In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 136 Advancement to Second Tier (Thanks to Shen Tu Mingliang for being the Alliance Leader)

That night.

A very resourceful young lady made a phone call to the front lines of flood relief efforts.

"Comrade from the Municipal Administration, are you treating Ant Ridge as a flood discharge area?"

Lin Zhiyan's signature proud voice rang out.

Zhao De felt helpless.

He had said he would keep it a secret, and with radio communication cut off, only his closest confidants could pass on the message.

But people strive for higher positions, and it's easy for those in positions of power to inquire about their situation.

It's not illegal, and it also pleases important people.

As for who it was specifically, he didn't want to verify it; it was pointless.

He explained, "Team Leader Lin, only Ant Ridge has completed the evacuation of all its residents. I have already settled everyone in, and there will be no casualties."

Lin Zhiyan said, "Lu Zhao is at the outpost."

Zhao De replied, "He is a soldier, and it is his duty to be there."

If Lu Zhao dies, it will be a worthy death.

He shouldn't die just because someone values ​​him. There's never anyone in the Federation who shouldn't die; even the Marquis of Wu had moments when sacrifice was necessary.

“I know, but I expect you to bring him back to me if necessary.”

Lin Zhiyan's voice sounded weak.

In the face of natural disasters, relationships are useless. The Federation is going through a turbulent time, so how could we let her act recklessly?

Lin Zhiyan is a smart person; she knows she can't cause trouble at this time.

Upon hearing this, Zhao De breathed a sigh of relief.

Team Leader Lin wasn't as willful as expected; at least he knew the rules and had a sense of propriety. It was impossible for him to transfer Lu Zhao back, but he could be taken care of during the retreat.

It is also in compliance with regulations for an outstanding federal officer to take priority during a retreat.

"I will."

"Thank you."

The phone hangs up.

Zhao De sat quietly in his office, waiting.

At this time, the work of building dikes outside had stopped, and the soldiers and civilians who had held out for four days had reached their limit.

They also bought precious time for the people downstream to evacuate. There is no need to continue to hold out now, and the water level exceeding the dam by three meters does not allow them to continue to take risks.

Everyone was waiting, praying that the rain would stop.

In the early hours of August 9th, the heavy rain subsided significantly.

Some officials came to request that the dam be reinforced, saying that maybe if they could hold on for another day or two, they could get through it.

Zhao De refused.

He couldn't gamble with the entire city of Fangchenggang. Sacrificing Ant Ridge would at most mean the next six months' harvest and some village houses. With the government funding coming in, everything would be rebuilt next year.

However, if the entire reservoir were to collapse, the floodwaters could directly breach the city's defenses, causing losses of hundreds of billions of yuan and countless casualties.

03:22
Wang Tong led a fully armed special counter-terrorism detachment of 120 people to the border station. After a short rest, they entered the foot of Ant Ridge Mountain and camped in an old temple that could shelter them from the rain.

The Yunshan Reservoir could release floodwaters at any time, so they had to enter the mountainous area in advance to avoid being blocked by the flood.

We're not going into the mountains now because it's too dark; we need to wait until morning when we can see the road a little better.

He did not want any pointless casualties on the way to provide support. His soldiers could die, but they had to die on the battlefield to defend their homeland.

05: 51.

As long as the heavy rain continues, the floodwaters will not recede.

On the dam of Yunshan Reservoir, the soldiers had already placed explosives.

Zhao De timed it precisely; his mechanical watch showed 06:00 AM. He ordered, "Evacuate the crowd. Destroy the low dike in half an hour."

The soldiers and civilians on the dam began to evacuate. Half an hour later, a huge explosion pierced the rain curtain, and a huge column of water gushed out.

For a moment, cries rose and fell.

The people of Ant Ridge lost their hometown; some had relatives and friends who died fighting the floods; and the soldiers at the border station…

Everyone clenched their fists, their faces filled with resentment.

The secretary brought Zhao De a pen and paper and said, "Sir, the Special Counter-Strike Team has all left their wills, you're the only one missing."

As a city executive, Zhao De also needed to go to the front line. This was both his own wish and the federal government's requirement for city executives.

The top leader of any unit or locality must step forward and take responsibility in times of crisis; otherwise, it constitutes a serious dereliction of duty.

Being dismissed from office afterward is a minor matter; the real danger is being accused of treason.

The federal government grants city executives enormous power, but also requires them to assume all responsibilities.

The current chief of the Martial Virtue Hall once said: "If the city is destroyed, your life is a crime."

Zhao De shook his head and said, "My parents died early, so there's nothing to leave behind."

He still has an ex-wife and son, and he has feelings for Zhao De. But to protect himself and his wife and son, it's best to have less contact with them from now on.

They are not suited to have any dealings with power.
-
06:10
The river swelled, and the water spread towards the old temple at the foot of the mountain, submerging the field ridges and covering the roads.

As the road gradually disappeared, it was impossible for the soldiers of the Special Counter-Strike Force not to feel nervous.

Ten days ago, they were still enjoying tea at the Special Counter-Strike Force's base, living a leisurely life.

Discussing the latest TV dramas, celebrity scandals, and the newest mobile phones, and playing basketball with friends.

Terrorists don't exist every day. Even outside of their military and police roles, they still have their own daily lives.

Even in military camps, aside from the recruit training period, there isn't daily drill.

7:50
The sky was still dark, but the road was now visible.

The rushing river overflowed the old temple, and the special counter-terrorism detachment soldiers, wearing raincoats, set off again.

Wang Tong stood at the forefront, his deep voice drowning out the sound of rain, and said: "All men, march to the Ant Ridge outpost. The first platoon will serve as the scouts, scouting 300 meters ahead. The second platoon will be the main force, and the third platoon will bring up the rear, maintaining a single column with a spacing of 3 meters."

"When hiking, adjust your formation on uphill sections to keep the group compact."

"Yes!!!"

The special counter-terrorism detachment soldiers responded in unison.

Finally, Wang Tong exhaled slightly and said frankly, "I don't know how many people will be able to come back this time, but the country and the people need us, and we have to go even if it means going through fire and water."

"If possible, I hope that none of them will be missing."

"Set off."

The special counter-insurgency detachment marched towards the mountains, braving the heavy rain.
-
Outpost.

Many carcasses of crocodiles were piled up on the shallow beach at the foot of the mountain.

Unlike the frog-like beasts, the armored crocodiles often prefer to hunt on land, charging towards outposts. They are easier to kill than the frog-like beasts in the water, but they also pose a threat to the soldiers who have set up firing positions along the shore.

They had to deal with the crocodile beasts that came ashore, and also prevent the frog beasts from breaking through the blockade.

Not letting a single aquatic creature enter the territory is a mission they are willing to uphold even at the cost of their lives.

After killing over a thousand water beasts yesterday, they finally got a much-needed respite.

Some of the more seriously injured were lying on their dormitory beds, while most were gathered under the tin shed of the canteen, lying on the ground.

The reinforced platoon, originally sixty men, is now reduced to thirty-one, and all of them have had their skin burned by sulfuric acid.

These wounds were exposed to the rain, and although the medication prevented them from becoming inflamed and oozing pus, the wounds were constantly rubbing against the clothing.

Some soldiers' clothes were stuck to their flesh and blood, and when they were torn off, they were covered in rotten flesh.

Due to his high level of vitality development, Lu Zhao's healing ability far surpasses that of normal people. As long as his life-sustaining supplements are supplied sufficiently, his superficial wounds will generally scab over in one day and heal in two days. [49.8]

He looked at the numbers on the blood analyzer.

During this special period, life-saving supplies are unlimited. Since the beginning of the flood, he has been taking five bottles of safflower every day, squeezing out his full potential.

Every day they have to face the constant onslaught of monsters, and also endure the physical tearing caused by overexploiting their life force.

In this way, the price can rise by about 0.4 to 0.6 per day.

Meanwhile, the remaining reinforced platoon soldiers are also significantly improving, and due to their low vitality levels, some of them are even faster than Lu Zhao.

For example, Liu Qiang arrived at 11 o'clock, and now he has almost 13 points of vitality left.

This phenomenon is known in academia as stress response.

Being constantly in a dangerous environment will cause the body to digest life-sustaining nutrients more quickly, thereby accelerating life development.

The combination of an unlimited supply of life-sustaining drugs and constant exposure to dangerous environments often results in a continuous stream of powerful superhumans being produced by frontline legions.

Lu Zhao held a bottle of Honghualang and pondered for a long time, wondering whether he should drink another bottle.

I've already drunk five bottles today, but my vitality is still 0.2 points short.

Liu Qiang, standing to the side, advised, "Brother Lu, stop drinking. If you keep drinking like this, you'll have health problems. We're not in a hurry, just one day."

Every medicine has its side effects, and life supplements are not a panacea. Taking too many life supplements can also cause problems.

Lu Zhao shook his head and said, "Tomorrow, even more monsters will come. They didn't come today only because we killed too many yesterday. The corpses will float downstream, allowing them to feast, and the smell of blood will attract even more aquatic beasts."

This has been the case every year; the water monsters usually come in three waves.

The first wave arrives as a small vanguard, like ants searching for food; the second wave is the regular army. The key wave is the third, which is often drawn by the corpses.

Generally, when killing the second wave, try to collect the corpses to avoid attracting more water beasts.

But the current conditions clearly do not allow it.

Liu Qiang fell silent. He had always been good at observation and had been working as Lu Zhao's assistant. He naturally knew the patterns of the water beasts through his teachings and example.

He said with a mournful face, "Brother Lu, will I be able to go back alive? I'm still a virgin, I don't want to die."

The somewhat heavy atmosphere was instantly dispelled by this lively character.

"Pfft, hahaha, holy crap, you've made my wound split open with laughter."

One of the comrades lying on the ground was laughing and cursing.

The others also laughed.

Liu Qiang's face flushed red as he yelled, "What are you laughing at? Are you all broken?"

"I have a wife."

"I have a girlfriend."

"I have spoken with them."

His comrades answered enthusiastically. Liu Qiang looked around and realized that all his comrades who were originally virgins like him seemed to be dead.

Lu Zhao comforted her, "It's okay, me too."

Looking at the other man's handsome appearance, Liu Qiang smirked and said, "I don't believe you for a second. Someone like Brother Changlu would have been taken advantage of long ago."

I imagine Brother Lu probably talked about kidney deficiency back in his student days.

Believe it or not.

Although Lu Zhao has always been popular with women, his mind is not on that, so he has never been in a relationship.

There was one person I knew who was more than friends with, but things didn't work out in the end.

The joyful atmosphere lasted only a short while before everyone lay down to rest, like tigers licking their wounds, waiting for the next battle.

Lu Zhao opened the life supplement and drank it down in sips, frowning.

He closed his eyes and circulated his energy, ignoring the throbbing pain throughout his body, to digest the life-sustaining supplement.

An hour later, a sudden surge of intense heat spread from his abdomen, his body temperature soared, and white steam continuously rose from his skin.

This change attracted the attention of others.

Lu Zhao opened his eyes, a divine light appeared, and his spiritual power broke through 1,200 meters, extending towards 2,000 meters away.

At the same time, the fatigue accumulated from days of fighting vanished. Or perhaps it still lingered, but was suppressed by an even more surging force.

He was like an eighty-year-old man who suddenly returned to the age of eighteen.

Advance to Tier 2!

Liu Qiang's eyes widened, and he asked, "Brother Lu, you've already reached the second level?"

"should be."

Lu Zhao stood up from the ground, feeling a flow of Qi within his body.

The previously stagnant life-sustaining tonic was instantly transformed into Qi.

Previously, he could only perceive the existence of Qi when he was practicing his cultivation technique, but now he can feel Qi at all times.

This is the characteristic of the second order: Qi sensation.

It is also the source of self-healing ability. After advancing to the second-tier transcendent, a person will no longer rely solely on their physical body to store energy.

Without needing a blood analyzer to calculate blood heat, Lu Zhao was absolutely certain that he had already reached the second stage!

After a moment of silence, the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

Liu Qiang shouted, "Brother Lu is awesome!!!"

"Brother Lu has reached level two, we still have hope."

“Kill that Tier 2 armored crocodile. That guy killed more than a dozen of our brothers.”

"Brother Lu has reached level two! Brother Lu has reached level two!"

Someone ran to deliver the good news to the wounded soldiers who were unable to move in the dormitory, and the shouts echoed throughout the entire outpost.

The remaining thirty people all wore expressions of joy.

It seems that once Lu Zhao reaches the second tier, all difficulties cease to be difficulties.

This also reflects the differences in society due to the existence of individual great power; the existence of an extraordinary strongman can greatly boost morale.

The Qi provided seemingly endless vitality and also gave Lu Zhao confidence.

He was determined to bring these thirty people to life.

08:08
Lu Zhao began to formulate a plan to target the second-tier armored crocodile.

The second-tier armored crocodile possesses a certain level of intelligence; it is aware of the power and weaknesses of firearms, so it rarely leaves the water. Even when forced out of deep water by mines, it will not fully surface.

The only feasible method at present is sea mines.

Mines cannot cause damage, but the shockwave and tremors from their explosion often force them out of deep water.

By deploying a large number of mines around it, leaving the crocodile nowhere to go, it can be forced into shallow waters.

At that time, Lu Zhao will use an anti-material sniper rifle and his mental power to break through the shallow water and shoot it dead.

Lu Zhao explained the plan to the soldiers, saying, "We don't have many mines left, and we only have one chance."

"understand!"

The plan began. Of the thirty people, excluding the six who were unable to move, the remaining twenty-four were divided into three groups.

One squad was responsible for guarding the outpost and providing fire support to prevent new monsters from attacking.

The remaining two classes of twenty people need to drop mines simultaneously from different locations.

Lu Zhao will go directly to the shallows and stand on the most dangerous front line.

Because the distance between oneself and one's spiritual power decreases more severely, it is best to keep the distance within 100 meters in order to achieve the effect of breaking through the water.

(End of this chapter)