40: Chapter 40 Joint Operations

The smoke from the great anti-air victory had not yet dissipated, and the base's reconstruction and personnel recovery were still in full swing. Wang Jie was planning the next defensive deployment on the tactical map when Zhou Jianguo's steady yet urgent voice came through the encrypted communicator. As the top leader of the surrounding Human Power Alliance, Zhou Jianguo and Wang Jie had exchanged intelligence several times and had long recognized the lethal threat posed by the Evolvers. This time, he brought a proposal that could change the survival landscape for both sides—the alliance's high-level leadership had unanimously decided to launch a proactive purge against the Evolvers. Instead of staying on the defensive, they would strike directly at the heart and completely destroy the Evolvers' core nest.

Wang Jie hardly hesitated and nodded his agreement on the spot.

He knew better than anyone that the Evolver tribe entrenched in the abandoned chemical plant to the west was like a time bomb buried next to human settlements. As long as these mutated monsters—who possessed intelligence, knew how to test defenses, and could organize large-scale attacks—remained for even a single day, human survivors would forever live in their shadow. The previous offensive and defensive battles had made Wang Jie realize that relying on the strength of any single party would make it difficult to crack this hard nut. Only by joining forces with the two strongest human powers would they have a chance of winning.

And so, since the apocalypse began, the two most powerful human armed forces in the surrounding area truly set aside their differences and coordinated for the first time. A purging operation targeting the Evolver nest officially began.

The Alliance went all out for this operation, deploying three hundred elite combat personnel, fifty bulletproof-reinforced off-road modified vehicles equipped with heavy machine guns, and ten attack helicopters in one go. The firepower configuration was the pinnacle since the Alliance's inception. Wang Jie brought out all the base's main combat forces: two hundred well-trained direct-line soldiers, twenty heavy main battle tanks, ten upgraded attack helicopters, and five armored infantry vehicles. The heavy ground firepower was enough to crush small and medium-sized Mutant Beast swarms.

The two steel torrents successfully merged in the open area on the outskirts of Wang Jie's base. Tank tracks crushed the gravel on the ground, helicopter rotors whipped up strong winds, and soldiers stood solemnly with live ammunition, waiting for orders. The grand procession stretched for hundreds of meters, outlining a human steel defensive line on the barren apocalyptic wasteland. Everyone's gaze was firm and sharp; they knew this battle was not a minor defensive skirmish, but a life-and-death struggle for human living space.

According to precise intelligence sent back by drones and scout teams over the past few days, the Evolver nest was located thirty kilometers west of the base, inside a long-abandoned large chemical plant. Before the apocalypse, this chemical plant was a core industrial facility in the region, covering hundreds of acres with numerous workshops and crisscrossing pipelines. The complex terrain made it extremely easy to hide troops. After the apocalypse broke out, it was occupied by zombies, and now it had completely fallen into the hands of the Evolvers, becoming the most dangerous death zone in the area.

The force advanced at full speed. When the sunset dyed the sky a dark red, the main force finally arrived at the outskirts of the chemical plant.

The scene before them made the soldiers, who were used to the brutality of the apocalypse, feel their hearts sink. The massive plant area was in ruins; towering reaction towers were tilted and broken, reinforced concrete workshops had collapsed over large areas, and rusted chemical equipment lay scattered on the ground. Overgrown weeds and vines tangled around the rust-stained machinery, wrapping the entire plant area like a Silent jungle. The air was filled with an indescribable stench—a mixture of pungent chemicals, rotting flesh, and dust that filled the nostrils, making people gag and making even breathing difficult.

Wang Jie walked quickly to the mobile command vehicle, staring at the dense red light spots on the radar screen, his brow furrowed tightly. The signals flickering on the screen clearly showed that there were at least two thousand Evolvers entrenched inside the plant. In addition, there were dozens of abnormal light spots with signal strengths far exceeding those of ordinary Evolvers. Like giant beasts in the dark, they lay dormant in the core area of the plant. Without a doubt, those were the leader-level existences within the Evolver tribe, the hardest nuts to crack in this purging operation.

Wang Jie and Zhou Jianguo immediately drew close, unfolding a simple topographic map by the command vehicle and quietly finalizing the ultimate battle plan. The Alliance forces would serve as the main frontal assault, using their numerical advantage and mobile firepower to launch a strong attack from the plant's main gate to draw as much of the Evolvers' main force as possible and create a chaotic melee on the front line. Wang Jie's heavy armored units would detour through the ruins on the side of the plant, bypassing the frontal defense to strike directly at the core of the Evolver nest, completing the key task of flanking and cutting off the enemy's retreat. The helicopter formations in the air would maintain high-altitude vigilance, ready to provide fire support to the ground troops at any time and implement aerial strikes as soon as leader-level Evolvers were discovered.

"All units in position, combat plan confirmed. Old Wang, are you ready?" Zhou Jianguo wiped the dust off his face, his eyes showing a battle-hardened ruthlessness as he asked Wang Jie in a low voice.

Wang Jie nodded heavily, his gaze fixed on the eerie plant area in the distance, his tone as firm as iron: "All personnel ready, we can launch the attack at any time."

Zhou Jianguo extended his calloused right hand, and Wang Jie reached out to grasp it. The two palms representing the top human armed forces gripped each other tightly, their strength converging. No more words were needed; it was a promise to live or die together.

"Then let's go in together and wipe these monsters out completely!"

The attack order was issued instantly.

The Alliance's tank group opened fire first. The roar of cannons shattered the silence of the wasteland as high-explosive shells whistled toward the chemical plant's gate. The exploding flames instantly swallowed the dilapidated iron gate, and dust rose into the sky. The Evolvers sleeping inside the plant were completely startled by the violent explosions. Piercing shrieks erupted from various workshops, pipes, and corners of the ruins. Thousands of Evolvers surged out like a tide, their eyes crimson, charging madly toward the Alliance's frontal defense line without fear of death.

Gunfire, explosions, the shrieks of Evolvers, and the shouts of soldiers instantly intertwined, becoming deafening. The frontal battlefield immediately plunged into a white-hot, fierce battle.

Wang Jie seized the opportunity and immediately gestured: "Detour unit, follow me!"

He personally led two hundred heavy soldiers, using tanks and infantry vehicles as cover to avoid the area of intense frontal fighting, quietly creeping along the ruins at the edge of the plant area. The team carefully passed through collapsed material warehouses, climbed over rust-covered low walls, and silently entered the interior of the chemical plant.

The further they moved into the plant, the more the horrifying sights made their scalps tingle. Remains from Evolver feeding were everywhere along the road—broken human bones, torn clothing fragments, blood-stained skeletal residue, and various unidentifiable rotting flesh mixed with chemical waste liquid, emitting a nauseating stench. Wang Jie suppressed the churning and anger in his heart and signaled the troops to remain Silent as they continued to advance toward the core signal point shown on the radar.

Ten minutes later, the team successfully reached the center of the plant area, where a towering and sturdy main production workshop suddenly appeared before them. On the radar screen, dozens of strong signal light spots were all concentrated inside this workshop. This was the dwelling of the Evolver Leaders and the heart of the entire nest.

"This is it. All personnel prepare for battle and wait for my command to attack!" Wang Jie lowered his voice and issued the order through the communicator. The soldiers quickly dispersed to take up advantageous positions, and the tank muzzles slowly rose, aiming at the workshop's main door.

Just as Wang Jie was about to raise his hand to give the order to fire, that heavy metal workshop door actually opened slowly from the inside.

An incredibly massive figure stepped out from the darkness with heavy strides.

It was the Ultimate Leader of the Evolvers.

It stood at least three meters tall, its body covered in a thick, armor-like black exoskeleton. The hard shell gleamed with a cold metallic luster, and every inch of its musculature exuded explosive power. A pair of blood-red eyes, like burning flames, held cold violence and intelligence, locking onto Wang Jie. There was no trace of fear in its gaze; instead, it held a sort of condescending scrutiny.

It lowered its head slightly, looked at Wang Jie, opened its massive mouth full of fangs, and let out a low, thick growl.

That sound did not resemble the shriek of an ordinary monster; it was more like a blatant threat, even carrying a hint of mockery toward humans.

Wang Jie took a deep breath, suppressed the shock in his heart, suddenly raised his arm, and then swung it down fiercely.

"All units, open fire!"

In an instant, all weapons roared simultaneously. Tank shells, heavy machine gun bullets, airborne missiles, and individual rockets—all firepower poured toward that massive body like a torrential rain. Flames instantly swallowed the Evolver Leader, and smoke filled the center of the entire plant area.

The ultimate decisive battle had officially broken out.