil Flame had no way of breaking down the body. Just as the Devil Flame was burning, a hole appeared in the body of the L4. The Z2 hiding within immediately jumped out in a bid to escape.
"Go to hell!" Yue Zhong immediately waved his hand to envelop the Z2 with his Devil Flame when he saw it jumped out.
The Z2 screamed out and was incinerated within seconds.
The moment the Z2 died, the entire horde began breaking apart. The remaining zombies started to escape in various directions.
As for the Type 3 and Type 4 evolved zombies, they began to pounce towards Yue Zhong. The scent of fresh meat and blood was the strongest attraction to them.
The spider silk in Yue Zhong's hand allowed him to be pulled back up the roof, and escape from the clutches of the zombies. He had cast the Devil Flame many times in succession and the toll on his Spirit and Stamina was huge. It was not that he could not continue fighting against the zombies, but it was too dangerous. If he was not careful, he might be swallowed by the zombies.
Yue Zhong then made his way towards the supermarket entrance, where the flames were starting to die out. All around the entrance, there was ash and a few L4 corpses.
The Devil Flame had easily consumed the zombies other than the L4s. Since the L4 had incredibly tough defenses, it would take more time with the burning to turn the L4 into ash.
Yue Zhong made use of the spider silk to swing himself towards the entrance of the supermarket, where he picked up over 20 skill books, 10 green Treasure Boxes, 25 white Treasure Boxes, and 2,000 Survivor Coins. After keeping the loot, he disappeared into the night.
When he went back to the camp, he started to go through the loot thoroughly.
"Alright! I made a killing this time." As he counted, his eyes were filled with joy.
In taking the risk to kill the Z-Type, his spoils were truly abundant. He had gotten a total of 25 skill books, of which, there were 8 Level 2 skills, 13 Level 3 skills, and 4 Level 4 skills.
Among the Level 3 skill books, there were the Werewolf Transformation, Were-Leopard Transformation, Werecat Transformation, Forest Ranger Transformation, Flame Storm, Ice Spear, Summon Grizzly Bear, Gravity Manipulation, Steel Body, Clone Technique, Stealth, Bide, Element Shield.
Of the Level 4 skill books, there were the Second Order Stamina Solidification, Second Order Devil Flame, Second Order High-Speed Movement, Second Order Steel Body.
"Level 3 Skill Book. Ice Spear. Congeals a powerful spear of ice to attack enemies. Consumes 30 Spirit. Non-specialized users can only use the skill once per day."
"Level 3 Skill Book. Summon Grizzly Bear. Summons a powerful grizzly bear to attack enemies. Consumes 20 Spirit."
"Level 3 Skill Book, Steel Body. Passive skill. Upon learning it, user's body will become stronger and tougher. Requires Endurance to be at least 120 to learn."
"Level 3 Skill Book, Clone Technique. Consumes 40 Spirit to produce a clone. The user can see what clone sees, at the same time, the clone has 10% of the attributes of the original. The clone is not able to utilize skills."
"Level 3 Skill Book, Bide. Expends 30 Stamina, to attack out with 3 times the penetrative power."
"Level 3 Skill Book, Element Shield. Consumes 30 Spirit to produce an elemental magic shield to protect the user. It can defend against all elemental attacks."
"Level 4 Skill Book: Second Order Stamina Solidification. Upon learning, Stamina increased by 55 points permanently. Requires the skill Stamina Solidification of Level 3 and above. Expends 2 skill points."
"Level 4 Skill Book: Second Order High-Speed Movement. Active Skill. Increases Agility by 80 points when active. Duration of 5 minutes. Requires the skill High-Speed Movement of Level 3 and above. Expends 2 skill points."
"Level 4 Skill Book: Second Order Steel Body. Allows the user to have a body as tough as metal. Requires the skill Steel Body of Level 3 and above. Expends 2 skill points."
Yue Zhong held the skill books in his hands and pondered for a while, before deciding to learn the Steel Body and Clone Technique. 2 bright lights flashed, and 2 additional bronze runes of information appeared in his mind.
After learning the Steel Body skill, Yue Zhong's body coupled with his 181 points of Endurance became incredibly tough. He was now impervious to even heavy caliber bullets. He had become even more powerful.
Of course, even if the heavy caliber bullets could not penetrate his body, the recoil and impact were not negligible. It would still be able to cause some degree of harm.
Of the 10 Green Treasure Boxes, 6 had ordinary Level 3 Treasures, while the remaining 4 produced Level 4 Treasures. One of them was the Falcon Sniper.
"Level 4 Treasure: Black Wind Hook. Extremely sharp hook."
"Level 4 Treasure: Black Steel Mace! A huge mace weighing over a ton. There's no defense it cannot break, and no item it cannot smash."
"Level 4 Treasure: Gauntlet of Strength. Upon equipping, +15 Strength."
Yue Zhong equipped the Gauntlet of Strength and his Strength raised by 5 (exchanging with the Glove of Strength). His Strength now reached 100 points and was just perfectly at 10 times a normal person's Strength.
The night passed peacefully, as the zombies hid within the city after losing their Z-Type commander. None dared come out to attack Yue Zhong.
Early the next morning, Hu Yi led the armored battalion to launch an assault on Bin Qi City.
Inside Bin Qi City, there were numerous zombies, but they lacked all form of order. Instead, they had become easy fodder, taken out by the armored battalion and the experts under Yue Zhong.
At the same time, the reinforcements arrived quickly, charging into the fray. The pressure mounted against the zombies in Bin Qi City, as the elite troops and army of Yue Zhong, continued to slaughter their way within.
With the constant reinforcements, the entire cleanup took about a week. Only then, Bin Qi City became free of zombies.
"Congratulations, you have conquered Bin Qi City and obtained the title 'Bin Qi City Conqueror'! This title grants you 2 points increase in all attributes. The title can't be earned again! Effects of titles can be stacked!"
"You have brought troops and conquered Bin Qi City, gaining 3 levels, and obtaining 6 attribute points to be allocated."
"You have brought troops and conquered Bin Qi City, earning 10,000 Survivor Coins!"
"You have brought troops and conquered Bin Qi City, earning a Level 4 Defence Vest!"
"You have brought troops and conquered Bin Qi City, earning 1 additional skill point!"
When Yue Zhong's forces cleared Bin Qi City of the zombies, a number of notifications rang out in his mind.
"Great! Evolve Second Order Devil Flame!" The moment Yue Zhong heard the notifications, he exclaimed out in surprise and chose to evolve his Devil Flame.
The Skill Book Second Order Devil Flame in his hands disappeared into his mind. At the same time, 2 skill points were deducted and transformed into light, merging with the skill book. The merged light flashed and turned green, inscribing more characters on the bronze rune of the Devil Flame.
The moment the mysterious characters were finished inscribing, another notification resounded in Yue Zhong's mind: "Congratulations, your Devil Flame has evolved to its Second Order stage!"
Chapter 525 – Pointing towards Yan Zhou!
Translated by: Kun
Unedited
When Yue Zhong's Devil Flame skill had evolved, he casually conjured out a Devil Flame ball with a thought. The Second Order Devil Flame was more than twice as strong as the Devil Flame at its Level 4 stage, when comparing the similar Spirit expenditure.
Back at Gui Ning City, the city was back to its usual hustle and bustle, and not a single idle person could be seen. Machines were constantly chugging, and countless factory workers were hard at work manufacturing clothes, weapons, canned meat, packing rations and other supplies.
The entire city's survivors had been activated, fulfilling their individual roles as gears of a larger machine in preparation for war.
In the midst of their busy actions, there was a slight anxiety among the survivors. Many of them knew of Yue Zhong's operation of deploying his huge army to battle the zombies. This was a vital fight that would determine the future of Gui Ning City.
If he won, Yue Zhong's might would increase exponentially. However, if he lost, he would suffer terribly, and all sorts of characters would leap out to take a bite.
Yue Zhong had a huge amount of prestige in Gui Ning City, but likewise, there were enemies in the shadows. There were even certain people within his army hoping for his failure.
Inside a small room, 5 men were gathered secretly in a discussion.
One middle-aged man spoke: "Bin Qi City has over 2 million zombies, while Yan Zhou City has over 3 million. Adding them together, there's at least 6 million zombies. That guy only has a 10,000-strong army, how can he win?"
A young Evolver laughed coldly: "Hmph! Yue Zhong sure is a retard, he thought that just because his troops repelled the previous zombie horde attack, they're suddenly invincible. He's too full of himself. He was just lucky the previous time. This time, his luck sure is to run out."
Another burly and tanned man chuckled as well: "Precisely! Once he loses, we can act. By that time, the entire Gui Ning City! As well as the Guang Xi region will be ours!"
At various corners of Gui Ning City, small gatherings like this were ongoing, discussing the possibility of usurping Yue Zhong.
At this time, Gui Ning City was under the strict rule of Yue Zhong and his subordinates, all these little factions had no way of stepping out to show themselves. However, should Yue Zhong fall, they would seize the chance.
One soldier rode a bike all the way into Gui Ning City, and brought explosive news: "Leader Yue Zhong had conquered Bin Qi City with the troops! The entire Bin Qi City is under our control now!"
"Long live Yue Zhong!!"
"Awesome!! We gained another city!!"
This exciting news caused the entire Gui Ning City to be in an uproar, as numerous survivors roared with delight.
Conquering a city meant that all the resources in the city prior to the apocalypse would land in Yue Zhong's faction. These survivors would definitely stand to benefit, and their future would seem even brighter.
Furthermore, the fact that Yue Zhong had the strength to conquer a major city meant that it would not be impossible to conquer a 2nd or 3rd one. This caused even more reverence, hope and trust in Yue Zhong from the survivors of Gui Ning City.
"Shit, he actually conquered Bin Qi City!"
"That's a place with 2 million fucking zombies! How the heck did he accomplish it so easily? Is he still human?!"
Upon hearing the news of Yue Zhong conquering Bin Qi City, those small groups with motives began to feel despair. They did not know that most of the zombies in Bin Qi City had been blown away by the snowstorm. When they heard that Yue Zhong conquered the city, their hearts were filled with helplessness and despair.
If Yue Zhong were to continue his victorious streak like that, his rule would just become even more concrete. No one would be able to shake him from his position. Those smaller factions hidden amongst the ordinary survivors would never get the chance to display their might.
With the passage of time, a number of troops were mobilized and sent to Bin Qi City. There was currently an elite regiment of over 10,000 elites within Bin Qi City now.
This elite regiment was not made of some riff-raff. Every single one of them had been through countless battles. They have killed their share of human enemies, as well as zombies, and have shed their blood.
This elite troop was used to control Guang Xi as well as Vietnam, and they could handle a 100,000-strong zombie horde as well.
Inside a meeting hall, many commanders and captains were gathered. Yue Zhong sat at the helm and was overseeing the meeting.
Yue Zhong glanced at Hu Yi and asked: "This time, I've gathered everyone, as I want to prepare to set off for Yan Zhou City. Hu Yi, is the Gui Ning 1st Battalion still in its prime condition?"
Hu Yi's 1st Battalion was the mechanized infantry battalion as well as the vanguard strike force in Yue Zhong's troops. They had helped to storm Ji County, and Bin Qi City, and their experience and gains were not small. Likewise, they had expended quite a bit of energy. Human soldiers were not zombies, and could get tired or exhausted. They would not be able to fight forever unlike the zombies.
Hu Yi answered with a voice of confidence: "Yes!! Our 1st Battalion is willing to be the vanguard in assaulting Yan Zhou City!"
After the constant battles, the combat strength of Hu Yi's 1st Battalion had truly grown. At the same time, they had increased their forces to accommodate over a thousand soldiers. This was the basis for Hu Yi's confidence.
Chai Zi Cang spoke up as well: "The 1st Battalion had just taken down Bin Qi City, they should rest for a moment. Leader, the Gui Ning 5th Battalion is willing to be the vanguard and take down Yan Zhou for you!"
Chen Sheng Gang also spoke up enthusiastically: "Leader! Our 8th Battalion had not done anything yet, our bones are about to rot! Let us be the vanguard and obtain Yan Zhou for you!"
"Leader!! Our 9th Battalion will take down Yan Zhou!!"
One by one, the commanders began to seek for Yue Zhong's deployment of their forces.
Yue Zhong's establishments focused on military merits. Only through merits would one stand a chance to rise in rank, and obtain more forces and resources. Many of the commanders knew that Hu Yi had been the main strike force in the operation to take down Bin Qi City, and would expand further after the battle for Yan Zhou. This time, it was unknown how many more commanders there would be, and who would even rise to become a regiment commander.
Hence, many of them wanted better prospects for themselves and their subordinates.
"This army is truly valiant!" Inside the meeting room, Cheng Sheng Yong looked at the forces and thought to himself in envy.
In this apocalypse, many of the large factions would have their smaller cliques within. Some of them would work together sometimes, others would try to stay back during operations to protect their strength, in case they lost them. When Yue Zhong was in Vietnam, the Chinese Association was like this. Even when Chen Sheng Yong was at the helm of his power, he had people who would give excuses not to take part in the operations in lieu of the big picture. They had instead chosen to preserve their strength. That led to their own downfall.
Yue Zhong eyed all his commanders with appreciation and hollered a command: "Good! For this battle, the 1st Battalion, 4th Battalion, 8th Battalion and 9th Battalion would form a joint strike force. The 5th Battalion would move to defend Qishan District, the 11th Battalion to defend Zhushan District, Lang Son 3rd Battalion to defend Heshan District, and the rest is to assemble as reinforcements. Await further orders!"
Yue Zhong then glanced around and spoke seriously: "This battle, we can only win, there can be no failure!"
"Yes!" Everyone responded in a resounding voice.
Upon receiving Yue Zhong's order, the troops began to prepare, as they set off for their individual objectives.
Yue Zhong then went to the command center and asked one of the officers: "What is the situation over there now?"
The officer immediately brought up a display for Yue Zhong: "Leader! There are countless droves of zombies moving towards Yan Zhou! Please take a look!"
Yue Zhong looked at the screen and frowned.
On the screen, many waves of zombies were currently making their way towards the direction of Yan Zhou. These were those zombies that had been in Bin Qi City and Yan Zhou, but were blown away by the snowstorm.
The smaller droves numbered a few dozen thousands, while the larger hordes numbered in the hundred thousands. The moment these zombies gathered at Yan Zhou, then there would be a total of over 3 million zombies. It would then become a city that was almost impregnable.
Yue Zhong only had a force of 10,000. His ammunition was lacking. Using frontal assault against 3 million zombies would be a fool's dream.
It was precisely because of this, that Yue Zhong had no choice but to deploy his forces to take down Yan Zhou. They had to eliminate the zombies within Yan Zhou first. However, the expedition on Bin Qi City had taken over 9 days. As for Yan Zhou, the gathered zombies were already numbering in the 400,000s. Everyday, the numbers were increasing in the dozens and hundreds of thousands.
The officer pointed to the screen and explained: "Based on the current situation, these 3 main hordes of zombies would enter Yan Zhou in another 3 days. The moment they enter, the total number of zombies in Yan Zhou would cross a million."
Yue Zhong looked at the screen and thought to himself: "We need to take down Yan Zhou in the next 3 days. At the very least, I need to force the death of the Z-Type there."
He handed the command of the place over before stepping out. All of a sudden, he felt a sudden strange feeling in his mind, and he lifted his head. He discovered a huge Type 2 Green Eagle flying in the distance, and there was a huge transport aircraft and an assault helicopter beside it.
"Greenie!" Yue Zhong saw the Type 2 Green Eagle and his eyes lit with joy before he ordered loudly: "Do not fire!!"
Under his command, no anti-air defenses were activated, and the huge bird, as well as the 2 aircraft, landed.
The moment Greenie landed, it began to snuggle against Yue Zhong with its head affectionately.
"Good! Good! This is for you!" Yue Zhong exclaimed with joy and handed a whole bunch of Type 2 nuclei and Type 3 nuclei to Greenie.