After Zhang Zehu and Chen Gu traded a few mocking insults, their captain, "Twin Wind Hammers" Gao Feng, barked a reprimand. Zhang Zehu fell silent and stormed off.
"Luo Feng, do you have a grudge with that guy?" Luo Yuan asked Luo Feng. He no longer remembered some of the details.
"Yeah. His nephew, Zhang Haobai, crossed me a while ago. I made them pay a hundred million in compensation, so they probably hold a grudge," Luo Feng explained calmly.
"Heh, Zhang Haobai. With a wastrel like that in the family, Zhang Zehu is probably finished." Luo Yuan nodded, inwardly scoffing.
Toward evening, the seven fully armed members of the Fire Hammer Squad left the Supply Base and entered the Wilderness Zone.
Once they reached the Wilderness Zone, they began arranging their formation.
Chen Gu opened a case, revealing a silver-gray machine gun with a metallic sheen gleaming at its muzzle. Apart from the machine gun, the case contained a mass of ammunition belts, packed so tightly that they filled the entire large iron case. It was easy to imagine just how many rounds there were.
"Brother Chen, what kind of gun is that?" Luo Feng asked curiously.
"The M81 Model, 12.7-millimeter caliber. It can fire anywhere from fifty to three hundred rounds a minute, with an adjustable firing rate," Chen Gu said with a proud smile. "Even the gun's body contains some level three Kro alloy. No matter how long you keep firing, the heat in the barrel won't affect its accuracy."
"No wonder they call you Artillery Chen. That's practically a torrent of steel. It just feels a little out of place for a warrior," Luo Yuan cut in.
"Hahaha, as long as it kills monsters, the method doesn't matter," Chen Gu said with a laugh.
With ammunition belts wrapped around his body and the machine gun in his hands, Chen Gu took up position in the center of the formation alongside Luo Yuan and Luo Feng, protected by the others.
The Twin Moon Curved Blades Brothers led the formation.
Captain Gao Feng and Zhang Ke brought up the rear.
"We'll follow this highway. In about three days, we should reach our destination-County-Level City 0201," Captain Gao Feng said.
The highway beneath their feet had long since fallen into ruin, with several cracks splitting its surface.
As far as the eye could see, ruined or shattered cars, vans, trucks, and other vehicles littered the highway, with even broken tires scattered everywhere. Blackened bloodstains occasionally marked the ground, and abandoned, dilapidated buildings stood in the distance. It was a scene straight out of the apocalypse.
"Let's go!"
The reddish light of the setting sun shone over the highway, which had lain silent and neglected for decades, as the seven members of the Fire Hammer Squad continued along it.
"Roar!"
"Awooo!"
Waves of monster cries echoed from the fields and ruined villages on either side of the highway, sending a chill through the air.
Suddenly, a Single-Horned Wild Boar appeared ahead of them, its strength somewhere between G-class and F-class.
"Luo Feng, it's yours. This is your first battle in the Wilderness Zone!" Captain Gao Feng called.
"You've got this, Luo Feng." Everyone cheered him on, and Luo Yuan also wanted to see how strong Luo Feng was now.
The H, G, and F classes corresponded to Primary Beast Soldier, Intermediate Beast Soldier, and Advanced Beast Soldier, respectively. Clearly, the Single-Horned Wild Boar before them was close to F-class.
Luo Feng drew his Blood Shadow Battle Blade. Holding his shield in his left hand and his blade in his right, he charged at the Single-Horned Wild Boar and quickly engaged it. Watching him, Luo Yuan saw that the strength and speed he unleashed were already approaching the Advanced Warrior level. Luo Feng had taken less than a month to advance from Advanced Student to Advanced Warrior. Luo Yuan had to admit that he really was a genius. Without his cheat, he would never have been able to keep up.
Luo Feng soon killed the Single-Horned Wild Boar and brought back its horn. Luo Yuan and the others had watched the entire fight. Given Luo Feng's adaptability and techniques in combat, it was hard to believe he was only a newcomer.
Still, when Luo Yuan simulated the fight in his mind, he would have needed only one move to kill that Single-Horned Wild Boar, even if he limited himself to Advanced Warrior strength. The practical combat experience Wang Qian had taught him was proving very useful.
Everyone greeted Luo Feng warmly when he returned. Clearly, they had truly accepted him. Wei Tie even demonstrated how to kill a Tiger Cat monster in a single strike-fierce, direct, decisive, and efficient!
Three days later.
Early that morning, the seven members of the Fire Hammer Squad made their way along a dilapidated Ring Road.
Suddenly, two massive Lion Mastiffs appeared ahead, blood still clinging to the sharp teeth jutting from their mouths.
"My god, those are two Beast General Rank Lion Mastiffs, on par with human War General Level warriors!" Gao Feng cried out, and panic immediately stirred through the squad.
"I'll handle them. It's time to get some practice."
Luo Yuan stepped out of the squad, pulled back the hood of his Black Robe, and rolled his neck. Then he drew the Type A9 Blood Shadow Battle Blade from his back and looked at the two Lion Mastiffs, a cold, bloodthirsty smile curling his lips.
Whoosh!
His speed suddenly surged, accompanied by the whistle of air tearing past! The fur on both Lion Mastiffs instantly stood on end.
Luo Yuan closed in within an instant, taking four uncanny steps-the movement technique "Flowing Light" from the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade. A Lion Mastiff lunged at him with both forepaws. Luo Yuan twisted his body, precisely avoiding its claws, and the instant they passed each other, his Blood Shadow Battle Blade darted out in a treacherous thrust!
Pfft! It pierced a vital spot in the Lion Mastiff's neck, killing it on the spot.
"Roar!" Seeing blood gush from its companion's neck, the other Lion Mastiff let out a low growl and fled at full speed.
Luo Yuan accelerated and caught up. Before the Lion Mastiff could react, he unleashed Thunder Blade, cleaving it in two at the waist. The powerful blade arc continued onward without losing momentum, blasting the abandoned building beside it into rubble as well.
He's so strong! Everyone present was shocked. With strength like that, Luo Yuan could be considered the strongest member of the Fire Hammer Squad.
"Luo Yuan, I never expected your practical combat ability to be this impressive. Even I would have struggled to fight those two Beast General Rank Lion Mastiffs, let alone kill them. Yet neither of them lasted a single move against you," Gao Feng said in amazement as he walked over.
"Haha, I'm not bad." Luo Yuan smiled. Those two Lion Mastiffs had been at the Intermediate Beast General Level at most, so he had hardly taken them seriously.
After gathering the valuable materials from the monsters, Luo Yuan and the other members of the Fire Hammer Squad entered their destination-County-Level City 0201.
The seven of them slipped quietly into the Suburban Area of County 0201.
"For the past three days, we've followed the highway through deserted areas," Chen Gu said in a low voice as they walked. "Most monsters live in cities, in areas packed with buildings! County towns, urban districts, and places like them are where the real danger lies!"
Luo Yuan nodded. He had already read about some of the monsters' gathering habits on the Warrior Forum. With human armies hunting them down, the monsters gained a tremendous advantage by hiding in densely built-up areas.
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