92: All crew members have been commissioned with ranks! The Blazing Flame has been completely transformed into a top-tier warship!

Lu Sheng didn't decline.

In this man-eat-man world, this uniform wasn't just for show; it represented authority, a license to kill without repercussions.

He took the military uniform, shook it open, and put it on.

He buttoned it up from bottom to top, each crisp click of the metal buttons particularly clear in the silent morning.

The last collar button fastened perfectly.

Lu Sheng put on the large-brimmed hat embedded with the national emblem, the brim pulled low, obscuring half of his eyes, then slowly raised his head.

Qin Yue's breathing hitched.

This outfit was practically tailor-made for him.

The usual gloomy hostility that Lu Sheng exuded was constrained by the crisp lines of the uniform, immediately changing its flavor.

Stern, murderous, like a freshly sharpened blade sheathed in the most luxurious scabbard, its sharpness contained yet even more chilling.

"Tsk."

Zhou Hai rubbed his hands beside him, his eyes nearly popping out, and after a long pause, he managed to blurt out: "He has half the dashing charm I had when I was young."

"Less chatter." Lu Sheng adjusted his collar and gave him a glare. "You guys have them too."

Qin Yue waved her hand, and the soldiers behind her pulled back the remaining red cloth.

Three sets of Captain's uniforms, folded as neatly as tofu.

"Zhou Hai, Zhao Ze, Su Li, commissioned as Captains!"

Zhou Hai's whole body trembled. Those large, calloused hands, usually accustomed to wielding machetes, were now shaking slightly.

He carefully touched the pure white fabric.

Smooth, so smooth.

Back in the day, when he was a street thug, who ever looked at him properly? Behind his back, they called him Madman Zhou, Thug Zhou, a rat in the gutter.

And now?

The rat was wearing an official uniform, becoming a proper military sir.

"I... I can wear this too?" Zhou Hai's throat was choked up. He fumbled to put it on, getting more flustered the faster he tried, misaligning two buttons, looking both comical and poignant.

He ran to the bulletproof glass of the cockpit, looking left and right, grinning foolishly, and as he laughed, his eyes reddened.

He used to fight for a meal; now, fighting seemed to be for something else.

"Damn it..."

Zhou Hai sniffled hard, then suddenly turned, saluting Lu Sheng and this transformed warship.

His posture wasn't standard, he put too much force into it, and it was even a little awkward.

But no one laughed at him.

"Major Lu... Thank you!"

Tears streamed down his heavily-fleshed face. Zhou Hai laughed like a 200-pound child: "My life is complete! If anyone dares to say I look like a hooligan again, I'll blow up their whole family!"

Zhao Ze and Su Li had also changed their clothes.

Zhao Ze had broad shoulders and a thick back, filling out the military uniform perfectly, like an iron tower.

Su Li had a slender waist and long legs, radiating heroism, still carrying her Asura Blade, creating a striking contrast.

As for Engineer Liu and the other crew members, though they had no military rank, the deep-red NCO certificates and military family treatment cards were held in their hands more carefully than ancestral tablets.

In this chaotic world, these were their death-exemption tokens, their confidence to survive.

Engineer Liu was in tears, leading the crew in a collective bow, bending 90 degrees.

"We are willing to die for Major Lu!"

At this moment, the blazing flame was no longer a makeshift group barely surviving.

It had a soul, teeth, and had become a true army... Third day, early morning.

The sky was heavily overcast, dark clouds pressing down on the sea, as if about to collapse.

"Woooo—!!!"

A desolate, mournful whistle tore through the silence. The Zhenyuan Ship flagship was the first to weigh anchor, its massive steel body shattering the calm of the sea.

Immediately after, the roar of engines converged into thunder.

More than a dozen warships led the way, followed by tens of thousands of civilian Zhenyuan Ships of all sizes or rafts built from floating debris, a dark, dense mass covering the sea.

A great migration of 100,000 people had begun.

At the very front of this mighty Fleet, in the prime position, closely hugging the flank of the military fleet.

A warship as black as ink, like a silent behemoth, cut through the waves.

Its matte black armor could absorb radar waves, its menacing titanium alloy ram looked like a shark's fangs, and two 30mm autocannons pointed skyward, gleaming with a cold metallic luster.

This was the newly refitted blazing flame.

And at the very front of the Deck.

Four figures in pure white naval dress uniforms stood with their hands behind their backs.

Black Zhenyuan Ship, white clothes.

This extreme visual contrast, in the gray, dirty, rust-smelling palette of the Apocalypse, appeared so dazzling, so high-profile, so... arrogant.

Lu Sheng stood on the ram, the wild sea wind making his greatcoat flap loudly.

He didn't look back.

His gaze swept over the waves, piercing directly into the unknown mist to the west.

Around the blazing flame, countless Survivors on civilian Zhenyuan Ships leaned on the railings, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

Envy, jealousy, awe, and a deep sense of inferiority.

"Is that... the Blazing Flame Fleet?"

"My god, all officers? This is too grand! We're dressed like beggars, and they're wearing dress uniforms?"

"They earned that with their lives! I heard they removed the tumor from Purple Gold Mountain, a special privilege approved by the military!"

Among the crowd, on a slightly larger modified fishing boat.

Feng Kun, once the captain of the Jinling local fleet, clutched the railing tightly, his fingernails digging into the wood, drawing blood.

He stared at Lu Sheng, whom he once regarded as a newcomer, a rookie, even disdained.

Now, the other stood in a position he could only look up to, even his back exuding a sense of oppressive despair.

"Why... why..."

Feng Kun gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with jealousy.

Everyone is fleeing, so why can you be so high and mighty?

"Boss, there's... there's something on top of that Zhenyuan Ship!" A subordinate's voice trembled, pointing to the top of the blazing flame.

Feng Kun squinted, his pupils suddenly contracting to pinpricks.

Is that... a missile launcher?!

And those rows of dark heavy machine gun barrels!

Feng Kun froze, the harsh words that had surged to his throat were swallowed back, turning into a mouthful of bitter water.

That last shred of unwillingness completely transformed into helpless despair.

He released his grip dejectedly and lowered his head.

He was an insect, and the other was a dragon; they were not creatures of the same dimension.

Lu Sheng didn't know, nor did he care, that an ant was jealous behind him.

A lion never turns back for the bleating of a sheep.

"Brother Lu, the sonar has a reaction."

Zhao Ze's steady voice came through the earpiece, with the beeping alarm of instruments in the background.

"Three kilometers directly ahead, two hundred meters underwater, a big guy is surfacing, very fast, coming straight for us."

Lu Sheng's lips curled into a cold smile.

The first experience pack delivered to his doorstep had arrived.

A good start, perfect for sacrificing to ensure a smooth journey at sea.

He slowly raised his hand, the white glove particularly striking against the black background, his five fingers long and slender, slowly clenching into a fist.

"All personnel, be on alert."

"Prepare weapons, prepare for battle."

PS: Today's update (2/50).