In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 137 Reunion
8: 30.

The advance platoon of the Special Counter-Strike Force could already see the outpost, which was very conspicuous on the bare rocky mountain.

A major observed through binoculars and saw only seven or eight figures standing guard, scattered about, without a single squad member.

"Are they almost all dead? There aren't enough men for one shift at the outpost."

"I remember that Ant Ridge Border Station only had low-level life-sustaining potions. A friend of mine complained that the purity was less than T3. Sixty people guarded the position for nine days, and there were no second-tier superhumans. I estimate that the casualties were quite high."

"The development of low-level health supplements that are below T3 has stalled after reaching 15 points."

Conflicting voices arose one after another, and even the Special Counter-Strike Force's advance team was not optimistic.

There's a concept in life development called "first level, five stages," which means there are five distinct stages of strength within a single realm.

At 8 PM, one can march 30 kilometers in one go and immediately engage in combat; at 10 PM, one no longer has that stamina. At 30 PM, one can carry a squad's machine gun and run and fight; at 40 PM, one has a certain ability to heal wounds.

They may not seem to differ much in normal circumstances, but their actual combat abilities are worlds apart.

The Special Counter-Strike Force is one of the few units in the city that is supplied with medium to high-level life-sustaining supplements, and they generally have 15-30 health points.

There are also two second-tier transcendents.

Resources determine the upper limit of a unit.

The platoon leader relayed the message to Wang Tong.

Soon, Wang Tong arrived after receiving the news and observed the outpost through his binoculars.

He immediately ordered, "Speed ​​up the march; it will be difficult if the outposts are breached."

A rescue mission is considered a failure if the rescue is unsuccessful.

Half an hour later, they made their way to the outpost along the winding mountain road.

Suddenly, the road ahead disappeared, leaving only the missing mountainside with traces of an explosion.

Wang Tong and the group of special agents looked down and saw a large pool of water below.

Based on the surrounding environment, it can be preliminarily determined that the border defense reinforcement platoon deliberately blew up the road, triggering a landslide that blocked a river channel.

They deliberately cut off their own escape route.

Everyone in the Special Counter-Strike Force was immediately filled with awe.

"They are all men of steel."

Wang Tong noticed through his binoculars that a distant outpost had noticed them, and said, "Signal with them."

A second lieutenant took out a red, yellow, and blue flag and made a specific gesture towards the distance.

In response to the problem of radio outages, the federal government studied many methods, and the most common method used by grassroots units was to use flags.

Soon, the other side responded by displaying a flag.

The lieutenant reported, "Captain, they said they're on an emergency mission and told us to wait."

"Urgent task?"

Wang Tong looked puzzled.

He then took the binoculars and began climbing higher. As a second-tier transcendent being, his physical abilities were like those of a mini-superman.

It only took three or four seconds to scramble up a huge old wild lychee tree.

He saw soldiers walking along both banks of the river, seemingly preparing to plant some kind of bomb.

I also saw a person setting up a sniper rifle on the shallow beach below the mountain.
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8:35
The sky is no longer as dark and gloomy as before.

Lu Zhaoli stood fifty meters from the shallows, his anti-material sniper rifle mounted behind a makeshift bunker. In the rain, the second and third squads, a total of twenty soldiers, spread out in skirmish lines along the riverbank.

"Second squad on the left flank, third squad on the right flank, soldiers spaced ten meters apart, place mines at the pre-set positions."

"In areas with rapid currents, try to tie a few stones to your property so you don't get swept away."

Lu Zhao's voice was clearly transmitted to the ears of every soldier through his mental power. As long as they were within a radius of two thousand meters, he could use his visualization technique to transmit his voice.

This is also one of the changes after advancing to the second tier.

The presence of Qi enhances the power of supernatural abilities.

While life development has a lower barrier to entry compared to cultivating both body and spirit, it also allows for the ultimate application of supernatural powers. As long as life force is enhanced, the power of supernatural powers will naturally increase accordingly.

The teacher praised him for this on several occasions.

The new practitioner is devoted to one method and studies it day and night, making him far superior to the inept practitioners of ancient times.

In ancient times, cultivation also required the use of life bones, but the difference was that they used the attributes of life bones to assist in the cultivation of Taoist arts.

For example, the Neidan school seeks physical life bones, while those who want to cultivate Yang spirit and Yin spirit seek spiritual ones.

There is only one reason for doing this: there are not enough pills.

Life supplements are a product of modern scientific research. In the past, people needed to take various elixirs to cultivate themselves, and the raw materials for these elixirs were mostly medicinal herbs.

Looking at history, while the modern era may not be the highest in terms of its upper limit, it is definitely the highest in terms of its lower limit.

Fifteen minutes later, the soldiers took their positions, each carrying two mines, with the fuses ready to be detonated.

The next step is to lure out the second-tier armored crocodile.

This is very simple.
Continue to administer the attractant.

The outpost only has lures for frog-like beasts, but second-tier armored crocodiles will also follow if they smell the scent, perhaps because they perceive it as an extra meal.

In the ecosystem of the Water Beast Cave, the armored crocodile feeds on frogs and other mammals.

Ten minutes later, the water was still turbulent and murky.

But under the scan of his mental energy, a dark figure silently swam upstream from downstream and approached Lu Zhao.

Fifty meters is just a single leap for it.

A faint killing intent emanated from the room.

Lu Zhao heard its almost instinctive emotions.

If he were at the first level, he wouldn't be standing here. Even a slight bump against his nearly forty-meter-long body could cause his internal organs to rupture.

Given the medical conditions at the outpost, they'll just have to wait to die.

However, the second order does not have this concern.

Lu Zhao wondered if the immobilization spell could freeze the opponent. Would the immobilization fail due to the increase in size?
Now that he can control Qi, it means that the immobilization spell can be cast without touching anything.

It was only a dozen meters away. "Release."

Twenty-four mines were laid in a semi-circle along a 200-meter stretch of the river. Three seconds later, the first mine exploded, followed by flashes of light in the murky water and rolling waves.

A dark shadow appeared, its jet-black scales emerging from the water, its dim yellow eyes gleaming with murderous intent, and it opened its blood-red maw to pounce on Lu Zhao.

A strong, fishy stench wafted over.

Its massive 36-meter-tall body resembled a car crashing into it.

It was cunning; instead of exposing its belly, it chose to crawl on the ground.

Lu Zhao had already set up his gun and slowly pulled the trigger. The anti-materiel sniper rifle emitted a burst of muzzle flash, and a bullet flew out.

The bullet flew towards the eye, and just before it made contact, a clump of yellowish liquid condensed and wrapped around it.

This scene confirmed to Lu Zhao that this second-tier water beast was very familiar with human firearms.

Similar to how animals used to recognize firearms, once they've been burned, they become wary, running away at the smell of gunpowder and fleeing at the sound of gunfire.

The bullet deviated slightly, but thanks to Lu Zhao's timely correction, it still hit the eye, though it didn't penetrate deeply.

Instead, it got stuck under his eyelid.

With one eye damaged, the crocodile thrashed about, turning its head to run away.

Ta-ta-ta-ta!

The heavy machine guns on the outpost began to spew fire, bullets clanging as they struck its thick scales.

Lu Zhao pulled the bolt and fired another shot. The bullet flew in an arc and entered the crocodile's armpit, the large-caliber bullet creating a bloody hole.

The crocodile, in pain, turned to run, but a surge of energy entered its massive body, binding its joints like shackles.

Lu Zhao felt his breath catch in his throat, and a third of his Qi was drained from his body.

The crocodile paused for only three seconds before turning around and exposing a small portion of its abdomen, which was immediately pierced by dozens of bullets.

It continued to run towards the water, its tenacious vitality was truly astonishing.

Once submerged in water, the bullet's power is greatly reduced.

This is the knowledge of the armored crocodile, its valuable experience.

Safety also means complacency.

Whether human or beast, the use of supernatural powers requires focused concentration.

Lu Zhao took a deep breath and then pulled the trigger.

boom!
The warhead flew out, enveloped in mental energy, repelling the liquid.

thump!
Its enormous body splashed up waves and sank into the water, disappearing from sight.

Everyone held their breath until the body floated back to the surface.

The thirty soldiers erupted in a deafening cheer.

The cheers faintly reached the ears of the Special Counter-Strike Team, and Wang Tong, perched in the treetop, widened his eyes.

"Did they kill a Tier 2 armored crocodile?"

The strength of a monster can be roughly judged by its size. Judging from its appearance, a monster that is at least 35 meters tall must be at least at the second tier of strength.

But don't border posts not have any second-tier superhumans?

Half an hour later, a rope was strung between the two missing sections of the mountain, and the soldiers used only the rope to leap across the steep slope.

The special counter-terrorism detachment joined forces with the reinforced platoon.

Lu Zhao shook hands with Wang Tong, his tone full of gratitude, and said, "The outpost welcomes the Special Counter-Strike Force and accepts your command."

The addition of 120 first-tier superhumans greatly strengthens the outpost's defenses and also indirectly reduces casualties among our own comrades.

The remaining thirty soldiers were all more or less wounded, and the arrival of the Special Counter-Strike Force allowed them to withdraw from the front line.

Wang Tongdao said, "It's my duty. Even if I weren't here, someone else would have."

As he spoke, he looked at the crocodile and then scrutinized Lu Zhao.

He wasn't a spiritual being, but their Qi could resonate with each other. A faint sense of...
"Comrade Lu Zhao, have you broken through to the second tier yet?"

Lu Zhao nodded and said, "I've been taking intermediate-level life supplements for a while now, and I barely managed to break through this morning."

Although he had suspected it beforehand, he still couldn't hide his surprise after confirming it.

Lu Zhao's development speed is too fast.

The emergence of every second-tier transcendent being counted as a political achievement, so all transcendents with a score of forty or higher are recorded annually. Furthermore, local governments provide additional resources to help them break through to the second tier.

Second-order transcendence is a rather special stage.

The power levels are controllable, and the development difficulty is not high. The Federation hopes to have as many as possible.

However, the third order is the opposite. The primary consideration is not talent, but loyalty to the Federation and whether the individual has an antisocial personality.

Therefore, there is a mandatory requirement for a first-class merit award.

With Lu Zhao's resume and talent, plus his connection to the Liu faction, reaching the third tier is a certainty.

He will definitely receive a first-class merit upon completion of this mission.

Wang Tongyi changed his usual slightly superior attitude and said with a kind face, "Although my position is higher than Station Chief Lu's, you know more about preventing water monsters than I do."

"Therefore, I hope that Station Chief Lu can command the operation with me."

Before coming, Zhao De instructed Wang Tong to listen to Lu Zhao's opinions.

Wang Tong understood this and was willing to listen to the opinions of professionals like Lu Zhao. However, he wouldn't say it openly, because doing so would mean dividing command authority and could cause confusion in command.

The struggle for power knows no bounds, regardless of occasion or situation. On the contrary, the more critical the situation, the more necessary it is to determine who holds the reins.

Everyone wants to be a trendsetter of the times.

If Lu Zhao were still a first-tier transcendent, Wang Tong would want to overpower him. But since Lu Zhao is a second-tier transcendent, Wang Tong would be hesitant.

He was already forty-two, while Lu Zhao was only twenty-six.

A 26-year-old second-tier transcendent being, a chief clerk, the head of a local armed forces unit, and a graduate of the Imperial Capital Academy.

Unbeknownst to Lu Zhao, in the eyes of others, he possessed a great aura, even more so than Lin Zhiyan.

(End of this chapter)