Chapter 766: Obstructed path & Powerfulenemies appear
The Third Activation of the Third Order Blood Manipulation skill was really powerful. While it did not increase Bai Zemin's attack power nor did it concretely increase his chances of killing an enemy, this Third Activation increased Bai Zemin's chances of survival greatly to the point that it would be difficult for him to die even if he wanted to die.
However, despite being happy, Bai Zemin felt more bitterness so he couldn't help but sigh and shake his head subconsciously.
"What's wrong, are you unhappy with the result of your skill?" Lilith asked quietly seeing him so bitter.
"No... It's not that," Bai Zemin shook his head, and while he was looking at little Shilin sleeping, he said in a low voice, "I feel like I'll be facing a near-death experience soon, again."
"... Why do you say that?" Lilith straightened her posture and closed the book she had been reading.
In the past, she might not have paid attention to Bai Zemin's words, however, his instinct really was some sort of strange natural sixth sense since it had practically never failed him so far and Lilith had witnessed it on most occasions since the apocalypse broke out on Earth.
However, Bai Zemin's next words made Lilith's expression sink.
"Well, it's because I just got a Third Activation that increases my chances of survival tremendously which means I'll soon be on the verge of death somehow or another. You know, it always happens in novels.... The protagonist gets a great treasure or skill that somehow helps them survive what would be certain death if not for that treasure or skill."
Lilith was silent before sighing exasperatedly. She shook her head and waved a hand without saying more as if she had already made all her efforts before only to fail miserably.
Shangguan Bing Xue also looked at Bai Zemin and felt a little speechless in her heart as she said softly, "It seems like you really liked reading novels, didn't you?"
"Of course." Bai Zemin replied without a second thought and said as if it was natural, "While other guys had money and good looks to flirt with girls, I couldn't afford to ask anyone out not only because I had no money but also because my looks were poor. Therefore, I could only read novels."
"... Your shamelessness really knows no bounds." Shangguan Bing Xue rolled her eyes.
She assumed that Bai Zemin was joking for two reasons.
First, Bai Zemin had no interest in any girl enough to ask someone out because of his past experience with his first love.
Second, Shangguan Bing Xue did not believe that there were no interested girls, and if there were not, it was because those girls did not know him well enough. At the very least, she believed that there shouldn't be any girls in the university who really weren't interested in him if they had gotten to know him in depth.
"Meh." Bai Zemin shrugged, and while stretching his arms upwards he asked in a somewhat lazy voice, "Are you satisfied with your evolved skill?"
"Em, I am." She replied with a nod and a curious sparkle in her eyes.
Bai Zemin paused for a moment to look at her and noticed something new about her. However, he did not point it out and simply nodded, "That's good to know."
* * *
Around noon the next day, 3000 soul evolvers arrived at base number 1, and not long after Bai Zemin received information that base number 2 also received a visit from 3000 soul evolvers that under the care of Chen He and Wu Yijun began to mingle with the armed and evolved troops at the base.
Bai Zemin and Shanggguan Bing Xue did the same, and after about 2 hours of restructuring, they no longer had to worry in the short term about being stabbed in the back while they were not at home. At the same time, all the previous leaders of the base were replaced and although to avoid major problems they were given the title Noble level 5, not everyone was pleased.
Unfortunately for these people, Bai Zemin ignored their complaints and sternly warned them that if they dared to cause trouble within one of his establishments then death would be a light punishment for them.
Taking 1500 soul evolvers from the reconverted humans who had arrived today and joining them with 10,000 armed men, 20 battle tanks, and 10 assault helicopters, Bai Zemin led the troops slowly in a southeasterly direction.
At the same time, Chen He led an army of 2,000 reconverted humans, 15,000 armed men, 25 battle tanks, and 20 assault helicopters in a southwesterly direction.
The break was over, and this time Bai Zemin was going to attack for real.
With Shangguan Bing Xue and Meng Qi at base number 1, and with Wu Yijun and Nangong Lingxin at base number 2, Bai Zemin didn't have to worry about anything but advancing.
With one team attacking base number 3 and the other team attacking base number 4, by the end of the day only base 5 would be left standing and the two teams would meet at a midpoint to launch the final attack.
However, this time it did not turn out to be as easy as before.
Apart from the assault helicopters and war tanks, both caravans were composed of over 1000 military vehicles and at least 200 modified buses each, after all, it was impossible to ask the armed troops to travel such long distances in a short time, let alone without getting tired.
Bai Zemin was sitting on the back of Little Snow, leading the charge of the vehicles and Roaring Flame Tigers carrying their masters on their backs. Suddenly, however, Little Snow's hairs stood on end and Bai Zemin also sensed some danger at the front, something that surprised him greatly since very few things should make him feel danger.
But Bai Zemin was even more surprised when he realized that this sense of danger he felt was not coming from a military-grade tactical weapon but from a person!
500 meters ahead, a tall, handsome man with thick arms and legs surrounded by a large plate armor, as well as a giant hammer that should weigh at least 3 or 4 tons resting on the ground, used his mocking eyes to meet the indifferent gaze of Bai Zemin, who had stopped when he saw the scene in front of him.
"Yo! So you must be Bai Zemin, aren't you?"
The man's voice boomed across the snowy plain, causing large accumulations of snow in the path of the sound wave trailing his voice to explode and the snowflakes falling from the sky to drift away.
Bai Zemin's eyes were cold. Instead of responding to the man's words, he looked straight ahead.
Behind the giant and powerful-looking man, not only was there a well-organized armed army with war tanks, IFVs, howitzers, and red arrows, but there were also at least 5000 soul evolvers, and to Bai Zemin's surprise he noticed after a quick inspection that at least 80% of them were at level 34 or higher. Moreover, judging from the way they held their weapons and the postures of their bodies, it was clear that these were not soul evolvers and soldiers who were selected casually but were probably the cream of the crop of a large number of humans!
This would not be an easy battle... Especially since Bai Zemin noticed that the enemy in front of him was not simple.
Bai Zemin climbed down from the big white dog's back and looked behind him as he casually ordered, "All of you wait here."
Five hundred meters away, the giant man's pupils trembled for a brief moment as he noticed that even though the red-armored man's voice sounded calm, it was powerful enough to spread throughout the battlefield.
Seeing Bai Zemin walk towards him with relaxed steps and an indifferent look, the man looked back over his shoulder and roared mightily, "You all stay where you are! If any bastard dares to shoot or move I'll ram this hammer up their ass!"
Unlike the calm and relaxed voice from Bai Zemin, the man's shout was similar to the roar of a beast imposing its dominance and the shockwave pushed those closest two or three steps back.
The giant but still handsome man looked like a small tower as he walked step by step to meet Bai Zemin, who looked much smaller in comparison. This man was even taller than Zhong De who stood 2 meters tall, and the muscles on his body made him look like a bull in human form.
Bai Zemin's army advanced only a few steps with soul evolvers in front, standing at the top of the small snowy hill as they watched the person who seemed to be the leader of the other party slowly advance towards the one who was leading them.
Despite the difference in size, none of the soul evolvers who knew Bai Zemin thought for a moment that the other party would be able to defeat their leader.
However, the same applied to the other side.
None of the soul evolvers behind the giant man thought for a second that he would lose to the red-armored youth! This was because this giant man was second only to Lord President Xuanyuan Wentian!
As if they had planned it before, the two of them stopped 100 meters apart and silently looked into each other's eyes.
"Hahahaha! Your eyes are good, I like you!" The enemy troop leader laughed and said in an honest voice, "My name is Shao Tao, I will be 27 this year and in the past I used to work in a construction company. How about you, Zemin?"
The other party even treated him with kindness and closeness despite knowing that they would end up fighting to the death in a second.... Bai Zemin didn't know how to feel about it.
"Bai Zemin, I will be 21 in November. Former student at Beijing University, I used to work part-time at a store where they repaired cars and forged all kinds of stuff."
"I see! So you're also from a normal family like me!" Shao Tao shouted at the same time as he nodded.
It seemed that he really liked to talk loudly.
"Shao Tao, surrender."
Shao Tao's smiling expression slowly withdrew from his face, and while looking at the indifferent face of the young man in front of him, he repeated what he had just heard as if he was doubting his own hearing.
"Surrender...?"
The expression on Bai Zemin's face was indifferent as he said neither quickly nor slowly, "Surrender and have your troops agree to be reformed by me. I can tell that you are powerful and depending on your personality in the future you could be one of my generals, The situation on Earth currently is very bad for our human race, if possible I would prefer not to kill so many warriors let alone a powerful one like you."
Shao Tao's arm muscles swelled as he raised his giant hammer. His eyes were chilling as he said in a low voice, "Bai Zemin, are you kidding? I came here because I was told that if I was lucky I could find someone fun to fight... but you're asking me to surrender? What the fuck are you talking about."
"... Too bad." Bai Zemin shook his head as a golden glow shot out of his chest and covered his right hand, turning into a golden dragon claw-shaped gauntlet.
"I guess I have no choice but to kill you all in that case."
...
At the same time that Shao Tao appeared in front of Bai Zemin with a large army, things for the other Transcendent faction army on their way to base number 4 had also not turned out well when a person appeared obstructing the way.
When Chen He saw this person, his heart sank.
This person was the father of the woman he loved.... Xuanyuan Wentian.