Entering the City

The Demon Hunter Squad that Lin Zhen belonged to, the Demon God Squad, and six other squads all got into their vehicles and continued onward behind the military convoy.

After traveling for about ten minutes, they came upon a crude courtyard ahead, looking little different from a ruin. This was already the outskirts of Yilan County.

"This is the Supply Station, the northernmost human settlement. You can make your final resupply here, and you can leave your vehicles here as well. After that, you may enter Yilan County."

Shi Lei immediately called to the team. "Everyone get out. We're switching vehicles."

Lin Zhen asked, "What kind of vehicle?"

"That one—the black tracked armored vehicle. It can withstand ordinary Rocket Launcher attacks, and Mutated Beasts below B-Class can't break through it. It has multiple firing ports and can carry back a large number of monster corpses. Otherwise, if we take our little car into the county, we probably won't be able to haul back much loot."

A row of tracked armored vehicles was parked not far away. These were military vehicles available for rent to Martial Artist squads, though the price was steep: two hundred thousand a day per vehicle, with additional compensation required for any damage.

Still, for Martial Artist squads, these safe tracked armored vehicles with enormous cargo capacity were well worth renting.

Lin Zhen naturally knew about this, but he had to act as a newcomer should.

Soon, the group boarded a brand-new tracked armored vehicle. This kind of vehicle could easily traverse ruins. Its only drawback was that it had no mounted cannon, which was also to prevent Martial Artists from killing one another and damaging the vehicles.

The vehicle was stocked with plenty of food, water, and medicine. Once they paid the rental fee, the squad prepared to set off.

Before getting in, Lin Zhen looked around and noticed someone.

A burly man wrapped from head to toe in bright yellow bullets stood there with a six-barreled Metal Storm in his hands. When Lin Zhen looked over, the man turned away, seeming afraid to meet his gaze.

Lin Zhen sneered. This was probably the person who had ambushed him in the Testing Area.

He did not know why the man had attacked him, but it was probably the Demon God Squad's doing. The two squads were rivals, so it was normal for them to target him. Back in the Testing Area, the Demon God Squad had only Li Mengxi and Ruo Ruo among its members, so Ruo Ruo had most likely been pulling the strings.

However, Lin Zhen did not intend to deal with Ruo Ruo just yet. He was still counting on her to find that Dark Energy Stone.

The Demon God Squad left before the Demon Hunters. As they departed, they glared resentfully at the Demon Hunter Squad, clearly unwilling to let things go.

Ye Tiancheng took the wheel, Shi Lei sat in the passenger seat, Gao Yan sat beneath the roof hatch in a seat that could rise up, giving him access to firing ports for shooting. Zhao Liang and Lin Zi stayed in the cabin.

"Ready, Demon Hunters!" Shi Lei shouted.

"Ready!" Lin Zhen forced himself to shout along. After so many years in the interstellar era, he had not yelled such cringey slogans in ages. It really did not feel natural.

"Move out!"

Ye Tiancheng stomped on the accelerator, and the vehicle rumbled out of the Supply Base.

Once all the armored vehicles had left, the military immediately concealed the Supply Base. The vehicles were driven into an underground garage, and on the surface, the courtyard remained nothing more than a patch of ruins.

There was a river when entering Yilan, called the Blue River. A bridge crossed it, the only route into Yilan from south to north.

Generally speaking, land-dwelling monsters did not interact with aquatic ones. There were naturally many fish-type Mutated Beasts in the Blue River, so the monsters inside the county did not approach the river on their own. That was why the military could establish a Supply Station here, though it still needed to be kept well hidden.

The armored vehicle arrived at the riverbank, and Yilan City on the opposite shore was already in sight.

It was already November, winter. The skies were gloomy, casting Yilan City beneath a layer of shadow. Faint beastly roars drifted out from the city.

Splashes occasionally rolled across the Blue River's surface as well. The river had not completely frozen over yet, and huge black shadows could sometimes be seen moving beneath the water. Anyone who carelessly fell in would undoubtedly be left without even a corpse.

"Since God Transformation Day, humanity has never completely conquered Yilan City. It is the greatest threat to Peony City. The military has repeatedly launched clearing operations here, but the monsters are highly mobile. Monsters from the Black River Area, the XiaoXingAn Mountains, and other places keep pouring in, so Yilan's monster population has always remained high. C-Rank and B-Class monsters appear frequently here. As long as you have the strength, this place is a Martial Artist's paradise."

After Shi Lei explained for a while, Zhao Liang added, "Yeah. If we can stay here smoothly for a month, I figure each of us could make tens of millions, maybe even over a hundred million."

Gao Yan rubbed the barrel of his Sniper Rifle. "Old Zhao, didn't you say that once you had two hundred million, you'd go home and retire? I've got the same idea. Let's see who retires first."

Ye Tiancheng curled his lip. "You two really have no ambition. You'd be satisfied with just two hundred million? Besides, you're only in your twenties, not even thirty. Why are you talking about retirement?"

"Tiancheng, not all Martial Artists are the same. I, Gao Yan, am just a gunner. I have no hope of becoming a War God in this lifetime, so naturally I need to earn more money and leave myself a way out. You're different. You, for example, and Lin Zhen. Your futures are limitless. Don't learn from us."

Lin Zhen looked at Zhao Liang. "Brother Zhao, isn't it too early for you to talk about retirement? I think you have a very good chance of becoming a War God."

"Heh, we'll see. My wife is pregnant with a boy, and she's due in a month. She told me she doesn't want our child to grow up without seeing his father. Honestly, I'm tempted. Becoming a War God feels a little too far away for me."

Lin Zhen did not try to persuade him further. Everyone had their own path to walk. Lin Zhen pursued the pinnacle of martial arts, but that did not mean Zhao Liang's choice was wrong.

Gao Yan looked at his phone for a while, then suddenly said, "Oh, someone else successfully took Private Customization. I've noticed there have been quite a few this year. Lin Zhen really started a trend."

"Really? Let me see." Zhao Liang took the phone and began reading.

"Prodigy rises! Li Tianhao, young master of the Myriad Hao Corporation, successfully takes Private Customization. Improvement rate: 85%. Advanced to mid-Level Seven Warrior..."

"So it's that kid. Li Wanfeng and Zhao Siqing's son. It's no surprise that he succeeded with Private Customization. Both his parents are War God experts; the genes are there. It would have been strange if he failed."

Gao Yan took back the phone and sighed. "He may only be a Level Seven Warrior now, but with parents like that and such a huge corporation behind him, it won't be long before he surpasses us. If Lin Zhen's Private Customization results this year hadn't been so absurd, his 85% would probably have made the front-page headlines."

Lin Zhen's heart stirred as he listened. Li Tianhao had actually succeeded with Private Customization. He had clearly been provoked by Lin Zhen.

In his previous life, Li Tianhao had not been particularly famous. He seemed to have been just an ordinary Martial Artist who took Universal Potion, and he had not been keen on martial arts. When Ice City Base City fell, neither he nor his father had managed to escape, and the Myriad Hao Corporation became history.

But this time, he had successfully taken Private Customization. It was clear that Lin Zhen's rebirth had indeed changed some things.

Moreover, Lin Zhen felt that Li Tianhao might come looking to cause him trouble. It seemed he would need to be more careful.

Up front, Ye Tiancheng drove while casually turning the steering wheel. "Having a good father definitely makes things easier, but whether you amount to anything still depends on yourself. I figure that Li Tianhao is just a rookie. He won't be able to truly enter the Wilderness Area for at least a month or two. Those trainee-level people, even if they enter the Wilderness Area, will probably just get in the way."

After saying that, he turned back to glance at Lin Zhen. "Lin Zi, I wasn't talking about you. You're a freak. You're different from them."

Lin Zhen gave a wry smile. Just as he was about to say something, Shi Lei suddenly shouted, "Watch out! Mutated Beasts are coming!"