Chapter 218: Before the Shelter Pod
The blocking lines in the streets and alleys were forced to retreat again and again. The surviving soldiers and civilians were like sand grains being continuously squeezed inward by the rising tide.
The vast majority of the originally well-connected residential area had fallen under the control of the scaled beasts. Sporadic gunfire, the dull thuds of short blades piercing scales, and the frenzied roars of the beasts echoed from different alleys, only to gradually fade into silence. Many of the scattered blocking squads sent their final, brief distress communications before their signals vanished from the channel forever.
The intersection of the main road leading to the core shelter pod had become the last natural barrier at this moment.
On both sides of this intersection stood two connected, heavy civil defense buildings. Constructed years ago to impact-resistant standards, their thick walls and narrow windows were perfect for setting up fire control points. All remaining combat forces, along with the final batch of gathered civilians, had retreated to this area. The soldiers piled collapsed reinforced concrete blocks and scrapped vehicles at the intersection, stacking them into a temporary barricade. The remaining three fixed piercing cannons were dismantled and mounted on the second-floor windows of the civil defense building, their barrels aimed fixedly toward the main street.
"Count the numbers," Scholar Su said in a hoarse voice, personally guarding the command post at the intersection.
"There are thirty-seven soldiers still capable of combat, nineteen military police officers, forty-two wounded, and one hundred and ten civilians, the majority of whom are elderly and children," the adjutant reported the numbers quickly, his voice kept low. "We only have seven sets of delayed explosives left. Short blades and spears are severely depleted, and we have only nineteen cannon shells remaining."
Their resources had hit rock bottom.
Lin Yan's observation shed had also retreated, relocating to a reinforced storage room in the basement of the civil defense building. The portable terminal before him continuously received thermal signatures. Dense light points were slowly converging toward the intersection along several streets and alleys.
"The beast herd is closing in from three directions. The main road is being led by one third-tier scaled beast accompanied by over twenty ordinary scaled beasts advancing from the front; the left and right side alleys each have a flanking squad, each equipped with one third-tier scaled beast," Lin Yan reported rapidly. "A total of three third-tier scaled beasts and fifty-seven other scaled beasts. Over at the cavern, the five ancient beings remain stationary. The Beast Commander is synchronizing the three squads, intending to arrive at the intersection simultaneously for a three-way encirclement."
The command channel fell silent.
Faced with a three-pronged pincer attack, their troops and ammunition were critically insufficient. Without Sea of Consciousness cultivators to resist the psychic erosion, everyone could only endure the ceaseless mental harassment from the ancient beings alone. Seemingly aware that this was the final gathering point, the Illusion Ancient Being suddenly increased the density of its illusions.
Some looked up to see the walls of the distant civil defense building melting, with black spores flowing down the surface. In a flash, the illusion dissipated, and the solid concrete still stood in place. Others heard the calls of relatives and friends from deep within the shelter pod and wanted to turn back to rush through the rear hatch, only to be firmly held down by their companions. There were even soldiers whose hands gripping their weapons trembled uncontrollably, as whispers repeatedly echoed in their ears, urging them to lay down their weapons and hand over the civilians in exchange for their own survival.
"Pair up, keep the code words going without stopping," the non-commissioned officers ran back and forth, slapping awake one dazed person after another. "Hold this intersection. Behind us is the shelter pod gate. Once that gate closes, no one outside will ever be able to enter."
The heavy alloy sealing door of the shelter pod was located just fifty meters behind the intersection. The gate control engineers stood by the console, their fingers hovering over the close button, their faces tense. Once the gate dropped and locked, those inside would be temporarily safe, but all those left outside to block the enemy would be sealed out, facing the beast tide alone.
Deep within the cavern, the consciousness of the five ancient beings resonated slowly.
The Beast Commander calibrated the marching speed of the three squads, deliberately keeping them synchronized to deny the humans the opportunity to concentrate their firepower and destroy them one by one. The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being directed the full weight of its psychic impact toward the intersection area, sending layers of chilling stings into everyone's Sea of Consciousness, causing waves of dizziness and throbbing pain. The Illusion Ancient Being continuously rendered the despairing illusion that "the gate has closed and they have been abandoned," dismantling the cohesion of the defenders. The Spiderweb Ancient Being continued to maintain the spread of the inner city spore mist, with scattered mutated insects roaming the lost alleys, cleaning up any survivors hiding in the shadows.
The supreme ruler's consciousness lingered for a long time over this cluster of thermal signatures at the intersection.
It had watched humanity's layered resistance, watched Old Zhou fight to the death alone at the chokepoint, and watched squads in the alleys knowingly face death while covering the civilians' retreat. Now, all the remaining sparks of resistance had gathered here. It did not order the beast herd to accelerate their charge, maintaining a steady pace of advancement as it patiently waited for the encirclement to form. It wanted to see where the will of these humans would go when their only remaining escape route was a gate that allowed them to abandon their companions.
"They are almost here! The thermal signatures in the left and right side alleys are less than eighty meters from the intersection!" Lin Yan stared at the screen, issuing a high-pitched warning.
Scholar Su raised his eyes to look at the entrances of the three alleys and arranged the defenses in a deep voice: "Of the three cannons, one will watch the main road, and the remaining two will guard the left and right side alleys. Save the explosives until all three beast herds reach the barricade simultaneously, then detonate them together to achieve a one-time delay. All melee personnel will be divided into three groups, guarding behind the barricade to patch up wherever a breach occurs."
The soldiers took their positions in silence.
The gunners on the second floor of the civil defense building stabilized their mounts, forcing themselves to ignore the surging illusions in their minds as they aimed at the shadows in the alleys. The melee squad members gripped their blunted short spears and blades, crouching low behind the barricade. The civilians were directed to move toward the shelter pod entrance, while the military police guarded both sides of the civilians to prevent anyone from losing control and crashing into the gate.
The first to enter their field of vision was the third-tier scaled beast on the main road.
Its massive body slowly emerged from the corner of the alley. Covered in scars, with cracked skin and a deep, bone-deep old scar beside its eye, it was the very behemoth whose eye Old Zhou had blinded at the chokepoint. Stopping over ten meters from the intersection, it raised its head and let out a low, long roar.
From the left and right side alleys, beast roars sounded almost simultaneously.
The figures of two third-tier scaled beasts appeared at the alley entrances one after another, echoing the behemoth on the main road. The three-way beast herds stopped, forming a semi-encircling arc outside the intersection. The densely packed scaled beasts blocked the three passages completely, and the foul stench rolled in on the wind.
The Beast Commander's orders were transmitted.
For the first wave of probing, the ordinary scaled beasts would charge the barricade, while the third-tier scaled beasts held the rear. They would wait for the explosives to detonate and the defenders' firepower to be exposed before launching the decisive impact.
Dozens of ordinary scaled beasts dug their limbs into the ground and charged fiercely toward the concrete barricade.
"Fire!"
The three piercing cannons roared simultaneously. The shells tore through the air and plunged into the beast herd. Black blood splattered as the scaled beasts at the very front fell one after another. But the beasts behind them did not pause, continuing forward by stepping over the corpses of their comrades. Soon, the first scaled beast slammed into the piled concrete blocks. Bricks and stones tumbled down, and the barricade began to shake.
"Detonate!" Scholar Su ordered.
The seven sets of delayed explosives exploded simultaneously!
Intense flames erupted at the intersection, and the shrapnel and shockwaves swept across the three-way beast herds. The ordinary scaled beasts at the very front were blown into the air in droves, their wails filling the air. The momentum of the beast herd's charge was abruptly halted. Smoke obscured the entire intersection, with white neutralizing powder mingling with the gunpowder smoke, burning the soft membranes on the beasts' bodies.
Taking advantage of this gap, the defenders quickly fired supplementary shots, bringing down several more wounded, rampaging scaled beasts.
But this was the last batch of explosives.
As the smoke slowly cleared, the three third-tier scaled beasts still stood in the rear. They were only coated in a layer of white ash, their injuries not severe. Impatiently, they shook their heads, growling as they prepared to step forward and shatter the barricade themselves.
"Eight shells remaining," the gunner reported urgently.
Scholar Su fell silent for a moment, then turned to look at the engineer at the shelter pod: "Prepare to close the gate."
As these words fell, everyone knew what it meant.
The resistance would not hold out much longer. Once the barricade shattered and the beast tide rushed over, the gate would have to fall. Those left outside would have no way back.
A young soldier turned his head to look at the children lined up behind him waiting to enter the pod, and then at the three third-tier scaled beasts closing in step by step. He gripped the short spear in his hand tightly.
"If we can block them for a little longer, the children will have a better chance."
The beast roars sounded once again.
The three third-tier scaled beasts lowered their centers of gravity in unison, their bone spurs aimed at the barricade as they initiated a synchronized charge.
At the intersection, the final blocking battle officially began. Deep within the subterranean cavern, the five ancient beings quietly perceived the violently pulsing life signals in this area, silently waiting for this final line of defense to collapse.
End of Chapter.
The vast majority of the originally well-connected residential area had fallen under the control of the scaled beasts. Sporadic gunfire, the dull thuds of short blades piercing scales, and the frenzied roars of the beasts echoed from different alleys, only to gradually fade into silence. Many of the scattered blocking squads sent their final, brief distress communications before their signals vanished from the channel forever.
The intersection of the main road leading to the core shelter pod had become the last natural barrier at this moment.
On both sides of this intersection stood two connected, heavy civil defense buildings. Constructed years ago to impact-resistant standards, their thick walls and narrow windows were perfect for setting up fire control points. All remaining combat forces, along with the final batch of gathered civilians, had retreated to this area. The soldiers piled collapsed reinforced concrete blocks and scrapped vehicles at the intersection, stacking them into a temporary barricade. The remaining three fixed piercing cannons were dismantled and mounted on the second-floor windows of the civil defense building, their barrels aimed fixedly toward the main street.
"Count the numbers," Scholar Su said in a hoarse voice, personally guarding the command post at the intersection.
"There are thirty-seven soldiers still capable of combat, nineteen military police officers, forty-two wounded, and one hundred and ten civilians, the majority of whom are elderly and children," the adjutant reported the numbers quickly, his voice kept low. "We only have seven sets of delayed explosives left. Short blades and spears are severely depleted, and we have only nineteen cannon shells remaining."
Their resources had hit rock bottom.
Lin Yan's observation shed had also retreated, relocating to a reinforced storage room in the basement of the civil defense building. The portable terminal before him continuously received thermal signatures. Dense light points were slowly converging toward the intersection along several streets and alleys.
"The beast herd is closing in from three directions. The main road is being led by one third-tier scaled beast accompanied by over twenty ordinary scaled beasts advancing from the front; the left and right side alleys each have a flanking squad, each equipped with one third-tier scaled beast," Lin Yan reported rapidly. "A total of three third-tier scaled beasts and fifty-seven other scaled beasts. Over at the cavern, the five ancient beings remain stationary. The Beast Commander is synchronizing the three squads, intending to arrive at the intersection simultaneously for a three-way encirclement."
The command channel fell silent.
Faced with a three-pronged pincer attack, their troops and ammunition were critically insufficient. Without Sea of Consciousness cultivators to resist the psychic erosion, everyone could only endure the ceaseless mental harassment from the ancient beings alone. Seemingly aware that this was the final gathering point, the Illusion Ancient Being suddenly increased the density of its illusions.
Some looked up to see the walls of the distant civil defense building melting, with black spores flowing down the surface. In a flash, the illusion dissipated, and the solid concrete still stood in place. Others heard the calls of relatives and friends from deep within the shelter pod and wanted to turn back to rush through the rear hatch, only to be firmly held down by their companions. There were even soldiers whose hands gripping their weapons trembled uncontrollably, as whispers repeatedly echoed in their ears, urging them to lay down their weapons and hand over the civilians in exchange for their own survival.
"Pair up, keep the code words going without stopping," the non-commissioned officers ran back and forth, slapping awake one dazed person after another. "Hold this intersection. Behind us is the shelter pod gate. Once that gate closes, no one outside will ever be able to enter."
The heavy alloy sealing door of the shelter pod was located just fifty meters behind the intersection. The gate control engineers stood by the console, their fingers hovering over the close button, their faces tense. Once the gate dropped and locked, those inside would be temporarily safe, but all those left outside to block the enemy would be sealed out, facing the beast tide alone.
Deep within the cavern, the consciousness of the five ancient beings resonated slowly.
The Beast Commander calibrated the marching speed of the three squads, deliberately keeping them synchronized to deny the humans the opportunity to concentrate their firepower and destroy them one by one. The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being directed the full weight of its psychic impact toward the intersection area, sending layers of chilling stings into everyone's Sea of Consciousness, causing waves of dizziness and throbbing pain. The Illusion Ancient Being continuously rendered the despairing illusion that "the gate has closed and they have been abandoned," dismantling the cohesion of the defenders. The Spiderweb Ancient Being continued to maintain the spread of the inner city spore mist, with scattered mutated insects roaming the lost alleys, cleaning up any survivors hiding in the shadows.
The supreme ruler's consciousness lingered for a long time over this cluster of thermal signatures at the intersection.
It had watched humanity's layered resistance, watched Old Zhou fight to the death alone at the chokepoint, and watched squads in the alleys knowingly face death while covering the civilians' retreat. Now, all the remaining sparks of resistance had gathered here. It did not order the beast herd to accelerate their charge, maintaining a steady pace of advancement as it patiently waited for the encirclement to form. It wanted to see where the will of these humans would go when their only remaining escape route was a gate that allowed them to abandon their companions.
"They are almost here! The thermal signatures in the left and right side alleys are less than eighty meters from the intersection!" Lin Yan stared at the screen, issuing a high-pitched warning.
Scholar Su raised his eyes to look at the entrances of the three alleys and arranged the defenses in a deep voice: "Of the three cannons, one will watch the main road, and the remaining two will guard the left and right side alleys. Save the explosives until all three beast herds reach the barricade simultaneously, then detonate them together to achieve a one-time delay. All melee personnel will be divided into three groups, guarding behind the barricade to patch up wherever a breach occurs."
The soldiers took their positions in silence.
The gunners on the second floor of the civil defense building stabilized their mounts, forcing themselves to ignore the surging illusions in their minds as they aimed at the shadows in the alleys. The melee squad members gripped their blunted short spears and blades, crouching low behind the barricade. The civilians were directed to move toward the shelter pod entrance, while the military police guarded both sides of the civilians to prevent anyone from losing control and crashing into the gate.
The first to enter their field of vision was the third-tier scaled beast on the main road.
Its massive body slowly emerged from the corner of the alley. Covered in scars, with cracked skin and a deep, bone-deep old scar beside its eye, it was the very behemoth whose eye Old Zhou had blinded at the chokepoint. Stopping over ten meters from the intersection, it raised its head and let out a low, long roar.
From the left and right side alleys, beast roars sounded almost simultaneously.
The figures of two third-tier scaled beasts appeared at the alley entrances one after another, echoing the behemoth on the main road. The three-way beast herds stopped, forming a semi-encircling arc outside the intersection. The densely packed scaled beasts blocked the three passages completely, and the foul stench rolled in on the wind.
The Beast Commander's orders were transmitted.
For the first wave of probing, the ordinary scaled beasts would charge the barricade, while the third-tier scaled beasts held the rear. They would wait for the explosives to detonate and the defenders' firepower to be exposed before launching the decisive impact.
Dozens of ordinary scaled beasts dug their limbs into the ground and charged fiercely toward the concrete barricade.
"Fire!"
The three piercing cannons roared simultaneously. The shells tore through the air and plunged into the beast herd. Black blood splattered as the scaled beasts at the very front fell one after another. But the beasts behind them did not pause, continuing forward by stepping over the corpses of their comrades. Soon, the first scaled beast slammed into the piled concrete blocks. Bricks and stones tumbled down, and the barricade began to shake.
"Detonate!" Scholar Su ordered.
The seven sets of delayed explosives exploded simultaneously!
Intense flames erupted at the intersection, and the shrapnel and shockwaves swept across the three-way beast herds. The ordinary scaled beasts at the very front were blown into the air in droves, their wails filling the air. The momentum of the beast herd's charge was abruptly halted. Smoke obscured the entire intersection, with white neutralizing powder mingling with the gunpowder smoke, burning the soft membranes on the beasts' bodies.
Taking advantage of this gap, the defenders quickly fired supplementary shots, bringing down several more wounded, rampaging scaled beasts.
But this was the last batch of explosives.
As the smoke slowly cleared, the three third-tier scaled beasts still stood in the rear. They were only coated in a layer of white ash, their injuries not severe. Impatiently, they shook their heads, growling as they prepared to step forward and shatter the barricade themselves.
"Eight shells remaining," the gunner reported urgently.
Scholar Su fell silent for a moment, then turned to look at the engineer at the shelter pod: "Prepare to close the gate."
As these words fell, everyone knew what it meant.
The resistance would not hold out much longer. Once the barricade shattered and the beast tide rushed over, the gate would have to fall. Those left outside would have no way back.
A young soldier turned his head to look at the children lined up behind him waiting to enter the pod, and then at the three third-tier scaled beasts closing in step by step. He gripped the short spear in his hand tightly.
"If we can block them for a little longer, the children will have a better chance."
The beast roars sounded once again.
The three third-tier scaled beasts lowered their centers of gravity in unison, their bone spurs aimed at the barricade as they initiated a synchronized charge.
At the intersection, the final blocking battle officially began. Deep within the subterranean cavern, the five ancient beings quietly perceived the violently pulsing life signals in this area, silently waiting for this final line of defense to collapse.
End of Chapter.