298: Chapter 298 Chu Yanran, are you asking for a beating?

The snow fog was still falling.

The suffocating, salty, fishy stench seemed to seep into one's bone marrow.

But on the west plaza of the base, it was bustling with activity, the noise even drowning out the roars of zombies in the distance.

"Next! Do you have a driver's license? No? Can you play video games? World of Tanks or PUBG? As long as your hands aren't crippled, stand on the left! Those who can't even hold a mouse properly, go to the right and move bricks!"

Su Yuyan held a megaphone.

Standing on a high platform, her usual gentle image was completely gone.

She looked just like an auntie fighting for discounted eggs at a vegetable market.

There was no other way; the workload of selecting two thousand drivers was simply too huge, and time was pressing.

Lin Yuan stood on the side with his hands in his pockets, watching the show.

"Lin Yuan, aren't you acting a bit like an absentee landlord here?"

Chu Yanran stood beside him, holding a tablet to record data.

"Yuyan's throat is about to go hoarse from shouting."

"This is called knowing how to delegate," Lin Yuan said shamelessly. "Besides, don't you think this scene is interesting?"

Chu Yanran followed his gaze.

In the crowd, several women wearing down jackets were flushed with excitement.

...

Half an hour later, the first batch of five hundred "provisional drivers" had been selected.

This group of people was also completely confused.

They had originally thought they were called over to be cannon fodder, or to repair the city walls, but they were brought in front of rows of silver-white behemoths.

When they saw the Flame Burst Tanks hovering above the ground, emitting a faint blue light, everyone's jaws hit the snowy ground.

"Holy crap! What is this? Alien technology?"

"This design... is even cooler than the skins I spent money on in the game!"

"Are we supposed to drive this? Is this definitely not a dream?"

Ji Wushuang, acting as the "instructor," was currently carrying a greatsword, walking at the front of the line with an arrogant swagger.

"Shut up, all of you! A bunch of country bumpkins who have never seen the world!"

She roared, the sound causing the accumulated snow on the trees to fall.

"Listen up! This thing is called a Flame Burst Tank! It's a god-tier piece of equipment brought here by the great Master! Now, I am your chief instructor! Whoever dares to scratch even a flake of paint off the tank, I will hang them on the cannon barrel to air-dry!"

The Female Survivors in the crowd instantly became quiet as chickens.

Ji Wushuang was very satisfied with this effect. She turned her head to look at Lin Yuan:

"Hubby, is it time to let them try getting into the machines?"

Lin Yuan nodded: "Start."

...

The test drive process was even more... chaotic than imagined.

Although the operation of the Flame Burst Tank was a fool-proof mental control, it was still too stimulating for this group of Female Survivors who were coming into contact with black technology for the first time.

"Hey, hey, hey! You driving the excavator! Don't dig down! This tank doesn't have a shovel! Don't blast the ground!"

"You internet cafe god! Your hand speed is too fast! The turret is spinning like an electric fan, are you trying to take off?!"

"And that auntie! Auntie, stop looking for the clutch in the cockpit! This thing doesn't have a clutch! Use your Spiritual Power! If you want to move, just move!"

The scene was chaotic.

"Lin Yuan, can this team... really fight?"

Su Yuyan rubbed her temples, looking hopeless. "Why do I feel like we just let people out of a mental hospital?"

Lin Yuan, however, was smiling happily.

"Don't worry, it's a bit chaotic, but they'll get the hang of it quickly."

He pointed at the electric fan turret:

"Look at that one, although it spins fast, her muzzle is always locked on the same point. This is called dynamic aiming; she's talented."

"And that female taxi driver."

Lin Yuan pointed to the tank moving with flashy maneuvers.

"This kind of irregular movement is the hardest to lock onto on the battlefield. I'll have her be a scout later."

The women: "..."

Is your filter a bit too thick?

...

To test the combat effectiveness of this "motley crew," and also to test the tank's defensive limits, Lin Yuan decided to conduct a live-fire test.

Test subject: Ji Wushuang.

"Me?"

Ji Wushuang pointed at her own nose, looking incredulous.

"Hubby, you want me to fight this hunk of iron? What if I break it?"

"If you can break it, I'll call you Daddy," Lin Yuan said calmly.

"Hey! You said that!"

Ji Wushuang instantly got excited. "Although calling you Daddy is a bit of a loss, I accept this challenge!"

The test site was cleared.

A Flame Burst Tank hovered quietly in the center of the field, having activated its automatic defense mode.

The light blue energy shield looked like an inverted bowl, enveloping the tank.

Ji Wushuang stood fifty meters away, stretching her limbs, her joints cracking.

"Little piece of iron, big sister is coming!"

She shouted, and flames erupted from her body.

A pillar of fire as thick as a water bucket roared out.

With a high temperature capable of melting steel, it slammed fiercely into the tank's shield.

"Boom—!"

Fire soared into the sky, the snow fog was instantly evaporated, forming a vacuum zone.

The watching Female Survivors were pale with fright.

Is this the strength of an S-rank expert?

With this kind of power, could it even collapse the city walls?

However, when the firelight dissipated,

The tank was still hovering steadily in place.

Not even a flake of paint had fallen off.

Only that layer of light blue shield rippled slightly, like a stone thrown into a calm lake.

"..."

Ji Wushuang's smile froze on her face.

"Impossible! I just used fifty percent of my power!"

She didn't believe it and swung her greatsword.

"Again!"

A huge fire dragon soared from the sword, roaring toward the tank.

The power this time was more than double the previous one, and the air was distorted by the heat.

"Rumble!"

The huge explosion made the ground tremble.

The smoke cleared.

The tank... was still unscathed.

It even turned its cannon barrel in a human-like way, as if making a mocking gesture.

"I..."

Ji Wushuang's mentality collapsed.

She was an SS-Rank Expert!

In this base, apart from Lin Yuan, she was the ceiling of combat power!

Now she couldn't even move a stationary iron turtle?

"Full power attack," Lin Yuan's voice came. "Don't hold back."

Ji Wushuang took a deep breath, her eyes becoming sharp.

"Fine! You asked for this!"

She gripped her greatsword with both hands, her Superpower surging wildly.

The air behind her seemed to burn, vaguely forming a pair of flame wings.

With her roar, the sky seemed to tear open.

Countless fireballs fell like meteors, finally converging into a destructive beam of light, slamming straight into the tank.

The power of this strike was enough to kill any creature below S-rank in seconds, and even an S-rank Mutated Beast would be seriously injured.

The whole audience held their breath.

The light was so blinding that one couldn't look directly at it.

After a full half-minute, the light gradually dissipated.

A huge charred pit appeared on the ground, and all the accumulated snow around it was vaporized.

In the center of the deep pit, the Flame Burst Tank was still hovering.

Only the light of the energy shield was slightly dimmed, turning from deep blue to light blue.

The system prompt sounded in Lin Yuan's mind:

【Shield energy remaining: 30%.】

【Energy recharging... expected to return to full value in 10 seconds.】

Lin Yuan nodded with satisfaction.

Taking an all-out strike from an SS-Rank Expert and only losing 30% of the shield, and it could recharge quickly.

This meant that as long as it wasn't facing monsters above SSS-rank, or being focused by hundreds of SS-rank monsters, this thing was invincible!

"I don't want to live anymore!!!"

A sorrowful wail resounded through the sky.

Ji Wushuang lay in the snow in a sprawling position, looking at the sky with no desire to live.

"I've worked so hard for so long, and I'm not even as good as a hunk of iron..."

She felt her dignity shattered all over the ground, unable to even pick it up.

Su Yuyan walked over, squatted down, patted her shoulder, and comforted her:

"Don't be discouraged, you are still very strong. At least... you helped us test the tank's defensive limit."

"Is that supposed to be comforting?!" Ji Wushuang was crying without tears.

Chu Yanran also walked over, a cold smile curling on her lips.

"Look, this is the power of technology. So-called individual heroism is not worth mentioning in the face of the torrent of industrial civilization."

Ji Wushuang sat up abruptly, glaring at her:

"Chu Yanran, are you itching for a beating? I can't break the tank, but beating you is still no problem!"

"Hmph."

Chu Yanran took half a step back, hiding behind Lin Yuan.

"Brother Lin Yuan, look at her, she's so embarrassed that she wants to commit domestic violence."

Lin Yuan looked at this scene, finding it somewhat amusing.

"Alright."

He pulled Ji Wushuang up and helped her pat the snow off her butt.

"The reason this tank is so strong is that it uses second-level civilization shield technology. Losing to it is nothing to be ashamed of."

"Besides..."

Lin Yuan pointed to the dense formation of tanks behind him.

"This thing only unlocked because of you. In other words, aren't these tanks meant to be controlled by you?!"

Ji Wushuang was stunned for a moment, her originally depressed expression instantly turning from cloudy to sunny.

"That's right!"

She slapped her thigh hard!

Ji Wushuang immediately became smug.

She put her hands on her hips, looked at the group of survivors who were still in shock, and shouted loudly:

"Did you all see that! In the future, if anyone dares to say the Fire Team is no good, I will drive a tank to block their front door!"

Chu Yanran rolled her eyes at the side and muttered in a low voice:

"Idiot."

But this time, there was no mockery in her eyes; instead, there was a hint of complexity.

She watched Ji Wushuang's smug look.

A feeling called "envy" actually rose in her heart.

If I could also unlock such supplies...

Chu Yanran's fingers subconsciously squeezed the corner of her clothes.

Her gaze drifted secretly toward Lin Yuan, and she happened to see Lin Yuan looking at her as well, his eyes meaningful.

Boom—

Chu Yanran felt her cheeks burning a little, and quickly turned her head away, pretending to look at the data.

...

As all two thousand tanks were fully equipped, the momentum of the entire base changed instantly.

The survivors, who were originally panicked by the strange snow fog and rumors of sea beasts, now looked at the rows of silver-white steel beasts, and an unprecedented sense of security surged in their hearts.

Fear stems from insufficient firepower.

When your firepower is enough to cover everything in your line of sight, fear turns into excitement.

"All troops, listen to my command!"

Lin Yuan stood on the high platform, his voice spreading across the entire venue through his Spiritual Power.

"Target: Coastal defense line!"

"Mission: Leave no survivors!"

"Move out!"

Buzz—!!!

The anti-gravity engines of two thousand Flame Burst Tanks started simultaneously.

The low humming sound converged, as if the pulse of the earth was beating.

There was no noise of tracks crushing the ground, only the uniform sound of breaking through the air.

The silver-white torrent broke through the fishy snow fog and drove toward the east in a mighty force.

Ji Wushuang drove her "Flame Burst No. 1" and rushed to the very front.

Her excited voice came through the communication channel:

"Little ones! Keep up with big sister! Tonight, big sister will take you to the beach for a barbecue!"

"Uh... Captain."

A weak female voice came from the channel. "It's to eat seafood, not barbecue."

"It's all the same! Anyway, they have to be roasted before they can be eaten!"

...

Meanwhile, at the coastal defense line three hundred kilometers away from the base.

This place had already turned into a living hell.

Pitch-black seawater flooded into the city.

Countless strange creatures with slimy tentacles and scales covering their bodies were rampaging through the ruins.

Although the army of The Authorities was fighting desperately, in the face of this endless beast tide, the defense line was retreating steadily.

"Requesting support! Requesting support! The A3 zone defense line has collapsed!"

"Ammunition exhausted! We need heavy firepower!"

"My God... what is that... Ah—!"

The communication channel was filled with desperate screams.

On the top of a half-collapsed building, a blood-covered commander put down the binoculars in his hand, his eyes full of despair.

"It's over... It's all over..."

On the icy sea surface, a huge shadow was slowly rising.

The part exposed to the water surface alone was a hundred meters high, emitting a suffocating and terrifying pressure.

That was an SS-Rank... No, it might be an existence beyond an SS-rank!

Just as he was about to raise his gun to commit suicide and die for his country, a strange humming sound suddenly came from the horizon.

The sound grew louder and louder, even drowning out the roar of the waves.

The commander subconsciously raised his head and looked at the western sky.

He saw the snow-filled sky being torn apart as if by an invisible giant blade.

Rays of silver-white light, like divine punishment sent down by gods, broke through the air.

"That is..."

The commander widened his eyes, the gun in his hand falling to the ground.

"Reinforcements?"