36: Chapter 36 Probing Attack

The movements of the Evolvers were like a heavy boulder constantly weighing on Wang Jie's heart and hanging over the heads of everyone in the base. He did not allow the base's defenses to slacken in the slightest; soldiers stood guard in shifts, sentries kept a twenty-four-hour watch on the perimeter, and the Radar Station was kept running at full capacity at all times, for fear of missing even the slightest unusual movement from the darkness. As for Wang Jie himself, he practically lived in the command room, with pitifully little time to even close his eyes for rest. He knew that these intelligent mutant monsters would never appear without warning; their attacks would surely carry meticulous calculations.

As it turned out, Wang Jie's prediction was correct; the Evolvers did not make him wait long.

Late at night three days later, the darkness was as thick as unspreadable ink. A wild wind whipped dust through the ruins of the abandoned city, letting out a wailing sob that added a layer of eerie dread to this post-apocalyptic land. A sentry on the base's perimeter was observing the surroundings through dim night-vision goggles when suddenly, several sneaky dark shadows flashed across the display. They were hugging the ground, using the cover of broken walls and debris to inch their way toward the base. Their movements were extremely cautious, every step light to the extreme as if they were afraid of making a sound by stepping on the gravel. Their concealment was superb; had the sentry not been highly experienced, it would have been impossible to capture their traces in this pitch-black night.

However, their supposedly seamless stealth had been accurately captured by the base's Radar Station as soon as they approached within three kilometers. Red light dots pulsing on the radar screen clearly marked the number and location of these uninvited guests, and the radar operator on duty immediately reported the news to Wang Jie.

Upon receiving the report, Wang Jie's expression was cold and stern without a trace of panic. He immediately issued orders through the communicator, telling all the soldiers lying in ambush inside the walls to remain silent and hold their positions. He strictly forbade exposing firepower points prematurely, insisting they wait until these dark shadows had completely entered the ambush circle before launching an attack. He wanted to use this opportunity to gauge the true strength of these Evolvers and give them a harsh warning.

Time passed minute by minute, and those dark shadows finally crept up to the base's reinforced concrete walls. They stopped, communicating with each other in low growls. Several of them had already braced their strong limbs, preparing to scale the three-meter-high wall and infiltrate the base. Just as they exerted force to jump, dozens of high-powered searchlights atop the wall suddenly flared to life. The blinding white light instantly pierced the darkness, illuminating the area beneath the wall as bright as day.

Over a dozen dark shadows were caught completely off guard, fully exposed under the lights, their hideous appearances revealed in full—they were exactly the Evolvers Wang Jie had been guarding against day and night.

Disturbed by the intense light, the Evolvers' reaction speed far exceeded that of ordinary zombies. They instantly realized they had fallen into an ambush, let out ear-piercing screeches, and turned to sprint back into the darkness. But no matter how fast they were, they couldn't outrun the Snipers who had been aiming for a long time. At the high points of the wall, several elite Snipers held their breath and steadily pulled their triggers. A few muffled yet sharp gunshots pierced the night sky as Armor-piercing Rounds whistled out with immense penetration. Four or five Evolvers at the front fell to the ground, twitching a few times before losing all signs of life. The remaining Evolvers were scared out of their wits and fled into the night without looking back, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

The battle ended faster than imagined. Wang Jie straightened his military uniform and walked quickly to the wall, looking down at the Evolver corpses on the ground with a tight frown. He crouched down to carefully examine the creatures' bodies, the gravity in his heart deepening. The physique of these Evolvers was several times stronger than that of ordinary zombies; their bodies were knotted with tight muscles, their lines filled with explosive power. Their coarse, thick skin was like hardened leather; ordinary rifle bullets hitting it would at most leave a shallow crater, unable to penetrate the flesh to cause a fatal wound. Only the special Armor-piercing Rounds used by the Snipers could breach their defenses.

Their fingernails were long and sharp, like keen metal claws with edges glinting coldly, still stained with dried, dark-brown blood—it was unknown which unfortunate survivor had fallen prey to them. Their mouths were stretched open in an exaggerated grin, revealing jagged but incredibly sharp fangs. Their masseter muscles were exceptionally developed; just looking at them, one could imagine the terrifying destructive power of those jaws.

Wang Jie slowly crouched down, his gaze fixed intently on the eyes of one of the corpses. They were a pair of blood-red eyes filled with violence and madness, completely different from the mindless gaze of ordinary zombies. The pupils in these eyes were clearly present and even had a definite focus—even in death, these eyes still stared fixedly in his direction, as if they had viewed him as their sole prey while alive.

A wave of cold and intense unease instantly surged from the soles of Wang Jie's feet to the top of his head.

He understood in an instant that these Evolvers hadn't come to launch a frontal assault at all; they were merely the first batch of scouts sent out.

Their purpose was to map out the base's defensive layout, investigate the number of stationed troops, firepower configuration, and defensive weaknesses to fully prepare for a subsequent large-scale offensive.

Wang Jie slowly stood up, looking into the boundless darkness, his back already drenched in a layer of cold sweat. He knew very well that this time was only a probe by a dozen or so Evolvers; next time, what surged forward like a tide would not be this number, but likely an army composed of hundreds or even thousands of Evolvers.

The base's crisis had only just begun. He had to race against time, pouring all his strength into reinforcing the defenses and preparing for the coming apocalyptic catastrophe.