174: Ganzhou

Qianzhou Base

Inside the Air Command Center command room, the lights elongated Jiang Xin's figure, casting it onto the screen filled with satellite maps. He sat quietly in his chair, brows slightly furrowed, his fingertips unconsciously tapping on two areas marked with striking red circles on the map—those were the locations of the other two Third-Tier Corpse Kings: the "Mad Thunder Scorpion Corpse" and the "Swift Blazing Corpse." (Evolutionary forms of the Scorpion Tail and Agile).

The death of Giant Fat Venom seemed to have alarmed them. Satellite images showed that they were frantically driving and gathering a large number of high-tier zombies, shrinking back to their core territories, like a disturbed swarm of bees.

The door was gently pushed open, making almost no sound. A slender figure walked in; it was Tanya. Seeing Jiang Xin's tense back and his side profile, which was filled with fatigue amidst his focus, she did not speak to disturb him, but simply walked silently behind him.

A pair of warm and powerful hands, with just the right amount of pressure, gently pressed onto Jiang Xin's temples, then slid toward his tense shoulder and neck muscles. The technique was professional and gentle, instantly relieving the soreness accumulated from long hours of intense mental concentration.

Jiang Xin relaxed almost subconsciously, closing his eyes and sighing comfortably, murmuring vaguely: "Feifei..." He even reached back, gently covering the jade-like hand on his shoulder, feeling the delicate and warm touch from her fingertips.

But the next second, he suddenly realized something was wrong—these fingers were more slender than Jiang Feifei's, and the pressure was steadier and more powerful...

He opened his eyes abruptly and turned his head.

What met his eyes was Tanya's exquisite yet heroic face. She did not show any displeasure at his mistaken identity; those deep, wise, and calm eyes were looking at him quietly, even with a hint of imperceptible tenderness. She was very intelligent and had long ago perceived the pressure beneath this young Commander's calm exterior, and she was well aware of his appreciation and attraction toward her. And she, too, was deeply attracted to this leader who was decisive in killing yet caring for the people.

"Xiao Ya." Jiang Xin's throat felt a bit dry, and he uttered these two words with slight embarrassment, quickly yet politely withdrawing his hand.

(Setting supplement: The previous text did not mention Tanya's age. Here, Tanya is set to 27 years old. As the Red Alert Commander, the protagonist calls her "Xiao Ya" because of his status; other forms of address are not appropriate, so please do not dwell on it.)

Tanya did not dwell on the previous mistake, just curving the corners of her mouth imperceptibly, as if nothing had happened. She gently placed a cup of coffee on the counter in front of Jiang Xin, with wisps of hot steam rising from it, the aroma rich. "Commander, coffee."

Jiang Xin took the coffee and took a sip; the temperature was perfect, just the way he liked it. He continued to enjoy Tanya's well-timed massage, and a silent, tacit understanding permeated between the two. When he first met Tanya, he was indeed attracted by her stunning appearance, which combined the advantages of both East and West, and her hot figure.

But the more they interacted, the more he became fascinated by her calm mind, powerful strength, and the incomparable chemistry they shared on the battlefield; that feeling was like an addictive poison.

She understood his strategic intentions even better than Zhang Long, and in terms of Supernatural Ability combat, she could perfectly execute decapitation missions against high-tier Corpse Kings. She always appeared at the right time when he felt lost or under immense pressure, sometimes with a few calm analyses, and sometimes, like now, giving support silently, dispelling his fatigue.

In fact, Jiang Xin had currently only established an intimate relationship with Jiang Feifei. Regarding Tanya, Jiang Feifei seemed to tacitly approve of or even understand their relationship, and a subtle and balanced tacit understanding had formed among the three. Tanya and Jiang Xin also tacitly maintained this ambiguity.

"Commander, are you worried about the survivors in Qianzhou City?" Tanya broke the silence, her voice as calm as ever, yet carrying the power to soothe the heart.

"Yes," Jiang Xin put down the coffee cup, rubbed his eyebrows, and pointed to the screen. "Yesterday, there was nothing in the central urban area. Today, the troops expanded the search range, but still, no signs of any survivors were found... These damn zombies..." His tone was full of disgust and a deep sense of powerlessness.

"Commander, tomorrow I will personally arrange for more helicopters equipped with loudspeakers to broadcast search and rescue missions in the outskirts of the city and areas with suspected signs of life. At the same time, I will order the ground troops to spare no cost to speed up the cleaning and advancement, and open the passage to potential survivor gathering points as soon as possible." Tanya didn't have any miraculous strategy either; in this environment, the most primitive methods might sometimes be effective.

Jiang Xin nodded; that was all that could be done for now. He patted the back of Tanya's hand, everything understood without words.

To speed up the advance, Jiang Xin produced another 10 War Bears. In addition, 20 Flametroopers, 20 Heavy Infantry, and 20 Tesla Troopers were trained to form the Mecha Unit.

The Mecha Unit was led by the newly promoted Second-Tier Flametrooper Zhu Yan, with the newly promoted Second-Tier Tesla Trooper Lei Xin as his deputy. Zhu Yan possessed a fire-elemental possession ability compatible with the mecha and could imbue flame energy into weapons and the mecha, making their attacks carry explosive and burning effects; Lei Xin was a powerful lightning-type Evolver, who could also perform elemental possession and imbue the mecha. When the two of them operated mechas in battle, the power they could unleash even exceeded that of the veteran mecha captains Blaze Ash and Yang Yi.

Street District

Meanwhile, in the ruined streets of Qianzhou City, the cleaning operation was in full swing.

Li Yi, as the field Commander, was leading a battalion of Red Alert Soldiers in a steady advance. The team was mixed with dozens of Evolvers who had accompanied them this time, and they were assigned to various companies and platoons to ensure that every combat unit had the ability to deal with emergencies—each battalion had several Second-Tier Evolvers and dozens of First-Tier Evolvers to hold the line.

"Maintain formation! Watch the buildings on both sides! Recon team, move out!" Li Yi kept issuing orders through the communicator. The soldiers advanced with standard tactical movements, covering each other. Gunshots, explosions, and the roars of zombies echoed in the streets.

Suddenly—

"Attention—two o'clock direction! Building ruins! High-tier zombie!" A soldier responsible for guarding shouted at the top of his lungs!

A wall on the third floor of a half-collapsed residential building suddenly exploded! A Second-Tier Diamond Zombie, over three meters tall, with bulging muscles and skin covered in diamond armor, roared and rushed out! It ignored the pouring rifle bullets; the bullets hit it like they were hitting a steel plate, leaving only white marks, and it charged straight at the flank of the team!

Li Yi's eyes narrowed, energy surging within his body, and he was ready to intervene.

However, there was no need for him to act at all!

In the team, an apocalypse tank, like a moving steel fortress, had already turned its turret! The driver reacted extremely quickly, slamming on the accelerator, and the engine let out a violent roar. The nearly hundred-ton steel beast instantly erupted with astonishing speed inconsistent with its size, like a rampaging bull, crashing into the Diamond Zombie!

"Bang!!!"

A dull, deafening boom!

The apocalypse tank, carrying unparalleled kinetic energy, slammed solidly into the waist of the Diamond Zombie! That sturdy body, capable of withstanding rifle fire, appeared so fragile in the face of this pure physical force! The Diamond Zombie was hit head-on as if by a high-speed train, letting out a painful wail, its massive body instantly knocked off the ground and sent flying for dozens of meters, smashing heavily into a shop across the street, bricks and stones flying!

That wasn't all!

The apocalypse tank didn't even pause; its twin 155mm heavy cannons had already locked onto the target! A circle of expanding gunpowder gas exploded around the muzzle brake!

"Boom!!!" "Boom!!!"

Two deafening cannon shots almost overlapped! The earth trembled because of it!

Two 155mm high-explosive shells flew out of the muzzle at extremely high initial velocity, accurately shooting into the ruins of the shop!

The first shell directly hit the leg joints of the Diamond Zombie, which was just struggling to get up from the ruins!

"Boom!" The explosion fire instantly swallowed its lower body, and that indestructible diamond-like defense was directly torn apart by the terrifying explosion power, with one leg blown to pieces on the spot!

Almost at the same moment, the second shell followed, directly bombarding its chest, which was exposed because it lost its balance!

"Boom—!!!"

A more violent explosion occurred! The violent shockwave instantly leveled the ruins within dozens of square meters! Smoke and dust rose to the sky!

That Second-Tier Diamond Zombie couldn't even let out its final roar; its proud and powerful body, in front of humanity's top land weapon, was like paper, easily and completely torn apart, shattered, and turned into a pile of charred limbs!

(The apocalypse tank is an electromagnetic kinetic energy cannon; its muzzle velocity and kinetic energy far exceed traditional artillery, and the armor-piercing and explosive power of the shells are stronger.)

Seeing the troublesome Second-Tier Diamond Zombie instantly killed by the apocalypse tank in such a brutal and direct way, Li Yi and the surrounding soldiers breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, a strong sense of pride and security surged in their hearts.

"Continue advancing!" Li Yi suppressed the shock in his heart and ordered through the communicator, his voice regaining its calmness.

In the face of the Red Alert Legion's steel torrent and cutting-edge technology, the so-called Second-Tier elite zombies were just bugs that were a bit larger and required one more shell. No matter if you are a Diamond, a fatty, or an Iron Back, under the absolute power of the 155mm heavy cannon, all beings are equal!