"…Our entire army has been wiped out…"
Wang Lei's voice echoed in the command vehicle. This spider-shaped command vehicle was racing towards the fortress, its massive tires kicking up clouds of dust. Through the windows, one could see large groups of armored vehicles following closely behind, all moving at full speed and reorganizing as they advanced.
Dongfang Zhenghong had left enough firepower in the center of the desert to deal with the roaming blade beasts. Right now, the most important task was to transport enough drones and control centers back to the fortress and find a way to seal the hole on the forty-ninth floor.
In the holographic projection, the fortress's cross-section was magnified several times. Red dots representing the blade beasts had already breached the forty-ninth floor and were rapidly pushing towards the forty-eighth floor.
Yes, these blade beasts weren't in a hurry to slaughter humans on the forty-ninth floor. They were crazy, but they had a clear goal. Three immature king-level blade beasts were directing the others from underground.
"Blow up the connecting road between forty-eight and forty-nine!"
"Yes!"
Dongfang Zhenghong quickly said, "Where are the defense troops?"
"The advance team has started entering the central city! Moving heavy firepower will take a lot of time!"
"The self-destruct device for the connecting road has been activated! Three, two, one, successful detonation!"
"The automated weapons on the forty-ninth floor are activated! They are firing at full capacity! The blade beasts are stacking up to move upwards!"
Dongfang Zhenghong firmly stated, "Tell them to hurry! Move faster! Close the fire escape gates on all floors except the forty-fifth! Activate the sealed mode for all floors in the fortress! These blade beasts must be trying to break through our defending troops!"
"Yes!"
"Increase the detection frequency! Are the psychics responding?"
"They've replied! They will defend the central city and upper city!"
Dongfang Zhenghong narrowed his eyes slightly and didn't say much. Instead, he ordered, "Make a call! Thank Fortress 76 for their efforts! Send orders to every squad! Tell the fortress garrison! The survival of the 800,000 humans in the fortress depends on them! Let the squad leaders guard the key points according to their tasks!"
"Yes!"
Zhou Zhengde suddenly shouted, "Commander! A short to medium-range missile is being launched towards the fortress, it's a dummy round!"
Dongfang Zhenghong frowned and looked at Zhou Zhengde. Without hesitation, Zhou Zhengde displayed a screen for Dongfang Zhenghong. It showed a view from a camera mounted on the missile.
Wang Jixuan, wearing a helmet and black combat gear, was gripping the front of the missile tightly with his gloved hands. This missile could calculate its own trajectory and flight path, targeting the wasteland at the southwest corner of the fortress.
What good would it do for him to go back alone? Dongfang Zhenghong was puzzled. Plus, how could he stop a supersonic missile even if he could withstand the acceleration?
Though Dongfang Zhenghong wanted to ask, he didn't have time to focus on that. He nodded to Zhou Zhengde and continued to coordinate the defending troops, choosing defensive positions.
The first combat team would arrive at the forty-fifth floor in six minutes. Most of the fortress's heavy firepower couldn't be moved inside quickly.
A bold and crazy idea formed in Dongfang Zhenghong's mind. The fortress was not a tall building; it was embedded in the ground, with each floor able to support itself independently. As the commander, he had to protect the main structure of the fortress, the people, machines, and industrial capacity.
So, whether the stationed troops could hold back this wave of blade beasts was crucial.
"Commander!"
A female technician suddenly stood up, her voice trembling slightly despite her effort to stay calm.
She quickly reported, "According to the fortress's surveillance footage, blade beasts are appearing and some are mutating. Some have evolved to have wings similar to mid-level blade beasts, and their shells have softened. This evolution is happening on the forty-eighth and forty-ninth floors!"
Dongfang Zhenghong rushed to the technician's console.
On the stacked projection screens, blade beasts were devouring each other. Winged blade beasts wobbled as they took off, then broke away from the advancing horde and flew directly towards the forty-sixth floor.
Their numbers had reached hundreds!
They… were heading to the seventh floor to cut off the connection between the upper and middle cities, preventing the surface troops and reinforcements from entering the central and lower cities, and then they would launch a killing spree on the middle and lower cities!
The young king worm of this group of blade beasts was dead; they were seeking revenge!
Dongfang Zhenghong quickly ordered, "Close the fire escape gates on all floors of the central city immediately! Shut down the elevators! Open all elevator shaft partitions! We absolutely cannot lose the passage to the sixth and seventh floors! This is the main route for advancing downwards! Even if we have to pile up people, we must hold it! What about the psychics? Get them involved!"
"Yes!"
In the center of the sand table, red dots rushed upwards.
They entered the forty-sixth floor, charging towards the fire escape passages. A small number encountered psychics, but most entered the fire escape passages and shot upwards at high speed.
Dongfang Zhenghong returned to his seat, steadied himself, and took a deep breath.
…
Beep, beep!
The urgent warning sirens blared on the thirteenth floor of Fortress 76.
Weina patted the heads of the two young nurses in front of her and said, "You two stay hidden in this bathroom and don't come out. I'm going to see if they need any medical assistance."
"Nana, don't go!"
"It's fine, I can handle a gun."
Weina quickly took off her high heels and changed into a pair of lightweight sterile shoes used for surgery, smiling gently, "All rooms in the central city have the same configuration. These alloy doors can withstand some attacks from low-level blade beasts.
"If you hear the order to close the elevator shafts and fire escape gates, that’s when it gets serious. That means the blade beasts have come in. Each fire valve is fifty centimeters thick.
"Alright, you two stay here. I’ll check if they need help."
"Hey, Nana!"
Weina waved her hand, closed the bathroom door, grabbed a nearby medical emergency kit, and took the handgun she had managed to get after the 'Hua Ge incident,' checking the bullets and loading it before rushing out of the medical room.
Outside, a team of security members happened to pass by.
"How can I help?"
"Doctor Weina! Please go to the security shelter immediately! We are on patrol! Blade beasts are breaking through from the forty-ninth floor! The cleansing troops in the lower city have reportedly been wiped out."
Weina asked, "Are there still elevators working?"
"There should be, the central elevator should be fine!"
"Okay, thanks," Weina turned and ran towards the central elevator.
She understood that the military would soon need a lot of medical personnel, and she could report to the military camp. Taking the elevator from the thirteenth floor to the seventh and then switching to the sixth would lead her to an elevator straight to the surface camp.
However, after running just a couple of steps…
Beep, beep—
After a long siren, an electronic female voice broadcasted throughout the fortress:
"Fortress residents, please return to your residences immediately and lock your doors. Please do not panic; we are dealing with a small group of blade beasts."
"Fortress residents, please return to…"
"Please note, to prevent the blade beasts from roaming, the elevator shaft partitions have been activated, and the elevators are out of service."
"Please note, all fire escape gates are being closed. Please do not go to the outside of the fire doors. All residents, please return to your residences and lock your doors tightly."
Was the situation really that dire?
Weina was about to head back to the clinic to comfort the two young colleagues when she suddenly heard a shout from a nearby narrow passage:
"Quick! Someone come! Who knows about the equipment? The number six fire door is stuck!"
Weina paused for a moment, then immediately turned and ran in that direction.
Many people were rushing towards the number six fire door. The fortress had been around for decades, and the possibility of circuit aging was very high. The fire doors were used to seal off each floor and had up to four different activation methods, which Weina had carefully read in the fortress manual.
Doctors in this era knew a bit about maintaining medical equipment.
Weina quickly encountered seven or eight men and women. They exchanged glances without saying much and hurried towards the number six fire door together.
Minutes later, Weina arrived at the scene, panting.
The corridor leading to the fire door had seven or eight security team members, and half of the heavy valve door was stuck, with sparks flying from a corner of the wall.
As expected, the circuits were aging.
"I'll do it! I'm a mid-level mechanic!"
A middle-aged man shouted, rushing towards the corner wall, skillfully opening a hidden valve on the wall, revealing a faint cloud of smoke.
There were professionals here.
Everyone visibly relaxed.
Suddenly…
The buzzing sound of wings filled Weina's ears.
She froze for a moment, and everyone instinctively looked towards the half-fallen fire door. Weina leaned slightly to look into the dark fire passage.
A black vertical pupil appeared on the white membrane, locking eyes with Weina.
A long, slender blade beast, retracting its six sharp limbs, vibrated its two pairs of crystal wings, resembling a giant wasp.
Weina drew her handgun and fired immediately!
The blade beast lunged forward from a suspended position, diving straight under the valve!
Bang! Bang bang!
"Fire!"
Weina's shout shortened the response time of the security team members.
Three or four people fired simultaneously, while two fumbled to pull the safety pins. The blade beast's raised limbs swept across.
The middle-aged man who had been working on the circuits widened his eyes, his upper body suddenly losing support. Before he felt any pain, he was already falling down.
"Ah—"
"Blade beast!"
Screams, gunfire, and the sound of wings filled the air.
Weina emptied her handgun and turned to run. She realized that the bullets from her handgun and rifle only slightly hindered the blade beast's movement but couldn't penetrate its mutated exoskeleton at all!
Two security team members screamed in horror, and the blade beast's gaze locked onto Weina, charging forward, its body fully expanding in the narrow passage.
"Doctor Weina, get out of the way!"
A familiar voice called out.
Weina looked up to see a group of figures rushing towards her.
The leader, a man wearing a black helmet with mechanical prosthetic arms, was holding a three-meter-long metal pipe, shouting as he rushed past Weina.
Lan Yuzai? The Liangren Gang?
Don't go…
The metal pipe pressed against the blade beast's chest!
Lan Yuzai gritted his teeth and shouted, his body suddenly stopping and sliding backward from the impact.
But behind him, seven or eight young people in sportswear rushed up, shouting as they grabbed the back end of the metal pipe, barely holding back the blade beast!
The blade beast tilted its head slowly, seemingly pondering, its vertical pupil showing disdain.
Then, the white membrane on its face retracted, revealing its terrifying mouth.
Circles of sharp teeth looked like eyes, staring at Lan Yuzai and his companions.
Ah—
A visible mental shockwave surged forward!
The few people behind Lan Yuzai screamed, and he, being the first to bear the brunt, gritted his teeth and groaned, his mechanical arms gripping the metal pipe tightly, his muscles tensing!
Blood appeared at the corners of his eyes and ears, and he let out meaningless shouts.
Two figures rushed in from behind.
It was Lin Xiong and Lin Yong, who had been sent by Zhou Zhengde to take Weina to the thirteenth-floor shelter!
They dashed in front of Lan Yuzai, each grabbing two miniature grenades, and while the blade beast was still releasing its shockwave, they threw the grenades into its mouth with force!
Boom!
Green blood splattered everywhere!
—These winged blade beasts were not as sturdy as the mutated blade beast Wang Jixuan had encountered in the passage; their defensive capabilities were even slightly inferior to low-level basic blade beasts. Their main evolutionary directions were mobility, aggression, and lightweight.
The blade beast's body slowly fell.
Lan Yuzai knelt on the ground, holding the metal pipe, his eyes blank.
In front of him, Lin Yong and Lin Xiong were affected by the explosion, one with almost all the skin on his back blown off, and the other with a piece of the blade beast's exoskeleton piercing his thigh.
The valve! The fire valve!
Weina, fighting the urge to vomit, dragged her exhausted body towards the valve.
The wires the engineer uncle had grabbed earlier, if connected, should temporarily bypass the burnt-out passage, right?
Buzz, buzz.
The dense buzzing of wings appeared beside Weina, and she trembled all over. Her spirit was already at its limit. She gently touched two wires and saw faint sparks.
Several blade beasts hovered outside.
Not just one.
They were drawn by the corpses of their kind inside.
Weina pressed the two wires together, and the valve trembled slightly, with several groups of unconnected wires below.
The blade beasts were about to rush in!
"Ah, ah!" Weina shouted nervously, tears almost spilling out.
Lan Yuzai, kneeling there, shook his head vigorously, his throat trembling. He lowered his head and saw the faded pink talisman on his chest.
Lan Yuzai could just see three mutated blade beasts staring at him, fixating on his mechanical arm.
They seemed to be wary.
Did they mistake his prosthetic arm for the same kind of thing as the battle sister's mechanical arm?
Doctor Weina was just standing there.
Lan Yuzai shakily stood up, glaring fiercely at the blade beasts. He grabbed the grenade pack from Lin Xiong's waist, pulled out a miniature grenade, pressed the activation button, and sprinted forward, diving down.
The three blade beasts recoiled, and Lan Yuzai steadied himself on the outer platform, leaping towards the nearest blade beast.
The activated miniature grenade was stuffed back into the grenade pack, and he suddenly spread his arms wide.
Swoosh.
A blade limb pierced through Lan Yuzai's chest.
Lan Yuzai's body shook a few times, and he gripped the blade beast's limb tightly, pressing the grenade pack against its chest.
Images of helpless faces flashed before his eyes, filled with weakness.
‘Ah, I won’t get a chance to hang out with the big shots anymore.’
‘Sorry, I didn’t understand things well before…’
Boom!
Weina was thrown back by the surge of flames, and the slightly swaying fire door crashed down heavily.
(End of this chapter)