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

The wind and snow enveloped the entire Supply Base No. 03 in a layer of gray-white ice.

Inside the shared tent.

The embers in the stove had long since gone out.

Martin opened his eyes and pulled the old military overcoat covering him.

He pulled the second-tier crystal energy rifle from under his pillow and checked the magazine.

The bed next to me made a noise.

Hans put on his winter coat, walked over, and kicked Martin's bed leg.

"Get up, wake up! There's going to be a big show today."

Martin quickly sat up and rubbed his stiff cheeks.

"Not accepting missions today?" Martin asked.

Hans threw a compressed biscuit onto Martin's blanket.

"Chen Wu didn't issue any notice; without someone to lead the team, going out is just suicide."

Hans yawned. "Important figures from Great Xia have arrived at the camp today. The entire area is under martial law."

Big man?

Martin picked up a cookie, tore open the packaging, and took a bite.

He paused his chewing motion for half a second.

The intelligence Richard needed has arrived.

"Are the Awakened Ones of Great Xia coming?"

Martin, head down, swallowed a dry biscuit and asked casually.

Hans put on his tactical vest and fastened the buckles on the bulletproof inserts.

"How would I know if someone is an awakened being?"

Anyway, the scale was enormous.

Even the head of Base 03 went to wait.

Hans reached into his pocket, pulled out half a cigarette, and put it in his mouth.

"The higher-ups have been tightening their control over supplies these past few days. They might be here to check the accounts."

Stop talking nonsense and get going.

Martin didn't ask any more questions.

He put on his winter coat, slung his rifle over his shoulder, and followed Hans out of the tent.

The wind and snow outside have lessened a bit.

The main road of the camp was crowded with people.

They were all mercenaries and foreign survivors who hadn't gone on missions.

Fully armed soldiers stood behind the yellow warning tape stretched out on both sides of the road, guns at their hands.

Martin followed Hans, walking forward with the flow of people.

Tom, who was in the same team, and two other veterans were also in the crowd.

"Stop pushing! Everyone, step back!"

A Daxia soldier shouted through a megaphone.

The crowd was stopped 500 meters from the tarmac.

Martin looked around.

Two tracked armored vehicles were parked at the intersection, blocking all the passageways.

The defense level is several levels higher than usual.

"That's quite a grand affair."

Tom rubbed his hands together and breathed on them to warm them up, then stomped his frozen feet. "They even brought in heavy mechs."

Martin looked at the heavily armored Great Xia soldiers.

He leaned closer to Hans and spoke in a low voice.

"Are there many Awakened Ones from Great Xia here?"

Martin looked at the distant helipad.

"I've heard some rumors before that Awakened Ones in Great Xia kill Tier 3 mutated beasts as easily as killing chickens."

Hans glanced at Martin and said irritably.

You believe rumors too?

Martin slowed his pace and walked alongside Hans. "Is Commander Chen an Awakened One?"

"Chen Wu?"

Hans shook his head.

"He was a special forces soldier from the Great Xia. He was just lucky to be born in the Great Xia."

"If he were truly an awakened being, he would have already killed that leopard yesterday. Why would we be needed as bait?"

"So, in our camp, there isn't a single Awakened from the Great Xia?"

"have no idea."

Hans replied irritably.

"If I were a high-ranking official in Great Xia, I would also send foreign Awakened Ones to the front lines."

We'll fill the monster's belly with our lives.

The best troops are all left in the rear. Who knows, right now all the awakened ones in Great Xia are probably enjoying air conditioning in the underground city.

Martin didn't respond, but listened quietly.

This is a common perception among low-level mercenaries.

Richard deduced that the Great Xia was internally weak based on this understanding.

Tom heard Hans's words and turned around to refute them.

Don't make wild guesses.

I've heard from others that the Awakened Ones of Great Xia are all on the front lines carrying out the most difficult missions.

He pointed to the east.

"It is said that a fourth-tier monster has appeared on the battlefield, and one has already been killed by the Great Xia team."

The Tier 3 monsters we usually fight are just leftovers that others have picked over.

Hans scoffed. "You saw it with your own eyes?"

"Never seen it before."

Tom shrugged. "But use your brain."

If there weren't tall guys holding up the front, the defense would have collapsed long ago.

"If the people of Great Xia hadn't put in the effort, could we have held out until now?"

Martin remained outwardly calm, but he mentally reviewed the information he had gathered.

Although no one knows the current situation of the awakened ones in the Great Xia Dynasty.

However, it is clear that Awakened Ones of Great Xia rarely appear in regular camps.

A one-eyed man walking next to Tom spoke up.

His name is Lucas. He's a veteran who retired from the Nordic theater of war. One of his eyes was pecked out by a mutated bird.

"The Great Xia Dynasty had no choice."