Chapter 25

When Cheng Yang and the others walked out of the instance, everyone else in the base looked at them with intense envy, not just those who had failed to change their professions, but also those who had already done so.

"Old Yu, Haozi, today we will continue to rescue people in Huimin Town and look for wood at the same time. Otherwise, it's not good for these people to keep camping outside," Cheng Yang instructed. "Old Li, you stay in the base with Niu Bing, taking turns to guard the base and clear the new monsters that spawn outside."

Yu Kai and the others nodded in agreement. For them, whether they went to Huimin Town or stayed in Luofeng Village made no difference as long as they could gain spirit energy points.

Next, Yu Kai and the others began to organize their teams. Cheng Yang also entrusted the affairs of the dozen or so people under his command to Zhao Chuan.

As the lord of the entire Luofeng Village, although he led a small team, he couldn't focus all his energy on these people.

Cheng Yang came to the profession statue again and noticed that the last level one attribute upgrade for the main profession statues would be completed in just two minutes. He waited on the side.

Two minutes later, all level one skill research was completed, and the statue automatically upgraded to level 2, with significant changes to its attributes.

Building Name: Mage Statue

Level: 2

Profession Research: Life Enhancement (Level 2, Unresearched): Increases the life strength of all mages who have changed professions under this statue by 8%. Upgrade Condition: 200 spirit energy points.

Magic Power Enhancement (Level 2, Unresearched): Increases the magic power of all mages who have changed professions under this statue by 8%. Upgrade Condition: 200 spirit energy points.

Magic Attack (Level 2, Unresearched): Increases the attack power of all mages who have changed professions under this statue by 8%. Upgrade Condition: 200 spirit energy points.

Physical Defense (Level 2, Unresearched): Increases the physical defense of all mages who have changed professions under this statue by 8%. Upgrade Condition: 200 spirit energy points.

Magic Defense (Level 2, Unresearched): Increases the magic defense of all mages who have changed professions under this statue by 8%. Upgrade Condition: 200 spirit energy points.

Number of Professions Changed: 20/50

The other main profession statues were identical to the Mage Statue.

Satisfied with this result, Cheng Yang once again selected people from those who had not yet changed professions. As expected, he did not choose Hu Bing and the others.

After selecting twenty people, Cheng Yang temporarily stopped.

The newly changed twenty people were once again evenly distributed among the five teams, bringing the total number of people in each team to twenty.

After the profession change was completed, Cheng Yang found that the more than 400 spirit energy points that had just been gathered were almost halved. This was inevitable, as 100 population points were required for the upgrade.

Next, he needed to gather 1000 spirit energy points for the base.

Cheng Yang was quite conflicted. If he could donate his spirit energy points to the base now, he would do so immediately. Because as soon as the base upgraded to a level 2 village, he would immediately have the strength of a high-level magic apprentice, which would greatly increase his efficiency in killing monsters. Some large-scale monster groups that he previously dared not touch might now be within reach. He could earn more than 1000 spirit energy points in a day.

However, the rules set by the gods were unchangeable, and he had no choice but to accept them.

Cheng Yang estimated that by the next morning, the spirit energy points of Luofeng Village would be sufficient for the base to upgrade. This was not only due to the monsters that spawned around the base but also because the Blood Church instance could be entered again. At that time, it wouldn't just be Cheng Yang acting alone; Yu Kai and the others would also lead teams into the instance.

With this decision, it was certain that there would be no major upheaval in Luofeng Village today.

...

Compared to the stability of Luofeng Village, Xiangcheng City was far from peaceful today.

From noon, the sound of gunfire echoed throughout Xiangcheng City. This was the military force from the suburbs of Xiangcheng City.

The reason the military rescue only appeared now was that the military was also threatened at the beginning of the disaster. However, the weapons in the military camp were not just for show, and there were no high-rise buildings in the camp, so the weapons were not buried. With a large number of armed personnel, the military completely eliminated the monsters in the camp by the early hours of the morning.

There was a split in the military leadership at this time. Some suggested immediately sending the military into Xiangcheng City to provide the fastest possible rescue. However, others opposed this, citing the lack of orders from higher-ups. The military emphasizes strict adherence to orders, and acting without orders would be a crime. For a time, they could only wait.

This wait lasted a full day. During this time, they discovered that all weapons that required electricity could no longer be used. This was a huge shock, as modern weapons are largely dependent on electricity. Only weapons that use a firing pin are unaffected.

Now, the only weapons they could use were guns, grenades, and rocket launchers. This made them feel uneasy. Especially the tanks in the warehouse, which had become piles of scrap metal, made them feel helpless. If these tanks could be used, they wouldn't have to fear the monsters.

By the morning, they still hadn't received orders from higher-ups. With all the power systems destroyed, even if there were orders, they couldn't be transmitted. In this situation, if they continued to stay in the military camp, Xiangcheng City would likely become a dead city.

After a discussion among the military leadership, they decided to immediately send troops to rescue Xiangcheng City.

The military force in Xiangcheng City was not large, with fewer than 20,000 people, including administrative personnel. However, with all 20,000 fully armed, their combat power was formidable.

They had also figured out the techniques for killing monsters. Pistols were less effective against monsters, but machine guns were much more effective. As long as they aimed at the target, a burst of bullets would bring the monster down. However, this also had a weakness: it consumed a large amount of ammunition, with nearly 20 bullets needed to kill one monster.

Fortunately, the military had a large supply of ammunition, so this consumption was not a significant issue.

The military camp was located in the suburbs of Xiangcheng City, which was already partially developed, with well-maintained roads. However, after the earthquake, even the smoothest roads had become rough.

The army only walked a few hundred meters before entering the city, where they truly felt the severity of the situation. Everywhere they looked, there were piles of bones, some human and some animal.

The strong smell of rotting flesh was spreading throughout the city. It was unclear whether diseases still existed in this world, but if they did, the entire human race would be in grave danger. However, Cheng Yang, who had lived through this before, knew that while diseases still existed in this transformed world, there were no epidemics. At least, not because of large-scale human and animal deaths.

Under the attack of bullets and even grenades, the monsters blocking the way were quickly eliminated. Even if new monsters spawned, they didn't last long. When the army arrived, a large number of people hiding in various caves began to emerge, crying and shouting for food.

The military leaders were not fools and naturally could not provide unlimited food in this situation. So, apart from distributing limited rations to relieve hunger, no additional food was provided.

As time passed, the size of the group grew, and some troublemakers inevitably appeared. However, the iron discipline of the military was evident. A few who disobeyed were executed on the spot, and the previously restless civilians immediately calmed down. They realized that this was no longer a time of peace. The military, while rescuing them, also declared martial law, and strict rules would be enforced.

Despite this, everyone was extremely excited by the arrival of the military, as it meant they had a chance to survive. Although the rules were strict, it was better than dying.

However, Xiangcheng City was vast, and the number of monsters was significant. It took a considerable amount of time to clear the city. Especially the first batch of monsters, which included mid-level monsters, caused significant losses to the military each time they appeared.

It took a full day for the 20,000-strong army to reach the core area of Xiangcheng City, partly because they had to detour and rescue refugees along the way.

As the sky darkened, their battles became increasingly difficult. Without lights, they could not detect the monsters in advance, often only seeing them when they were close. This undoubtedly made the battles more challenging.

...

A day passed quickly, and by evening, Cheng Yang and the others had rescued about 500 people from Huimin Town. The efficiency improved today because more people were involved in the rescue, and they dared to tackle areas they previously avoided.

In addition, Cheng Yang and the others found some food in the ruins, including rice, flour, and some instant foods. For rice and other storable foods, Cheng Yang did not plan to use them immediately. In the future, humans would face a severe food shortage, and these supplies could be crucial in saving lives.

The 700 or so people in Luofeng Village could temporarily survive by eating roasted monster meat and some instant foods, making them much better off than those in Xiangcheng City.

Of course, not all monster meat was edible. For example, the meat of Lesser Imps and Green-skinned Monkeys could not be eaten. However, the meat of Gray Wolves and Steel-haired Wild Boars was edible. Cheng Yang knew exactly which could be eaten and which could not, so there was no need to worry about poisoning in the base.