I was supposed to post at 7, but I was slow with the typing. Grabbing a drink of water, I'll push for the next update around 9:30. Asking for your monthly votes for support! …… "Huh?"

The soldiers present, including the middle-aged man, all gasped in surprise. That monster just now was at least level twenty-something, comparable to a major general-level expert, yet it was killed so easily?

Looking at Ye Chen’s indifferent expression, the Battalion Commander hesitated but didn't dare to press for answers. He chuckled bitterly to himself, walked to the side to sit down, sighing profoundly.

The heavy truck advanced continuously, the surrounding scenery rushing backward. The sky above the city was covered with dismal, ashen clouds. In the distance, towering skyscrapers were utterly ruined; some buildings had collapsed, as if smashed down by some tremendous force, a truly shocking sight.

"Roar..."

A level seven or eight monster charged from the distance. Ye Chen couldn't be bothered to act. The Battalion Commander knew this level of monster wasn't worth troubling Ye Chen with, so he raised his sniper rifle and blew the monster’s head off.

As a Battalion Commander, his marksmanship was quite good.

"Good!"

The surrounding soldiers cheered, full of admiration.

The middle-aged man felt a surge of pride. He smiled, jumped off the truck, walked over, and began to dissect the slain monster. He poked around, somewhat disappointed when he didn't find any base matter, then quickly turned and returned to the vehicle.

As the army traveled, the vanguard was responsible for pushing aside vehicles blocking the road and killing any zombies that had awakened from their "slumber." Consequently, those in the rear didn't encounter many trivial matters, only needing to stay vigilant against stray monsters charging in from the vicinity of the highway.

Because of the time spent clearing traffic blockages and killing monsters, the army's progress was extremely slow. In the peacetime past, traveling from Beijing to Shanghai via the highway would take only a dozen or so hours. Now, it required triple the time, and they had to stop frequently to dispatch large groups of monsters encountered along the way.

After traveling for more than ten hours.

The powerful monsters killed by Ye Chen numbered no less than ninety, most being around level 15 to 35. Occasionally, they encountered a few formidable monsters between level 40 and 50, which Ye Chen would lure off the highway, slay with his blood-red battle saber in a view unseen by the others, and then absorb their vital energy.

Among these monsters, some were Dark Creatures, and others were Evolved Creatures. Dark Creatures possessed no vital energy; only Evolved Creatures yielded it upon death and could be absorbed.

After devouring the vital energy of several dozen monsters, Ye Chen felt his internal power reaching the peak of the initial Second Tier. If he absorbed three times this amount, he could break through to the Third Tier. At that point, his body would evolve again, resulting in a massive surge in strength. If he were level 100 and had awakened his innate talent, the breakthrough from the First Tier to the Second Tier would also cause a physical evolution, but the improvement would be minor, adding only about one level of Physique. This evolution wasn't calculated as a percentage of base strength but rather by the sheer quantity of vital energy.

After all, the First Tier's vital energy, while abundant for Ye Chen’s current body, was far too weak for a level 100 physique. It was like a bowl of rice: insufficient for an adult, yet more than enough for a child.

Simultaneously increasing his vital energy, Ye Chen also dissected the Dark Creatures, obtaining several pieces of base matter, which he promptly consumed. Even though they weren't cleansed, the disparity in physique between him and these monsters meant his natural immunity was stronger than the viruses within them. Even consuming the corpse of a level 40 Dark Creature wouldn't cause infection, at worst resulting in diarrhea. Swallowing the remains of a level 30 Dark Creature caused no issues whatsoever.

Night gradually fell, and the sky darkened.

The convoy did not stop. A contingent of one hundred thousand people could not hide in the wilderness; stopping would only invite monsters. On the lead vehicles were two Major Generals, one Commander, and Hua Bulao, the highest-ranking officer.

With their eyesight, they could see things dozens of miles away. Even with the interference of the night, objects over ten miles distant were clearly visible, negating the need for lights.

The army continued its advance.

After a full day of fighting, they had suffered casualties. Ye Chen’s immediate vicinity alone had encountered over a hundred physically strong monsters, and the situation elsewhere couldn't have been much better. Others did not have it as easy as Ye Chen; an ordinary Major General struggled considerably in close combat against a level 10 monster, relying mostly on firearms.

……

"Bang!"

The middle-aged Battalion Commander beside him clutched a machine gun and blew the head off a level 5 Evolved Creature charging from the distance, a flicker of joy in his eyes.

"Worthy of a Battalion Commander!"

"He hit that shot from so far away."

The surrounding soldiers marveled. Most of them possessed only First Tier physique levels, and killing a Level 5 monster, even with firearms, was difficult because the projectile speed was limited, diminishing its power at great distances. If they got too close, the monster's superior physique would allow it to lunge forward in an instant.

"Shh shh~~~"

Ye Chen's ears twitched upon hearing a subtle sound. He opened his eyes, turned toward the distance, and saw the ruined high-rises standing like black towers in the night. There were no lights. Further away, the darkness was absolute, like the grinning maw of a demon.

Ye Chen frowned, his figure shifted, and amidst the astonished glances of the middle-aged man and the others, he leaped from the truck. He tapped the ground lightly, darted off the highway, crouched down, and pressed his ear to the earth.

"Shh shh~~~"

"Squeak squeak~~~"

Vibrations echoed, traveling from afar. A picture immediately formed in Ye Chen's mind: countless ant monsters, or insect monsters, surging toward them like water.

He frowned, quickly stood up, leaped back onto the highway, and rushed toward Tang Zhu’s location. He found Tang Zhu deep in thought on a heavily armored truck. Ye Chen moved in a flash and jumped onto the vehicle.

Tang Zhu heard the disturbance and looked up, seeing Ye Chen suddenly appear. He frowned slightly and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Ye Chen stated coldly, "A massive horde of monsters is surging toward us. You better order the advance team to speed up and avoid them, or stop and prepare the artillery to wipe them out."

Tang Zhu froze for a moment, then his expression shifted abruptly. He shot to his feet, staring at Ye Chen, "Are you serious?"

"Nonsense," Ye Chen retorted, rolling his eyes.

Tang Zhu choked, wanting to lash out at Ye Chen, but as he opened his mouth, he recalled the gruesome death of Yun Shaojing. The words caught in his throat, and he finally swallowed them down with a bitter smile. "Go back to your post. I will rush the people ahead and wake up those sleeping soldiers."

Some soldiers were sharp; they knew the importance of conserving energy for the coming fight. The more dutiful ones stood guard, refusing to sleep, fearing an attack while they were unconscious. In reality, if the monsters truly charged, an army of this size would surely notice and open fire, as the sound of gunfire was loud enough to wake anyone. Therefore, the smart ones chose to sleep soundly and replenish their spirit.

Before Tang Zhu could finish speaking, Ye Chen had already turned and left, returning to his assigned truck. The middle-aged Battalion Commander next to him glanced at him, wanting to speak but ultimately asking nothing further.

Not long after, the heavy trucks significantly increased their speed.

"A beast tide is attacking! Everyone up, no sleeping!" A Battalion Commander ran along the line from the front of the army, shouting continuously, waking many startled soldiers.

"What?"

"The beasts are attacking?"

Everyone reacted with shock, a trace of dread in their eyes.

"Shh shh..."

In the darkness, a vast expanse of faint, rustling sounds arose from the distance, like an ocean. Countless zombie insects and zombie ants crawled rapidly, emitting a rustling sound that made scalps tingle and skin crawl.

"It really is bugs!"

"Heavens, so many!"

Many soldiers and Battalion Commanders, seeing the sea-like surge of beasts approaching in the distance, panicked. They grabbed the heavy machine guns and various firearms mounted on the trucks and aimed them over the guardrails toward the horde.

"Tuk tuk tuk tuk..."

"Boom boom..."

"Pat pat pat..."

Everyone opened fire on the advancing beast horde with machine guns, rocket launchers, and pistols. The horde covered an immense area; if they crashed through, they would lose at least tens of thousands of soldiers.

"Fire faster!" the middle-aged man in the truck bed roared in terror.

All the soldiers gripped their weapons and pulled the triggers, firing into the mass of beasts indiscriminately, knowing that given the density of the horde, every shot would likely hit a target.

"Make the vehicles go faster! Accelerate!"

"Run! A direct confrontation is too costly!"

All the heavy trucks increased their speed.

At this moment, another Battalion Commander ran past from the front of the line, shouting, "Order! All Generals and Battalion Commanders, proceed to intercept the beasts!"

Ye Chen remained calm. He glanced at the approaching horde, his figure shifted, and he leaped off his truck, rushing toward the rear of the army. Since the army stretched about 20 kilometers in length, the beasts only occupied the rear three or so kilometers of the column.

The middle-aged Battalion Commander smiled wryly, strapped on his battle saber, and followed, leaving his firearms behind. After all, if firearms were needed, they wouldn't have called upon Generals and Battalion Commanders; any ordinary soldier could handle the shooting.

Along the way, many Generals and Battalion Commanders rushed forward.

Soon, Ye Chen arrived at the rear of the army, where the swarm advanced like an endless tide, its momentum massive. His expression was unchanged. With a flick of his wrist, he lifted an automobile from the highway and hurled it into the mass of insects.

The other Generals and Battalion Commanders drew their broadswords and charged toward the beasts.

"Kill!"

"Insects, go to hell!"

These officers formed small defensive teams to support each other, benefiting both themselves and their comrades. They fought while retreating slowly, trying their best to delay the beasts’ advance. Given the limited number of Generals and Battalion Commanders, completely annihilating the horde was impossible; they needed to conserve ammunition for later use against residual threats.

Using precious bullets to kill monsters that were only level one or two physiques was too wasteful. Ammunition was reserved for powerful monsters of level seven or eight and above. Furthermore, given the sheer numbers of the horde, how much ammunition would it take to eliminate them all?

Someone saw Ye Chen throw an entire vehicle and their eyes lit up. They, too, began tossing cars from the highway into the churning mass of beasts.

"Roar—"

From within the horde, a group of larger, powerfully built monsters charged out. These were not Evolved Creatures but a cohort of Dark Creatures, meaning they did not consume their own kind. The group contained all manner of monsters—mostly zombie insects and zombie ants, but also zombie dogs and others.

Ye Chen's eyes turned cold. He moved swiftly to a nearby truck, snatched the machine gun from a Colonel stationed there.

"It won't work! At the rate of fire of a machine gun, it would take at least several hundred rounds to kill monsters of that level—it's too much ammo waste," the Colonel quickly said, seemingly discerning Ye Chen's intent.

"Boom boom..."

Ye Chen ignored him, spun around, quickly switched to burst fire mode, and squeezed the trigger twice in rapid succession, the interval between shots less than 0.01 seconds. Coupled with a push and retract motion of his arm, the second bullet slammed directly behind the first, causing its speed to surge dramatically. The enhanced projectile instantly pierced the skull of one of the zombie dogs.