197: Push through Sword City (2)

"All units attention! Large number of high-tier zombies detected ahead! Count exceeds thirty! Energy signatures—mostly Second-Tier!"

At the very front of the convoy, inside the cabin of an apocalypse tank, the commander stared intently at dozens of highlighted red dots marked by the Red Alert AI on the multi-function display. His steady voice crackled over the public channel, breaking the silence of the march.

Several hundred meters away, amidst the ruins of a crossroad, dozens of zombies of various forms and emitting ferocious auras could be seen gathered in the shadows.

Besides the common, mountain-like Second-Tier Fatty Zombies, and the ghost-like Second-Tier Agiles, there were also Ironback Zombies covered in iron-like armor, as well as uncommon Mutated Variants. They jostled against each other, letting out low growls like a pack of hungry wolves waiting for prey.

"Vehicle No. 2, assist me. Target the zombie swarm ahead. Dual-vehicle volley, high-explosive shells. Eliminate them in one go!" The commander of Apocalypse One made a swift decision, his voice cold.

"Vehicle No. 2 copy! Ammunition loaded!" The commander of Vehicle No. 2 responded immediately, a hint of killing intent in his tone.

The two steel behemoths slightly adjusted their turret angles. With the assistance of the Red Alert AI, the ammunition bays automatically pushed thick 155mm high-explosive shells into the breeches. The closing of the breeches made a crisp metallic clack.

Boom!!! Boom!!!

Boom!!! Boom!!!

Four deafening cannon blasts overlapped almost simultaneously! The muzzle brakes of the apocalypse tanks' twin cannons erupted with massive rings of fire! Propelled by electromagnetic force, the four 155mm high-explosive shells left the barrels at terrifying initial velocities, screaming through the air with the sound of death!

The first Second-Tier Fatty Zombie didn't even have time to react before its chest was pierced through by a shell, leaving a shocking, translucent hole! Before its massive body could even fall, the four shells landed precisely in the center of the swarm and exploded!

Rumble—!!!

The earth shook and the mountains trembled!

Blinding fire and thick smoke instantly engulfed the entire intersection! The violent shockwave, like an invisible giant hand, tore all the Second-Tier Zombies within range—whether the thick-skinned Fatty Zombies, the speed-specialist Agiles, or the incredibly defensive Iron Backs—into fragments! Severed limbs mixed with foul blood and organs splashed out like a rainstorm, staining the surrounding ruins a dark red!

"Threat cleared. Engineer Squad, move forward and clean up the battlefield." The commander of Vehicle One's voice remained calm, as if he had only performed a trivial task.

The massive apocalypse tanks did not stop for a moment. Their heavy treads ruthlessly crushed the mangled corpses on the ground with a tooth-aching "squelch," leaving behind two wide trails of bloody filth.

The following engineer vehicles quickly moved forward. The soldiers deftly began to extract shimmering zombie crystal cores from the mangled remains. As for the corpses, they were left in place for now; once the battle ended, specialized armed mining vehicles would come to recover them. These biomass-rich remains would be transported to the Power Plant for final "waste utilization."

As the sound of the explosion echoed, on the rooftop of a nearby abandoned elementary school canteen, upon a crude elevated platform barely held together by tables and chairs, a sallow-faced middle-aged male teacher wearing worn-out glasses trembled with excitement.

"Tanks! It's tanks! Huge tanks! The Heavens have opened their eyes! It's the country! The country has finally come to save us!!" He shouted toward the ground with all his might, his voice hoarse and distorted by emotion.

"Teacher Wan! Really? How many tanks are there? What's the situation outside?" Below the platform, a young female teacher looked up and asked urgently, a long-lost hope appearing on her face.

"So many! Countless! They're in every direction! There are armored vehicles and so many soldiers! We're saved! We're really saved! Teacher Li! Quick! Go find the megaphone! Hurry!" Teacher Wan spoke incoherently. Long-term malnutrition had left him extremely weak, but at this moment, an unnatural flush rose to his face like a final flare of life.

"Okay! Okay! I'll go right now!" Teacher Li responded excitedly and turned to run toward the canteen warehouse. However, due to severe osteoporosis and physical weakness caused by long-term hunger, she stumbled and fell heavily to the ground!

Crack!

A clear sound of bone snapping rang out!

Ah—!

Teacher Li let out a cry of agony. Her left lower leg was twisted at an unnatural angle, and a broken bone spur had even pierced through the muscle and her thin pants, exposing itself to the air. Blood instantly gushed out, staining the ground red.

"Teacher Li! Teacher Li, what happened!" A relatively tall boy ran over in a panic. Seeing the gruesome wound on his teacher's leg and the flowing blood, the twelve-year-old child turned pale with fright, not knowing what to do.

"Xiao Yu... Teacher... Teacher is fine..." Teacher Li broke into a cold sweat from the pain, her lips trembling, yet she still forced herself to comfort her student. "Quick, help me up... go to the warehouse for the megaphone... the army... the army is here... we're saved..." She tried to press down on the wound with her hand, but it was in vain.

"Teacher... your leg... there's so much blood..." Xiao Yu's voice carried a sob, not daring to look at the terrifying wound.

Teacher Li grit her teeth and quickly took off her already tattered jacket, wrapping it tightly around her bleeding leg, but the blood soon soaked through the fabric. "Xiao Yu, be good. Go quickly and call Teacher Yang... tell him to find the megaphone... hurry..."

Xiao Yu nodded vigorously, wiped away his tears, and turned to run off to find the other teacher.

A short while later, Teacher Wan, holding an old handheld megaphone, stood on the high platform and shouted with all the strength he could muster toward the direction the tanks were coming from: "Soldier comrades—! There are people here—! There are still survivors here—! Help—!" As he shouted, he vigorously waved a still-bright Red Scarf.

"Survivors! Direction of XXX Elementary School! 1st Company attention, change route, follow me! Prioritize rescuing survivors!" An officer wearing camouflage combat fatigues and carrying the rank of Captain gave a decisive order through the vehicle's communicator.

"Yes! Battalion Commander Hu!"

The order was given, and two rhino tanks were the first to turn. Their heavy treads crushed the rubble, followed closely by dozens of armored personnel carriers and military trucks, forming a rescue convoy that sped toward the elementary school.

However, as the convoy approached the street where the school was located, hundreds of zombies poured out like a tide from the dilapidated shops and buildings on both sides! They roared and lunged at the convoy with claws and teeth, attempting to block the team that brought hope!

"Seeking death!"

A sharp glint flashed in Battalion Commander Hu's eyes. He suddenly leaned out from the top of his vehicle, Superpower surging within him as a Guandao wrapped in blazing flames instantly condensed in his hand! He leaped down, the blade light sweeping through like a fire dragon. A First-Tier Agile rushing at the front was sliced clean in half, the cut charred black!

"All units open fire! Don't save ammunition! Cover the convoy's advance! Crush them!" After landing, Battalion Commander Hu held his Guandao horizontally and calmly issued the command.

Dong dong dong—!

Da da da—!

The coaxial machine guns on the rhino tanks spat fire, and the autocannons on the armored personnel carriers let out dull roars. The dense barrage instantly formed a web of death, segmenting, tearing, and shattering the lunging zombie swarm! The steel torrent, with unstoppable momentum, forced a bloody path through the horde!