Requesting Recommendations …… “Monsters! Everyone prepare to fire!!” Mu Baifeng roared, leaping to his feet, a rifle in his hand aimed at the two leading zombie hounds. Bang! A flash of fire erupted as the bullets flew.

These two zombie hounds, even at their 1H3 level, possessed physical strengths equivalent to around level 15. Almost the instant before Mu Baifeng pulled the trigger, their forms violently sprang aside, evading the shots. Then, with a powerful thrust of their limbs against the ground, they charged with terrifying speed. Their massive bodies, lion-like in stature, closed the distance in just a few sprints, pressing right up against the large truck.

“Accelerate the truck! Everyone fire with everything you’ve got!”

Mu Baifeng roared, cold sweat beading on his forehead. These were two level 15 monsters; even a full squad encountering them would suffer tremendous losses, let alone their small team.

Those who had been chatting casually moments before saw their complexions shift at the sound of the monsters’ roars. They swiftly drew the pistols from their belts, aiming at the charging zombie hounds. Among this group of monsters, only these two hounds posed the most severe threat. The regular zombies, relying on their shooting skills, were manageable enough to be taken down completely, and the truck’s speed would allow them to shake off the rest.

Bang! Bang! Bang!……

Sparks flew across the truck as the two zombie hounds pursued relentlessly, their vicious gazes fixed on the people aboard. If not for having to dodge the bullets, they would have already caught up given their speed, yet the distance between them was rapidly shrinking.

“Damn it!” Yue Heng fired several shots, managing to hit the foreleg of one zombie hound. His precise marksmanship drew slight glances from those nearby, their surprise turning to astonishment as they watched him holster his pistol and move toward the rear of the truck. It appeared he intended to fight the zombie hound barehanded.

Roar!

One of the zombie hounds caught up, its claws attempting to snag the truck’s tailgate. Yue Heng let out a cold snort, preparing to unleash a punch to shatter the creature’s skull, but just then—

Bang! bang! bang!

Three gunshots rang out, striking the zombie hound’s forehead. However, this creature was still a level 15 monster; under the rapid fire of a Type 64 pistol, its head shifted slightly, avoiding a lethal blow but smashing its left eye. Yet, it felt no pain, continuing its ferocious pursuit.

Bang! bang! bang!

Another three shots followed, swift as lightning, hitting the right eye. The placement was deliberately tricky; even though the zombie hound clearly perceived the attack and could normally dodge, its body couldn't react quickly enough because others were firing simultaneously. If it dodged these three bullets, it would still face a barrage from the others. After all, there were 20 people on the truck, meaning 19 shooters besides the driver.

“Rooooar—”

The zombie hound instantly went blind, roaring as it swung its claws wildly at the large truck behind it. The others seized the opportunity, focusing their firepower onto its body. In an instant, the creature’s head was riddled with holes, looking like a hornet’s nest, and it collapsed onto the ground, quickly falling far behind the vehicle.

Yue Heng froze for a moment, then turned to see Ye Chen rapidly firing his ordinary pistol at the other pursuing zombie hound. He frowned slightly, paused, then immediately understood, quickly drawing his own pistol and joining the fray, abandoning the idea of using sheer physical strength.

Ye Chen glanced at Yue Heng and Bai Long, seeing that they had all settled down to use their pistols properly. He gave a slight nod. He refrained from revealing his true strength for several reasons. First, even if he revealed his power, he couldn't advance in rank based on military merit until he had been in the squad for a full month, unless some high-ranking commander took him under their wing, allowing him to bypass military regulations!

Otherwise, if any powerful individual arriving in the army was immediately granted a high-level position, the base city would be utterly compromised. Having great power didn't mean competence in other areas. A mere butcher might evolve under the virus to become a super-strong individual, but they would likely be severely lacking in teamwork, shooting skills, or tactical leadership, potentially causing losses to the base city through rash bravery.

Thus, in ancient times, military generals stabilized the realm, but civil officials governed.

The second reason was that Ye Chen did not wish to attract undue attention. He was currently just a common soldier. If his brilliance shone too brightly, attracting too many eyes, those already established—who vied for the base city’s limited assets—would naturally prefer fewer competitors to ensure their own perceived value and resource allocation remained high.

Simply put, if a Battalion Commander or General level figure became jealous of Ye Chen’s strength and feared him competing for scarce resources once he grew stronger, they could secretly assign his squad all manner of bizarre and difficult missions, leaving him nothing but trouble.

The most tragic part was that he might never even know who was sabotaging him, as someone intentionally trying to harm him would leave absolutely no trace.

Therefore, Ye Chen currently only intended to lay low and accumulate military merit. Once the month passed, he could directly be promoted to Battalion Commander or General, gaining significant authority and becoming one of the base city’s higher-ups.

However, if someone did try to frame him secretly, he certainly wouldn’t let it slide easily. A person’s tolerance has limits, and if crossed, he would act without reservation.

For now, at most, they were viewed as soldiers with exceptionally strong shooting skills, nothing overtly supernatural—many international assassin and mercenary organizations possessed similar marksmanship.

Of course, this ability was also linked to physical constitution. A highly skilled assassin with weak physical stamina couldn't even maintain a steady aim with weapons capable of hunting level 10 monsters, let alone actually kill them. Under the current chaotic situation, Mu Baifeng and the others were too focused on the monsters to scrutinize the details too closely.

“Hooowl……”

Just then, a zombie monster burst out of a nearby building. It was terrifyingly grotesque, pig-like in size, sporting a pair of long, thick tusks, and it charged out menacingly. Behind it followed hundreds of zombie ants.

“Not good!” Mu Baifeng’s face changed drastically. He roared, “Speed up! Head for an isolated area!!”

Hundreds of ants were no joke. Once surrounded, even a level 20 monster would be gnawed down to bone. Each zombie ant possessed level 12 strength; a single swarm was a catastrophe. For the current state of the Huaxia Base City, they couldn't resist unless they deployed nuclear weapons!

However, overuse of nuclear weapons caused the monsters to mutate through radiation, creating more new species. Therefore, they would not be used unless absolutely necessary.

Bang! Bang! Bang!……

Everyone fired desperately.

“Damn it! The gap is closing, they are about to catch us!” Mu Baifeng exclaimed anxiously.

Ye Chen stood on the truck, his expression calm. He studied the surrounding terrain and the environment ahead carefully. A glint flashed in his eyes. He grabbed the side of the truck, leaped up, and squeezed inside. He turned to Ah Long in the driver's seat and ordered, “Let me drive!”

Ah Long stared at him in shock. “You can? This is a large truck. Under normal circumstances, I might let you drive, but in this situation, you need at least an A-grade license experience to avoid being overtaken by monsters or flipping the vehicle.”

Ye Chen didn't bother with words. He grabbed Ah Long by the collar and tossed him into the passenger seat. He spun around, settling into the driver’s seat, slammed the accelerator to the floor, and with a sharp whoosh, the large truck suddenly surged forward as if injected with stimulants.

“Whoa, slow down! What if we hit something? We won't have time to brake!” Ah Long yelled from the passenger seat.

Ye Chen ignored him. Seeing a bend ahead, he spun the steering wheel rapidly to the left, veered hard, released the gas, and stomped on the brake. The truck's speed dropped instantly, but maneuvering that fast through the corner would still cause it to flip—this wasn't a race car.

“We’re done for!” Ah Long squeezed his eyes shut.