Chapter 247: Joint Forces!

Yue Zhong glanced at Lǚ Níng and said indifferently,

"Military training! I want you to assign an instructor to train my men on the operations of tanks and mortars. I will give you 3000 tonnes of rations in exchange for a battalion of artillery soldiers to be fully trained by your military instructors.

Yue Zhong had obtained a large amount of advanced weaponry and ammunition from the Mechanized Infantry Brigade Station, so the only thing he was lacking now was soldiers with the technical know-how on operating them.

"That's impossible! Please state another condition!"

Lǚ Níng immediately rejected the proposal. The army could not create another strong potential threat to themselves.

"Then I'll take the time to reconsider!"

Yue Zhong then left Lǚ Níng behind as he proceeded to charge into the zombie horde slashing this way and that, his Dark Magic Blade slinging blood as he slaughtered the evolved zombies.

Over the next 5 days, Yue Zhong led the 4 battalions in a relentless assault on the zombies between Ning Guang County and Qing Yuan County. With YueYu Zhong blazing a path, his troops left behind swathes of devastated zombie corpses. This was only possible because he was swapping members out whenever they grew short of Stamina.

On Qing Yuan County's side, Chi Yang had mobilized all 3 of his battalions and attacked the zombies head on as well. His tactics also included rotating the forces when necessary. After 5 whole days, they had cleared almost 100,000 zombies on the main road between the two counties.

As a result every single warrior in Ning Guang County's 4 battalions had become a low level Enhancer. Zhuo Yatong and Tong Xiaoyun both possessed decent equipment and through the nonstop battles, Zhuo Yatong had levelled up toup become a Level 24 Evolver. Accordingly, Tong Xiaoyun had become level 21. One must remember that Evolvers possessed stronger potential for growth and better base fighting capabilities. As long as there were enough high-level enemies to kill, the speed of their growth could very well be astonishing.

In a stroke of genius, the countless corpses of the zombies were also piled into trucks and brought to the Mechanized Infantry Brigade Station. The genius bit was that they were to be used as zombie fertilizer at the bottom of the Snake Birth Fruit Tree. Of course, some were also used as fertilizer for the Life-Saving Grass on Qing Yuan County's side.

After Yue Zhong had gained control over the Mechanized Infantry Brigade Station, it had become an exceedingly top-secret project. Other than Yue Zhong, no one else was allowed to enter. Standing orders stated that those who disobeyed were to be instantly executed.

Once the channel was cleared between the 2 counties, Chi Yang brought along the main powerhouses of the First and Second Battalions as well as the main governing officers, and rushed to swear fealty to Yue Zhong.

Yue Zhong's disappearance from Qing Yuan County had been for a long period, and when most governing bodies lost their core power, it would affect the morale of the officials. Chi Yang's motive for bringing them was to show Yue Zhong that he had been confident in him all along. After all, he was Yue Zhong's closest buddy and he knew that this was a crucial detail.

Yue Zhong looked at Chi Yang in front of him and a strong sense of warmth surged in his heart. "Chi Yang, it has been really hard on you all this time!" Chi Yang wasn't as capable as Yue Zhong in battles and fights, nor was he as shrewd and calculative. Unlike Yue Zhong who often jumped to take over other powers at the first opportunity, he was more of the calm and assuring type. Enough to maintain the sense of peace and trust the survivors had in Yue Zhong simply by his presence. Just based on this, it was a very important trait of his that Yue Zhong admired greatly. If it wasn't for Chi Yang stabilizing Qing Yuan County after Yue Zhong's disappearance, who knows what would've happened. The entire Qing Yuan County might have even imploded on its own during this time.

Chi Yang nodded to Yue Zhong with discipline and directly replied,

"I'll be heading back to Qing Yuan County first! I'm afraid that if I'm gone too long, there might be problems!"

Chi Yang had only rushed over to swear fealty once again and to see his friend. After that, as a man of action, he wanted to rush back so he couldand return to his important duties in Qing Yuan County.

Yue Zhong took out one of the pink Snake Birth Fruits and gave it to Chi Yang.

"This is for you, brother Chi Yang. After you consume it, you should run a fever and pass out for about a day. If there's nothing that goes awry, once you recover, you will have become an Evolver."

Upon receiving the Snake Birth Fruit, Chi Yang didn't say a word more as he just nodded his head and disembarked on his vehicle, heading back to Qing Yuan County in a rush.

"Deputy Commander Xu, all of these items here, can the Armored Company use them?"

Yue Zhong had brought some of the modern weaponry back from the Mechanized Infantry Brigade Station and was pointing them out to Xu Zhenggang, hoping for clarification on their usage.

Wu Guang took a look at all the captured advanced weaponry. H,is eyes opened wide as though he had just caught a glimpse of the world's most beautiful lad andy. He gulped as he immediately started salivating,

"Tank!! Type 69 Tank!! 122mm Self-propelled Howitzer!! Red Arrow-9 Rocket Launcher Vehicle!! 40-round round 122mm Rocket Vehicles! Commander Yue, where did you get all these amazing things?"

When the rest of the team saw these modern weapons of war, their eyes lit up, sparkling with delight and excitement. If they could utilize these to equip their forces, then their entire fighting capability would increase by more than tenfold!

Kong Tianyu, Liu Yan, Chen Shitou and the rest of the higher ranking officers were staring slacked-jaw at Wu Guang, Xu Zhenggang and the rest of the military officers. The administrative officers didn't know the full prowess of these weapons of war, and they could only look at Wu Guang, Xu Zhenggang, Lang Zi and the rest who had a military background, hoping for some explanation.

"The Infantry Fighting Vehicles can be directly used. These Howitzers can be operated by 3 of our warriors in the Armored Company. The Type 69 Tanks I have tried twice before. So if you give me 3 months' time, I should be able to train up a Type 69 Tank Operator..."

As Xu Zhenggang stared at the equipment, a feverish look could be seen on his face.

Xu Zhenggang was an extremely outstanding soldier previously, and had come across many different types of equipment throughout his career. Furthermore, amongst those soldiers whom Yue Zhong had convinced to come under his wing, there were many talents. There were a few who knew how to operate mortars, some could drive Infantry Fighting Vehicles, and thankfully there , there were even a few who knew how to use a Red Arrow-9 Rocket Launcher. With the addition of all this equipment, Yue Zhong's Armored Company would now truly possess the might of an armored force.

Kong Tianyu looked at the Type 69 Tank inside the armory and shouted with fervor as well, "Commander Yue!! Let us have a Type 69 Tank also!!"

Seeing this, Zhao Xing could not help but blurt out,

"Commander Yue! Please give us two Infantry Fighting Vehicles!!"

"......"

At some point, the rest of the captains and deputy commanders had also started hollering. They all wanted access to a piece of the modern weaponry. Even just a company would be much stronger with a single addition of an Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Other than those Type 2 Mutant Beasts, there weren't many enemies that could withstand the might of the ZPT90 25mm Auto-cannon mounted on these road demons.

Yue Zhong frowned as he coldly snapped,

"Everyone, shut the hell up!"

With just that one sentence, all the leaders who were excited and acting beyond themselves finally calmed down. These were all people who Yue Zhong had selected and trusted, and similarly, these people had high hopes and showed reverence for Yue Zhong. This meant that they didn't dare act out of line. After all, Yue Zhong was not the Mr. Nice Guy he was prior to the apocalypse. Instead, he had matured into a decisive and vicious leader who protected them all.

Yue Zhong continued,

"After Deputy Commander Xu has finished training a suitable squad, I will distribute the weaponry. For now, go back and rest. That means all of you. After 2 days, we'll go open that huge Armory."

[TN: Location promised by Xia Yue, Chapter 198]

Now that Yue Zhong had cleared the transport channel connecting Ning Guang County and Qing Yuan County, he could now use a huge portion of the advanced weaponry from Ning Guang County to equip the elite warriors of Qing Yuan County. This would raise the attack strength of his troops by a huge margin. As for the amount of ammunition that he had obtained? Even if he equipped every warrior in Qing Yuan County and Ning Guang County, there would still be leftovers.

However, as ammunition was precious in the current age, Yue Zhong would still allocate and use it sparingly rather than just assume he had enough. That was why he still wanted to check out the armory that Xia Yue had so kindly pointed out.

Hearing Yue Zhong's words, Kong Tianyu and the other leaders dismissed themselves. They all gladly took the chance to relax and rest up. After fighting continuously for 5 days, all the warriors were fatigued- they desperately needed rest and recuperation.

Yue Zhong called Ji Qingwu over. Likewise, he passed her a pink Snake Birth Fruit, saying,

"Qingwu, this is a Snake Birth Fruit. After eating this, there's a huge chance you will become an Evolver. However, you must take note that after consuming it, you will run a fever for a day and will be almost completely unable to move."

The Special Forces Battalion was filled with experts. The reason Ji Qingwu could become its commander was somewhat due to her own strength, and also somewhat due to Yue Zhong's bias. That was the primary reason she could possess this post.

After Ji Qingwu received the Snake Birth Fruit, she looked at Yue Zhong with a piercing gaze, before decisively popping it into her mouth.

Not long after, her entire face flushed red and she felt faint, seeing stars and falling face first to the floor, breathing in ragged breaths.

Yue Zhong immediately shot forward and swept her into his embrace. A faint fragrance from her body spread out, setting his heart on fire.

Ji Qingwu was breathing erratically and she looked at Yue Zhong, before closing her eyes in a reassured manner.

Yue Zhong carried Ji Qingwu back to his villa in Ning Guang County, as he personally took care of her and wiped her clean as she sweated her way through the fever. During the entire period, he never left her side.

Tong Xiaoyun saw Yue Zhong's meticulous care of Ji Qingwu and asked with a trace of envy, "Who's that lady? Brother Yue seems to like her very much."

Zhuo Yatong was also looking at Yue Zhong carefully watching over Ji Qing Wu. This made her heart also feel a little sour and jealous.

"Brother Yue has mentioned before that he had established a survivor base in Qing Yuan County right? That girl must be his woman there. From the looks of it, he appears to care for her very much."

Zhuo Yatong thought she had prepared herself for the fact that there was going to be a harem. She really had. The truth though was that upon witnessing it, she still could not fight back the feelings of jealousy. After all, which lady would be so broad-minded that she could gladly share her man with other women? What made Zhuo Yatong especially jealous was that she could see Yue Zhong truly liked Ji Qingwu, not just for her body or looks.

Early the next morning, Ji Qingwu's fever had subsided and she regained her consciousness. Upon opening her eyes, she saw Yue Zhong by her side. It seemed Yue Zhong had been watching over her for an entire day.

When Yue Zhong saw that Ji Qingwu had awakened, he smiled lightly and asked,

"Are you feeling better?"

"Mm!!" She nodded. "I have become a Spirit-based Evolver and have gained a Sword Qi skill!"

Ji Qingwu looked at Yue Zhong with a grateful expression in her eyes.

All of a sudden, Ji Qingwu threw out a question,

"Yue Zuong.... you like me, don't you?"

Facing such a question out of the blue, Yue Zhong was obviously unsettled. In response, he became silent for a moment. Looking deep inside of himself he ultimately found the answer. It seemed that he had long fallen for this graceful and courageous fighter, probably when they had been facing death together on multiple occasions, to the point that his feelings for her were more than those towards Lu Wen.

It was just that Ji Qingwu wasn't simply a girl he liked. She was a comrade who he had fought shoulder to shoulder with, and faced multiple obstacles together with. He also knew he wasn't willing to force her into being his woman with his strength. Furthermore, he was afraid that if he confessed and was rejected, he might do some frightening things. This was why he would rather everything remain with the status quo, while quietly watching her grow.

Right now Yue Zhong felt that the situation was much more complicated than facing the Type 2 Mutant Water Snake. He pondered and struggled for a long while, before gritting his teeth and replying with an affirmative,

"Yes!"

Ji Qingwu's mesmerizing pair of eyes was fixed on Yue Zhong. A complicated look flashed within as she spoke,

"If I were to follow you, would you be willing to forsake the other women just for me?"

Yue Zhong looked back at the pair of eyes that were as enchanting as the stars in the night sky and replied honestly,

"I can't do that! They chose to follow me, and that makes them my women. Even though I like you, I cannot throw them aside just for you. It's a matter of honor."

Ji Qingwu closed her eyes and she softly spoke,

"I understand...I want to rest now, please step out."

Yue Zhong stood up with a heavy heart, as he knew that it was very likely that his romantic fate with this valiant and beautiful lady had come to an end.

"If you had promised to forsake them because of me, I would have despised you!"

Just as Yue Zhong was walking out of the room, the sound of her words travelled to his ears.

Yue Zhong paused and furrowed his brows in thought, yet he couldn't make head or tails of her meaning or even her attitude! With regards to girls, he never even had an inkling of what to expect.

After the entire camp had rested for 2 days, Yue Zhong brought along 2 battalions of soldiers, 4 Infantry Fighting Vehicles and 2 Armed Personnel Carriers that were mounted with two 14.5mm machine guns. There was also a large number of armor-plated vehicles that made their way towards the targeted armory.

When they arrived at the forest that was filled with Mutant Beasts, Yue Zhong stationed the majority of the vehicles outside the forest. He brought Ji Qingwu, Zhuo Yatong & Tong Xiaoyun to go in with him, all 3 of whom had evolved. They sat in a Hummer as they travelled into the depths of the forest. Their main responsibility was to wipe out any small Mutant Beasts while checking if there were any more ferocious, larger Mutant Beasts.

If by some rotten luck the armory had a few Type 2 Mutant Ferocious Black-Scaled Boars roaming about, not checking carefully and leading everybody blindly to the armory was tantamount to causing their unnecessary deaths.

Of course, the sound of the Hummer travelling resounded throughout the forest, capturing the attention of a few nearby Mutant Beasts.

All of a sudden, with the sounds of rustling grass, four 2m tall Mutant Vicious Apes jumped out of the underbrush! Screeching at the vehicle, one of the Mutant Vicious Apes directly leapt onto the Hummer, before using its entire weight of a few hundred kilograms to slam down violently onto the vehicle, causing it to vigorously shake.

Zhuo Yatong forcefully applied the brakes in response, using the huge resulting inertia to fling the Mutant Vicious Ape off of the Hummer, before it tumbled headfirst onto the ground and rolled several times in succession.