Commanding Heights

The Fire Hammer Squad quietly entered the suburban area of County City 0201. “Luo Feng, for the past three days, we’ve been traveling along the highway, mostly through desolate areas,” Chen Gu whispered as they walked. “Most monsters live within cities, in densely built-up areas! County cities, urban districts—those are the truly dangerous places!” “Understood, Brother Chen,” Luo Feng nodded. He had long read in forum posts about the monsters’ gathering habits. During the prolonged war between monsters and humans, monsters discovered that if they lived in open, desolate areas without cover, human armies and Warriors could lock onto them from a distance, launching long-range attacks with ‘heavy sniper rifles’ or even missiles! But in urban areas, countless buildings stood tall. As long as monsters hid in densely built-up areas, sniper rifles would have little chance, unless the snipers entered the urban district themselves! Moreover, once human armies entered the city for street-to-street combat, the monsters would gain a significant advantage. Densely built-up areas were a monster’s paradise! “Our Fire Hammer Squad’s target is naturally Commander-level monsters! However…” Chen Gu whispered a reminder, “Commander-level monsters already possess a certain level of intelligence, not far off from humans. They command a large number of Soldier-level monsters to gather around them, obeying their orders. Almost every Commander-level monster is surrounded by numerous Soldier-level monsters, making it very difficult to kill a Commander.” Luo Feng nodded. Not only was there a vast power gap between Soldier-level and Commander-level monsters, but the most crucial difference was—intelligence! To protect themselves, Commander-level monsters naturally gathered a large number of Soldier-level monsters around them. Except for a very few solitary monsters, most Commanders were accompanied by many Soldiers. “Everyone, be careful. There’s an Armored Bull nest in the area ahead,” Gao Feng, the captain, suddenly announced. “The leader of this Armored Bull nest should be a High-level Commander. And this nest has a large number of Armored Bulls, so we’ll bypass it! Chen Gu, don’t open fire. If any Armored Bulls attack, remember, you must kill them instantly. Don’t let them call for their companions.” “Understood, Captain.” The other five nodded. Suburban and urban areas were far more dangerous than the desolate regions outside. Following a narrow path, the six members of the Fire Hammer Squad advanced cautiously. “Stop.” Wei Tie, the elder of the Wei brothers leading the way, raised a hand, his gaze fixed ahead. In the distance, a massive Iron-furred Wild Boar lay on the ground, while two Tiger Mastiff monsters were devouring its flesh. Suddenly, the Tiger Mastiff monsters looked up, their eyes wary as they spotted the distant Fire Hammer Squad. “We’ll go around, don’t engage,” Gao Feng whispered. In the desolate highway regions, Luo Feng and his team had been carefree, killing monsters as they pleased. But in the city, it was a different story. Proceeding cautiously, avoiding over a dozen encounters and instantly eliminating eight ordinary Soldier-level monsters, Luo Feng and his group finally reached their first destination—‘Blue Sky Residential District,’ a community in County City 0201. The Blue Sky Residential District was chosen as their primary target because it boasted three residential buildings, each twenty-one stories high. “Let’s go, to the rooftop.” “Everyone be careful, a monster could pop out anywhere inside these residential buildings.” “Don’t make any loud noises.” The six members of the Fire Hammer Squad steadily ascended the stairs. “Roar~~” A low growl faintly echoed through the floors. The six members of the Fire Hammer Squad frowned slightly. Wei Tie, at the front, whispered, “It must be upstairs. Everyone, be careful.” Each person held their weapon, ready to strike at any moment. Chen Gu, who used firearms, was protected in the center. They advanced step by step. “Hm?” Luo Feng’s eyes caught sight of a monster suddenly emerging from around the corner ahead—a Lion Mastiff monster, two meters tall, with long, shaggy fur, its bulk resembling a large military off-road vehicle. The moment it burst out and saw humans, it let out a low growl and charged forward, bringing with it a gust of foul wind. The Fire Hammer Squad was ascending the stairs, while the Lion Mastiff monster was diving down, its massive bulk generating immense kinetic energy. “Whoosh! Whoosh!” Wei Tie and Wei Qing, the brothers at the front, moved almost identically, a shield in one hand, a curved saber in the other, charging upwards simultaneously. They practically brushed past the Lion Mastiff monster! As they passed, their curved sabers, arcing through the air, precisely sliced across the joints of the Lion Mastiff’s front paws. Both Wei Tie and Wei Qing used identical moves! This caused the Lion Mastiff monster’s front paws to falter, landing unsteadily on the stairs. At that moment, Zhang Ke, the ‘Iron Spear’ of the Fire Hammer Squad, who was behind Wei Tie and Wei Qing, instantly stepped forward, his alloy spear whistling sharply as it thrust towards the stumbling Lion Mastiff monster’s head. “Thwack! The spear instantly pierced through the Lion Mastiff monster’s eye, penetrating its skull!” “Gurgle~~” The Lion Mastiff monster unconsciously thrashed its four paws twice before collapsing lifelessly. The coordination between Wei Qing, Wei Tie, and Zhang Ke was truly exquisite! The first two helped injure the Lion Mastiff’s front limbs, destabilizing it, while Zhang Ke instantly struck with his spear, delivering a fatal blow! Zhang Ke’s spear technique was terrifyingly precise, directly piercing the eye. During this ascent, the Fire Hammer Squad encountered a total of three monsters, which was considered good luck. One of these three monsters had actually charged up the stairs from below. At that time, Luo Feng and Gao Feng were at the very end of the team, and it was naturally Luo Feng who swiftly and decisively killed this G-level monster. Exiting the stairwell, the six members of the Fire Hammer Squad arrived at the rooftop of the twenty-one-story residential building. “Close off the stairwell, seal it tight!” Gao Feng ordered. “To prevent any monsters from running up from below and reaching the rooftop.” “Understood.” Luo Feng and Zhang Ke personally went to close the iron door of the stairwell, using an iron bar to jam it shut. “Phew, finally a moment to breathe,” Zhang Ke said, a rare smile gracing his face. He plopped down on the rooftop, pulling high-energy food and water from his backpack. “Everyone brought binoculars, right?” Captain Gao Feng spoke. “Everyone, take out your binoculars and look down from the edge of the rooftop, see if you can find any Commander-level monsters! Remember, don’t expose too much of your body over the edge, or the monsters below might spot us, and that would be a minor hassle!” On the rooftop, it was actually quite safe. From the rooftop of a twenty-one-story residential building, ordinary monsters couldn’t climb up from the outside. Even if a Commander-level monster directed others to charge up the stairs, how wide were those stairs? The threat wasn’t significant. The Fire Hammer Squad would have ample time to escape. “Begin searching for Commander-level monsters.” “Alright, brothers, let’s find some monsters.” Luo Feng also took out his binoculars from his backpack. Auxiliary tools like binoculars and steel wire were carried by everyone, as they didn’t weigh much. Squatting 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, even a hundred times greater than in the wilderness.” On one street alone, he could see at least several hundred monsters advancing. Even a Warlord-level Warrior, if surrounded by hundreds of ordinary monsters, would have little chance of escaping alive. “Captain, these are all Soldier-level monsters.” “I haven’t seen any Commander-level ones either.” All five team members, including the captain, were scanning below with their binoculars from different directions. The higher one stood, the farther one could see. From the rooftop of the twenty-one-story residential area, they could indeed see far and spot many monsters. “Click!” An iron box opened. Chen Gu, the only member of the Fire Hammer Squad not using binoculars, opened it. Inside, besides a large quantity of ammunition, was a rectangular wooden box. Opening the wooden box, he found various gun parts, which Chen Gu quickly began to assemble. Moments later— A heavy sniper rifle, nearly two meters long and entirely silver-gray, was assembled. Its optical scope and other attachments were all fitted. Chen Gu loaded special bullets, one by one, into the magazine—a total of ten rounds. “Captain, let me know when you find a Commander-level monster,” Chen Gu said. “Alright, you get some rest, conserve your energy. Leave the Commander-level monster search to us,” Gao Feng nodded, then instructed the others, “Everyone, pay close attention, don’t miss anything.” This was the easiest way to hunt Commander-level monsters in the city; from a commanding height, they could see far. This method was ten, even a hundred times faster and far safer than searching for Commander-level monsters on the streets. Luo Feng, Zhang Ke, the Wei brothers, and Gao Feng—all five of them meticulously scanned every inch below with their binoculars, while Chen Gu, cradling his heavy sniper rifle, closed his eyes and began to sleep.