Qin Chao watched the jeep drive away, recalling the attitude of the two men earlier: "The attitude of these two men is truly strange."
Inside the jeep, White Hair asked, puzzled:
"Captain, why waste 50 points on this trash? He didn't even succeed in his first enhancement.
If you don't want the 50 points, just give them to me. I could even go have some fun in the slum."
Zhang Lei replied disdainfully:
"What the hell do you know? The Demonic Beasts in the wild have been getting more restless these past few days. I'm afraid another tough battle is coming soon.
At a time like this, what the team needs is stability.
What are 50 points? At a crucial moment, a single nail can save your life or take it."
White Hair replied sheepishly: "Yes, yes, Boss is right. Boss, you are truly far-sighted..." Flattery flowed endlessly throughout the journey.
Inside the central command tent of the military camp, several soldiers were anxiously looking at the combat reports.
A beautiful female officer with fair skin, dressed in a crisp military uniform, walked in quickly.
Seeing her arrival, the soldiers stood up, saluted, and presented their reports.
The female officer quickly flipped through the reports in her hand, asking:
"What are the reconnaissance results?"
"Reporting, Commander Su Ling. Our reconnaissance team penetrated 20 kilometers. According to the current gathering speed, this Demonic Beast horde might be the largest in nearly 5 years, and we lost over a dozen personnel. We finally confirmed that this Demonic Beast horde might involve a Peak-level Crimson Flame Cloud Tiger."
Su Ling pondered for a moment, then said, "A Peak-level Crimson Flame Cloud Tiger... I will handle that. The rest of you continue to investigate; don't miss any major threats. It will be too late if there are any oversights on the battlefield."
"Notify those people at the city hall to be ready to evacuate this 203 Base at any time. I always have a bad feeling that this Demonic Beast horde won't be that simple. Preparing in advance is better safe than sorry."
"Yes, Commander."
Qin Chao was organizing daily ammunition reserves in the storage warehouse of his small team's Stationed area. Although evolutionary fluid granted Evolvers abilities such as strength, speed, and even fire or ice, for a newly promoted Level 1 Evolver facing a pack of sharp-toothed, sharp-clawed Demonic Beasts, long-range shooting with firearms was safer.
Just as Qin Chao moved the last box of bullets into place, White Hair walked in, carrying a firearm about 1.5 meters long.
Qin Chao focused his gaze: "Good heavens, this shape is an anti-material sniper rifle! I didn't expect such similar firearms to exist in this world."
White Hair looked at Qin Chao and shouted: "What are you still standing there for? Come and take this."
With that, he threw the gun to Qin Chao. The firearm, weighing about 15 kilograms, flew swiftly from White Hair's hand towards Qin Chao.
Qin Chao, caught off guard, was directly hit in the chest by the firearm, but he instinctively hugged the gun body. Due to the burning pain in his chest, he couldn't help but bend over.
Seeing this, White Hair remembered Zhang Lei's instructions: "My bad, I forgot you failed your enhancement."
Then he flashed to a nearby table and placed five anti-material sniper rifle magazines on it, telling Qin Chao: "Pack these up and put them in the car before dinner." After speaking, he turned and left, but his speed was so fast that Qin Chao didn't even have time to react before White Hair had disappeared from the doorway.
Qin Chao held the gun, feeling the burning pain in his chest. He pressed it slightly with his hand, and his heart settled a little:
"Is this the ability of a Level 1 speed Evolver? Thankfully, my ribs are fine."
Thinking of the unbearable life in the slum, and then looking at the anti-material sniper rifle in his arms, he made up his mind:
"Golden Finger, if you exist, appear quickly! Otherwise, even if it means going back to Earth for re-employment, I'm going to give myself an injection."
In the distant sky, groups of dark figures were constantly gathering and stirring while the military camp was busy.
Mercenary teams were subordinate to the army but had a great deal of autonomy. Normally, they could safely use the army's camps and enjoy its logistical services.
However, they had to turn over 30% of the materials they hunted. If they enlisted, they would receive military pay.
Therefore, many experts still chose to form their own mercenary teams. Although it was more dangerous, they also earned more.
To cope with the impending Demonic Beast horde, mercenary teams and army forces interspersed their defenses, providing mutual support. The entire defense line stretched north to south, and thus Qin Chao's 16th team was assigned to the central-southern area.
Zhang Lei sat solemnly in the back seat of the jeep, carefully wiping his battle saber. Dense scratches covered the blade, but for a battle saber made of specialized alloy steel, it required 2000 points to redeem.
If Qin Chao continued to be a handyman, it would take him over a decade to redeem it, but ordinary people didn't have that much spare money or the qualification to redeem it.
White Hair exclaimed angrily: "Damn it, damn it, damn it. Why were we assigned such a terrible position? We'll be the first to bear the brunt when the fighting starts. We're doomed now..."
Zhang Lei: "Save your strength; you'll be able to run further when you escape later."
After hearing this, White Hair leaned back against the jeep, deflated, lost in thought.
Three other people were scattered around the jeep, some on alert, others adjusting their weapons.
Qin Chao, however, had been busy setting up trenches and moving ammunition with the surrounding soldiers.
He glanced at Zhang Li, who was wiping an anti-material sniper rifle.
Team 16 was a standard 5-person team. Besides Captain Zhang Lei and White Hair, the remaining three were Zhang Li, an ordinary person and sniper; Li Yu, an ordinary person and machine gunner;
The last one was a bit special: Liu Xin was a Level 1 Evolver, but without much offensive capability. Her ability was air control; her strongest attack was merely stirring up a strong wind to blind opponents with sand. When her ability was tested, no one wanted her, but Zhang Lei eventually took her on to be Zhang Li's observer. She was currently fiddling with her binoculars.
Although Qin Chao was under the 16th team, strictly speaking, he was military logistics personnel. He was not yet 16 years old and could not officially enlist, so he could only serve as a handyman for now.
Due to the severe situation this time, even this underage handyman was brought in to set up the battlefield, which showed the military's Pay attention to of this Demonic Beast horde.
In the city hall office at the center of 203 Base, Su Ling was desperately suppressing her anger as she spoke to a plump, well-dressed middle-aged man behind the desk:
"Mayor Chen, the situation outside the 203 Base is extremely critical. I am not confident that we can definitely defend this 203 Base. Please notify the citizens in the city to evacuate as soon as possible."
Mayor Chen looked earnestly at Su Ling opposite him and said:
"Commander Su, please understand that the factory facilities within the 203 Base are already being dismantled urgently. If we hastily notify the public to evacuate, it will certainly cause panic. When chaos breaks out, and your army is not here, I cannot manage a 203 Base with over a hundred thousand people. At this time, evacuating the most valuable materials and scientific researchers first is the most important."
"But, the citizens in the city..."
"No 'buts'. I must consider the bigger picture. I cannot allow decades of hard work in this city to be destroyed in an instant. Moreover, if we evacuate in a messy fashion, I dare say that only one in ten people, including us, would reach the next 203 Base."
Su Ling looked at Mayor Chen angrily, and the other party met her gaze without fear.
At this moment, Su Ling's accompanying officer ran in to report:
"Frontline troops have observed signs of the Demonic Beast horde."
Upon hearing this, Su Ling left with a final remark: "Then take care of yourself. Please do not fail your responsibility." She then turned and left.
Mayor Chen watched Su Ling leave, then turned and asked his secretary beside him:
"How is the evacuation progress?"
"All scientific equipment has been dismantled, and 70% has already been transported out of the city."
"Then issue the notice and let the citizens begin evacuating!"
The citizens in the city had also felt a different atmosphere these past few days, uneasy but also at a loss. Now, seeing the notice issued by the city hall, they panicked.
Qin Chao was completely stunned as he watched groups of rats, like small calves, charging towards them. After all, the difference between what he had seen in his memories and what he was witnessing in reality was too great. For a moment, he forgot all the shooting skills he had practiced these past two days.
He only reacted when the sound of gunfire erupted beside him.
Although he had practiced many firearms in his memories, Qin Chao, having arrived less than a week ago, had never actually fired a gun in a real situation.
Clumsily pulling back the bolt, his automatic rifle sprayed a rain of bullets at the beasts charging towards him.
