Gao Wu: A centenarian old man, many children and good fortune! Chapter 054

When Xiao Yan stepped into the special operations brigade camp again, the sky was already bright. He hadn’t slept all night, but thanks to his extraordinary physique and the breakthrough in his mental state last night, he not only showed no signs of fatigue but also appeared more inwardly sharp and focused. However, deep within his eyes, there was a subtle ripple that only he understood.

As he reached the floor where the captain’s office was located, he ran into Lin Wei, who was hurrying along, holding a cup of concentrated energy drink.

Lin Wei felt her lungs were about to explode! She almost used all her strength, but her good upbringing and strict military discipline ultimately made her stiffly stop and salute reflexively. Her voice, due to the intense emotional fluctuation, sounded somewhat dry and cold, even carrying a subtle tremor:

“Ca… Captain! You’re back.” She didn’t even bother to ask, “Do you have any instructions?” because, in her opinion, this man was simply not fit to command this team!

What kind of person was Xiao Yan? Having lived for over a hundred years, what kind of situation hadn’t he seen? How could he not notice Lin Wei’s almost unconcealed emotional fluctuations?

However, he didn’t care.

The emotions of a little girl who hadn’t fully grown up couldn’t affect him in the slightest. His mind was now entirely focused on the upcoming mission and… how to transform the surging, yet increasingly difficult to control, power within him into true combat effectiveness.

He merely nodded calmly, his gaze casually sweeping over the cup in Lin Wei’s hand, which she was almost crushing. He said indifferently, “Hmm. How are the preparations coming along?”

This understated tone, as if his absence last night was a matter of course, completely ignited the anger in Lin Wei’s heart! But she bit her teeth tightly, suppressing all her emotions, and squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth: “Reporting, Captain! All pre-combat preparations are basically complete! We’re just waiting… just waiting for your final order!”

“Very good.” Xiao Yan remained as calm as ever, as if he hadn’t heard the resentment in her tone. “Notify all members of the Hunter Squad to gather in Briefing Room One in five minutes.”

“…Yes!” Lin Wei almost spat out the word through clenched teeth, then turned sharply. Her high-heeled military boots tapped rapidly on the floor with a “哒哒哒” sound, carrying suppressed anger as she quickly departed.

…

Five minutes later, in Briefing Room One.

The atmosphere was solemn and oppressive.

The “Hunter” assault team members, composed of the most elite warriors drawn from various squads, were already fully armed and neatly lined up. Each of them had sharp eyes and a fierce aura, exuding a strong, battle-hardened presence. Zhang Tie, the captain of the First Squad, was prominently among them, his injuries long healed. He stood at the front of the team, his expression grave.

Lin Wei stood beside Xiao Yan, her face still cold, but her excellent military discipline kept her silent and at attention.

Xiao Yan slowly walked to the briefing table, his gaze like electricity, slowly sweeping over the team before him, which could be considered the essence of the special operations brigade.

“Everyone,” his voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone’s ears, carrying an undeniable authority, “I believe you are all aware of the urgency of the situation and the danger of the enemy.”

He didn’t waste time repeating known information but went straight to the point: “Brain-devouring terror insects, these terrifying beings that almost destroyed our city a hundred years ago, have reappeared. They are bizarre, powerful, and omnipresent! Once the queen worm fully matures, the consequences will be unimaginable!”

“Our mission is to do our best to eliminate their effective forces and curb the spread of the insect plague before the ‘Guardians’ find and destroy the queen worm! To buy time for this city, for our families behind us!”

At this point, a vast and boundless aura, far exceeding the understanding of everyone present, suddenly awakened on Xiao Yan’s body like a dormant volcano, slowly spreading out!

That substantial pressure instantly filled the entire briefing room! The air seemed to become viscous, pressing down on everyone’s chests, making breathing difficult! Even Lin Wei, who was also an extraordinary, felt like a small boat in a raging storm before this pressure, incredibly insignificant! Her face instantly turned pale, and her eyes, as she looked at Xiao Yan, were filled with unbelievable horror!

Lin Wei’s contempt and anger were completely washed away by immense shock and fear at this moment! She finally understood why this man dared to “neglect” military affairs so much, why he could remain so calm in the face of such a crisis… because he possessed absolute power that could crush everything!

The other warriors present were even more shaken by this terrifying aura, and their eyes, as they looked at Xiao Yan, were filled with fanatical reverence and conviction! All doubts and dissatisfactions vanished before this absolute power!

With such a powerful commander leading them, what enemy was unconquerable?!

Xiao Yan took in everyone’s reactions, nodding with satisfaction. He slowly reined in his aura, but that invisible deterrent had been deeply imprinted in everyone’s hearts.

“I know the mission is very dangerous, and there might even be sacrifices.” Xiao Yan’s voice returned to calm, but it carried an unyielding determination, “But I promise you, as long as I, Xiao Yan, am here, this team will not collapse! Follow me, carve out a bloody path! Go and win our glory!”

“Now!” His voice suddenly rose, like a clap of thunder, “Check your equipment! In five minutes, the entire team departs! Target—the City South Isolation Zone!”

“Yes!!!”

A deafening response echoed throughout the briefing room, filled with high morale and absolute conviction in their powerful leader!

…

Several black, angular special assault vehicles, equipped with anti-gravity engines and silencing systems, silently entered the desolate and dead City South Isolation Zone like stealthy steel beasts. The towering alloy walls were left far behind, replaced by ruined walls, withered vegetation, and a faint, unsettling scent of the abyss lingering in the air.

The convoy moved slowly, each vehicle maintaining combat spacing, with their turrets and sensors silently rotating, scanning the surroundings. Inside the vehicles, the atmosphere was oppressively still. The warriors gripped their weapons, their eyes sharp, vigilantly observing the eerie, silent world outside through reinforced observation windows, a world where even the wind seemed to carry an ominous premonition.

Inside the command vehicle, Xiao Yan sat with his eyes closed. His extraordinary perception, far beyond that of ordinary people, had already spread out like invisible tentacles, meticulously “reading” every trace of energy fluctuation in the area. At the same time, his tactical screen displayed real-time readings from several high-sensitivity abyss energy detectors that had been urgently allocated by the logistics department. These detectors, prioritized for the Hunter Squad at his suggestion, were now emitting a faint hum, their pointers oscillating slightly within the normal range.

Everything seemed too calm, and this calmness itself contained immense danger.

“Beep beep… beep beep beep!”

Suddenly, one of the detectors, specifically designed for abnormal energy fluctuations in living organisms, emitted a sharp and piercing alarm! On the screen, the area representing a deserted outpost approximately three hundred meters ahead instantly lit up with several red dots indicating “abnormal energy sources”!

“Stop! All units, be on alert!” Lin Wei sharply ordered the moment the alarm sounded, her voice tinged with tension.

The assault vehicle convoy immediately halted, engines switching to silent mode, and the weapon systems on the vehicles quietly locked onto the front.

Almost simultaneously, five figures staggered out from the shadows of the abandoned outpost.

They wore tattered, stained old city defense patrol uniforms and symbolically held rusty standard weapons. But their movements were extremely stiff and uncoordinated, like marionettes. Even more chilling was their faces—their skin was an abnormal ashen color, their eyes empty and lifeless, completely devoid of any living light, and a strange, viscous drool even hung from the corners of their mouths.

“They’re infested soldiers!” a sharp-eyed squad leader growled, his voice filled with disgust and a hint of fear.

These five soldiers, infested by low-level brain-devouring terror insects, seemed to have completely lost all sense of pain and fear. They ignored the dark muzzles of the assault vehicles, merely following some primal instinct, roaring and moving with stiff steps, charging towards the convoy, fearless of death! Their goal was clear—to get close! To get close to these “prey” exuding vigorous life force!

“Long-range fire suppression! Free fire! Don’t let them get close!” Xiao Yan’s cold voice rang out in the communication channel, carrying undeniable authority. He knew very well that once these things got close, even a mere scratch or bite could risk infection with parasitic eggs!

哒哒哒! Boom! Chii Chii!

Instantly, several scorching energy beams and kinetic projectiles, like angry fire snakes, roared out from the assault vehicles’ firing ports and turrets, accurately shooting at the five charging “living corpses”!

However, an astonishing scene unfolded! The bodies of the infested soldiers seemed to have become abnormally tough. Ordinary energy rifle shots only left charred marks or shallow wounds on them, completely failing to stop their advance! Only direct hits from heavy weapons could blast their limbs to pieces!

But even with severed limbs, they still dragged their broken bodies, like undead monsters, stubbornly crawling towards the convoy! Their appearance was horrifying!

“Damn it! These things’ bodies are strengthened!” Zhang Tie cursed, blasting a residual corpse that had lunged close into pieces.