23: Hero templates are now available.

In order to establish a base as quickly as possible, Jiang Xin had already dispatched a squad to Yongjiang Ancient City to clear out the zombies. This squad was composed of elite Red Alert Soldiers and led by the three-star Sniper, Li Ang.

Tomorrow, Jiang Xin himself would personally head to Yongjiang Ancient City to build the base. At that time, he would transfer the survivors from the government complex to Yongjiang Ancient City to gradually restore production.

Jiang Xin sat in his office, staring at the ruins outside while carefully contemplating the construction plan for the ancient city in his mind. Various military buildings constantly surfaced in his thoughts; he wanted to find a perfect plan that could maximize the utilization of Yongjiang Ancient City.

Just as Jiang Xin was fully concentrated on his thoughts, his communicator suddenly rang.

Suddenly, Li Ang sent a communication, stating that they had killed a First-Tier Fatty Zombie and obtained a yellow crystal core.

At that moment, the voice of No. 1 echoed in Jiang Xin's mind again.

"Congratulations, Commander. Your subordinate Li Ang has killed a First-Tier Zombie and obtained 1 hero badge. The Red Alert Soldiers' hero module is now unlocked. The Commander can use hero badges to promote Red Alert Soldiers who have reached three-star status, and can also use hero badges to exchange for special Red Alert hero units. Currently, three hero units are available for exchange:"

"Ace Sniper - Shadow Hunter Natasha (100 hero badges). Natasha is the Soviet Army's ace Sniper, a ghost of the battlefield. She controls Shadow Superpowers and possesses extreme speed, turning into a shadow to traverse the battlefield. Her exclusive weapon, the god-slaying sniper rifle, can fire God-Slaying No. 1 Burst Armor-Piercing rounds. These bullets carry powerful explosive, armor-piercing, and heavy injury capabilities; they are guaranteed hits and cannot be dodged, only forcibly defended against. Before hitting the enemy, the bullet hides in shadow space, making it undetectable, and accumulates kinetic energy within the shadow space, potentially tripling its maximum power. It only manifests when it enters the range of the enemy's six senses (perception ability is determined by the opponent's Superpower and strength). (Note: The author is a super fan, borrowing Qi Lin's weapon here)."

"War Valkyrie - Dual-Wielding Combatant Tanya (100 hero badges). Tanya is a heroine of the Allied Forces, a war god on the battlefield. Her mastery of dual pistols is superb, and Tanya's physical fitness has been comprehensively enhanced—speed, strength, perception, and physical resistance are all fully strengthened (all equivalent to an Evolver of the same tier with a single-attribute specialization). She possesses extreme close-combat capabilities. Tanya has an exclusive weapon, the war god blade - Dual Pistols. The war god blade pistols can fire War God Bullets, which have properties such as slowing, bleeding, poisoning, and armor-piercing. The war god blade dual pistols can change forms, transforming into dual-wielded short blades—the war god blade. The war god blade utilizes nano-cutting technology, capable of extreme defense-breaking against opponents one tier higher than herself."

"Mind Controller - Yuri (200 hero badges). Yuri is the sovereign of the Yuri Empire, possessing powerful mental control abilities. He can enslave the souls of enemies whose mental strength is lower than his own, turning them into his puppets. The number of puppets varies based on the puppets' strength. Yuri's mental power is formidable; he can use mental-level strike forces to harass and kill enemies."

"The first exchange for a hero unit enjoys an 80% discount."

After listening to No. 1's introduction and repeatedly checking the specific information of the three hero units, Jiang Xin was practically drooling. They were too strong; these were essentially strategic-level assets. If he could possess these three hero units, the help they would provide wouldn't even be weaker than Zhang Lei's, and...

He hurriedly asked, "No. 1, how many hero badges are needed to promote a three-star Sniper? What about the Heavy Infantry, Riot Trooper, Conscript, and Military Dog?"

"Commander, a Sniper requires 8 hero badges. A Heavy Infantry requires 8, a Riot Trooper requires 5, a Conscript requires 3, and a Military Dog requires 4."

"No. 1, can promoted Red Alert units absorb crystal core energy?" Jiang Xin asked expectantly.

However, No. 1's answer was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head: "No."

Jiang Xin couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. He had originally thought that after Red Alert Soldiers were promoted to hero units via hero badges, they would be able to use crystal cores to improve their abilities just like Evolvers.

"Then how should the subsequent improvement of Red Alert Soldiers be carried out?" Jiang Xin continued to press.

No. 1's answer was disappointing: "Please increase your military rank, Commander."

Jiang Xin sighed helplessly. It seemed that if he wanted to know more about the improvement of Red Alert Soldiers, he would have to wait until he was promoted to Major.

Time passed minute by minute, and in the blink of an eye, three hours had gone by. Just then, Jiang Xin received a transmission from Li Ang.

"Commander, the zombies in the Yongjiang Ancient City scenic area have all been cleared. Requesting to return,"

The squad led by Li Ang soon returned to the Government Building.

Li Ang walked quickly to Jiang Xin's office and handed over the collected crystal cores, including that yellow crystal core from the First-Tier Fatty Zombie.

"Good work. How was the strength of that Fatty Zombie?" Jiang Xin asked.

Li Ang answered Jiang Xin's question methodically: "The strength of a First-Tier Fatty Zombie is much higher compared to a sub-First-Tier Fatty Zombie. Its strength is very impressive; three-star Riot Trooper Li Wei was completely unable to withstand it. Its physical defense is also very shocking. With a sub-First-Tier Fatty Zombie, even if my Sniper rifle didn't hit a vital spot, it could still cause effective damage. Most of the First-Tier Fatty Zombie's body is immune to my Sniper rifle bullets; only attacking the head can kill it."

Jiang Xin said with some concern, "The evolution speed of the zombies is too fast; time waits for no one. Li Ang, I'll have to trouble you once more to escort me to the ancient city scenic area."

"You are too polite, Commander. This is my duty," Li Ang hurriedly gave a military salute.

Jiang Xin took the elite squad and flew toward Yongjiang Ancient City again. Looking down at his devastated hometown from a high altitude, Jiang Xin was filled with emotion, hoping that he could soon recover the entire territory of County.