69: Promoted to new hero - a mech warrior who can use magic.

The battle at the industrial park yielded a bountiful harvest. Jiang Xin's reserve of hero badges reached 88. Flametrooper Blaze Ash, Tesla Trooper Yang Yi, and the two War Bears—Big Bear and Second Bear—successfully promoted to 3-star units after the intense battle! Their performance on the battlefield left Jiang Xin pleasantly surprised.

Blaze Ash's flamethrower now had a wider coverage area, and the flames were hotter and more viscous. Wherever they passed, zombies melted like candles, possessing power comparable to a small flame tank! Yang Yi's electric spray gun had a longer range, and the arcs of electricity were thicker and more concentrated; the leaping electric snakes could instantly chain a group of zombies into charcoal!

The performance of Big Bear and Second Bear was the most shocking! Their massive bodies rampaged through the zombie swarms. Their claws, covered in alloy armor, easily tore through the proud defenses of Tier 1 Ironback Zombies. When their giant paws slammed down, even Fatty Zombies with strength close to Tier 2 were smashed into meat pies! Their pure strength and defense, after the star-level enhancement, saw a base increase far exceeding that of human Evolvers, achieving true cross-tier crushing power!

“Such powerful combat strength is worth promoting to hero units!” Jiang Xin did not hesitate for a moment. He immediately activated the system, woke up No. 1, and issued the order.

“No. 1, promote Blaze Ash, Yang Yi, Big Bear, and Second Bear to hero units!”

【Consuming hero badges: Flametrooper - Blaze Ash (10), Tesla Trooper - Yang Yi (10), War Bear - Big Bear (8), War Bear - Second Bear (8)】

【Total consumption: 36 badges】

【Remaining hero badges: 52】

【Promotion beginning...】

Four dazzling pillars of light fell from the sky, enveloping Blaze Ash, Yang Yi, and the prone Big Bear and Second Bear! Boundless energy poured into their bodies, bringing about a transformative change!

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Within the pillars of light, the sizes of the two War Bears expanded frantically as if being inflated! Their muscles bulged and tensed, and their bones crackled! When the light dissipated, what appeared before everyone were two mountain-like steel behemoths, nearly six meters tall (two stories high)! Their original alloy armor had disappeared, replaced by a set of more streamlined energy-absorbing memory metal exoskeleton armor that shimmered with a dark silver metallic luster! This armor fit tightly against their muscle lines, with flexible joints and strange energy ripples flowing across its surface.

Zhang Lei stepped forward and condensed a scorching fireball, smashing it into Big Bear's chest. When the fireball hit the armor, it was like a clay ox entering the sea; most of the energy was absorbed and dissipated by the flowing metal, leaving only a shallow scorch mark! Chen Hao, driving the destroyer, threw a tentative punch at Second Bear's armor, and similarly felt nearly half of the force being deflected!

“Hiss... This defense!” Chen Hao cried out in surprise. Jiang Xin nodded with satisfaction. This armor could not only absorb 50% of the damage from physical and energy attacks of the same tier, but the strength boost it provided to the bears was also terrifying. He had no doubt that Big Bear and Second Bear, even in their current 1-star state, were enough to go head-to-head with the Tier 2 Chen Hao! And against Tier 1 evolved zombies? It would be an absolute slaughter!

Even more terrifying was that Big Bear gained an Earth-type spell Superpower, while Second Bear gained Laser Eyes. One could imagine the deterrent power of a giant War Bear firing lasers from its eyes.

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On the other side, the pillar of light enveloping Blaze Ash was incredibly hot, like a miniature sun! The pale yellow exoskeleton armor on Blaze Ash dissolved, reorganized, and sublimated within the light! Finally, a full-coverage mecha with sharp lines, a color scheme primarily of blazing gold and red, and a lifelike Fire Phoenix emblem embedded on the chest—the “blaze”—stood revealed! The mecha had a miniature nuclear fusion reactor on its back, emitting a steady blue light (of the same origin as Chen Hao's mecha, both being nuclear-powered armor).

The flamethrower in his hand was also completely new, transformed into a more sci-fi “Fire Phoenix-Flamethrower” with the gun body also engraved with Fire Phoenix patterns! Blaze Ash gave it a try and pulled the trigger; a golden-white torrent of flame, so hot it distorted the air, gushed out, with a range and coverage far exceeding before!

Even more surprising was an ultra-high-temperature cutting blade wrapped in a high-temperature plasma stream that popped out from the mecha's arm! With a casual swing from Blaze Ash, a concrete wall was silently sliced in half like a hot knife through butter! “Commander,” Blaze Ash's voice came through the mecha's mask, carrying a hint of unbelievable excitement, “I also gained a Fire-type spell Superpower!” He deactivated the mecha and cupped his hands, and a fireball condensed in his palm! Although its power was far inferior to Zhang Lei's fire dragon, it signified that Blaze Ash had officially become a fire-attribute mage possessing both nuclear mecha and elemental power!

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Yang Yi's pillar of light was a blinding blue-white, filled with violent electric arcs! When the light receded, a “thunderbolt” mecha—deep blue, nearly black, with liquid lightning seemingly flowing on its surface and a heavier, more ferocious design—covered his entire body! The mecha's spaulders were like lightning spikes, and the lightning emblem on his chest seemed to come alive, constantly bursting with fine electric sparks. The electric spray gun in his hand had evolved into a more rugged “thunderbolt Dragon-Electric Spray Gun” with a muzzle shaped like a dragon's head! Yang Yi deactivated part of the mecha (exposing his head), holding a four-meter-long electric spear in his right hand, made of high-strength alloy with jumping electric arcs wrapped around the tip! He slammed the electric spear forward, throwing it!

“Zzt—Boom!”

The electric spear turned into a blue stream of light, instantly piercing through the thick concrete ground! Immediately after, Yang Yi raised his left hand, and an electromagnetic device in his palm emitted a tractor beam; the electric spear actually flew back into his hand with a “whoosh”! “My thunderbolt Dragon-Electric Spray Gun can release a maximum of 500,000 volts of ultra-high voltage current. The electric spear can be thrown after charging and retracted using the smart system. The spear can carry a current attack of 100k to 200k volts.”

Yang Yi's voice had a texture like grinding metal, full of power. At the same time, he also deactivated the mecha, and fine blue electric arcs began to jump around his body. “I also gained a Lightning-type spell Superpower.” He had obtained a basic Lightning-type spell Superpower!

(New setting: To perform pure elemental spells, one needs to deactivate part or all of the mecha coverage to maximize elemental affinity. Chen Hao's Metal-type enhancement belongs to the enhancement category, which can strengthen the physical body or the mecha without restriction.)

Just as everyone was immersed in the shock of the hero units' powerful strength, the command center received a national broadcast bulletin from the official Kyoto Base, announcing the latest assessment of the country's top combat forces—the China Top Ten Experts Ranking:

1. Kyoto Base - Lü Bu Reborn · Lü Yan: Possessed by a Heroic Spirit, his Sky Piercer halberd is invincible! He summons ancient battle armor and the Red Hare horse. Peerless in melee combat, he is the publicly recognized number one fierce general of China! (Tier 2)

2. Kyoto Base - Heavenly Wolf · Yang Yanzhao · Yang Tian: Protected by the Yang family Heroic Spirit, his spear technique is divine. He was once number one in Kyoto, but narrowly lost to Lü Yan's divine might. (Tier 2)

3. Rongcheng Base in South of the Ranges - Fire Phoenix · Nangong Yu (Female): Her natal divine beast is the Fire Phoenix. Her flame breath incinerates cities and wipes out all traces; wherever she passes, the land is scorched for a thousand miles! She is one of only two women among the top ten experts, and she overawes the Southern Military Region. (Tier 2)

4. Kyoto Base - Divine Fire Grand Archmage · Lin Yan: His fire control techniques have reached the pinnacle. With a wave of his hand, the flames reach the sky. His fire-attribute energy shield is indestructible. He is the benchmark of the spell system in Kyoto! (Tier 2)

5. Chengdu Base in Western Sichuan - The Flash · Lei Heng: He turns his body into thunderbolt, moving as fast as lightning! Lightning Superpower strengthens his body. Wherever his weapon points, electric snakes dance wildly. His destructive power is extremely terrifying! (Tier 2)

6. Yangtai Base in Gusu - Windwalker · Liu Kaifeng: He walks on the wind, as fast as a ghost! His wind blades are invincible, and his speed is the best among all. His strength is not inferior to Lei Heng. (Tier 2)

7. Shengjing Base in Liaodong - Ice Princess · Li Hanyu (Female): Controller of ice power, she freezes the land for a thousand miles, and hail falls like stars! The other female powerhouse among the top ten experts, she guards the North. (Tier 2)

8. Kyoto Base - Iron Man · Wang Xiping: His body is steelified, harder than refined gold! Pure defense and strength, like a mobile steel fortress. (Tier 2)

9. Rongcheng Base in South of the Ranges - Summoner · Zhang Hai: Communicates with other worlds to summon the three-headed hellhound! The ferocious hound burns souls and corrodes bones, striking fear into all who hear of it. (Tier 2)

10. Yangtai Base in Gusu - Panther Head · Lin Guang: Possessed by the Heroic Spirit of Lin Chong, the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards of the Northern Song Dynasty. His spear technique is tricky and ruthless, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. (Tier 2)

“China's Top Ten Experts... Tier 2...” Jiang Xin looked at the names and brief introductions on the document, his fingers lightly tapping the command console. Those resounding titles and descriptions on the list seemed like gods to ordinary people. However, Jiang Xin's gaze involuntarily fell on Yang Yi, who was nearby studying his newly acquired Lightning Superpower with electric arcs jumping at his fingertips, and on Big Bear and Second Bear not far away, who were adapting to their massive bodies, each step making the ground tremble slightly. Finally, his gaze fixed on Zhang Lei, who stood with his hands behind his back, faint phantoms of ice and fire flowing behind him.

He knew well how powerful Zhang Lei was. Zhang Lei alone possessed the fire spells of “Divine Fire Grand Archmage” Lin Yan and the ice spells of “Ice Princess” Li Hanyu from the list! Moreover, it was certain that Zhang Lei could completely crush these two. Could Lin Yan (or Li Hanyu) casually conjure a fire dragon dozens of meters long? Could they instantly freeze an ice wall that could block machine guns? Could they turn their elements into wings to soar through the sky? Could they condense incredibly defensive ice-fire armor on their body surface? More importantly, Zhang Lei was the absolute controller of the dual systems of ice and fire, able to freely mobilize elemental power for his own use, not limited to spells, possession, or summoning in any single form. His potential, combat versatility, and control over elements were far beyond what Lin Yan could compare to! That so-called “Divine Fire Grand Archmage” probably wasn't even qualified to carry Zhang Lei's shoes! This official list clearly hadn't included the newly rising king's army, the Red Alert Legion, and its deeply hidden trump cards; this was also a result of the Red Alert Legion's low profile.

A meaningful curve formed at the corner of Jiang Xin's mouth as he said to Zhang Lei, “Brother Lei, it seems we've been too low-key. Even someone like that dares to be called the Divine Fire Grand Archmage.” Hearing this, Zhang Lei only gave a faint smile, the red and blue light in his eyes flashing and vanishing. A ranking? That was just a means for the National Government to boost morale. The power of the Red Alert army was clear to all survivors; there was no need for such things.