99: Beast Tide Crisis Arrives

The kindling system's alarm blared, and Chen Wang immediately pressed the activation button. Seventeen red dots on the screen were approaching from three directions, moving in a very orderly fashion, not like wild beasts, but rather as if commanded.

Without speaking, he directly pressed the broadcast button: "Everyone return to your positions, Level One defense, prepare for battle."

Su Ling turned and ran to the weapon console, starting to operate it before her gloves were even fully on. The electromagnetic cannon began charging, and the machine guns automatically adjusted their angles. She opened the targeting screen, saw too many enemies moving too fast, and immediately switched to a fan-shaped attack mode. "The three largest ones in front, hit them first," she said.

Lin Wei sat in the command seat, and the map immediately expanded. She used her hand to outline the cover positions near the ice cliff. "There's a slope behind us that can block the sides, but the exit is only thirty meters wide." After saying this, she checked the shield frequency and noticed the black tide energy was strengthening. "Interference is approaching, the shield might be unstable."

Su Wan did not leave the medical pod, quickly checking oxygen and medications. The automatic injector was already open, and everyone's vital data was linked to their wristbands. She saw Su Ling's heart rate was twenty beats faster than usual, and her breathing was rapid, but her hands were steady.

Outside, the wind and snow suddenly intensified, and the temperature dropped to minus eighty-nine degrees Celsius. The hope's tracks vibrated gently, entering a low-profile stance. The shield hummed, and a blue membrane slowly enveloped the vehicle.

The first wave of Annihilation Beasts appeared three hundred meters away.

They were entirely black, with metallic glints at their leg joints, running with almost no snow kicked up. The three leading ones were nearly two meters tall, with bulging shoulders, indicating they were likely powerful types.

"Fire," Chen Wang said.

The electromagnetic cannon flashed blue, hitting the chest of the first one. The creature stiffened, then exploded into fragments. The second shot pierced the head of the second. The third was struck by machine gun fire, taking seven or eight shots before falling.

The beast horde behind did not slow down or scatter.

"The numbers are wrong," Lin Wei stared at the radar. "There are twenty-three heat sources now; four died just now, meaning fourteen more appeared."

"They're not new arrivals," Su Ling gritted her teeth. "They were ambushing us."

Chen Wang looked at the black mist ahead, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel twice. He diverted power to the tracks, making the vehicle reverse five meters to lean against the ice cliff. "They want to force us into the narrow path," he said. "Don't move."

The third round of attacks arrived.

A dozen Annihilation Beasts charged forward simultaneously, two leaping into the air, claws raking at the front-left corner of the shield. The shield's integrity immediately dropped to 78%, and an alarm blared.

"Shield frequency deviation 0.3 Hz!" Lin Wei shouted. "There's interference!"

"Adjust frequency, increase pressure by 15%," Chen Wang ordered.

Lin Wei input the command, and the shield's color deepened, stabilizing again. But the next second, the ground to the right cracked open, and an underground monster burst out, lunging directly at the cockpit.

Su Ling reacted quickly, rotating the machine gun ninety degrees and firing continuously to suppress it. The creature suffered three open wounds but continued to charge. Finally, it collided with the shield, bounced off, and fell to the ground, twitching a few times before becoming still.

"Left side armor damaged," the system prompted. "Surface scratches, structural integrity fine."

Chen Wang didn't turn back; he knew it was from the previous impact. He couldn't move, or he would expose the side. He stared at the radar, noticing eight more heat sources circling to the rear.

"Eight more from behind," Lin Wei said.

"I know," Chen Wang said. "Wait until they get fifty meters closer."

Su Ling hadn't stopped firing, but sweat beaded on her forehead. Prolonged aiming made her right arm tremble slightly. Su Wan saw the data in the medical pod and immediately pressed the injection button. The medicine entered her body through the wristband, and three seconds later, her muscles returned to normal.

"Shield at 67%," Lin Wei reported.

"Energy is still at 82%, enough to last ten minutes," Chen Wang glanced at the system. "Tell Su Ling to conserve ammunition, aim for the head."

Su Ling nodded, switching to single shots. Each shot aimed for an eye or the neck. She was using special armor-piercing rounds that wouldn't fail in low temperatures. The third one that emerged was instantly headshot.

But the enemies did not decrease.

The red dots on the radar grew more numerous, exceeding thirty. New heat sources were still being added, as if emerging from underground.

"This isn't a regular patrol," Lin Wei's voice changed. "This is a siege."

Chen Wang said nothing. His right hand gripped the steering wheel, his left resting on the spatial folding button. This function hadn't been tested; one press could retreat fifty meters, but it required three seconds of charging.

He didn't want to use it.

This vehicle had just been modified; every piece of armor was new, every system tuned. To flee now would be to admit defeat.

He looked up ahead.

Another batch rushed out of the black mist, all of them fast, with long legs and slender bodies, running like blades cutting through snow. They split into two teams, flanking from left and right.

"I'll take the right," Su Ling said.

"I'll handle the left," Chen Wang opened the roof-mounted machine gun and fired manually.

After two bursts, five fell on the right, and three on the left. The rest continued to charge.

The shield dropped to 61%.

"Suggest using short-pulse interference," Lin Wei said. "It could disorient them for a moment."

"Too power-intensive," Chen Wang refused. "Save it for emergencies."

Su Wan suddenly spoke: "The wind to the north has lessened."

Everyone paused for a moment.

"The wind has stopped," she repeated. "In the past forty seconds, the wind speed has dropped by seventy percent."

Lin Wei immediately checked the weather data, confirming it was true. Her expression changed: "The black tide is closing in."

This meant zero visibility, and the temperature would drop even further. In such conditions, shield efficiency would fall by over 30%, and weapons might malfunction.

"Prepare for full blackout," Chen Wang ordered. "Lights off, use infrared."

The vehicle's interior darkened, with only the dashboard and system screens remaining lit. Su Ling's fingers rested on the trigger, her eyes fixed on the red figures in the infrared display.

The first wave of enemies was only a hundred meters away.

Chen Wang subtly adjusted the power, tilting the vehicle body three degrees towards the front. This reduced the area exposed to attack. Simultaneously, he quietly initiated short-range flight preheating—this was the last escape method, usable only once.

"They're accelerating," Lin Wei said.

"Everyone, brace yourselves," Chen Wang said.

The next second, over thirty Annihilation Beasts lunged forward simultaneously.

The shield violently shook, its value plummeting to 54%. The left machine gun jammed for a moment; Su Ling slapped it, and it recovered. The right armor was scratched by claws, sparks flying.

Chen Wang did not retreat.

He held the vehicle steady, keeping the hope firmly against the ice cliff. The engine growled, tracks digging into the frozen ground.

The radar was filled with dense red dots.

Su Ling fired her last magazine, and when reloading, found only two spare boxes of ammunition. Lin Wei rapidly swiped on the control panel, trying to locate the leading beast. Su Wan stared at the vital data, noticing Chen Wang's blood pressure had risen.

The kindling system suddenly displayed a message:

[High-level energy signal detected, source: two hundred meters underground, northwest direction]

Chen Wang glanced at it, but said nothing.

He simply placed his hand on the short-range flight confirmation button.

The wind had completely stopped.

The last bit of light in the sky was swallowed by the black tide.

The earth was plunged into darkness.

The blue light from the cannon muzzle flashed repeatedly, illuminating the newly repaired scar on the front of the vehicle.