37: Bloodshed at the steel gate, barracks unlocked

Chapter 38: Steel Gate Bloodshed, Barracks Unlocked

The urgent crackle of the walkie-talkie still echoed in their ears as Lin Zhou and his father scrambled up the steep mountain path, racing towards the steel gate halfway up the mountain.

The wind, carrying the scent of blood and the roars of zombies, grew thicker as it assailed them. Lin Zhou clutched the military dagger at his waist, his gaze fixed on the faintly blue-glowing steel outline ahead—it was the Machine Gun Fortress they had just mentally deployed, now silently standing above the steel gate, its dark muzzles pointing directly at the passage down the mountain.

"Hurry! Occupy the Machine Gun Fortress!" His father's voice was breathless, his grip on the steel pipe turning his knuckles white.

The two pushed with all their might, finally rushing onto the steel gate platform. Lin Zhou darted to the firing port of the Machine Gun Fortress, peering out. His vision instantly widened, and the sight that met his eyes made his heart clench.

The survivors were less than 100 meters from the steel gate, and the zombie horde behind them was very close. Of the six-person team, only two figures were now desperately fleeing—a weathered middle-aged man, clutching a blunted axe stained with black-red blood; beside him was a girl of eighteen or nineteen, her clothes torn but otherwise unharmed, clearly protected by the middle-aged man. She tightly clutched a fruit knife, her eyes filled with terror.

On the mountain path a hundred meters away, three blurred bloodstains stretched, marking their companions who had collapsed from exhaustion and been overwhelmed by zombies. They were now swallowed by the dense horde, their screams not even reaching the steel gate.

"Hold on! Run this way!" His father's roar shattered the valley's silence.

The middle-aged man and the girl looked up at the sound, and seeing the figures on the steel gate platform, a final glimmer of hope for survival erupted in their eyes. But their legs felt like lead, each step faltering, while the zombie horde pressed relentlessly behind them, rotting fingers almost grasping the girl's collar.

When the two stumbled to within twenty or thirty meters of the steel gate, the middle-aged man suddenly stopped. He looked back at the zombie horde almost upon them, then at the pale-faced girl beside him, a flicker of resolve in his eyes.

"Girl, live!"

He abruptly pushed the girl away, then turned, letting out a deafening roar, and lunged towards the zombie horde. His sharp axe struck a zombie's head, but it also caused more zombies to instantly swarm him. Amidst agonizing screams, the middle-aged man's figure was quickly submerged by the horde, but his sacrifice bought the girl the last few precious seconds.

"I'll open the door! Lin Zhou, full throttle!" His father's roar and the hum of the machine gun sounded simultaneously.

His father pulled open the heavy steel gate, leaning halfway out. The moment the girl stumbled and fell, he firmly grabbed her arm, yanked her violently inside the steel gate, and then slammed the bolt shut. Almost simultaneously, Lin Zhou's mind locked onto the Machine Gun Fortress. The pale blue energy light flashed, and the alloy machine gun with infinite ammunition let out a deafening roar!

"Da da da da—"

Dense bullets formed a deadly barrage, pouring down on the zombie horde that had surged to the base of the steel gate. The zombies at the very front were instantly riddled with holes, while those behind them climbed over their companions' corpses, only to fall under the machine gun's precise sweep. The muzzle flash illuminated Lin Zhou's stern face. He stared intently through the scope, each burst precisely hitting a zombie's head, giving them no chance to approach the steel gate.

System prompts frantically scrolled through his mind:

Killed Common Zombie ×1, Energy Value +100

Killed Common Zombie ×1, Energy Value +100

Killed Common Zombie ×1, Energy Value +100

After more than ten seconds, the last zombie fell into a pool of blood.

The valley finally fell silent, leaving only the

In Lin Zhou's mind, the system prompt finally settled:

Killed Common Zombie ×28, total Energy Value +2800

Current Energy Value: 2800

Detected Energy Value reached, new building blueprint unlocked: red alert barracks (basic version)

red alert barracks (Basic Version): Requires 2000 energy points to build, automatically forms in 12 hours, no additional material points needed; can train basic (Conscript 100 energy points and Military Dog 200 energy points), equipped with Type 95 Assault Rifle and basic tactical gear.

"Barracks! Just enough to build!" Lin Zhou exclaimed in surprise, his tense nerves finally relaxing. He turned to look at the girl huddled in the corner, his gaze less wary, more sympathetic.

His father checked the steel gate's bolt, then took a clean cloth strip and a water bottle from his backpack. He walked over to the girl and offered her the water bottle: "Drink some water, take a moment. You're very lucky, that big brother protected you."

The girl trembled as she took the water bottle and drank a few sips. Finally regaining her composure, her tears fell even harder. She choked out, "Th-thank you... My dad... he always protected me, said I was his and Mom's hope, that I had to live... Mom and Dad both..." "We know," his father said, patting her shoulder, his voice low and gentle, "He was a hero and a good father. You must live well."

Lin Zhou walked over, crouched down, and looked at her, softening his tone as he asked, "What's your name? Are you from the county town? What's the situation there now?"

The girl raised her tear-streaked face and whispered, "My name is... my name is Su Xiao. We escaped from the county town. The county town completely fell three days ago..."

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and began to recount her experiences in the county town in broken sentences—the zombies had suddenly erupted from the Hospital, fast and strong, ordinary knives couldn't break their defenses. The army had organized rescue efforts, but ultimately couldn't hold out. Survivors in the city either banded together to flee or became zombie fodder. Lin Zhou and his father exchanged glances, both seeing gravity in each other's eyes—the crisis of this apocalypse was far more terrifying than they had imagined.

The sun gradually sank into the western mountains, and the light in the valley grew dimmer. His father stood up, pointing towards the fortress: "Let's go, take Su Xiao back to the fortress. First, build the Barracks. With trained soldiers, our defenses can truly be impregnable."

Lin Zhou nodded, and with a thought, confirmed the Barracks construction, choosing to deploy it next to the threshing floor in the center of the fortress, powered by the Micro Fusion Power Station. He then helped the still-trembling Su Xiao up, and the three walked along the mountain path towards the fortress. The afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows of the three. The Machine Gun Fortress above the steel gate still glowed faintly blue, and in the distant valley, the roars of more zombies faintly echoed, a greater storm quietly approaching.