28: Chapter 28 The Price of Steel

The air in the underground garage was thick with the pungent scent of concrete dust mixed with the smell of blood.

Commander Lin Dong lay prone on the hood of the hummer vehicle, observing the direction of the B2 Level entrance through the shattered front windshield. His right index finger rested lightly on the trigger without applying any pressure—a habit formed over years in the military; before pulling the trigger, the finger always remained relaxed.

"Boss, they've stopped."

corporal Zhang Lei's voice came through the walkie-talkie, accompanied by a slight static hiss. Zhang Lei was guarding the corner of the ramp leading from the B2 Level to the surface with two Conscripts; that was the direction the prisoner gang was most likely to break through.

Commander Lin Dong didn't answer immediately. In the upper-left corner of his vision, a translucent data panel was refreshing in real-time:

[Current Threat Assessment]

Total Enemy Count: 47

Armed Personnel: 12 (9 with melee weapons, 3 with firearms)

Awakened One: 1 (Strength-Type, Lv.5, Threat Level: Medium)

Distance: 87 meters

Estimated Breakthrough Time: Unknown (Stagnant for 3 minutes and 28 seconds)

Stagnant.

This word made Commander Lin Dong's brow furrow slightly. Analyzing from tactical logic, the opponent had a numerical advantage and a Strength-Type Awakened One leading them; there was no reason for them to stop at this distance. Unless—

"What are they waiting for?"

A low voice came from beside him. It was Commander Wang Jianguo, the former mess hall squad leader of the military camp. In his early forties, he had a slight potbelly, but his posture while holding the gun was still standard. He was one of the three survivors Commander Lin Dong had rescued during the retreat, and right now, he was crouching next to the humvee's rear wheel, eyes fixed on the depths of the darkness.

Commander Lin Dong didn't answer. His brain was calculating rapidly:

Variable One: Time. Four hours had passed since the enemy's first tentative attack. Night battles were unfavorable for the attackers; if the opponent had any military common sense, they should launch a general offensive around 4:00 AM, the time when the human body is physiologically most exhausted. It was still two and a half hours away from four o'clock.

Variable Two: Psychology. The opponent knew there was a "transforming steel monster" here. That Man with Glasses who escaped must have brought back intelligence about the base vehicle. The arrogance of a Strength-Type Awakened One—Commander Lin Dong had shot him in the knee that afternoon, and although those with Supernatural Ability had strong recovery powers, that kind of humiliation was enough to make him lose his mind. Yet, he was choosing to wait now?

Variable Three: Resources. Forty-seven people needed food and water. Prison escapees couldn't possibly carry a large amount of supplies; they had to settle the battle quickly.

With the three variables combined, there was only one conclusion:

"They're waiting for reinforcements," Commander Lin Dong's voice was frighteningly calm, "or waiting for a specific point in time."

Commander Wang Jianguo's breathing noticeably quickened.

Commander Lin Dong turned his head and glanced at the giant silver-gray truck twenty meters behind him. The deployment progress of the base vehicle had been stuck at 32% for over three hours—ever since the prisoner gang's first attack interrupted the construction process, that blue light bar representing the progress hadn't moved again.

A system prompt hovered in the upper-right corner of his vision:

[Warning: base vehicle deployment process interrupted]

[Reason: Hostile units detected within the alert perimeter]

[Solution: Eliminate all hostile units within a 100-meter radius, or wait for hostile units to evacuate automatically]

[Current Hostile Unit Count: 47, Estimated Elimination Time: Unknown]

Automatic evacuation?

The corner of Commander Lin Dong's mouth twitched slightly, a habitual micro-expression he had when expressing "absurdity." Forty-seven armed personnel, led by an Awakened One, would automatically evacuate from a large truck that could transform?

Unless they were dead.

"Zhang Lei," Commander Lin Dong pressed the walkie-talkie, "Has the enemy's Supernatural Ability user appeared on your end?"

"No, Boss," Zhang Lei replied quickly, "I can only see a few lackeys with machetes hiding behind the pillars and smoking. That big guy hasn't shown his face yet."

Smoking.

Commander Lin Dong's pupils constricted slightly. In the B2 Level of the underground garage, dozens of abandoned vehicles were piled up, and the air was thick with the smell of evaporating gasoline. Smoking in this environment?

Either the opponent was stupid enough to not fear death, or—

"Everyone, pay attention!" Commander Lin Dong's voice suddenly dropped low. "Check above your heads!"

Almost at the same second Commander Lin Dong's voice fell, Li Jiaxin's scream came from the northeast corner of the garage.

She was Communications Soldier Li Na's cousin, a nineteen-year-old college student whom Commander Lin Dong had pulled from a swarm of zombies at her school on the first day of the apocalypse. Currently, she and two other survivors were placed in a temporary shelter next to the base vehicle—a triangular area enclosed by two large buses.

Commander Lin Dong's body reacted faster than his brain.

He rolled off the humvee's hood, his muzzle already turned by the time he hit the ground. The crosshairs of the scope swept across the darkness above the northeast corner—

That was the garage's ventilation shaft.

The circular pipe opening, about 1.2 meters in diameter, was originally sealed with an iron grate, which now hung askew to one side. A dark figure was leaning halfway out of the pipe, holding a homemade rope hook gun.

It wasn't the Strength-Type Awakened One.

It was a thin, small man, whose movements were so agile he didn't seem like a normal human.

The moment Commander Lin Dong pulled the trigger, the data panel automatically popped up:

[Target Scanning...]

[Level: Lv.4]

[Type: Agility-Type Awakened One]

[Threat Rating: Low]

[Special Ability: Climbing Specialization (Passive), Movement Speed +30%]

The bullet hit the edge of the ventilation shaft, kicking up a shower of sparks. The Agility-Type Awakened One's body twisted at a bizarre angle in mid-air, actually managing to dodge the trajectory, and he slid down directly from a height of six meters while gripping the rope.

Upon landing, he rolled to dissipate the impact and then, like an oversized gecko, charged toward the base vehicle on all fours.

He was too fast.

Commander Wang Jianguo raised his gun and fired, but all three shots of the burst missed. The Agility-Type Awakened One's running path wasn't a straight line but an irregular Z-shape, with every step changing direction abruptly.

Forty meters.

Thirty meters.

Twenty meters—

Commander Lin Dong didn't give chase. He stood where he was, muzzle lowered, breathing steady, his eyes following the dark figure's movement path while the calculator in his brain ran frantically:

Movement Pattern Analysis:

Direction Change Frequency: 0.3 seconds/time

Direction Change Angle: 30°-75° random

Peak Speed: 8.7m/s

Weakness: A 0.1-second stiffness after each direction change; the larger the angle, the longer the stiffness.

At the fifteenth direction change, Commander Lin Dong pulled the trigger.

The bullet traveled twenty-two meters and struck the Agility-Type Awakened One's right calf during that 0.1-second stiffness following a large 75° direction change.

The sound of bone shattering echoed in the empty garage.

The dark figure let out a scream, lost his balance, and rolled into the door of an abandoned Santana. But he didn't stop—his Awakened One constitution allowed him to keep moving. He clawed at the ground with both hands, dragging his broken leg as he continued to crawl forward, his fingernails digging into the concrete floor and leaving trails of blood.

He was less than ten meters away from the base vehicle.

Commander Lin Dong didn't fire a second shot. He stood in place, watching the crawling shadow, his voice as calm as if he were stating a weather forecast:

"Li Jiaxin, close your eyes."

The nineteen-year-old girl was already scared witless, standing blankly next to the bus, not knowing if she hadn't heard or didn't understand.

The Agility-Type Awakened One looked up, a sinister smile appearing on his face. Something extra was in his hand—an olive-drab grenade with the safety pin already pulled.

"Let's die together—" he roared, using his last bit of strength to hurl the grenade toward the base vehicle.

The grenade traced a parabola in the air.

Then, it was caught firmly by a hand wearing a tactical glove.

Commander Lin Dong had rushed forward at some unknown point. The moment he caught the grenade, his body already made the next move—turning, taking three running steps, and throwing the grenade in the opposite direction with all his might.

That was deep in the garage, the corner where the prisoners were gathered.

The grenade exploded mid-flight.

BOOM—!

The shockwave overturned two abandoned cars, and shrapnel left dense pits on the concrete pillars. Screams came from deep within the darkness, and four red dots representing hostile units instantly vanished from the data panel.

The Agility-Type Awakened One lay on the ground, eyes wide as he stared at Commander Lin Dong, his lips trembling as if he wanted to say something.

Commander Lin Dong didn't look at him. He looked down to check his right hand—the moment he caught the grenade, the heat had scorched a layer of skin off his palm, leaving bloody muscle exposed to the air. Pain nerves were frantically sending signals to his brain.

But his expression didn't change at all.

"The Strength-Type draws attention from the front while the Agility-Type infiltrates from the ventilation shaft, heading straight for the base vehicle." He seemed to be talking to himself, yet also teaching everyone present. "The tactical intent was clear, and the coordination was decent. Pity—"

He glanced at the Agility-Type Awakened One lying on the ground:

"Your movement in throwing the grenade was too slow. After the safety pin is pulled, the delay is 3.5 seconds. You spent 2 seconds talking while holding it, and it flew for 1.2 seconds. The remaining 0.3 seconds were enough for me to catch it and throw it back."

The Agility-Type Awakened One's eyes widened even further.

"You... you calculated that..."

Commander Lin Dong didn't answer. He turned and walked toward the base vehicle, stopping for a moment as he passed Li Jiaxin:

"Next time I tell you to close your eyes, close them."

The nineteen-year-old girl nodded frantically.

The Agility-Type Awakened One's infiltration was crushed, but the price was beginning to show.

Commander Lin Dong stood by the base vehicle, looking at the new prompt popping up on the system panel:

[base vehicle Energy Reserves: 47%]

[Damage from Last Attack: Structural Integrity 97%, Energy Transmission Pipelines slightly damaged]

[Time Required for Repair: 2 hours (under uninterrupted conditions)]

Uninterrupted.

These words almost didn't exist in the dictionary of the apocalypse.

"Boss!" Zhang Lei's voice came over the walkie-talkie, sounding clearly tense. "The enemy is moving! Everyone is pressing in this way, and that big guy is out too!"

Commander Lin Dong walked quickly toward the hummer vehicle and snatched up the binoculars left on the hood. Looking toward the B2 Level entrance, he could see figures surging in the darkness—at least thirty people, armed with various weapons, were slowly closing in.

At the very front of the group, a burly man nearly 1.9 meters tall was shirtless, revealing rock-like muscles. His right knee was wrapped in thick bandages—the spot where Commander Lin Dong had wounded him that afternoon. But his stride was still steady, even faster than a normal person's.

Strength-Type Awakened One.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

In Commander Lin Dong's vision, the data panel automatically locked onto the target:

【 Target scanning... 】

【 Level: Lv.5 】

【 Type: Strength-Type Awakened One 】

【 Threat Rating: Medium 】

【 Special Ability: Burst (Active), Strength +100% for 5 seconds, Cooldown 2.3 seconds 】

【 Current Status: Angry (All Attributes +5%, Sanity -15%) 】

2.3 seconds.

Commander Lin Dong recited this number in his mind. It was the key to him hitting the opponent's knee this afternoon, and it remained so now.

But he had no time to overthink. More than thirty enemies were closing in, and all he had in his hands was—

【 Friendly Combat Power Statistics 】

Commander Lin Dong: Lv.6, Lightly injured (right hand), Ammunition: 22 rifle rounds, 15 pistol rounds, 1 grenade

Zhang Lei + 2 Conscripts: 3 people, Ammunition: Average 60 rounds per person

Commander Wang Jianguo: 1 person, Ammunition: 30 rounds

Li Na: 1 person, Non-combatant (shot in the shoulder, already bandaged)

Li Jiaxin + 2 students: 3 people, Non-combatant

Total combatants: 5 people.

Total ammunition: approx 300 rounds.

Enemy count: 30+, and there is one Awakened One.

Data does not lie. In a head-on clash, the win rate is infinitely close to zero.

Retreat? The base vehicle is here, deployed to 32%, and its movement speed is slower than a turtle. Abandon it?

Commander Lin Dong stared at the silver-gray giant truck, and the prompt from when the system was bound flashed in his mind:

【 S-Class Talent: Red Alert 】

【 Core Unit: base vehicle 】

【 Description: The base vehicle is the foundation of your survival in this world. As long as the base vehicle exists, you can rebuild everything. If the base vehicle is lost, the talent will be permanently disabled. 】

Permanently disabled.

Commander Lin Dong took a deep breath. Then he pressed the walkie-talkie:

"Everyone, tighten the defensive line. Target: twenty meters around the base vehicle. Commander Wang Jianguo, take those two students and move the bus toward the center to form a circular bunker. Zhang Lei, divide your men into two groups; one group guards the front, and the other watches the ventilation shafts and all pipe openings. If that Agility-Type could get in, a second one can too."

"Boss," Zhang Lei's voice paused, "Your hand..."

"It's fine."

Commander Lin Dong stuffed his injured right hand into his pants pocket and raised his gun with his left hand. The pain was becoming numb; this was both a good thing and a bad thing—the good thing was that it wouldn't affect his movements, but the bad thing was that the nerves might already be damaged.

He walked toward the base vehicle, checking the stalled progress bar one last time.

32%.

Then he saw a line of small text appear under the progress bar:

【 Detected that the Commander is under extreme survival pressure. Activate Emergency Construction Protocol? 】

【 Emergency Construction Protocol Description 】

Consumes 50% of remaining Energy Points

Force completion of the current construction project (Progress 32% → 100%)

Consequence: Constructed units will randomly have a defect (Equipment incomplete / Attribute reduction / Loyalty fluctuation)

Commander Lin Dong's pupils shrank slightly.

50% of his Energy Points. He currently had 320 points; consuming 160 points would leave him with 160. After the Barracks construction was completed, he could summon Conscripts—but he wouldn't have enough Energy Points.

A defective soldier?

He stared at the text, a fierce struggle playing out in his mind:

Option A: Normal construction. Requires clearing all enemies; time unknown, success rate unknown, potential for total annihilation.

Option B: Emergency construction. Immediately obtain Barracks and defective Conscripts that can be put into battle, but subsequent resources will be exhausted, and defective soldiers may bring unpredictable risks.

Data does not lie.

But data also cannot calculate something called "will."

Commander Lin Dong closed his eyes.

Three seconds later, he opened his eyes and tapped that option.

Just then—

Boom!

A loud noise came from the direction of the B2 level entrance, accompanied by screams and curses. Commander Lin Dong turned his head abruptly and saw Zhang Lei poking half his body out from behind a pillar, shouting at him:

"Boss! That big guy is crazy! He broke in alone!"

The Strength-Type Awakened One was indeed crazy.

He was like a humanoid tank, knocking away two abandoned cars in his way, tearing open an iron fence with his bare hands, and charging toward Commander Lin Dong's direction. His eyes were bloodshot, and he let out a beast-like roar; with every step, shallow cracks appeared on the concrete floor.

Zhang Lei and the two Conscripts opened fire.

The bullets hit the Awakened One's body, but did not spray blood like they would a normal human body. The warheads embedded themselves into his muscles, stuck by the swollen muscle fibers, leaving only shallow bloody holes. The Awakened One's speed only slowed slightly before he continued his charge.

Twenty meters.

Fifteen meters.

Ten meters—

Commander Lin Dong did not retreat. He stood his ground, raised his gun with his left hand, and the scope locked onto the Awakened One's head.

But he did not pull the trigger.

He was waiting.

Waiting for those 2.3 seconds.

When the Awakened One rushed to within eight meters, his right arm pulled back violently, his muscles swelling to three times the thickness of a normal person—that was the precursor to the Burst skill.

Just now.

As Commander Lin Dong pulled the trigger, he rolled to the left.

The bullet hit the Awakened One's right eye but failed to penetrate—the eyelid had become as tough as cowhide in the Burst state. The bullet embedded itself in the edge of his eye socket, causing the Awakened One to let out a scream, but it did not stop his attack.

His right fist smashed into the spot where Commander Lin Dong had just been standing; the concrete floor looked as if it had been hit by a cannonball, blasting out a hole the size of a washbasin.

Debris hit Commander Lin Dong's back, stinging with pain.

But he had no time to worry about that. He rolled to his feet, and his muzzle locked on again—

2.3 seconds of cooldown.

The Awakened One's right arm was shrinking back to normal size at a speed visible to the naked eye; that was the sign that the Burst was over. At this moment, his strength was only half of his normal state, and because of the severe pain and anger, his defense had dropped to its lowest point.

Commander Lin Dong pulled the trigger.

This time, the bullet was aimed at the Awakened One's left knee—the spot injured that afternoon.

Hit.

The Awakened One let out a pig-like howl, his left leg went soft, and he fell to one knee. But he had not given up yet; his left hand grabbed a piece of concrete, and he threw it at Commander Lin Dong.

Commander Lin Dong dodged sideways, then rushed toward the Awakened One.

He covered the five-meter distance in less than a second. The moment he closed in, he released the gun with his left hand, drew a military dagger from his waist, and stabbed at the Awakened One's throat—

The Awakened One's right hand suddenly raised, grabbing the blade of the military dagger.

Blood dripped down from between his fingers.

But the Awakened One was laughing, his blood-red eyes full of madness:

"You... forgot... I still have... a right hand..."

Commander Lin Dong's expression remained calm.

"I didn't forget."

He pulled out his right hand from his pants pocket—that bloody hand, scalded by the grenade, was holding a grenade with the safety pin already pulled.

The Awakened One's pupils shrank suddenly.

"2.3 seconds," Commander Lin Dong said. "You have 0.5 seconds left."

He stuffed the grenade into the Awakened One's open mouth.

Then he released the military dagger and jumped backward violently.

The Awakened One wanted to spit out the grenade, but it was too late.

Boom—!

Flesh and blood flew everywhere.

Commander Lin Dong was flipped to the ground by the shockwave, his back hit the door of a van, and a crisp sound of breaking ribs came from his chest. His vision was blurred, his ears were buzzing, and the data panel frantically flashed red warnings:

【 Warning: You were affected by the explosion 】

【 Damage Assessment: Moderate concussion, fracture of the 7th and 8th ribs on the left side, multiple soft tissue contusions 】

【 Suggestion: Receive treatment immediately 】

He struggled to get up and looked at the position where the Awakened One had been standing.

Only a headless corpse remained, lying in a pool of blood.

The surroundings were suddenly quiet.

Those criminals who were approaching, seeing their leader get headshot, stopped in their tracks.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Then, not knowing who had dropped their weapon first, they turned and ran. The chain reaction spread rapidly; more than thirty people scrambled to escape toward the exit, screams and curses mixing together.

Commander Lin Dong leaned against the van, panting heavily.

Then he heard a mechanical electronic voice behind him:

【 Detected hostile units have evacuated within a 100-meter radius 】

【 base vehicle deployment process resumed 】

【 Current progress: 32% ... 47% ... 63% ... 81% ... 100% 】

【 Construction complete: Red Alert Barracks 】

He turned his head.

The silver-gray giant truck had completely transformed. In its place was a silver-white two-story building, square and cold, with a metallic luster. On the giant screen on the front of the building, a line of red text was pulsing:

【 Barracks ready 】

【 Summonable unit: Conscript 】

【 Current Energy Point balance: 160 】

【 Recommended summon quantity: 4 】

Commander Lin Dong's mouth twitched slightly.

160 points, summon 4 Conscripts, then Energy Points return to zero.

This is the price of steel.

He struggled to stand up straight, looking at the backs of those criminals moving away in the dark. They would come back, with more people and stronger weapons.

But that was for the next battle.

Now—

He turned around and looked toward the Barracks.

Then he saw a figure standing at the entrance of the Barracks.

That was a man in a black combat suit, carrying a rifle on his shoulder, standing straight. His face was shrouded in shadow, and his expression could not be seen, but Commander Lin Dong could feel him looking at him.

The system prompt popped up again:

【 Detecting special unit approaching... 】

【 Identity identification in progress... 】

【 Identification failed 】

【 This unit is not in the Red Alert sequence 】

Commander Lin Dong's pupils shrank suddenly.

His right hand instinctively touched his waist—only an empty gun remained there.

The black figure walked slowly out of the shadows, revealing a young face, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a composure that felt out of place in this doomsday.

He spoke, his voice calm:

"Commander Lin Dong, right?"

Commander Lin Dong did not answer, just stared at the other party.

The young man smiled, reached out, and pointed toward the direction where a signal flare had risen outside the base:

"Someone wants to see you. About this 'Barracks', and about that thing on you called 'System'."

He paused, his eyes falling on Commander Lin Dong's broken ribs:

"And about why you are here—instead of the place you should be."

In Commander Lin Dong's mind, countless question marks flooded in.

【 End of Chapter 】