152: Anchor Tribe

Outside the base.

The ground hardening project was in full swing.

Liu Dashan, wearing a reflective safety vest and a hard hat, continuously issued commands.

"Hu Zi, hurry up, over here, and over here, quickly lay down the steel plates and precast concrete slabs. For the lowest one, where I've stuck the flag, leave a pit. That's for the filter. Once Jun Zi and the others bring the large industrial filter over and put it in, then pour in the mixed quick-drying cement. As for the other areas, quickly fill the gaps."

Hearing this, Gao Hu quickly nodded.

After he and a few brothers placed the precast concrete slabs in their designated positions, each immediately grabbed a small bucket filled with mixed quick-drying cement and individually filled the gaps between the precast concrete slabs.

Although the hardened ground wasn't perfectly smooth, its hardness was undeniable.

Dozens of tons of trucks could still drive on it.

And they only needed to pave up to the watchtower initially; once the main roads were cleared, they would pave it piece by piece.

Otherwise, walking in the muddy swamp was too difficult; one could easily fall into a pit and get stuck.

Just as Liu Dashan and Gao Hu finished paving the road, the rhythmic thud-thud-thud of footsteps came from the direction of the base.

Hundreds of armed soldiers passed in front of them.

Liu Dashan whispered to Gao Hu, "It looks like they're going to clear out that native Frogmen tribe."

"When we were building the watchtower before, they kept causing trouble. Now that they're all wiped out, the base's activity range can move forward quite a bit."

Gao Hu said, "Hmm, look, there are even armed combat vehicles. With those big shovels and steel spikes, those Frogmen are going to be skewered like candied haws, aren't they?"

"Oh, right, Uncle Shan, once we finish this batch of construction, can you put in an application with the Commander-in-Chief? Although our Gao Liu Village started out as a construction team before the apocalypse, we also want to fight. My combat skills all have A ratings. At worst, I can drive an engineering vehicle. I have licenses for excavators and loaders."

Liu Dashan replied, "What's your hurry? Do heroes fear having no place to use their skills?"

"Now is a period of great construction for the base. Working on projects is when we can shine the brightest. If you have experience and don't do this, and then those greenhorn recruits are clumsy, delaying the project and messing things up, won't you become a sinner of the base?"

"And, I'm telling you, joining the combat sequence a little later isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"Have you forgotten the Commander-in-Chief's abilities? Every once in a while, he can pull out a big weapon for you."

"With your skills, maybe one day you'll be able to pilot a mech like in a sci-fi movie. Isn't that much better than driving an excavator?"

Gao Hu muttered, "But I heard the Commander-in-Chief is already piloting a mech. Someone saw it with their own eyes."

Before Gao Hu finished speaking, a series of "whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-boom" explosions came from a slightly more distant area ahead.

"That's the sound of a rapid-fire mortar. Did they start fighting so quickly?"

"Bang bang bang, whoosh whoosh,"

"There are also volleys of rifles and repeating crossbows."

"Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Those short Frogmen can be killed with just long spears."

An hour later, the gunfire ceased.

Lu Yang looked at the newly refreshed message notification.

"Because you have eliminated the main attackers in advance, the first wave of attack has ended. The next wave of attack is expected in 12 hours. Please prepare your defenses."

Lu Yang smiled silently.

At the same time, thirty kilometers south of Sanmin Base, on the shallow seabed, the Sunken Anchor Tribe blew its long-silent giant horn.

On the tribal altar, the tall Naga priest looked solemnly at the tribal warriors before him.

"Children, just now, the great Serpent God sent a divine oracle: despicable thieves have invaded the divine realm, attempting to steal the supreme authority of the great Serpent God."

"They have just arrived and haven't yet established a firm foothold."

"The Serpent God has issued a divine oracle to kill them, leaving none alive. Along with me, the more powerful Sunken Sand Tribe and Falling Spring Tribe have also received the divine oracle, but we are the closest, which is our advantage."

"So we must seize this opportunity and quickly gather our sons. As long as we are the first to take the opponent's divine stone, there will certainly be a place for us as priestly sacrifices in the next Sunken Sea Temple."

"Yes, we respectfully obey the divine command of the Great Elder!"

As the Naga Great Elder waved his scepter, Naga nobles and warriors swiftly swam towards their respective subordinates.

They wore brown leather armor and wielded weapons with special patterns.

Their snake tails rippled through the deep blue water.

Upon returning to their fief, they ordered their attendants to conscript soldiers from every household; even half-grown children were given weapons and assembled behind the adult Nagas.

Killing aliens brought divine favor.

Children blessed with divine favor could grow stronger than their peers.

Even if they couldn't inherit their father's legacy later, they could be sent to Sunken Sea City to serve as attendants for the noble Naga warriors, a far better prospect than aimlessly scrounging for food in the sea.

The war mobilization of the Sunken Anchor Tribe was nearing its end half a day later.

This medium-sized tribe, which had just surpassed ten thousand people, managed to scrape together an army of eight thousand.

Nagas were different from Frogmen; as a mid-tier race, a thousand Naga warriors could slaughter a Frogmen tribe of tens of thousands.

As a weak race, Frogmen were only fit to live in resource-poor swamps and areas close to land.

They couldn't even dream of touching the temple's door.

So when a fleeing Frogmen soldier came to report being invaded by otherworldly visitors, his head was severed by a tall Naga warrior with a scimitar as soon as he finished speaking.

"These dregs of the Rotten Frog Tribe, without even one who can skillfully use runes, also want to claim credit for killing the otherworldly invaders. They deserve to die, every last one of them."

"Sons, let us depart now. Today marks exactly 10 days until the Night of Tides, and the moisture in the Raindrop Pearls has accumulated about seventy to eighty percent. Normally, we would have to find a way to dump the excess moisture into the Abyss, but this time, it can be used to summon a storm to drown those land-dwelling foreigners. Then, we will rush in amidst the chaos. Victory will surely belong to our great Sunken Anchor Tribe!"

Cheers stirred up surging undercurrents.

The Nagas raised their weapons, as if they had already received the Serpent God's reward.

When the thunderous cheers ceased, countless Nagas swiftly swam towards the surface of the sea, with a dark cloud hovering above their heads.

Suddenly, a fierce wind began to blow on the sea.

The storm—

It was coming!