The Real Wilderness Zone

Zhang Zehu, who was chatting with his companions outside, turned his head at the sound. His eyes immediately landed on Chen Gu, Luo Zhe, and the others standing at the entrance of the small building. When he spotted the buzz-cut youth, Luo Feng, among them, Zhang Zehu felt his teeth itch with rage.

After that negotiation, the Security Bureau had gone straight to his nephew's home! He had been forced to donate 100 million to the state in his nephew's name, earning the boy a "One-Star Citizen" title just to avoid a prison sentence. Even so, his nephew still had to be detained for re-education for several months; suffering was inevitable.

Recalling his older brother's anxious expression at the time, and the sheer terror on his nephew Zhang Haobai's face when the Security Bureau dragged him away, Zhang Zehu's fury only intensified.

Suppressing his rage, he sneered loudly at Chen Gu, "Chen 'Cannon', your Fire Hammer Squad is supposed to be an elite team, so why are you dragging two rookies along? Aren't you afraid these two burdens will drag you to your deaths?"

Generally, well-coordinated elite squads were rarely willing to take on rookies. Even if a rookie had good physical stats, their lack of experience meant they could drop the ball at a critical moment, easily dragging down the veteran members.

Zhang Zehu and Chen Gu exchanged a few barbs and insults, but when their captain, Gao Feng, stepped out and barked a reprimand, both men fell silent.

Zhang Zehu sometimes dared to challenge Chen Gu because Chen Gu used firearms. A martial artist who relied on firearms could reach, at most, the "Junior Warrior Level," as guns and similar weapons could generally only threaten "Junior Beast Warrior Level" monsters. As for Zhang Zehu, he was only a hair's breadth away from the Warrior Level himself.

However, Gao Feng was different. Known as "Double Wind Hammer," he wielded a pair of massive hammers as cold weapons. He was a High-Level Warrior in his prime, with strength comparable to Pan Ya, the captain of the Tiger Tooth Squad. Therefore, no matter what, Zhang Zehu dared not provoke Gao Feng.

Watching the Tiger Tooth Squad walk away, Luo Zhe stroked his chin and asked, "If we ran into them in the Wilderness Zone, could our squad give them a good beating?"

"Cough, cough!"

Having just finished a shouting match with Zhang Zehu, Chen Gu was thirsty and was taking a drink of water when he was caught off guard by the question. He choked, staring at Luo Zhe as if he were looking at a monster.

Feeling his scalp tingle under Chen Gu's gaze, Luo Zhe felt goosebumps rise on his skin. "Brother Chen, what's with that look? What are you staring at?"

Chen Gu rubbed his chin, his eyes still fixed on Luo Zhe. "When I was your age, let alone provoking other squads, even when we encountered other martial artist teams in the Wilderness Zone, we had to be careful with every move, terrified of accidentally offending them."

"And yet... you two haven't even stepped through the gates of the Wilderness Zone, and one of you has already offended the notorious 'Mountain Opener' Zhang Zehu, while the other is already looking for a chance to beat him and his whole squad up. Are young people today just more reckless, or have we fallen behind the times?"

Just then, Zhang Ke, who had come down from upstairs, laughed and said, "Maybe you're just old. We're all a generation older than these two kids. You know what they say—a three-year gap is a generation, and there are four or five generations between us. It'd be a miracle if we could keep up with the trends."

Luo Feng, standing to the side, added a final jab: "It's no wonder, Brother Chen. You're thirty-four this year, and both your kids have already started training at the martial arts gym. You really are 'old'."

Chen Gu: "..."

By dusk, the seven members of the fully armed Fire Hammer Squad had left the supply base and entered the Wilderness Zone.

The reddish light of the setting sun shone upon the desolate, dilapidated highway that had been in disrepair for decades. The seven members of the Fire Hammer Squad moved steadily along the road.

Luo Zhe and Luo Feng were currently guarding the left and right sides of the machine gunner, Chen Gu, with the three of them walking in the center of the formation. The stoic Wei Brothers served as the vanguard, leading the team.

Captain Gao Feng and the ever-reliable Zhang Ke brought up the rear.

Slowing his pace slightly, Luo Zhe took a look at the crumbling highway beneath his feet, which was riddled with deep cracks.

As far as the eye could see, the highway was littered with the wrecks of broken-down or shattered sedans, trucks, and lorries; even shredded tires lay scattered about. From time to time, blackened bloodstains could be seen on the ground.

He couldn't help but sigh, "So this is the Wilderness Zone!"

Chen Gu, positioned in the center, noticed Luo Zhe lagging behind on his left and growled in a low voice, "Luo Zhe, are you sleepwalking? Keep up with the team!"

Although the surroundings were wide open and not a single monster was in sight, this was the perfect time to drill the team's formation. Chen Gu was quite dissatisfied with Luo Zhe's lack of focus.

One minute on stage requires ten years of practice off stage!

Everything must be done with attention to detail. If they grew lax in a relatively safe environment, they might develop the habit of zoning out once they entered a ruined city. If they encountered a monster then, Chen Gu, the machine gunner positioned in the protected center, could find himself facing a monster head-on!

Stung by Chen Gu's shout, Luo Zhe immediately snapped to attention, quickening his pace to catch up with Chen Gu and Luo Feng. He said with a hint of apology, "Sorry, Brother Chen. My mistake."

Chen Gu kept a straight face and said sternly, "I know this is your first time in the Wilderness Zone and your first time seeing this kind of scene, so it's natural to be excited. But... we are in the Wilderness Zone now. You must be cautious in everything! Because one mistake from you or me could cost the entire team our lives!"

"I hope you understand!" Chen Gu's tone softened slightly as he patted Luo Zhe on the shoulder. "Don't blame me for being harsh. Since I brought you and Luo Feng into the Wilderness Zone, I have to be responsible for your lives, as well as the lives of everyone else in the squad!"

Luo Zhe nodded, replying earnestly, "I understand, Brother Chen!"

The team continued to advance. Gradually, the plains vanished from the horizon, replaced by fields, forests, and the ruins of scattered villages.

"Roar—"

"Awoo—"

On both sides of the highway, the roars of monsters began to echo, and soon, several monsters came into view. The veteran members of the Fire Hammer Squad remained relaxed, though their eyes scanned the surroundings intently. The two rookies, Luo Zhe and Luo Feng, however, could not afford to relax; their bodies were tense, their battle blades gripped so tightly that the veins on their hands stood out.

Being in a place where monsters could be seen everywhere forced their bodies into a subconscious state of high alert, as if they were ready to charge into battle the moment a monster lunged at them.

Captain Gao Feng, walking at the very back, saw the state of the two rookies clearly. He knew that keeping their bodies in such a state of constant tension would be a massive drain, but he couldn't bring himself to tell them to relax.

Because he knew it wouldn't do any good!

This was a common ailment among rookies!

Suddenly, a lone One-Horned Wild Boar wandered into Gao Feng's line of sight. It appeared to be a beast with strength between the G-level and F-level. Gao Feng's eyes flickered as he thought of a good idea, and he called out to the two men in front, "Luo Zhe, Luo Feng, there's a One-Horned Wild Boar up ahead with strength roughly at the High-Level Beast Soldier level. It's yours."

"This is your first battle since entering the Wilderness Zone!"