Apocalypse Gachapon

"Boss, what is this?"

Oliga looked at the pitch-black object in Ye Zhongming's hand and asked.

By now, everyone in the First Battalion addressed Ye Zhongming as "Boss," just like Shi Yong.

There was no helping it—the man was strong.

This strength was not just about combat ability. After witnessing Ye Zhongming's transformed state—his individual combat power and skill-based prowess—they had completely abandoned any thought of competing with him. One punch from him in that form could kill them. What was there to compete about?

So, whether it was Oliga, a powerful warrior with over 50,000 Furelai who could not hold a higher position simply because of his recklessness, or Emi, a spell warrior with devastating offensive abilities, they all accepted Ye Zhongming's superiority in this regard.

Another reason was that Ye Zhongming genuinely made fighting easier.

Whether through superior tactics, superior equipment, or superior auxiliary tools, they admired Ye Zhongming all the more.

At least so far, they had never seen anyone lead their subordinates in combat the way Ye Zhongming did.

Not only the First Squad, which had the most direct access, but also the other nine squads of the First Battalion had received many good things. This had significantly improved their combat effectiveness. Moreover, because of the way the squads had been organized, each squad was now highly proficient at coordination. This cross-racial, cross-professional method of cooperation had greatly enhanced their combat power.

The result was that in the recent operation against the Leviathan Scorpions, out of three thousand men, not a single one had died. Only a few had been injured or poisoned, and the Changxu Water Race's medicines had quickly healed them.

The feeling of being able to fight, reap rewards, and have no lingering worries was simply wonderful. By now, the members of the ten squads regarded Ye Zhongming with something approaching reverence—or at the very least, deep trust and admiration.

"A shield."

A nearby shield warrior's face twitched. He looked at the pitch-black object, barely larger than his fist, and felt dizzy. What could such a tiny thing defend against?

Ye Zhongming saw this, laughed heartily, and tossed the irregularly shaped shield—only about fifty centimeters in diameter—to the defense warrior. "Try it. Inject energy into the handle."

The defense warrior did not stand on ceremony. Catching it, he found a length-adjustable handle on the back. After adjusting it to fit his right hand, he began injecting a small amount of energy.

The unremarkable shield immediately lit up, its surface acquiring an oily sheen.

"This is the first stage. With a small amount of energy injected, the shield's defensive power is greatly enhanced—better than what you're using now. It's roughly… slightly less than Red Condensation-grade. It works well against single-target attacks that don't exceed the shield's coverage area."

Hearing this, the shield warrior's eyes lit up. His earlier disdain for the shield turned instantly to fondness.

"In normal combat, you can maintain this state. Once you've injected the energy, you don't need to do anything else. The shield will automatically absorb energy to sustain itself until you are severely wounded and can no longer provide energy, or until you lose consciousness. Don't worry—the energy consumption is low."

Ye Zhongming continued. This shield was made from Leviathan Scorpion carapaces—purely Wheel technology products.

He would not reveal his mastery of Talos Red Dwarf technology in front of these people.

"The other form requires you to activate it fully—to charge the shield to its maximum capacity. Give it a try."

Ye Zhongming motioned for him to continue injecting energy.

The shield warrior immediately began channeling more energy. As the energy increased, ethereal energy forms began to appear around the shield, drawing the curiosity of the other warriors, who gathered around to watch.

By the time the shield warrior had reached the shield's maximum capacity, the surrounding energy form had expanded to about a dozen square meters.

Well, then…

"This shield—let's call it the Little Black Shield—has this second form, its ultimate form. The defense area increases, and the defensive power rises to roughly Red Condensation-grade. If the edges of the energy forms of two Little Black Shields touch, they will automatically merge into one, combining their defense areas."

All present were seasoned warriors. Hearing this, they immediately understood what kind of equipment the Little Black Shield was—simple in function but immensely powerful.

With Red Condensation-grade defense and overlapping edges, these shields could be linked together without any blind spots.

This allowed for the formation of a formidable, flexible, three-dimensional defense system.

The shield warriors among the ten squads were practically drooling.

"There are drawbacks, though. The defense is not static. It gradually weakens over time until the energy completely dissipates. That takes about ten hours. In other words, when not in combat, the shield's defense decreases by about ten percent per hour. In combat, it also degrades according to the intensity of the attacks it withstands—the stronger the attack, the faster the defense drops. Of course, whether from time or from attacks, the shield can be recharged at any time. As long as there is sufficient energy and the shield is not shattered by a single blow, it can remain in a defensive state."

Hearing this, the warriors were not disappointed—they were even more envious. It would be abnormal for such equipment to have no drawbacks. And in their eyes, these drawbacks were minor. What was a little energy recharging?

"Boss, when energy runs low, does only the defense decrease? What about the defense area?"

The shield warrior, amidst his excitement, remembered something.

"Oh, right. The defense area decreases as well, in proportion to the decrease in defense."

Ye Zhongming smiled.

Seeing everyone's enthusiastic praise, he waved his hand, and five hundred Little Black Shields appeared before them.

The ten squads erupted in commotion.

They knew their boss had been crafting equipment all along the way. But they had not expected him to have made so many! How long had it been since they had hunted the Leviathan Scorpions? Less than half a day!

Even if he had been traveling inside a mechanical war beast, not wasting a single moment, was this not too fast?

"Each defense warrior takes one. The remaining shields will be distributed equally among the squads and given to the attack warriors." Ye Zhongming decided on the distribution plan for the shields. Then he surveyed the terrain. "This is the edge of the Bristle Four-Hoofed Beast's territory, isn't it?"

Receiving an affirmative answer, he said, "This time, we're targeting them. During the battle, try to keep the bristles on their backs intact. I need them for something. Alright, everyone, start preparing. We begin in ten minutes!"