Chapter 44: The High Ground

The Fire Hammer Squad stealthily entered the outskirts of County 0201.

” Luo Feng, during these three days of travel, we followed the highway, passing through desolate areas,” Chen Gu whispered while walking. “Most of the monsters live within cities, in densely built-up areas. Counties and urban districts are the truly dangerous places!”

“Understood, Brother Chen,” Luo Feng nodded.

He had already read online about the habits of monster gatherings.

In the prolonged war between monsters and humans, monsters discovered that if they lived in open, desolate areas without cover, human armies and warriors could easily lock onto them from long distances, attacking with heavy sniper rifles or even missiles.

However, within urban areas, numerous buildings stood tall.

As long as monsters hid in densely built areas, snipers would rarely have opportunities unless the snipers themselves entered the city. Furthermore, once human armies entered urban zones and engaged in street battles with the monsters, the monsters would gain a significant advantage. The densely built-up areas were truly the monsters’ paradise!

“Our Fire Hammer Squad’s target, naturally, is the Monster Captain-level monsters! However…” Chen Gu added in a hushed tone, “Monster Captain-level monsters already possess a certain level of intelligence, not much different from humans. They command numerous Monster Soldier-level monsters to gather around them, obeying their orders. Almost every Monster Captain is surrounded by many Monster Soldiers, so killing a Monster Captain is extremely difficult.”

Luo Feng nodded.

The gap between Monster Soldiers and Monster Captains wasn’t just in strength. Most importantly—it was intelligence!

To protect themselves, Monster Captains naturally gathered many Monster Soldiers around them for protection. Except for a few rare monsters that preferred solitude, most Monster Captains had many Monster Soldiers surrounding them.

“Everyone, be careful. There’s an Iron-Hide Bull nest ahead,” Captain Gao Feng suddenly spoke. “The leader of this Iron-Hide Bull nest should be a high-level Monster Captain, and the nest holds a large number of Iron-Hide Bulls. We’ll detour around it. Chen Gu, don’t fire. If any Iron-Hide Bull attacks, remember, kill it instantly. Don’t let it call for help.”

“Understood, Captain.”

The other five nodded.

The suburbs and urban areas were very different from the desolate areas outside—they were much more dangerous.

Along a narrow path, the six members of the Fire Hammer Squad advanced cautiously.

“Stop.” Wei Jia, the older of the Wei brothers, raised his hand and stared seriously ahead. In the distance, a huge Iron-Fur Wild Boar lay on the ground. Beside it, two Tiger-Wolf Hounds were devouring flesh. Suddenly, they lifted their heads and looked warily toward the Fire Hammer Squad.

“We’ll detour. Don’t engage,” Gao Feng whispered.

In the desolate highway areas, Luo Feng and the others could act freely, killing monsters as they pleased. But in the city, things were different.

…

Proceeding cautiously, they avoided encounters more than ten times and instantly killed eight ordinary Monster Soldier-level monsters. Finally, Luo Feng and the group arrived at their first destination—the Lan Tian Residential Quarter of County 0201. The Lan Tian Residential Quarter was chosen as the first destination because it had three residential buildings, each twenty-one stories high.

“Move, to the rooftop.”

“Everyone, be careful. Somewhere inside the residential buildings, a monster might pop out.”

“Don’t make loud noises.”

The six members of the Fire Hammer Squad advanced along the staircases.

“Roar~~” A low, deep monster growl faintly echoed through the floors. The six members of the Fire Hammer Squad frowned slightly. Wei Tie, the one at the front, whispered, “It should be upstairs. Be careful.” Everyone held their weapons, ready to strike. Chen Gu, who used firearms, was protected in the center.

Step by step.

“Hmm?” Luo Feng’s pupils contracted sharply as his eyes fixed upon the massive Lion-Wolf Hound Monster crouching at the crossroads ahead. Towering over two meters tall, its shaggy fur rippled like stormy waves with each movement—its sheer bulk comparable to an armored military vehicle. The instant it caught their scent, a guttural roar tore from its frothing jaws, warping the air with its vibrations as it lunged forward in a whirlwind of Bloody odor—that putrid, metallic stench of blood and carnage clinging to its frenzied assault like a deathly pall.

The Fire Hammer Squad was climbing the stairs, while the Lion-Wolf Hound Monster was diving downward, adding the momentum of its massive body.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Wei Tie and Wei Qing, at the front, moved almost in perfect unison. Each held a shield in one hand and a curved saber in the other, rushing upward simultaneously. They nearly brushed past the Lion-Wolf Hound Monster! As they passed, the curved sabers, moving in arcs, sliced precisely through the joints of the Lion-Wolf Hound’s front paws.

Both Wei Tie and Wei Qing used the same technique!

This caused the Lion-Wolf Hound Monster’s front legs to stumble, making it unsteady as it landed on the stairs. At that moment, Zhang Ke, the Iron Spearman following Wei Tie and Wei Qing in the Fire Hammer Squad, instantly stepped forward. His alloy spear, emitting a sharp whistling sound, pierced toward the Lion-Wolf Hound Monster’s head.

Puchi! The spear instantly pierced through the Lion-Wolf Hound Monster’s eye, penetrating its skull!

“Grrr~~” The Lion-Wolf Hound Monster aimlessly kicked its four legs a couple of times before collapsing lifelessly.

The coordination of Wei Qing, Wei Tie, and Zhang Ke was indeed exquisite! The first two injured the Lion-Wolf Hound’s front legs, destabilizing it, while Zhang Ke struck instantly, killing it with a single blow. Zhang Ke’s spear technique was terrifyingly precise, directly piercing the eye.

…

During this stair-climbing process, the Fire Hammer Squad encountered a total of three monsters, which was considered quite fortunate. Among these three monsters, one had charged up from the lower stairs. At that time, Luo Feng and Gao Feng were at the very back of the group. Naturally, Luo Feng acted decisively, killing the G-rank monster swiftly and cleanly.

…

Stepping out of the stairwell, the six members of the Fire Hammer Squad arrived at the rooftop of the twenty-one-story residential building.

“Close the stairwell door and lock it tightly!” Gao Feng ordered. “Prevent any monsters from coming up from below and reaching the rooftop.”

“Understood.”

Luo Feng and Zhang Ke personally went to close the iron door of the stairwell, deliberately finding a metal rod to jam it shut.

“Phew, finally able to take a breath of relief,” Zhang Ke rarely showed a slight smile, sitting down directly on the rooftop and taking out high-energy food and water from his backpack.

“Everyone, take out your binoculars,” Captain Gao Feng said. “Each of you, go to the edge of the rooftop and look down. Try to find any Monster Captain-level monsters! Remember, don’t expose too much of your body over the rooftop edge. If the monsters below spot you, it could lead to some minor trouble!” Actually, the rooftop was quite safe.

The rooftop of a twenty-one-story residential building was generally inaccessible to ordinary monsters from the outside.

Even if a Monster Captain led monsters up the stairs, the narrow stairway wouldn’t pose a significant threat. The Fire Hammer Squad would have ample time to escape.

“Begin searching for Monster Captain-level monsters.”

“Guys, let’s start hunting monsters.”

Luo Feng also took out his binoculars from his backpack. Everyone carried auxiliary tools like binoculars and steel wires, as they weren’t heavy.

Crouching at the edge of the rooftop, Luo Feng immediately saw streets below teeming with monsters: “The number of monsters in densely populated urban areas is indeed ten to a hundred times more than in the wild outskirts.” In fact, on one street, there were at least hundreds of monsters moving forward at a glance.

Even a War Captain-level warrior, if surrounded by hundreds of ordinary monsters, would have little chance of escaping alive.

“Captain, they’re all just Monster Soldier-level monsters.”

“I don’t see any Monster Captain-level monsters either.”

Including the captain, five squad members held binoculars and observed from different positions on the rooftop. Only by standing high could one see far. From the rooftop of a twenty-one-story residential building, they could indeed see very far, spotting many monsters.

“Clang!” A metal box opened. Chen Gu, the only member of the Fire Hammer Squad not using binoculars, opened the box. Inside, besides numerous bullets, there was a rectangular wooden case. Opening the case revealed various rifle components, which Chen Gu quickly assembled.

In a short while—

A nearly two-meter-long, silver-gray heavy sniper rifle was fully assembled, complete with optical sights and other equipment.

Chen Gu loaded special bullets into the magazine, a total of ten bullets.

“Captain, notify me when you find a Monster Captain-level monster,” Chen Gu said.

“Alright, you can take a short nap first to rest. Leave the search for Monster Captain-level monsters to us,” Gao Feng nodded, then instructed the others, “Everyone, stay focused. Don’t miss anything.” This was the easiest way to hunt Monster Captain-level monsters in the city—having a vantage point allowed them to see far.

This method was dozens to hundreds of times faster and safer than searching for Monster Captain-level monsters on the streets.

Luo Feng, Zhang Ke, the Wei brothers, and Gao Feng all held binoculars, carefully observing every part below. Meanwhile, Chen Gu leaned against the heavy sniper rifle, closing his eyes and beginning to nap.