Chapter 104: Everything

"Perhaps. Perhaps he is even more terrifying than Zhao Zhuo." Liu Chang patted He Zhizhi on the back as he held the little girl, urging her to keep up with the main force ahead. "But I am still willing to help him."

"Because I have always held on to one belief."

"He is kinder than Zhao Zhuo."

As Liu Chang spoke these words, for some reason, he recalled the moment months ago when he and Li Qingshui had escaped the jungle together, and the way their fists had bumped in a silent pact to turn back and save the Fat Man. A surge of emotion washed over him, and he quickened his pace.

...

Within two hours, the force led by Li Qingshui had completed its consolidation. It was not a large group—only a single regiment. But as he had said, bringing too many people was useless; the enemy they were facing was unique. Their rank-and-file soldiers would be wiped out by a few bacterial shells, while bringing more men against the enemy’s elite fighters would be of no avail.

Thus, the entire regiment set off from Zhengzhou toward the Yellow River water diversion intake. Their route required them to travel north along National Highway 107, passing through a stretch of jungle about twenty kilometers outside the city.

The infantry regiment, including logistics personnel, numbered only about three thousand—fewer than the student body of a mid-sized school. The force was small and inconspicuous as it slipped from the city's edge into the jungle, swallowed by the vast, rolling sea of trees in an instant.

Li Qingshui, Liu Chang, and the pale-skinned investigator led the vanguard.

Liu Chang was responsible for guiding the group's immediate path, while He Zhizhi directed their broader route. The investigative mutant was tasked with analyzing the footprints and signs left throughout the forest to determine the enemy’s formation, simultaneously describing the mental images he constructed to Li Qingshui.

The jungle was dangerous, yet the route Li Qingshui’s forces took was remarkably safe. It was the same path Zhao Zhuo had traversed just the day before—or rather, the path he had cleared. Under the sweep of a hundred androids, the route was entirely peaceful.

The journey passed without a single incident or monster encounter, and three hours later, they reached their destination.

"Stop here." Upon reaching a high ridge, Li Qingshui signaled the group to halt. "We are less than ten kilometers from the Yellow River water intake now. Any closer and Zhao Zhuo’s people will detect us."

"Indeed. Although the fog is heavy, we cannot rule out the possibility of strange, unknown mutants lurking within their ranks, so this distance is relatively safe," the investigative expert from the second group nodded in agreement.

"Very well. Mr. Wang, please calculate their approximate position and troop distribution for me." After leading the force to the high ground, Li Qingshui handed the investigator a sketchbook and ordered the soldiers to begin assembling the artillery.

Under his command, the majority of the soldiers set to work immediately.

The regiment carried portable, modular artillery. Since vehicles could not traverse the forest, every component had been broken down and carried by individual soldiers.

With each soldier carrying one or more parts, they had hauled over a dozen cannons. The chaotic pile of components was quickly assembled on the ridge. While the men worked, Li Qingshui moved among them, setting up defensive measures around the perimeter of the high ground while distributing special gas masks to everyone in the force.

The process was tedious and lengthy. Nearly two hours passed before the dozen cannons were fully assembled by the labor of over a thousand men. Li Qingshui emerged from the depths of the jungle, directing soldiers to bring forward crates of specialized shells.

When all preparations were nearly complete, he walked over to Liu Chang and the others, turning his gaze toward He Zhizhi.

"They are still over there, correct?"

"That’s right. A strong scent of humans and blood is drifting from that direction," He Zhizhi said, standing on the high ground and sniffing the air intently. "But it’s too far away; I can't be precise. I can only confirm they haven't left, but I cannot give you an exact location."

"That's fine." Li Qingshui nodded and turned to Liu Chang. "How about it? Can you go take a look at the situation over there? With your eyesight and Xiao Jing’s abilities, you two are our best scouts. Help me assess Zhao Zhuo’s situation."

"Sure, I'll go." Hearing Li Qingshui’s request, Liu Chang sat up from the grass and brushed off his pants.

"Stay safe. Just identify the general area; you don't need to get too close." Seeing Liu Chang agree without a moment's hesitation, the look in Li Qingshui’s eyes shifted slightly. He reached into his inner pocket and produced a vial of serum. "Take this. If you run into danger, inject it."

"What is this?" Liu Chang held it up to the sunlight, unable to discern the nature of the liquid inside.

"The culmination of my recent research. It will make you powerful." Li Qingshui looked at the vial with a complex expression. "But it hasn't been tested. I don't know what the consequences of injecting it will be, so don't use it lightly. I fear you might end up like those who injected the red mist concentrate—powerful for a few days, only to wither and die."

"Understood!" Stowing the vial away, Liu Chang picked up the little girl and departed the ridge. "Don't worry, I won't be foolish enough to get right on top of their army."

With that, Liu Chang headed off in the direction He Zhizhi had indicated.

The distance of less than ten kilometers was negligible to him now. Even through the forest, a kilometer took him little more than a minute. Ten minutes of running was all it took for Xiao Jing to sense the presence of the army.

Holding Xiao Jing, Liu Chang did not dare to approach the main force. Once he sensed their presence, he circled the perimeter, roughly confirming the army's position and the area they occupied before turning back.

The trip was uneventful, though during his patrol, he heard the sounds of soldiers cheering—the battle must have just ended. A struggle lasting over a dozen hours had concluded exactly at this moment. It made Liu Chang wonder if this had all been orchestrated by Li Qingshui.

Launching an attack just as the enemy secured victory, at the moment when they were most exhausted and their defenses were most relaxed.

Liu Chang couldn't fathom how Li Qingshui had calculated a ten-hour battle with such precision, nor how he knew the water monster’s combat strength would hold out until this exact moment.

But these were not things for him to contemplate.

After mapping the enemy's position, Liu Chang returned to the ridge in another ten minutes. He marked several points on the map the weapons expert had drawn, and Li Qingshui’s first volley of artillery fire officially commenced.

"Calibrate to ten-fifteen direction! Prepare the bacterial shells!" Li Qingshui stood in the center of the ridge, his voice booming across the high ground.