31: Commander-Zhang Long, Sandstorm Warrior-Li Wei

The eighth day of the zombie outbreak.

The zombie crisis was like a long and desperate winter, shrouding the entire land of China. Although survivor bases centered around provincial military regions had been established one after another through the struggles of the remaining forces, their scales were uneven, like flickering lights swaying in a violent storm.

The cruel reality was cold. Aside from the main stations of the five major military regions—Lingnan Province, Chuanxi Province, Gusu Province, Kyoto, and Liaodong—which relied on their foundation of millions of troops (having lost 60%-70% of their strength in the first wave of the Zombie Tide virus outbreak), and the border provinces of Tubo and Anxi Base, which barely held on by relying on 200,000 garrison troops (also suffering heavy losses) and their vast, sparsely populated terrain, the garrison forces in other provinces numbered barely ten thousand before the catastrophe and were now stretched even thinner.

The five major military regions, located in the country's developed provinces, were like five isolated islands besieged by a sea of corpses, enduring unimaginable pressure. Among them, the four major military regions of the East, South, West, and Central were also adjacent to super-metropolises with populations in the hundreds of millions.

Lingnan Shencheng: China's window city to the outside world before the apocalypse, with an extremely developed economy and a population of hundreds of millions.

Chuanxi Mountain City: Also with a population of over a hundred million, known as the 3D Magic City before the apocalypse.

Gusu Magic Capital: The Pearl of the Orient with a population of 600 million, it has completely turned into a dead zone (abandoned by the Eastern Military Region).

Kyoto: The heart of China, with a population of 500 million in just one city.

Although Liaodong has no cities with over a hundred million people, it is filled with cities of ten million, and the scale of the zombie groups is equally terrifying.

Among them, the pressure on the Eastern Military Region (towards Gusu's Magic Capital) and the Southern Military Region (towards Lingnan's Shencheng) even rivals that of the Kyoto Base guarding the capital region! Lingnan and Gusu Provinces, as the coastal core cities with the densest populations and most developed economies in China, both reached a terrifying billion-level total population! The scale of the Zombie Tide in their fallen areas is suffocating just to imagine.

Currently, the number of bases nationwide capable of housing more than 100,000 survivors can be counted on one hand:

Lingnan Rongcheng Base (established by the Southern Military Region)

Chuanxi Shucheng Base (established by the Western Military Region)

Gusu Yangtai Base (established by the Eastern Military Region)

Kyoto Suburban Base (established by the Central Military Region)

Liaodong Shengjing Base (established by the Northern Military Region)

Meanwhile, the Tubo Holy City Base and Anxi Tianshan Base, though established by border garrisons, each only housed over ten thousand people due to the sparse local population. Fortunately, these two bases became relatively safe 'islands'—low population density meant it was difficult for a super Zombie Tide capable of destroying a base to form.

The national situation was one of gloom and doom. The intermittent news coming over the radio was all terrifying: cities with populations of ten million had become breeding grounds where Tier 1 mutant zombies frequently appeared! Acid Throat's corrosive liquid, Agile's ghostly shadows, Lickers, Fatty Zombies... these nightmare monsters were spreading rapidly.

To make matters worse, the suddenness of the zombie outbreak destroyed the national industrial production and logistics systems. The ammunition supplies of each military region became like water without a source. Every bullet and every shell became incredibly precious. Heavy firepower? They wouldn't dream of using it unless absolutely necessary! The troops at each base could only operate carefully on the outskirts, struggling to rescue scattered survivors. As for cross-regional rescue of other cities? That was just an out-of-reach dream.

As for the situation in other countries globally? It could only be worse than China's. If even a Superpower like China on the Blue Star couldn't look after itself, the fate of other countries could be imagined... Inside the Yongjiang Ancient City base, Zhang Lei had been going out constantly these days to hunt Tier 1 mutant zombies, honing his Fire Superpower and bringing back precious hero badges for Jiang Xin. The number of badges finally accumulated to eight.

In the command room, Jiang Xin stared at the three hero unit icons shimmering with golden light on the system interface—Natasha, Tanya, and Yuri. Logic told him that using the 'discount' to exchange for Yuri was undoubtedly the best choice to enhance the base's top-tier combat power. But deep down, the image of the 'Valkyrie' Tanya, holding dual pistols and looking valiant, wouldn't go away.

This wasn't just a fondness for a classic character, but an urgent practical need. Jiang Xin needed a master with frontal combat capabilities on par with Zhang Lei! Currently, the troops lacked cutting-edge forces for direct confrontation, which made him leery of creating Evolvers by awakening the general public on a large scale. Once the number of Evolvers spiraled out of control, the consequences would be disastrous. The strongest force must be held firmly in the hands of the Red Alert core!

After weighing his options, Jiang Xin made a decision: he wouldn't save the badges for now and would prioritize converting them into immediate combat power!

Zhang Long and Li Wei were urgently summoned to the command room. The two stood at attention, a hint of confusion in their eyes, but mostly absolute obedience.

“Commander, what are your instructions?” Zhang Long asked in a deep voice.

Jiang Xin didn't say much, looking at them with bright eyes as he called out to No. 1 in his mind:

“No. 1, promote Zhang Long (Conscript template) and Li Wei (Riot Trooper template) to hero-grade units!”

hero badges consumed: 3 for Zhang Long, 5 for Li Wei!

Instantly!

Two dazzling golden pillars of light descended without warning from the ceiling of the command room, accurately enveloping Zhang Long and Li Wei! Energy flows visible to the naked eye surged within the pillars, washing over their bodies like liquid gold. Their bodies shook violently, and both showed expressions of pain. Their muscles tensed uncontrollably, and their bones made faint but dense 'crackling' sounds, as if they were undergoing a complete metamorphosis!

The golden light lasted for about ten seconds before receding like a tide.

When the light dissipated, the figures of Zhang Long and Li Wei became clear again. Their appearance didn't seem to have changed drastically, but their aura had undergone a qualitative leap! Their eyes were deeper and sharper, like tempered steel, and their body lines seemed more fluid and powerful, faintly emitting an invisible pressure. They knelt on one knee in perfect unison, their voices carrying a soul-deep reverence and a surging sense of power:

“Thank you, Commander, for granting us this power! We shall fight to the death for the Commander! We will go through fire and water without hesitation!”

Jiang Xin could clearly feel the powerful aura emanating from them, far exceeding what it was before, and his heart was bolstered. “There's no need for that. Stand up and tell me, what improvements have you gained?”

Zhang Long and Li Wei glanced at each other, both seeing unbelievable excitement in the other's eyes. Zhang Long was the first to stand straight, his voice steady with an almost imperceptible hint of thunder:

“Commander! My physical attributes have achieved a comprehensive leap! Strength, speed, endurance, reaction... in all aspects, they have doubled compared to before the promotion! Now, my base strength is approximately five times that of a peak human male before the apocalypse!” He paused, a sharp light bursting from his eyes as he gripped the air with his right hand, as if seizing an invisible force. The standard submachine gun and pistol hanging at his waist began to undergo a strange transformation under everyone's gaze!

The body of the submachine gun seemed to be injected with liquid blue-purple lightning, the metal structure became more streamlined, and faint electric arcs flickered at the muzzle, finally taking the form of a sci-fi weapon—QBZ-Thunder God's Wrath! “Exclusive weapon: Thunder God's Wrath! 240 rounds of ammo, refreshes every 12 hours. It can fire two types of ammunition: regular armor-piercing paralyzing rounds, and...” Zhang Long's finger moved slightly, and a ball of blinding electric light instantly condensed at the muzzle, “...a super-strong current shock with a maximum range of 100 meters!” A faint smell of ozone filled the air.

Next, the pistol at his waist also transformed into a more rugged-looking piece with a large barrel and a deep blue luster—the Dragon Hunter! “Sidearm: Dragon Hunter electromagnetic kinetic pistol! 36 rounds, 12-hour refresh. Each shot has immense power, enough to pierce light armor!”

Finally, Zhang Long closed his eyes, and an invisible wave full of ruling will spread out with him at the center, enveloping the entire command room. Jiang Xin even felt his own spirit being bolstered! “I have gained a Superpower—‘Ruler’! Friendly units fighting within a one-kilometer radius of me will receive my aura's blessing, increasing their combat power by... about 20%!”

“What?!” Jiang Xin suddenly stood up from his chair, his eyes wide. “Ruler? Increasing everyone's combat power by 20%?!” This effect! This was no longer just individual bravery; this was a strategic-level buff! And those two exclusive weapons clearly weren't ordinary! This far exceeded his expectations!

“Commander,” No. 1's calm voice sounded in Jiang Xin's mind at the right time, answering his shock, “As the first officer under your command, the system has bestowed Zhang Long with a unique leadership talent and exclusive weapons. This is recognition of his loyalty and potential, and a special benefit for your first hero unit as a Commander.”

“Awesome!” Jiang Xin was overjoyed and couldn't help but praise in his heart. With Zhang Long, this 'humanoid BUFF tower' and battlefield Commander, his dream of being a hands-off manager was within reach! Zhang Long was undoubtedly his best deputy!

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Jiang Xin turned an expectant gaze toward Li Wei: “Li Wei, what about you? How do you feel?”

Li Wei took a step forward, his already burly frame seeming even more solid, like a rock. He said in a deep voice, “Commander! My physical attributes have also been strengthened to the five-times baseline of a peak human male before the apocalypse!” He displayed the changes in his equipment.

His iconic riot shield was now covered with a layer of strange alloy flowing with an earthy yellow luster, and blue-white electric arcs flickered at the edges—“Magnetic Alloy Riot Shield! It can actively release tens of thousands of volts of high-voltage current, used to defend against energy impacts or paralyze enemies in close combat!” He gave the shield a light shake, and a low 'humming' sound echoed in the air.

The Desert Eagle pistol at his waist had turned into a heavier form with a barrel covered in fine scale-like patterns—“Desert Eagle - Wild Sand! 48 rounds, 24-hour refresh. Special ability: Shotgun Mode! After the mother bullet is fired, it can split into fifty 'sub-bullets' with undiminished power, forming a saturation strike!”

And the combat knife he held tightly had now become a jet-black long blade with a 1.5-meter blade, emitting a heart-palpitating cold light, with a 30-centimeter handle wrapped in non-slip dark patterns—“Black Dragon Alloy Saber! Red Alert cutting-edge technology! Its strength is staggering!”

Finally, Li Wei gave a low shout and slammed his right foot onto the ground! The solid floor of the command room instantly softened and rose, forming a small patch of quicksand, while a heavy earth element fluctuation gathered around him! “I have gained an Earth Superpower! I can control sand, soil, and rocks, summon sandstorms, or...” He raised his hands, condensing an invisible meteorite in them, “...summon meteorites to strike targets!”

Looking at his two hero-grade subordinates who had undergone a complete metamorphosis and feeling the surging power within them, Jiang Xin's eyes shone with immense excitement. The cutting-edge combat power of the Yongjiang Base had finally received a qualitative upgrade! Zhang Lei was no longer fighting alone! These eight hero badges were worth every penny!