Chapter 197: Rushing to the Outpost
On the third day of early July, under the blazing sun.
In the peril-filled wilderness, Zhou Ming sat atop Silver Scale’s head, rushing toward the outpost near the Panlong Mountain Range.
At this moment, he wore the Saint Elephant Type-2 Combat Suit, the slightly elastic clothes outlining a perfect physique.
His pitch-black long hair, smooth like silk, was casually tied behind him with a purple ribbon, with only a few strands of dark hair hanging beside his cheeks.
Relying on the strength of a high-tier Ferocious Beast, Silver Scale charged recklessly through the wilderness, yet its raised head did not make Zhou Ming feel even the slightest bump.
It was like an intelligent balancing device, not daring to let its master suffer the slightest discomfort.
“I wonder how the outcome of the Alliance’s attack launched five days ago turned out.”
The time required for the snake venom fusion had exceeded Zhou Ming’s expectations. By the time he awakened from his slumber, more than half a month had already passed. From the camp, he learned that the Alliance had launched an attack against the Giant Race five days earlier, but there was no concrete information about the result.
Seeing that there was not much time left before the final deadline of the Alliance Conscription, Zhou Ming could only rush to the outpost first, with no time to inquire further about the news.
“With the Alliance’s strength, even if the offensive is hindered, there shouldn’t be any possibility of a collapse when facing the Giant Race. I’ll talk about it after reaching the assembly point.”
In any case, once he arrived at the outpost, all the information he needed would naturally become known, so Zhou Ming did not waste too much mental energy on it.
At this moment, he shifted his attention to himself.
He raised his right hand, and semi-transparent, densely packed snake scales immediately surfaced.
Compared to before, under the sunlight, the scales faintly revealed dazzling, multicolored brilliance.
The snake venom fusion not only enhanced the potency of the toxins within his gallbladder, but also indirectly tempered Zhou Ming’s physique.
His right hand suddenly clenched, and a dull sonic boom echoed.
Now, without relying on any other means, Zhou Ming could casually slaughter low-tier Ferocious Beasts using only his physical body, and this did not even account for the amplification brought by the snake scales.
As for the gallbladder within Zhou Ming’s body, it had transformed into something like a masterpiece carved from top-grade imperial green jade, completely unlike an organ a normal human should possess.
Relying on the Serpentfolk form empowered by the snake swarm, as well as the enhanced snake venom, Zhou Ming was confident that he could fight a professional high-level Beast Tamer.
Just as Zhou Ming was immersed in the changes brought about by the snake venom fusion, Silver Scale crossed mountains and ridges, carrying him to the outpost.
Within a mountain valley leading to the Panlong Mountain Range, hundreds of large-scale engineering construction machines were building various facilities.
Besides a large number of tents, many buildings had already been erected within the valley, clearly indicating plans to establish a permanent outpost.
As Zhou Ming gradually approached, he could see various heavy weapons already placed atop the hastily constructed walls.
Additionally, around the walls were powerful self-propelled artillery, high-penetration autocannons, missile launch vehicles, and armored tanks visible everywhere.
Apart from the Alliance’s regular soldiers, there were also Beast Tamers wearing all kinds of attire. The auras they emitted were all at the professional level, and judging by the situation, they should be civilian professional Beast Tamers conscripted by the Alliance.
Near the main gate of the outpost, Zhou Ming recalled Silver Scale into his Beast Taming Space, then slowly walked toward the heavily guarded gate before him.
“This lord, may I ask if you are a Beast Tamer who has responded to the Alliance Conscription?”
The soldier responsible for vigilance did not show the slightest fear when facing a professional Beast Tamer like Zhou Ming, instead questioning him according to regulations.
“Yes, this is the identity card issued to me by the Alliance.”
Zhou Ming did not pay much attention to the soldier’s attitude.
After all, the various weapons present that could threaten professional Beast Tamers were enough to keep him calm and cooperative.
Taking the identity card Zhou Ming handed over, the soldier went to a nearby sentry post and used specialized equipment to verify its authenticity.
“My apologies. This is Alliance protocol.”
After confirming that Zhou Ming’s identity was valid, the soldier offered a brief apology.
“My lord, please follow me.”
Without further explanation, the soldier directly headed into the outpost. Seeing this, Zhou Ming could only follow closely behind.
Upon entering the outpost, a chilling, murderous aura rushed toward him. Various vehicles shuttled back and forth along the dirt roads, with supplies and ammunition being transported continuously.
Under the soldier’s guidance, Zhou Ming passed through layer after layer of checkpoints and arrived at the core area of the outpost.
Here, professional Beast Tamers could be seen everywhere, each emitting terrifying auras.
Most of them wore grim expressions, and judging by the situation, they were clearly unwilling to be conscripted by the Alliance.
As Zhou Ming surveyed his surroundings, other professional Beast Tamers were also secretly observing him, mainly because his appearance was far too young.
Fortunately, before entering the outpost, Zhou Ming had already restrained a portion of his aura. Otherwise, someone so young yet already a professional intermediate Beast Tamer would be enough to stir ill intentions in some people.
“My lord, this is the registration area. Someone here will specifically arrange things for you.”
The young soldier brought Zhou Ming to a place resembling a mission hall. After giving a brief explanation, he turned around and left.
After hearing this, Zhou Ming casually swept his gaze around. The registration hall had been built in a modular fashion within a short period of time, without any decoration or finishing.
Upon entering the registration hall, Zhou Ming took out his identity card. After completing military registration, he was directly led into a tent to wait.
“You are Ten Thousand Snakes?”
More than ten minutes later, a middle-aged man wearing a colonel’s uniform walked into the tent where Zhou Ming was waiting.
The man’s features looked as if they had been carved with knives and axes, and a strong iron-blooded aura surged forth, clearly someone who had crawled out of piles of corpses.
“Yes.”
On the identity card, Zhou Ming had not used his real name, but instead used “Ten Thousand Snakes” as a codename. In any case, the primary function of the identity card was to record merits.
“Profession, rank.”
The man’s tone was unquestionable, as if he were addressing his own soldiers.
“Ruler, entry-level profession.”
Although the man’s tone made Zhou Ming somewhat displeased, he did not want to invite unnecessary trouble and directly answered the question.
“Ruler? A crippled system. The Alliance doesn’t seem to have such a system, does it?”
“The Alliance lacking information doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, Colonel.”
Regarding the Ruler profession, Zhou Ming did not want to reveal more information, so he directly retorted with a question.
“Can you tell me your abilities?”
The colonel receiving Zhou Ming frowned slightly, then asked about Zhou Ming’s abilities.
Perhaps he also knew that prying into a Beast Tamer’s secrets was somewhat taboo, so his tone clearly softened.
“Colonel, you can treat me as a weakened Beast Knight. My Beast Taming partner is a giant snake, and of course, I also have other abilities to supplement my combat power.”
As his words fell, a Thunder Type-3 Revolver appeared in Zhou Ming’s hand.
“Gunfighter?”
Seeing the Thunder Type-3 Revolver Zhou Ming was using, the colonel showed slight surprise, as very few professional Beast Tamers used firearms.
When Zhou Ming slightly nodded in confirmation, the man did not continue asking further. Some things only needed a single battle to become clear.
“My name is Yan Hong. I am your team leader. Now, come with me to meet the other members of the team.”
After a brief self-introduction, Yan Hong directly turned and walked out of the tent. Zhou Ming immediately followed behind.