Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 139 Why are we here?

It's not that we're expecting a bunch of kids to fight zombies; the reason we said that was to encourage them and boost morale.

What Pei Che and the others needed to do was simply follow orders, stay put, and not make any noise. Of course, pulling the trigger didn't require much strength. If they could provide fire support and suppression when needed, that would be great.

To their surprise, almost all of the thirty-odd children knew how to fire a gun, and some of the older ones had even learned how to disassemble and maintain firearms.

Those who greeted them at the door were even more adept at tactical teamwork.

I wonder what these children have been through these days? Even the youngest children are so sensible and heartbreaking.

The path leading in had already been cleared, so finding a car here wasn't too difficult. The fat man hadn't actually been attacked by zombies. The group gathered together and carefully planned their next route.

Several shelters that were still holding out and whose defenses were relatively complete were actually not safe to go to, as they were surrounded by countless zombies. After some discussion, the team members decided that Pei Che would lead a group to scout ahead and determine the route in advance, while Ruan Mingyue would lead a group to look after the children and be responsible for driving.

And so another expedition began.

Meanwhile, the battlefield situation on the periphery has also undergone even greater changes.

The opportunity to make a contribution has come.

This was Sun Qi and the others' first reaction upon hearing the order.

As more forces gathered here, fewer and fewer zombies broke through the outer defense line, and finally, further instructions were relayed down.

The goal this time is to move forward and establish several new bridgeheads.

In the battle against the zombie horde, the fortress became a powerful weapon for the attackers.

At the same time, they also need to repair the railway line to facilitate the subsequent transportation of supplies and the operation of any armored trains that may arrive.

In reality, building an armored train these days isn't as difficult as one might imagine. If you want to go for a more retro look, you could drive the tanks onto a flatbed, secure them, and have a locomotive pull them along the railway – that would also qualify as an armored train.

Advancing forward inevitably means danger, but of course, it may also present opportunities to achieve military merit.

At this point, they had assembled into a squad of twelve, led by a second-tier wind-type ability user. They boarded an armored personnel carrier, left their previous stronghold, and ventured deeper into the battlefield.

It is said that command vehicles equipped with new communication equipment have also arrived at the front lines. Thanks to this, the radio environment has been barely restored. At least many vehicle-mounted radios are receiving more accurate and clearer commands, and the people on the battlefield are experiencing a completely different combat experience than before.

The routes were planned out in a very clear manner, and they were able to know immediately where there was danger and where assistance was needed.

Upon receiving another order, the tanks slowed down, and the divisional artillery behind them unleashed a barrage of advancing shells on the area in front of them. The artillery fire pushed forward in succession, and they advanced at a relatively safe distance, stepping on the blood-soaked ground that had just been turned over.

"At least it's starting to look like a serious battle now." That's what the veterans thought.

"Is this what you called system warfare before?" Sun Qi joined the army after the Great Cataclysm and studied the new tactics compiled by the Armed Forces Department. He only had a superficial understanding of the warfare model of the civilized era and was somewhat curious.

"Far from it." The veteran shook his head. "It can only be said to have a vague resemblance to the truth."

The veteran sergeant sitting in front scoffed, "Infantry-artillery coordination is a tactic from World War II. What kind of systematic approach is that?"

"Of course, compared to World War II, it is still much better."

"Holy crap, I think I saw Sergeant Xiong! He's amazing!"

"where?"

A group of soldiers followed the direction the man pointed and approached the window. From a considerable distance, they could see a huge black shadow, as large as a small building, standing on the battlefield. With a swipe of its bear claws, swathes of zombies were smashed into mincemeat.

The zombies' claws and fangs were completely unable to penetrate its thick fur.

"Luckily, Sergeant Xiong is our teammate... Wow, that power! Tanks are just toys in its hands, right?" "Indeed, and it's much more agile than other mutants of the same tier. Can the turret keep up with its speed?"

"That's difficult. It's so big, yet it moves like it's floating."

After spending the last two days with this giant black bear, the soldiers on the front lines have gained a better understanding of it. They know that although it wears a white hat, it doesn't actually do any patrol work. Those it catches are often people who have been parasitized without even realizing it.

Because of this, the soldiers on the front lines quickly became familiar with this silent comrade-in-arms, and in response to the sentry, they called him 'Squad Leader Bear'.

The bear was quite informal. As a third-tier mutated beast, it no longer needed to eat, but it would sometimes ask people for cigarettes.

Of course, a human cigarette wouldn't even fill a tooth gap for such a behemoth. It is said that when passing by a tobacco purchasing station nearby, a few mischievous superhumans rolled a giant cigarette, which looked like a telephone pole, and it was very popular with Squad Leader Xiong.

Then both the bear and the person were reprimanded by the actual inspectors.

Seeing that the soldiers had relaxed a little, the squad leader sitting in the front row coughed lightly.

"Be careful, everyone. If Squad Leader Xiong has already made a move, it means that there may be high-level zombies or high-level parasites in this area."

"We still have a long way to go to reach our target location. From now on, danger may arise at any time, so stay alert and don't let your guard down!"

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison, no longer daring to chatter. Sun Qi also held his weapon tightly and carefully observed his surroundings.

The zombies weren't densely packed; they had been blasted to pieces by artillery fire. According to the veterans, when they were advancing towards White Tower Town and establishing a stronghold, the situation was not much different from what it is now, or even more difficult.

Sun Qi was assigned to this position relatively late, and this was his first time participating in such an operation. He was a little nervous, but not too much. Sun Qi felt that his mindset was better than that of the newer soldiers around him.

He had experienced dangerous situations before, such as being toyed with by alien species deep in the secret realm, a situation far more desperate than what he was in now. Even though there were zombies everywhere outside the car, at least the organization was behind him and his comrades were by his side.

The journey was uneventful, and they soon arrived at a village located beside the railway. The terrain here was slightly higher, and the outline of Haizhou could be seen in the distance.

This was the first time many people had seen Haizhou with their naked eyes since the cataclysm. The sky in that direction was gloomy, with a dark red hue that made people feel depressed. The terrifying power of millions of zombies had truly changed the color of the sky and earth.

He heard many of his comrades sighing solemnly. This was understandable, as Haiqu and Haizhou were not in the same province, but they were not far apart. Perhaps his comrades had been to this place before the catastrophe, and their relatives and friends might have been here.

How can one not feel distressed by this situation?

Even if we take a step back and consider a city we've never met before, they are still our compatriots.

As the Haizhou Division arrived at the front lines, some conversations that took place in the rear command post also spread.

Most of the Haizhou Division retreated. The commander-in-chief said there that Haizhou was not just their Haizhou.

Of course, it's not just Haizhou of the Haizhou people, nor just Haizhou of the commander-in-chief.

That is Haizhou, the motherland's homeland, and Haizhou, belonging to all of them.

"Machine gunners, suppressive fire!"

"Prepare for the assault! Target: seize the high ground!"

The squad leader issued the combat order, and everyone responded in unison. The pent-up energy in everyone's hearts naturally transformed into the motivation for combat.

Why did they come here, and what are they fighting for?

The answer to this question became clear the moment I saw the city.

(End of this chapter)