215: This is the real war

At this very moment, there were still people evacuating from Changtu County.

And the Permanent Dungeon on North Mountain officially opened!

Based on past experience, whether a Permanent Dungeon opened or a temporary one appeared, the first wave to emerge was almost always Vicious Beasts.

It's important to note that Vicious Beasts, being irrational or having intelligence far inferior to humans and other races, instinctively tend to attack when encountering either.

Experts have analyzed that the first wave from a Dungeon always consists of Vicious Beasts, and this is inextricably linked to other races.

Among them, some possess the ability to control beasts.

However, this is not enough to drive so many Vicious Beasts out of the Dungeon.

It's highly probable that when the Dungeon was forming and not yet fully open, some individuals used special methods to attract Vicious Beasts to gather at the Dungeon's exit.

Once the Dungeon opened, these Vicious Beasts would surge out like fish from a broken dam.

Now, Shen Bei and the Military soldiers had just been praying that no flying beasts would appear.

In the blink of an eye… Murphy's Law struck.

Just then, after a few minutes of silence in the Dungeon, suddenly, several bird-like cries came from the abyss-like crack.

"Caw! Caw—!"

With a wide-open view, Shen Bei immediately noticed a large shadow rapidly surging from the crack towards the ground, simultaneously soaring high and emitting terrifying shrieks.

Even from several kilometers away, these sharp cries were so clear and chilling.

Then, using his vision, which was more acute than an ordinary person's, Shen Bei instantly discovered that the black shadows flying out of the crack and covering the sky were dozens of strange birds, each the size of a calf.

These strange birds had four claws on their bellies, and each claw held a rock larger than a basketball!

These strange birds did not prioritize attacking the humans on the front line but circled high in the sky, seemingly reconnoitering.

After a breath, these strange birds suddenly dived towards Changtu County not far away!

Each one, like a fighter jet, unleashed a terrifying shriek, their momentum frightening.

"Oh no! They're heading for the county town!"

"Damn it! How can there be flying beasts!"

"Listen up, everyone, we call these feathered beasts Winged Claw Stone Vultures. They're a common strange bird in the Dungeon and used to frequently attack human bases.

They come almost once a month, treating us like livestock they've raised! These beasts are incredibly troublesome; people die every time they come to the base.

And they seem to be getting smarter; they used to only dive and grab people, but now they seem to have learned to throw rocks, damn it! Watch out!"

"Fire! Fire!"

"Don't let them fly towards the county town! Fire!"

...

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

A series of rapid gunshots rang out; the Military soldiers on the front line cursed while simultaneously firing their rifles at the strange birds hundreds of meters in the air, seemingly trying to attract their attention.

"Caw!"

However, the next moment, an exceptionally loud cry echoed through the sky, as if receiving a command.

Dozens of strange birds in the air completely ignored the firing Military soldiers and collectively accelerated their dive, continuing straight towards the county town.

Shen Bei's eyes flickered; this... the start was a bit unfavorable.

Before they could even arrange countermeasures for these strange birds, a rumbling sound of trampling came from the crack again.

In the blink of an eye, ferocious and terrifying Vicious Beasts, like dark clouds pressing down on a city, surged forward.

A rolling black tide, covering the sky and earth, was horrifying.

These Vicious Beasts numbered in the tens of thousands, endless.

Leading the charge were "Bloodthirsty Mad Wolves," covered in iron-gray stiff fur, as if embedded with countless sharp ice crystals.

Their Crimson eyes gleamed with cruel and ruthless light, baring their teeth and growling, their roars piercing the air, creating layers of echoes, deafening.

Closely following were a group of swift Vicious Beasts called "Shadow-Maned Demon Leopards."

Their bodies were agile like lightning, their fur as black as night, with only rows of sharp manes on their backs shimmering in the sunlight, like poised arrows.

These leopards galloped like the wind, their speed so great that they almost left behind illusory afterimages.

And amidst the tide-like swarm of Vicious Beasts, several massive "Barbaric Giant Bears" stood tall.

Their hides were thick and tough, like moving hills; each step they took was enough to shake the earth.

The Giant Bears' eyes were deep and violent, their claws like iron hooks, their teeth like long swords, and their roars were like thunder, shaking one's heart and soul.

Besides these, there were many other strangely shaped Vicious Beasts that Shen Bei couldn't name or even recognize mixed in.

Wherever they passed, there was chaos.

Trees were snapped in half, rocks were crushed, and even the air was filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.

The Winged Claw Stone Vultures hadn't even been dealt with yet, and now, seamlessly, ground Vicious Beasts began to pour out.

Shen Bei hissed.

As expected of a Permanent Dungeon war, the battle, not yet begun, was already so swift.

The next moment, Yu Qi's voice boomed through the air: "The situation is very unfavorable for us, brothers.

No matter the cost, we must persevere, fight for our honor, and fight for something greater than ourselves!"

"Artillery! Fire!"

As soon as the words fell, heavy artillery pieces with dark muzzles emerged from the defensive fortifications built around the crack.

At Yu Qi's command, the position was instantly filled with tense shouts and the roar of machinery.

"Bang!" The first cannon shot exploded like thunder, shaking heaven and earth.

Shells trailing fiery tails ripped through the air, accurately striking the core of the Vicious Beast horde, erupting in a chain of fireballs that instantly illuminated the entire battlefield.

Subsequently, other artillery pieces began to unleash shells as if they were free.

Rocket artillerymen aimed at the largest and most threatening Vicious Beasts, firing rockets laden with destructive power.

The massive explosions tore the air, forming waves of shockwaves; the Vicious Beasts tumbled and wailed in the violent blasts.

Immediately after, a dense machine gun fire net was instantly activated, like angry fire Dragons spewing a deadly rain of bullets.

The roar of machine guns was incessant; bullets poured out like a storm, forming dense barrages.

Bullets rained down, striking hard beast armor or soft flesh, splashing blood mist and leaving trails of shattered lives.

War.

True war!

Just the performance of the Military's hot weapons left Shen Bei speechless.

As expected, truth.

Still as mighty as ever!

"What are you still looking at!"

A soldier on the side yelled.

Shen Bei suddenly came to his senses, thinking the soldier was telling him to draw his bowstring; he was about to reach out.

The soldier shouted again: "The commander wants you to immediately support the county town, clean up the Winged Claw Stone Vultures, and then return."

Shen Bei nodded quickly, taking Qi Chuanyu and the others, and sprinting at full speed towards the county town.

On the way, Shen Bei also saw several other Martial Artist teams from other cities and counties retreating to provide support.

Shen Bei had thought that Yu Qi's arrangement only involved his team.

Now, Shen Bei breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't that he was afraid of the Winged Claw Stone Vultures, but that with fewer people, it would take longer to deal with them, and the longer it took, the greater the disaster.

This was an air-to-ground attack; every second counted.

At this moment, Liao Zhongyang, following behind, wailed: "It seems like there's no point in me running back with you."

The three of them looked back at Liao Zhongyang.

It really seemed... useless.

Liao Zhongyang's attack method required charging and he had no long-range attacks, even shorter than Shen Bei's reach.

Shen Bei clicked his tongue: "Well then... you clean up the spoils of war at the back, there are fences in the city, sell them for money along the way."

"Holy crap!" Qi Chuanyu exclaimed: "I want that job."

Shen Bei rolled his eyes; I want it too, but who's going to kill the strange birds!

Soon, the four returned to the county town, going against the panicked crowd, looking up at the sky, and running again, following the traces of the strange birds.

Just then, those Winged Claw Stone Vultures dived from high altitude, loosened their claws, and threw down hundreds of basketball-sized rocks!

Amidst the dull whistling wind, these rocks, accelerating like cannonballs, were thrown down, amounting to a fierce bombardment for the county town.

Only a series of thunderous roars were heard as these dense rock projectiles collapsed the roofs of buildings or factories.

Many unfortunate civilians who hadn't made it to the air-raid shelters were struck by the rock projectiles, splattering blood on the spot and turning into a bloody mess.

"Help!!"

"They're so high, we can't hit them!"

"Run!"

"Get inside! Don't be on the streets!"

Everywhere were roars, screams, booms, and even thick smoke from fires.

It was impossible to distinguish who was giving orders; the faces of the Patrol Bureau personnel maintaining order in the county town changed wildly, as they futilely fired their guns into the sky.

However, their small-caliber pistols, with a maximum range of only 50 meters, posed almost no threat to the Winged Claw Stone Vultures circling and crying in the air.

When the county town completely fell into chaos, those Winged Claw Stone Vultures let out excited cries, then swooped down like lightning onto the fleeing crowds on the ground!

Instantly, a large number of screams were heard incessantly:

"Ah!! Help, help!"

"I'm caught, it hurts so much, save—ah!"

Miserable wails echoed throughout the county town.

In every street and alley, Patrol Bureau officers frantically fired with distorted faces.

Gunfire, roars, screams, and the terrifying cries of strange birds filled the sky above Changtu County.

And when Shen Bei and the others arrived at the scene, they saw strange birds circling in the air, poised to strike.

From time to time, they would dive towards the ground, and after each swoop, their claws would hold terrified, struggling civilians, like they had captured their food, excitedly flapping their wings and soaring high into the sky!

And these strange birds began to hungrily tear and gnaw at the civilians in their claws mid-air.

Their sharp beaks ripped apart the desperately struggling civilians like rag dolls.

For a moment, blood mixed with internal organs rained down from the sky, a bloody and gruesome sight!