Chapter Nineteen: You’ve Been Enhanced, Hurry…

Chapter Nineteen: You’ve Been Upgraded, Quick...!

The soldiers stared at the rifles on the ground, exchanging glances. Have I somehow walked into a sci-fi movie? They didn’t fully understand, but there was no denying the air of formidable power.

Seeing the awe on their faces, Yunyang’s playful spirit was awakened. With a flourish of exaggerated drama, he declared, “You’ve been upgraded—quick, get moving!”

His odd announcement snapped the soldiers out of their daze. They hastily picked up their weapons, inspecting them closely, trying to unravel their newfound power.

Of course, they couldn’t possibly figure it out. Yunyang had compressed the firepower of these weapons to match anti-materiel sniper rifles firing depleted uranium rounds, all while maintaining the same recoil. This was nothing short of a miracle in the history of enhancements—and this was just the effect of a +1 upgrade.

As the soldiers exchanged bewildered glances, Yunyang’s pride soared. Relishing the moment, he explained what he’d done, earning a chorus of astonished praise.

With new weapons in hand, the soldiers naturally wanted to test their strength. One of them climbed to a treetop and fired at a massive wolf-class scout craft circling above. What should have been a mere dent instead killed half the pilot’s body in a single shot. Out of control, the craft plummeted to the ground and exploded with a deafening blast.

The destruction of one of their own scout crafts was intolerable to the enemy. The remaining two wolf-class vessels immediately turned their cannons toward the source of the gunfire.

Seeing their weapons’ newfound might, the remaining six soldiers grew excited. After fighting so long with little means of fighting back, they’d been holding back a storm of frustration. Now, with a way to retaliate, they didn’t hesitate—each one opened fire on the remaining two scout crafts.

As special forces, their marksmanship was already sharp. Under the hail of bullets, before the energy cannons could even finish charging, one craft lost its pilot and the other had its engine struck. Both crashed in succession, erupting in a second and third explosion.

Yunyang and his group of eight traversed endless fields, glancing about as they went. They weren’t sightseeing—they were searching for alien invaders. Their confidence now soared, and they itched to take down a few more of these alien creatures to avenge fallen comrades. Yet, to their disappointment, they saw nothing but birds—no other airborne creatures at all.

By dusk, they returned to camp, which belonged to an army group under the Qilu Military District. It housed over forty thousand soldiers. That day, thirty special reconnaissance teams like Yunyang’s had been dispatched; by nightfall, only twenty-two returned. The other eighty soldiers were missing—a fate all too clear in enemy-occupied territory.

An entire company lost more than half its men in a single reconnaissance operation. Yet, despite the heavy losses, morale remained high. Everyone wanted the chance to join the next reconnaissance mission.

As soon as Yunyang arrived at camp, he was invited to the command tent. The general regarded Yunyang carefully, searching his memory—he didn’t recall a Yunyang in the Heroic Troop. He spoke up:

“Xiao Yun, I don’t recall anyone by your name in the Heroic Troop.”

Yunyang was momentarily taken aback. Had he ever claimed to be part of the Heroic Troop? He didn’t think so, but could only reply helplessly, “Sir, I don’t believe I ever said I was with the Heroic Troop.”

“Oh? A super soldier like you not in the Heroic Troop? That’s negligence on Ducao’s part.” The general, familiar with Ducao, grumbled good-naturedly.

“Actually, sir, it’s only natural. I only awakened my super gene a couple of days ago. It’s no wonder they haven’t found me yet,” Yunyang lied with a shrug.

“Enough with the sir this and sir that. Just call me Uncle Li. I know we’re just ordinary men here—we can’t match those alien gods. If there’s any hope for victory, it will be up to you super soldiers.” The general forced a stern look, then addressed Yunyang directly.

Yunyang didn’t stand on ceremony. With the general’s invitation, any further politeness would be disrespectful. He called out, “Uncle Li,” and replied, “Honestly, super soldiers are few and China is vast—without brave soldiers like us, what would the people do? It’s up to us to protect our country and our people, isn’t it?”

“Good! Xiao Yun, you speak well. Aliens and gods—old Li doesn’t believe in that nonsense. If any of them dare show up in front of me, I’ll give my life to leave them with a scar!” The general clapped Yunyang on the shoulder, his spirit ablaze.

They chatted for a while longer, even sharing a meal. Yunyang found himself enjoying the general’s company; he reminded him of a certain Li, a regimental commander from his own memories, alike in temperament and manner if not in appearance.

Once the general learned of Yunyang’s abilities, he assigned him to his army, granting him the rank of second lieutenant. “Whether you keep that rank depends on your performance,” he said. “No merit, and I’ll take it back.” He also gave Yunyang a task: upgrade ten thousand rifles.

To be honest, Yunyang understood the general’s intent—to tie him to the army with incentives and put him to work. But Yunyang wasn’t just unbothered; he was actually pleased. He’d already reaped the benefits, and the work was for the good of the country and the people—what was there to resent? The state doesn’t bestow special treatment without reason. If you can contribute, you’ll never be neglected.

And so, Yunyang spent a month in a tent, upgrading all ten thousand rifles. Though some riflemen still fell during reconnaissance, the improved weapons led to remarkable results. The teams shot down over fifty wolf-class scout crafts—on average, nearly two per day.

This greatly boosted morale. Soldiers became even more eager for reconnaissance missions—so much so that the company commanders nearly came to blows in the command tent, each vying for a chance. Fortunately, General Li’s authority kept order.

One evening, General Li sought out Yunyang, asking if he could upgrade the artillery as well. Yunyang agreed readily, only to grow nervous at the sight of over two hundred field guns neatly arranged. The difference between a rifle and a field gun was immense.

Sure enough, while Yunyang could upgrade three hundred rifles a day, he could manage only ten field guns before exhaustion set in. The energy cost was simply too great.

After witnessing the power of an upgraded field gun, General Li visited Yunyang every day to supervise, as though afraid he might slack off—a veritable overseer. After all, each field gun now packed the punch of a missile. Every additional gun was an extra sliver of hope.

Though he pushed Yunyang to his limits, General Li was no true slave driver. He made sure to compensate him from elsewhere, assigning two cooks to prepare special meals just for him.

Under General Li’s urging, Yunyang eventually found his rhythm, increasing his daily quota to thirteen field guns. The general was so delighted he couldn’t stop boasting about his “prized find,” even insisting on making Yunyang his godson. Though Yunyang ultimately declined, their bond deepened into genuine friendship despite the age gap.

The days passed quickly. In just over twenty days, all the field guns were upgraded. Yunyang finally took a day to relax. After two months of intense labor, even a super soldier felt the strain. After sharing a hearty meal with the two cooks, he sat atop a large tree, gazing up at the star-strewn sky. Thoughts of Rose suddenly came to him.

Back when he watched the anime, Yunyang had admired this girl willing to give everything for her country. To him, that was what it meant to be a soldier—sacrificing oneself for the greater good.

He wondered how Rose was faring now. The feelings he’d carried over from the anime were real—he couldn’t pretend otherwise. She’d even helped him find Pan Zhen from Sunlight Star for his sake. Though he didn’t know how she’d done it, she must have endured much. After all, Pan Zhen was a god, unlikely to care about a mere super soldier from little Earth. How could he ever repay her? He had no answer. She’d saved his life.

Lost in thought, Yunyang didn’t know how much time had passed when a sudden gunshot shattered the night’s calm. He leapt down from the tree and hurried toward the sound. Two months of military life had given him the bearing of a true soldier.

Normally, he wouldn’t have reacted to gunfire, but tonight he was free from weapon upgrades—a rare moment to investigate which unlucky alien had come looking for trouble.

A platoon was on patrol when they spotted several winged humanoid figures flying in from the horizon. In front was one with white wings, followed by five grotesque, resurrected demons. The white-winged one aside, the soldiers recognized those five all too well—and hated them with a vengeance. They were traitors, once human, now monstrous demons.

Without hesitation, the soldiers opened fire. Though there were many Chinese troops present, these resurrected demons felt no fear, knowing ordinary bullets couldn’t harm them. All they had to do was kill the wounded angel in front, claim their reward from Queen Morgana, and receive true demon genes—becoming powerful demons under her protection, no longer hunted outcasts.

True demons weren’t much better, but at least they belonged somewhere. Spurred by this thought, one demon surged forward, reaching for the angel’s white wings, paying no mind to the soldiers below.

But he hadn’t expected the bullets to be so powerful. Unused to dodging, four of the five demons were instantly killed. The last was decapitated by the angel in a swift counterattack, its lifeless body crashing heavily to the ground.