In the apocalypse, I hoarded goods and handed over my storage space to the government.

Western Front, Position 311.

The air was filled with a nauseating stench of gunpowder and rotting flesh.

Cai Yi was mechanically wiping the barrel of the 12.7mm heavy machine gun in front of him with a rag.

He was once the sharpest blade in the Wolf Fang Special Forces Brigade, skilled in solo infiltration and raids behind enemy lines, and licking blood off the blade was commonplace for him.

After the apocalypse, he transformed from a sharp blade into a cannon emplacement.

As a heavy machine gunner in an armored brigade of the 7th Group Army, his task was simple: hold the trigger tightly until the ammunition belt was empty or the barrel broke down.

"Yi-ge, take a break! Why polish it so shiny? It'll just get covered in blood later anyway!"

The armored vehicle hatch was pried open, and a young spotter poked his head out, offering a half-flattened pack of cigarettes.

"These bastards acted like they'd eaten shit today, charging in six waves."

Cai Yi took the cigarette and said, "He's gone mad, and his skin is getting thicker and thicker."

He patted the 12.7mm vehicle-mounted machine gun in front of him, "What used to take three bullets to shatter a skull now takes five."

In the past, as the ace sniper of the original Wolf Fang Special Forces Brigade, Cai Yi would have chosen to use the most accurate shot to pierce the target's eye socket.

But now, in this meat grinder-like battlefield, precision is meaningless.

Only coverage.

Relentless barrage of fire.

This fighting style made him feel frustrated, like a top assassin being forced to swing a sledgehammer.

Although it could kill someone, I always felt something was off about it.

"They're off, heading back to camp to rest."

Cai Yi jumped off the armored vehicle, his tactical boots making a "smack" sound as they stepped into the sticky, black, bloody mud.

At the temporary rest stop, several soldiers who had just been withdrawn from the front lines lay sprawled out.

One of them, named Ouyang Fei, was grinning and gulping down water.

"Hey guys, listen to me,"

Ouyang Fei shouted at the top of his lungs, his face brimming with barely suppressed excitement, "The higher-ups are about to make a big move!"

These words were like a stone thrown into a pond; the eyes of the exhausted veterans instantly lit up.

"What big move is it? Are they pushing things forward again?"

"Push my ass! Can't you see there are more and more second-tier stuff? It's getting harder and harder to fight them."

Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me!

Ouyang Fei cleared his throat and gave everyone a smug look.

"I just went to the brigade headquarters to collect supplies and heard from the staff officer that General Zhang Xiao has joined forces with the leaders of several other war zones."

Two hundred of the army's most elite special forces soldiers will be selected to form a brand-new special forces unit! Codenamed "Sharp Sword"!

In the corner, Cai Yi paused for a moment as he unbuttoned his tactical vest.

"Special forces? Sharp sword?" he whispered.

Since the arrival of the Red Rain and the outbreak of the zombie horde, traditional special operations tactics have become almost completely obsolete.

There was no rear, no infiltration, only head-on confrontation.

These veteran special forces soldiers had long been dispersed and reassigned to various companies.

"Special forces? They still do that now?"

"They're not ordinary special forces!"

Ouyang Fei became more and more excited as he spoke, his eyes shining. "It's the Crystal Core Special Forces! They're equipped with new weapons developed from Crystal Cores, and I heard they're going to equip everyone with the latest 'Xingtian' Crystal Core powered exoskeleton!"

Upon hearing this, several soldiers who were resting nearby perked up their ears and gathered around.

"Really?!"

"Who is in charge?"

"Who else could it be?"

Ouyang Fei's gaze instinctively fell on Cai Yi. "Our old captain, Lin Feng! He's personally leading the charge!"

boom!

The name caused an uproar at the temporary rest stop.

Half of those present had been soldiers in the Wolf Fang Special Forces Brigade, and Lin Feng was their former idol.

"However, I heard that the selection process this time is extremely rigorous, with only two hundred to be chosen from the entire army!"

Ouyang Fei declared confidently, "And we don't want new recruits, only veterans like us who have previous special operations experience!"

"Why don't they want new recruits?"

A young man next to Ouyang Fei muttered resentfully.

"We're physically stronger and have faster reflexes, so we should at least be given a chance to try."

"What do you know about special operations?"

Ouyang Fei said disdainfully, "Do you understand the concept of 'going deep into enemy territory alone'? Do you know what 'a single, decisive blow' means?"

"I absolutely have to be there!"

A soldier named Zhao Dapeng excitedly patted his chest, "Back then, Captain Lin thought highly of me! He said I was born to be a special forces soldier!"

"Come on, you!"

Someone nearby poured cold water on the idea, saying, "This is a selection process across the entire army. Old connections won't work anymore. In the end, we'll have to look at overall qualities."

"Then I'm qualified too! Last week I took down two Tier 2 mutated gray wolves with a heavy machine gun!"

"Can you manage without a gun?"

"Then you do it!"

The crowd began to chatter amongst themselves, their faces filled with longing.

They were all the best soldiers, but this damned apocalypse has turned them into machines that can only spray bullets.

Now, an opportunity for them to regain their glory is before them.

Even Cai Yi, who remained silent as he cleaned his gun.

The frequency of wiping also increased involuntarily.

Is there finally another chance to go back to my old profession?

He hadn't experienced that kind of extreme thrill of walking on the edge of life and death for far too long.

"Old Cai, what are you thinking about?"

Ouyang Fei leaned closer and said, "You used to be our Wolf Fang's ace sniper, so you're definitely going to get a spot this time."

"Squad leader, stop joking!"

Before Cai Yi could speak, the new recruit next to him spoke up again, "Brother Yi, you're almost thirty-five, right? Can you still keep up physically? Besides, these days you fight zombies with bullets, not snipers. If they just kept firing one shot at a time, the zombies would have eaten us all long ago."

"You greenhorn, you're getting cocky."

Ouyang Fei angrily remarked, "When Lao Cai infiltrated the enemy's position alone to carry out a decapitation strike, you were still wearing open-crotch pants."

Cai Yi didn't refute, but just smiled faintly, took out the flattened cigarette from his pocket, and lit it.

Take a deep breath; the sparks flicker on and off.

Physical fitness?

Killing techniques never rely solely on brute force.

Just then, a messenger rushed in, crouching low, his expression serious.

"Position 311, Third Armored Platoon!"

Swish!

All the chatter stopped abruptly, and a dozen pairs of eyes stared at him.

The messenger opened his terminal, cleared his throat, and read in a deep voice:

"By order of the Western Front Command, the following three individuals are urgently dispatched to report to their designated locations."

There are three people.

Everyone held their breath, their hearts pounding in their throats.

"Ouyang Fei!"

"arrive!"

When Ouyang Fei's name was called, he suddenly stood up, his face turning bright red.

"Zhao Dapeng!"

"Here!" Zhao Dapeng, who had been bragging just moments before, was now so excited that his lips were trembling.

Each name read out by the messenger was like a trial.

Those whose names weren't called on had their eyes dimmed slightly.

The list is short, with only three spots.

After reading the two, the messenger paused.

Cai Yi's heart sank as well.

So... it still didn't work? Are snipers really no longer effective?

He chuckled self-deprecatingly and lowered his head to continue cleaning the gun.

"Cai Yi!"

The messenger finally called out that name.

Cai Yi froze abruptly as he wiped his gun, a look of disbelief in his eyes.

"Cai Yi! Didn't you hear me?" the messenger emphasized.

"arrive!"

Cai Yi suddenly stood up and responded loudly.

The three people whose names were called quickly stepped forward and stood in a row in front of the communications soldier.

The communications soldier gave the three men a standard military salute and then handed them three brand-new tactical terminals.

"This is your transfer order. Pack your personal equipment; a transport plane will be coming to pick you up in half an hour."

"Yes!" the three roared like thunder.

"Report!"

Ouyang Fei couldn't help but ask loudly, "Excuse me, where is our destination?"

The messenger glanced at them and uttered a few words.

"Kunlun Base".