Apocalypse: My Items Can Upgrade Infinitely

Chapter 211: Chapter 142: Rationality, Truth, My Soldiers Can Only Die in Battle

Then, with tears in her eyes, she gripped Shen Jie’s hand tightly.

"W-why... why is that taste back..."

Shen Jie’s heart shuddered, and he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"It’s okay. It’s okay now. Everything is over."

After soothing Zhang Liying’s turbulent emotions and letting her vent, she fell into a deep sleep, utterly exhausted in both body and mind.

The sounds of a noisy crowd drifted in from outside. Shen Jie tucked a blanket around Zhang Liying, then turned and stepped out.

Walking alone down the corridor, his thoughts drifted back to the day the apocalypse began, echoing with his footsteps.

The reason the two of them had managed to survive in the school’s sports equipment room back then wasn’t because they had directly consumed the flesh of the Zerg Race. It was because of a companion who had been poisoned to death by zerg blood.

At first, just one of them had been unlucky enough to get zerg blood in a wound while killing a Red-Armored Beetle. He died in the equipment room not long after.

The remaining survivors were suffering from adrenaline surges, sweating profusely until their mouths were parched. After an entire agonizing day, they were on the verge of collapse.

By late night, someone grew desperate to rehydrate and regain enough strength to brave the darkness and search for help.

So, as a last resort, they drank the blood from the corpse to restore their energy.

But it wasn’t long before that person collapsed from excruciating abdominal pain. When Shen Jie and Zhang Liying woke up the next day, they found that their companion had "stopped breathing."

Shen Jie, also desperate to live, was already a Second-level Enhanced Person who had killed several Red-Armored Beetles. He slit the wrist of their fallen companion.

He drank only a little, just enough to stop. Then, using the corpses as bait to lure away the swarm of Red-Armored Beetles, he grabbed Zhang Liying and successfully escaped the gymnasium. They sprinted all the way off campus and finally boarded that school bus...

...joining Lin Feng and the others to escape Hai City.

That was the truth of what had happened.

’Looking back now,’ he thought, ’the only reason we weren’t poisoned to death was that the toxins in the Zerg Race blood had been diluted twice—at the cost of two lives. Only then was it just barely within the limits an Enhanced Person could endure.’

But even so, the toxins had taken root in their bodies like a blood curse. Even after they became Awakeners, it clung to them like a shadow.

The two of them had once promised to bury this secret deep in their hearts.

Shen Jie, having been through hell and back, had come to terms with it, but Zhang Liying was still deeply tormented by the memory.

But after this latest brush with death, she had woken up with that same taste in her mouth, and the guilt she had suppressed for so long finally erupted.

Shen Jie took a deep breath, composing himself.

He walked out of the dormitory building to welcome the returning fleet.

As Lin Feng stepped off the Battleship, he announced that the mission was a complete success. The team’s future logistical supplies were now fully secured.

He added that tomorrow, they would all follow him to the rear of the second defense line to assume command.

Amid the crowd’s cheers and celebrations, Lin Feng’s gaze settled on Shen Jie, clad in Armor at the very back.

Their eyes met, and they gave each other a slight nod.

Early the next morning, Li Ran, the most eager member of the team, was wide awake. Like most of the other soldiers, he hadn’t slept a wink all night. He was already up and getting ready at six.

He polished his Red Profound Armor until it gleamed and maintained his Shotgun until it shone. He even gave the Tank, which was caked in mud and dust from its charge into the deep mountain forests, a thorough, spotless cleaning, inside and out.

By the time Lin Feng emerged, yawning, at nine in the morning, he found his team members already fully geared and standing in neat formation beside the pristine Tank.

They were waiting for his command.

Looking at the imposing, disciplined formation before him, he could already see the faint outline of the super Legion he envisioned in his mind.

In high spirits, Lin Feng immediately gave the order.

"Move out! To the Thirteenth Division’s garrison, behind the second defense line!"

The Invincible Fleet sped off, a mighty convoy that ignored the small bunkers and outposts to the South of the line, driving straight into the territory of the second defense line.

It only slowed as it approached the main fortress in the center of the line.

This was the University District, west of the Ring River. Several colleges flanked a large, open plaza in the center.

At the far end of the plaza, the senior command of the Thirteenth Division, including their Division Commander, was already standing in wait for the fleet’s arrival.

Lin Feng stood on the bow of his Battleship, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked at the welcoming party of only a hundred or so people.

Once the Battleship came to a halt before them, Lin Feng leaped down from the bow. He glanced at the empty plaza behind the group and demanded:

"Where are the rest of the soldiers?"

"There are fifteen thousand of them. This handful isn’t nearly enough."

"Notify them! Anyone willing to follow me is to report here!"

A nearby adjutant looked troubled and glanced at the Division Commander.

The Division Commander cleared his throat.

"The line needs to be manned at all times. I’ve gathered most of the field commanders. As long as they’re here, the units won’t fall apart."

Lin Feng shook his head. His philosophy of war wasn’t about holding a static line. He scanned the hundred-odd commanders and bellowed his orders.

"All of you, listen up and remember this! This is my first command!"

"From this day forward, this army will have only warriors who die on the charge, not cowards who fall back to defend!"

"My soldiers exist for one reason: to defeat the Zerg Race and reclaim humanity’s lost lands!"

"Now, get back there, as fast as you can! Gather your men and tell them: anyone willing to follow me into battle outside the city walls reports here!"

"Otherwise, they can spend the rest of their lives on defensive logistics!"