The seven members of the Fire Hammer Squad moved cautiously through the urban area of County-Level City 0201. They could afford to be a little more relaxed in the desolate outskirts, but not in the city, where monsters congregated.
Because of the terrifying strength Luo Yuan had displayed, he took the lead. The Wei Brothers killed all the Beast Soldier Rank monsters they encountered along the way. Beast General Rank monsters were scarce, and the few they found were only Junior Beast Generals, which Luo Yuan dispatched with ease.
After winding their way through the streets, they finally reached their first destination-a residential community in County-Level City 0201 called the Blue Sky Residential Community. The Fire Hammer Squad had chosen it because it contained three twenty-one-story residential buildings.
"We need to take the high ground. Come on, up to the rooftop."
The seven members of the Fire Hammer Squad kept climbing the stairs.
"Roar!" Suddenly, a Lion Mastiff monster appeared on the stairs above them. It stood a full two meters tall, with long fur covering its body, and was as large as a military off-road vehicle. A gust of foul-smelling air swept ahead of it as it lunged down at the squad.
"Get lost!"
Luo Yuan swung his Blood Shadow Battle Blade and cleaved the Lion Mastiff in two. Blood and entrails instantly stained the stairwell red. The scene was rather gruesome, but he merely frowned. The Wei Brothers hurried forward to collect the monster materials.
Despite that scare, the seven members of the Fire Hammer Squad emerged from the stairwell safely and reached the rooftop of the twenty-one-story residential building.
"Close the stairwell door and secure it!" Gao Feng ordered. "We can't let any monsters come up from below and reach the rooftop."
"Right."
Luo Feng and Zhang Ke went over to close the iron stairwell door themselves, finding an iron rod to wedge it firmly shut.
"Whew, we can finally catch our breath."
Everyone quickly took food and fresh water out of their backpacks to replenish their energy.
"Our main task this time is to hunt Beast General-level monsters and collect their materials. Take out your binoculars and have a look," Gao Feng said, taking out his own binoculars.
"Time to find some monsters, brothers. Luo Yuan really had all the luck, running into two lone Beast General Rank Lion Mastiffs out in the desolate outskirts," Chen Gu said with a grin as he set up his machine gun.
"Beast General Rank monsters are difficult to deal with because they're usually surrounded by a pack of Beast Soldier Rank underlings. That makes things troublesome," Gao Feng added.
"Heh, so what if they have plenty of underlings? They're just a bunch of worthless Beast Soldier Rank nobodies. I'll cut them all down together." Luo Yuan wiped the blood off his Type A9 Blood Shadow Battle Blade, his voice full of confidence.
"Haha, you seem pretty low-key, Luo Yuan, but you certainly don't hold back when it comes to killing monsters." Zhang Ke gave him a thumbs-up.
Suddenly, Chen Gu took out an iron case. Luo Yuan had noticed him carrying it the entire way without letting it out of his hands, and his curiosity was piqued.
Chen Gu opened the case, revealing a collection of metal components that appeared to belong to a gun.
A short while later-
A silver-gray heavy sniper rifle nearly two meters long had been assembled, its optical scope and other equipment all installed.
Chen Gu loaded special rounds into the magazine one by one, ten in all.
"Brother Chen, that gun looks awesome!" Luo Feng exclaimed beside him.
"Haha, this thing cost me quite a bit. Oh, Captain, let me know when you find a Beast General-level monster," Chen Gu said.
"Sure. Take a nap first and get some rest. Leave finding a Beast General-level monster to us." Gao Feng nodded.
Everyone scanned the area below carefully through their binoculars, while Chen Gu cradled the heavy sniper rifle, closed his eyes, and began to doze.
Luo Yuan lowered his binoculars. Standing on the rooftop of the twenty-one-story residential building, he looked down at the crumbling walls, ruined high-rises, and old cars abandoned on the roads. This apocalyptic scene gave him a much more tangible understanding of this world.
"Captain, look over there," Zhang Ke suddenly exclaimed, pointing in a particular direction below.
Everyone raised their binoculars and looked where Zhang Ke was pointing. On one of the streets, a strange, entirely red monster resembling a tank was slowly advancing, surrounded by a pack of pig-type monsters.
"Is that a Bloodthirsty Tank?"
The Bloodthirsty Tank species ranked second among pig-type monsters. Despite its name, it was still a type of pig monster. Its body was covered in thick scales that gave it astonishing defense, making it look like an armored tank at first glance. Its defensive power and charging force were no weaker than those of an actual tank.
"It's a Bloodthirsty Tank!"
"That's a big catch."
"Captain, judging by the color of its scales, it should be a Junior Beast General, close to the Intermediate Beast General Level."
The members of the Fire Hammer Squad began discussing it.
"Chen."
"Chen Gu."
His teammates' calls finally made Chen Gu open his eyes. He stood up with a grin. "Found a Beast General-level monster, brothers?"
"Come take a look. It's a Bloodthirsty Tank! Time for you to show us what you've got," Gao Feng said with a smile.
"Haha, watch closely, brothers." Chen Gu moved swiftly, rushing to the iron case and taking out three rounds with blood-red casings to replace the ammunition in his sniper rifle.
Bang! A deep, powerful report rang out.
Almost instantly, the bullet tore through the air toward its target. The alloy armor-piercing round possessed astonishing power and traveled at several times the speed of sound.
Thud!
Sparks erupted from the scales behind the Bloodthirsty Tank's raised ear, near its neck, followed by a gaping hole as the bullet punched straight through. A few minutes later, it collapsed.
Watching Chen Gu finish off a Beast General Rank monster with a single heavy sniper round—and a Bloodthirsty Tank renowned for its defense, no less—made Luo Yuan wary of this world's firearms. It seemed he would have to be more careful in the future. Even with his Micro Level Evasion Movement Technique, he would not be able to dodge every shot.
The seven members of the Fire Hammer Squad slowly descended from the rooftop to retrieve the Bloodthirsty Tank's corpse. Along the way, Luo Yuan also collected the attribute bubbles dropped by his teammates and the monsters.
The trip went fairly smoothly. The Beast Soldier Rank Single-Horned Wild Boars posed no threat to them at all.
Half an hour later.
Luo Yuan and the others quietly arrived on the rooftop of the eighteen-story Haihao Hotel.
"Haha, everyone did well this time. We've made a tidy little profit. I never expected a haul like this on our first day. What a great start! At this rate, we should have quite a haul by the end of the month," Captain Gao Feng said with a smile.
Everyone in the Fire Hammer Squad laughed.
Next, they settled down to rest on the hotel rooftop. Luo Yuan sat cross-legged and began absorbing the attribute bubbles he had collected along the way, rapidly improving his strength. He wondered what changes his special ability would undergo once he broke through to the War God Level, and anticipation filled him. So far, he had yet to encounter anything that frightened him, but he still refused to let his guard down. After all, this was the Wilderness Zone, a paradise for monsters.
PS: The beginning has been a little slow, but things are about to heat up. Dear readers, please send tips, bookmark the story, and cast your monthly votes! Luo Yuan bows in thanks!
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