238: guide

Guided by Lu Qinian and Governor, Zhang Lei and his group arrived at one of the core areas of Hongdu Base—the military training ground.

As soon as they stepped onto the field, a wave of heat mixed with the scent of sweat and earth rushed toward them.

Hundreds of sturdy soldiers in military green training uniforms were drilling in neat formations.

Most were tightly gripping standard-issue rifles, but what made them unique was that almost every rifle muzzle was equipped with a gleaming, unusually long military bayonet.

Amidst the instructor's sharp and powerful commands, the soldiers moved in perfect unison, repeating the most basic thrusting, blocking, and hacking movements over and over again.

Sweat slid down their bronze skin, creating small wet marks on the dusty ground, and their shouts carried a sense of desperate determination.

"Sigh," Lu Qinian looked at the scene before him, his nose aching, and explained in a low voice, "Comrade Zhang Lei, to tell you the truth, our base's ammunition reserves have always been extremely tight."

"Although our internal arsenal is operating at full capacity, production increases are limited due to shortages in steel and other raw materials."

"Facing massive numbers of ordinary zombies, in order to save precious bullets, many times... we have to rely on this most primitive and cruel close-quarters combat."

His words were filled with helplessness and sorrow, as if he were seeing those young faces from the early days of the apocalypse who were constantly infected and fell because they were forced to fight zombies hand-to-hand.

It wasn't until the number of Evolvers in the base gradually increased that this passive situation of trading lives for lives was slightly reversed.

Zhang Lei nodded silently, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers' eyes, which were mixed with perseverance and a hint of determination, and he understood.

Under such cruel survival pressure, it was not easy for Hongdu Base to maintain the current situation.

Next, the group visited the shooting range and the garage where a small number of tanks and armored vehicles were parked.

Although the equipment was slightly old and scarce, whether it was the mechanics working nervously on repairs or the crew members standing by, their eyes all revealed an unyielding tenacity and a fierce aura tempered by blood and fire.

Hongdu, this hero city with a glorious history and honorable traditions, had not seen its troops' military spirit and courage dissipate due to the hardships of the apocalypse.

Finally, they arrived at the designated Evolver training area.

The atmosphere here was significantly more lively, with about a hundred Evolvers training (most of the other Evolvers were out on search and rescue or clearing missions).

On the field, several Second-Tier Evolvers with significantly stronger auras were patiently explaining and demonstrating the application techniques and combat experience of Supernatural Ability to the low-tier Evolvers gathered around them.

Those low-tier Evolvers listened intently, and from time to time, someone would imitate and try, triggering faint glows of energy.

In the center of the field, on a huge concrete-reinforced ring, Evolvers kept jumping up to conduct live combat training, with shouts and the sounds of energy collisions ringing out incessantly.

Seeing Zhang Lei and the others arrive, the training paused slightly, and everyone's eyes turned toward them with curiosity and awe.

Seeing this, Lu Qinian felt a stir in his heart, thinking this was a good opportunity to showcase Hongdu Base's strength while also learning from the strong.

He turned to Zhang Lei and suggested in a consultative tone, "Comrade Zhang Lei, your army is full of experts. I wonder if you could ask two of your subordinates to come down and guide our army's Yang Kang and Wang Dun? It would also let our Evolvers broaden their horizons and learn."

His words were humble, but his eyes hid a hint of an intention to weigh the opponent's worth.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lei turned to look at Natasha and Chen Hao behind him.

Chen Hao grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth, stretched his thick neck with a cracking sound, and readily replied, "No problem! My hands have been itching, and it's the perfect time to stretch my muscles and ask the colleagues from Hongdu for some pointers!"

Natasha, however, couldn't even be bothered to lift her eyelids. She crossed her arms, and her cold tone was without a ripple, "Boring. I am a Sniper, not a boxer on a ring."

After speaking, she turned her head away, leaving everyone with a perfect side profile and an aloofness that kept people at a distance.

Zhang Lei's mouth twitched slightly. Having long been accustomed to this "Ice Girl's" temper, he smiled helplessly and said to Lu Qinian, "In that case, let Chen Hao fight one match. For the other, I will step down myself to spar with your army's expert. General Lu, what do you think?"

Hearing this, a look of surprise and joy appeared on Lu Qinian's face, "If Comrade Zhang Lei is willing to provide personal guidance, that is truly something we couldn't ask for! It is the honor of our soldiers!"

He immediately turned to his two top combatants, "Yang Kang, Wang Dun, discuss among yourselves, who will ask Officer Zhang Lei for advice? Don't worry, Officer Zhang Lei will have his own measure and won't go all out."

"General Lu, I will do it!" Yang Kang stepped forward almost without hesitation. His blood-red eyes burned with fiery fighting spirit. He stared intently at Zhang Lei, his voice slightly hoarse with excitement, "To be able to spar with a top expert like Officer Zhang Lei is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I want to try and see just how big the gap is between me and a true peak expert!"

"Good! Yang Kang, you have courage!" Lu Qinian nodded approvingly, then instructed the other sturdy man, "Wang Dun, then you spar with Brigade Commander Chen Hao. Remember, stop at the point of contact; the focus is on exchange."

"Yes, General!" Wang Dun nodded steadily, his gaze fixed on the tower-like Chen Hao, and a strong fighting spirit also rose in his eyes.

"Officer," Chen Hao looked at Zhang Lei and asked, "Can I use the destroyer?"

This question was crucial. Chen Hao, equipped with the thrice-strengthened Third-Tier destroyer and augmented with his own metal-type Supernatural Ability, was worlds apart in combat power compared to when he was not piloting the machine.

Within the Red Alert Legion, in terms of pure frontal combat capability, apart from Zhang Lei, who possessed Divine Fire Body Tempering and unfathomable strength, even the incredibly powerful War Bear, Xiong Da, was no longer a match for Chen Hao in his destroyer state.

"Oh? Brigade Commander Chen is also a powerful destroyer pilot?" Upon hearing this, Wang Dun not only showed no fear but his interest grew even stronger. He cupped his hands and said sincerely, "I have long heard that your army's destroyer is peerless in power, but I have never been able to see it with my own eyes. Brigade Commander Chen, since this is a sparring match, please go all out and let me, Wang, broaden my horizons! Don't worry, I, Wang Dun, cannot say much about other things, but defensive ability is considered one of my strengths."

Seeing Wang Dun's attitude, Zhang Lei nodded at Chen Hao, "In that case, follow Captain Wang's words. You may use the destroyer, but be careful to control your power; focus on the exchange."

"Understood!"

The two said no more and leaped one after another onto the sturdy concrete ring, which was hundreds of meters in diameter.

Wang Dun initiated the attack first. He took a deep breath, and the Earth-type Supernatural Ability within him surged!

His already sturdy body expanded rapidly as if inflated, reaching about four and a half meters in the blink of an eye. His skin color deepened, quickly keratinized, and was covered with a layer of pale yellow rock armor emitting a heavy aura!

His head underwent a prominent mutation, forming a huge and hard horn, and his whole person seemed to transform into an ancient giant-horned rhinoceros standing upright!

This was his Supernatural Ability—Giant-Horned Rhinoceros Transformation, combining the strong physique of a rhinoceros with the defensive enhancement of earth elements. Although slightly inferior in potential compared to pure elemental abilities, it provided extremely significant boosts to strength and defense at low and mid-tiers. Even at the third tier, the gap with pure elemental abilities was negligible.

Having completed his transformation, Wang Dun let out a low roar, clenched his fists, and rich earth-yellow energy quickly condensed on his arms, forming a pair of huge, heavy, and angular earth-yellow rock gauntlets and arm guards, looking just like two immensely powerful giant pile drivers!

On the other side, Chen Hao did not delay. He gave a low shout and reached out to press the high-tech metal belt at his waist!

"Hum—"

A flash of light shone from the center of the belt, and countless tiny nano-metal units gushed out as if they had a life of their own, quickly enveloping Chen Hao's leaping body!

Accompanied by dazzling combination transformations and the clanging, powerful sounds of metal locking together, a 6.5-meter-tall, gun-grey painted, sharp-lined, and powerful-looking destroyer heavy mecha, full of the aesthetics of strength and slaughter, stood imposingly on the ring within seconds! The cold metal shell reflected a chilly light in the sunlight, and its huge size brought a strong sense of visual oppression!