Second Entry

"I said! Fire at will!"

"Bang, bang, bang..." "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Wang Ji only felt as if he had been struck by countless heavy hammers; his vision went black in an instant, and he lost all sensation. Before his consciousness faded, he only saw the captain dive into a shallow pit, while the Silver-Furred Black-Backed Ape struggled to dodge, only to be bitten by the machine gun fire in the end...

Wang Ji woke up in his living room.

"Did I just serve as cannon fodder?" Wang Ji laughed in frustration. Yet, once he calmed down, he couldn't bring himself to be truly angry. He just felt incredibly stifled.

In truth, the order was correct! The squad members were already dead or wounded. Even without the indiscriminate fire, the Silver-Furred Black-Backed Ape would have killed Wang Ji and the captain soon enough. If they had hesitated even for a moment and let the Silver-Furred Black-Backed Ape escape, everyone's sacrifice would have been in vain. That Silver-Furred Black-Backed Ape was definitely a High-Level Beast General monster! If it had gotten away, the mission would have been a total failure.

But why did he still feel so stifled?

That Major Battalion Commander was truly a cold-blooded animal! Just as he thought, looking at his face, he resembled a social elite. He was exactly that type of guy! Someone who only cared about interests and lacked humanity.

"Dungeon: Dianyuan Defense, remaining entries 2/3"

"Dungeon Settlement: 1. Cover the mass evacuation, failed; 2. Hold for 7 days, failed"

"Wang Ji Age: 17 Strength: 3660kg Speed: 39.2m/s Neural Reaction: High-Level Warrior Excellent Essence Source: 84"

Wang Ji revealed a slight smile. At least, even though the mission failed, he had managed to gain 84 points of Essence Source. He could improve quite a bit now.

"Allocate points! Add 60 points of Essence Source!"

"Strength: 4260kg; Speed: 48m/s"

Wang Ji sighed, "I'm already considered a High-Level Warrior. Not bad at all! I'll keep the remaining 24 points in reserve."

After exiting the dungeon, Wang Ji wandered around the military base for the afternoon, but he didn't encounter any other dungeons. It didn't matter, though; it was a "take a swing at it regardless" situation anyway.

"Dianyuan Defense, I specifically looked up the historical records just now. It was a truly tragic defensive battle. It's certainly not easy to clear. However, conservatively estimated, even if I can't clear it, I should be able to earn another 200 points of Essence Source in two more runs. Well, enough thinking, entering!"

Wang Ji entered the dungeon once again.

A cold wind whistled.

The sky was a gray, oppressive haze. Wang Ji walked out from a ruin. Outside, the scene was one of chaos and war.

Fully armed, Wang Ji strolled along the roadside, following the flow of vehicles.

"You! I'm talking to you!" a booming voice called out.

Wang Ji turned around. Not far behind him, a young soldier with the rank of Second Lieutenant said, "Comrade! The 112th Division Vanguard Battalion needs to temporarily conscript you! To help complete the mission of covering the evacuation. Are you willing?"

Wang Ji grinned and said, "Is your name Li An?"

The Second Lieutenant was stunned, "Do we know each other?"

Wang Ji shook his head, "We don't yet!"

The Second Lieutenant's expression stiffened, "Hey! There's no time for your riddles. We need to conscript you now, are you willing or not?"

Wang Ji laughed: "Willing! Sir."

Li An looked embarrassed, "Don't call me Sir... judging by your appearance, you're a martial artist too. Don't call me Sir."

Just like that, Wang Ji followed Li An and joined the unit.

"Hey, Li An, who is that guy in our unit wearing the Major's rank insignia and looking like a social elite?" Wang Ji asked with a grin.

"Huh?" A flicker of unnaturalness crossed Li An's face, "You know him? That's our Vanguard Battalion Commander, Li Dawei."

Wang Ji stopped in his tracks, utterly astonished, "Li... Li Dawei?"

Li An asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Wang Ji forced a smile and waved his hand, "Nothing." But inside, he was thinking, Li Dawei? Isn't that the current military commander of Jiangnan Base City, the guardian deity of Jiangnan Base City, General Li Dawei? He'll have quite a few dealings with Luo Feng in the future. This cold-blooded animal is Li Dawei? Hmph... so what if he's Li Dawei? I'll find an opportunity to make him feel stifled for once, or at the very least, give him a good beating. Damn it!

"Lao Bao! I've found you a good hand!" As soon as they returned to the unit, Li An shouted.

A middle-aged man with dull eyes and a stoic expression looked up at Wang Ji and nodded, "Welcome!"

Li An apologized to Wang Ji, "Lao Bao is just like that. But he's a great guy! He charges to the front and enjoys things last. He takes special care of his brothers."

He then explained to Wang Ji: "Lao Bao is the acting Company Commander and our Vanguard Team leader. Old Liu is the Platoon Leader, in charge of over 40 brothers in the 1st and 2nd Platoons. He's our firepower support. As for me, I lead the 3rd Platoon, which is mostly made up of conscripted brothers; it has the most people. The 3rd Platoon has over 60 people now! Haha..."

Afterward, Wang Ji joined Lao Bao's Vanguard Team.

"Kill!"

"I'll charge in front, Wang Ji and Shi Tou provide cover, and the gunners and snipers find their openings!" Once Lao Bao started fighting monsters, he became a different person, frantically charging to the front.

"Swish! Bang bang!"

After a few coordinated battles, Wang Ji quickly became proficient. He also grew familiar with the Vanguard Team. The Vanguard Team consisted of nine people in total. Lao Bao, a High-Level Warrior, was the main attacker, always leading the charge. There were four soldiers in uniform, all at the martial artist level, some responsible for supporting Lao Bao and others providing fire support with heavy weapons. In the Vanguard Team, there were also three other skilled individuals like Wang Ji who had been temporarily conscripted.

A nine-man squad is indeed efficient at killing monsters. After all, monsters have not yet evolved to the level they will reach in later generations. Currently, the vast majority are Soldier-level, and High-level General-level monsters are considered super-monsters. Lord-level monsters are even rarer, and as for King-level monsters, perhaps they exist, perhaps not.

As long as the monsters are pinned down, they can be wiped out by concentrated fire from thermal weapons. The efficiency of killing monsters this way is far beyond what Wang Ji could achieve fighting alone. The only question is how the settlement will be calculated. Will monsters killed together grant Essence Source points?

"Attention! Attention! This monster is very strong! Everyone, be alert!" Lao Bao shouted with a solemn expression. It was a Shadow Leopard, and Wang Ji estimated it to be at the General level!

The Shadow Leopard had just swiped over a family car, instantly killing the five people inside. It was preparing to attack other vehicles when it was pinned down by a sniper's bullets. Now, the beast's attention had been drawn to the Vanguard Team.

"Swish!" The Shadow Leopard nimbly dodged the bullets, continuously closing the distance.

"Charge! Watch your formation, follow me!" Lao Bao was the first to rush forward, his combat blade sweeping violently toward the Shadow Leopard. The Shadow Leopard suddenly accelerated, instantly bypassing Lao Bao's blade and shield. Its two-to-three-meter body moved as smoothly as the wind, instantly tearing into the middle of the squad!

Danger—everyone was in danger!

A black afterimage swiped toward Wang Ji. It was the Shadow Leopard's front claw! It was so fast that Wang Ji couldn't even see it clearly.

Wang Ji focused his mind intensely, and some elusive experience in his brain instantly transformed into instinct. "Swish!" He dodged back just thirty centimeters at the perfect moment, the Shadow Leopard's sharp claws grazing past his combat suit.

"Good! This is exhilarating! Just like this!" Wang Ji swung his combat blade nimbly, his body moving back and forth in close proximity to the Shadow Leopard, dodging its attacks by a hair's breadth every time. It was like walking on a tightrope—thrilling, dangerous, and possessing an aesthetically pleasing beauty.

"Steady! Stay in a group! Don't panic!" Lao Bao shouted.

The Vanguard Team barely managed to surround the Shadow Leopard. But looking at the scene, Wang Ji alone was drawing more than half of the Shadow Leopard's fire. The Shadow Leopard attacked Wang Ji repeatedly but couldn't touch him even once.

Wang Ji stuck to the Shadow Leopard like glue.

"Roar!" The Shadow Leopard let out an angry howl. Risking an injury, it swiped and sent a three-man team flying, but it had underestimated Wang Ji's ability.

Wang Ji suddenly lunged, almost crashing into the Shadow Leopard's chest, and then his combat blade flickered like a viper's tongue, flashing across the soft underbelly of the beast. Wang Ji's blade was a Grade 5 weapon, far sharper than the Shadow Leopard could have imagined. Although Wang Ji didn't get greedy and retreated immediately after the strike, he still left a palm-wide wound that was a foot deep in the Shadow Leopard's abdomen.

The Shadow Leopard's speed slowed down immediately. It no longer possessed that wind-like fluidity.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang..."

Half a minute after its speed slowed, the Shadow Leopard lay on the muddy ground like a tattered rag.

"Hoo, hoo..." Everyone gasped for air. This had been the most difficult battle yet. This type of speed-based monster was the biggest headache for warriors. Fortunately, it was finally resolved.

However, seeing that everyone was injured, no one could feel happy. In this battle, one person had died, one was severely injured, and the other seven were all nursing wounds of varying severity.

Lao Bao returned to his stoic expression, personally tidying up the appearance of the fallen warrior before digging a pit to lay the body to rest.

"Fire! Salute!"

"Swish!" "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

In this moment, Wang Ji felt a sense of solemnity and reverence he had never experienced before.