133: Heihe Village

The massive alloy East Gate of the Lujiang Base slowly opened with the hum of hydraulic machinery. Zhu Lingyun handed the mission document, stamped with the Hunter Association seal, to the stationed City Defense Army soldiers. After a brief verification, the heavy gate was fully raised. A modified vehicle—a bus rented jointly by Dawns First Light and Sword of Hope, with its seats removed and simple benches installed—slowly drove out.

The initial journey was unusually peaceful. The twenty-kilometer radius around the Lujiang Base had long been repeatedly cleared by the Red Alert Legion's tanks and aircraft. Occasionally, charred or flattened zombie remains could be seen along the roadside. The air was filled with a faint smell of burning and disinfectant. Not a single living zombie was visible; only desolate fields and ruined villages sped by outside the window.

The interior of the bus was spacious but rudimentary. Sixteen people from the two teams sat on the benches lining both sides. To foster understanding, Zhu Lingyun took the initiative to suggest, "Everyone, while we have the chance, let's introduce ourselves and our abilities! It will make coordination easier later."

From the Sword of Hope side, Li Xueli stood up gracefully: "Li Xueli, Summoner. My innate summoned beast is the Polar Ice Bear! The Big Bear is a bit large, so I won't summon it now. The Big Bear has strong front-line combat capabilities, and it also has the control skill, Ice Bear Roar."

Yang Yiyu followed immediately, her voice gentle: "Yang Yiyu, Summoner. My innate summoned beast is the Azure Water Spirit Beast." As she spoke, a beautiful and agile blue sprite, about seventy centimeters tall, formed from pure water flow on her shoulder, blinking its "eyes" curiously.

"Wang Sheng, Paladin Transformation. I can also summon a mount, the Knight Warhorse." The young man, clad in shimmering silver Paladin armor, nodded steadily, the Light Spear in his hand faintly flickering.

"Liu Yan, Flame Blade!" A red-haired young man grinned, and a cluster of dancing flames rose from his palm.

"Liu Lin, Electric Current Shield." The youth holding the crackling blue electric shield said.

Lin Chen and Zhao Yu, Strength Enhancers, along with Wang Hao and Wu Ting, Speed Enhancers, also announced their names and ability types in turn.

From the Dawns First Light side:

"Wang Kai, Petrified Skin." Vice-Captain Wang Kai responded in a deep voice, the skin on his arms instantly flashing with a rock-like grayish-white sheen.

"Ma Tianfeng, Gale Warhorse Summoner." Ma Tianfeng was a tall, thin man.

"Niu Jinshui, Berserk Water Buffalo Summoner!" Niu Jinshui was very strong, but short.

"Yan Xin, my ability is Flame Bow." Yan Xin was a slender, heroic woman.

"Li Yiyi, Healing Staff." Li Yiyi was a gentle girl, who materialized a wooden staff with a jade-green gemstone inlaid at the tip.

"Miao Lili, Magic Fruit." Miao Lili spoke playfully. The petite girl, only 1.6 meters tall, spread her palm, revealing several emerald-green, crystalline fruits emitting an enticing fragrance. "My fruits can restore stamina and Superpower."

"Zhao Dun, Light Shield Warrior." He made a grasping motion with his left hand, and a diamond-shaped shield condensed from light instantly formed and then dissipated.

Finally, Zhu Lingyun said in a deep voice, "Zhu Lingyun, my ability is Black Flame Demon Swordsman." He did not demonstrate his ability, but a steady and restrained aura of a powerful expert naturally emanated from him.

Li Xueli was secretly astonished. Dawns First Light's configuration was practically perfect: strong offense (Zhu Lingyun, Niu Jinshui), powerful tank (Wang Kai), ranged firepower (Yan Xin), high-speed mobility (Ma Tianfeng), healing (Li Yiyi), logistics support (Miao Lili), and balanced offense/defense (Zhao Dun)... they had virtually no weaknesses! In contrast, although Sword of Hope had her Ice Bear and Yang Yiyu's Spirit Beast to hold the line, the four Basic Enhancers were indeed weaker in terms of special abilities. However, she was full of confidence in her Polar Ice Bear—it was definitely superior to the Gale Warhorse and the Berserk Water Buffalo! Furthermore, Yang Yiyu's Azure Water Spirit Beast combined offense and support, far surpassing mere healing capabilities. As for Zhu Lingyun... Li Xueli could sense an unfathomable power radiating from him; he was definitely a master.

"Small group of zombies spotted ahead! About thirty of them, scattered around an abandoned gas station by the roadside!" Lin Chen (Strength Enhancer), who was driving the bus, suddenly shouted the warning, interrupting the conversation inside the vehicle. By this point, they were a considerable distance from the Lujiang Base.

"Stop the bus! Prepare for battle!" Zhu Lingyun and Li Xueli ordered almost simultaneously, their voices carrying undeniable decisiveness.

"Everyone, focus on coordination, and prioritize protecting yourselves and your teammates! Don't rush in recklessly!" Li Xueli added, her gaze sharply sweeping over her team members.

"Understood!" Everyone responded in unison, quickly grabbing the weapons beside them (the Basic Enhancers were equipped with pistols and military knives exchanged through the Association; those without weapon-summoning abilities had also acquired self-defense weapons), and filed out of the bus.

The abandoned gas station was a mess. The thirty-odd ragged, gray-skinned zombies caught the scent of living people, immediately let out hoarse roars, and staggered toward them. The stench of rot assailed their faces.

"Hah!" Zhu Lingyun let out a low roar and charged first! Black mist churned around him, instantly covering him in a ferocious, pitch-black Demonic Armor. The leaping black Demonic Flame slightly distorted the air! A massive, door-sized Two-Handed Greatsword condensed in his hand, its blade wrapped in ominous dark red patterns.

"Charged Heavy Strike!" He settled his stance, dragging the massive Demonic Greatsword behind him, its blade surging with black light! As he approached the leading zombie, he spun sharply, and the greatsword swept out with a sound like air being torn! "Schwing!" With a dull, teeth-grinding thud, the zombie was instantly sliced in half at the waist, like butter cut by a hot knife! Foul blood and guts splattered everywhere.

"Nice! Well done!" Li Xueli's eyes lit up, and she cheered loudly, then, unwilling to be outdone, she commanded: "Big Bear! It's your turn! Ice Bear Roar!"

"ROAR—!!!" The Polar Ice Bear stood up, violently pounding its chest covered in ice crystals, letting out a deafening, terrifying roar filled with chilling energy! A visible light-blue shockwave spread forward in a fan shape! The dozen or so nearest zombies were struck as if by an invisible sledgehammer, instantly staggering and becoming stiff and slow, with thin layers of frost condensing on their bodies!

"Good opportunity!" A glint flashed in Liu Yan's eyes. He rushed forward, the crimson long blade formed by flames in his hand tracing a scorching arc! "Puff!" The head of a zombie stunned by the roar flew high into the air, the severed neck charred black.

"Shield Bash!" Liu Lin followed closely, holding the shield crackling with electricity, and slammed hard into another zombie! "Bang!" The zombie was sent flying backward, its body convulsing violently under the strong current, emitting smoke. Wang Sheng followed like a shadow, his silver Light Spear accurately thrusting out, piercing its skull!

The Dawns First Light members also displayed their unique skills:

Yan Xin narrowed her eyes, drew her bow, and instantly condensed an arrow burning with fierce flames! "Blazing Armor-Piercing Arrow!" The arrow left the string, transforming into a line of fire, accurately penetrating a zombie's eye socket and incinerating the inside of its skull into charcoal!

"Moo—!" Under Niu Jinshui's command, the Berserk Water Buffalo pawed the ground and activated its innate skill, "Brute Bull Charge"! It slammed into the Zombie Horde like an out-of-control heavy truck. Two zombies that failed to dodge were instantly gored by its massive, water-shrouded horns and flung away like tattered sacks!

Ma Tianfeng rode the Gale Warhorse with the speed of wind. Instead of charging directly, he rode around to the flank. The warhorse reared its front hooves high, then stomped down heavily, enveloped in a cyan whirlwind! "Gale Stomp!" A powerful shockwave spread out, causing five zombies to sway in place as if drunk, falling into a state of dizziness. Zhu Lingyun seized the opportunity, and his Demonic Greatsword transformed into streaks of black lightning, precisely severing all five heads!

Zhao Dun steadily guarded Yan Xin, Li Yiyi, and Miao Lili. A massive Light Shield stood firm, easily blocking and repelling the scattered zombies that lunged forward.

Wang Kai was like a moving fortress; the rock-hard skin made the zombies' bites feel like mere scratches. His large, fan-like hand grabbed a zombie's neck and snapped it with a "crack," twisting it like a pretzel, in a clean and decisive motion.

The battle came quickly and ended just as fast. The thirty ordinary zombies were cleared out in less than three minutes, their foul blood staining the gas station's concrete floor red. A post-battle count revealed two sparkling white crystal cores.

"As agreed, one for each of us." Zhu Lingyun retracted his Demonic Armor, picked up the crystal cores, and tossed one of them to Li Xueli.