Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 143 The Warriors Look East with Greater Composure

The zombie lord has been killed, but the remaining zombie horde still needs to be dealt with. The battlefield situation is no longer urgent, but there are still many dangers.

The zombies, thrown into chaos, will act on instinct and will eventually rush toward where there are people. Perhaps soon, a new zombie lord will be born from among them. There will probably be a gap of a few hours in between. After these days of fierce fighting, everyone is quite familiar with this.

As dusk fell, the convoy slowed down on its return journey, but finally arrived at the outpost before the sun completely set.

The area around the stronghold had been temporarily cleared, and the piles of zombie skeletons were still burning fiercely. Bulldozers were clearing away the mess of flesh and rubble from the road.

Soldiers who had a spare moment came downstairs to see the heroic convoy and the miraculous tank.

What came into view was a Type 96A main battle tank that was almost entirely covered in blood. This main battle tank, which still has the largest number of units in service, now had all sorts of scars on its sturdy and cold outer armor. The people had never seen it fire before, and only after getting closer did they realize that the gun barrel was also in trouble.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Sun Qi jumped in. Having just entered the extraordinary realm, he was now very enthusiastic about everything he did.

He opened the roof of the vehicle and reached his hand inside. The sergeant inside also reached out and shook his hand.

"We're finally out!" The train conductor, who was pulled out by Sun Qi, was obviously very excited. As soon as he came out, he opened his arms and hugged Sun Qi.

"Thank you, comrades, thank you all!"

"No need to thank me, you've all worked hard too!" Seeing how exhausted the other person was, Sun Qi didn't say much, but simply hugged them tightly and patted them on the back.

"Damn it, take it easy, I can't breathe..."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

A burst of laughter erupted from the surrounding soldiers. Sun Qi blushed and lowered his head to pull the remaining two. The 96A tank crew consisted of only three people: the commander, the gunner, and the driver. The three soldiers who had just accomplished a miraculous feat looked no different from Sun Qi and the others, with the same crew cut and the same training uniform.

The three men didn't show any signs of bitterness or resentment. The conductor said, "After wandering around inside for so many days, we've seen everything and experienced all the things that should cause us worry and hatred. If we want to survive in this era, we still have to look forward."

Sun Qi was somewhat impressed by the attitude of the group. In fact, when the gunner was pulled up, the man was carrying a rifle. The gun was broken, so it wasn't surprising that the other party had a gun. But the gun still made Sun Qi pause for a moment because it was covered with colorful stickers.

"No, brother, where did you get this?"

"This one? I passed a millet shop on the way here before. What do you think? Isn't it nice?"

"It looks good, but is this right?"

"Hey, sometimes you have to be serious, sometimes you have to be lively."

The other person chuckled, and then they saw Xiao Zhenru walking over wearing a white hat.

"Hold the grass..."

The gunner's head went blank for a moment, and he instinctively shoved the gun in his hand into Sun Qi's arms.

"..."

Looking at the flashy guns in his arms, Sun Qi said helplessly, "Don't worry, they're not military police. Even if they were, given your situation, they probably wouldn't bother with you."

"Huh?" The three soldiers in the car had just come from Haizhou and were naturally unaware of the duties of these high-level superhumans. They turned to look at Xiao Zhenru and saw that she hadn't asked them anything. Instead, she waved to them with a bright smile, as if she had just come to see them. Then she turned around and went back to her own business.

The three were completely baffled: "Isn't this just a white hat?"

“There is a difference.” Sun Qi explained to the group, “Although I don’t know why they were made to wear these easily mistaken white hats, it’s definitely not the same.”

After hearing Sun Qi's words, they were relieved. The gunner chuckled and took the gun back, but then Sun Qi said quietly, "Although you're not a military police officer, brother, you seem to have been a bit unfair." The man was also quite embarrassed, scratching his head and saying, "I was just startled."

"Alright, alright." Sun Qi didn't really care. "Everyone's waiting for you to tell us what happened. Let's go!"

"No rush. We have some intelligence to report to our superiors. Can we communicate with command from here?"

"sure, no problem."

After saying that, the train commander pulled aside the vehicle mechanic who came from the logistics department and earnestly said, "This guy has done a great job on our journey here, please make sure to repair it properly!"

The repair technician readily agreed.

Since it was a report of intelligence, Sun Qi and the others naturally wouldn't go with them. They waited outside for the group to come out, and after some questioning, they learned that the group had been separated from the group outside the shelter.

They initially set off from a shelter in Haiqu, intending to carry out their usual mission of clearing zombies and rescuing survivors, but shortly after setting off, they received a message on the vehicle radio requiring them to self-screen.

They were lucky enough to avoid being in an occupied zone, but the shelter was surrounded by hordes of zombies before they could reach it.

After several days of attempts, they found no way to return to the shelter. Even if they did, the shelter wouldn't dare open the door for them. So, after discussing it, the three decided to try to break out directly, since there would be more forces on the front lines to support them.

With the three of them and their vehicle, along with the driver's sharp and swift reflexes—who had become a superhuman—they actually managed to fight their way out of the zombie horde and, as expected, received backup.

A group of soldiers marveled at the three men's experiences and were filled with admiration.

It sounds easy at first glance, but the hardships involved are unimaginable to outsiders.
During the exchange, the group quickly became acquainted. The soldiers at the outpost had also experienced a day of fighting, during which they faced many dangers. Now, they were all allowed to rest first that night, and the construction and maintenance of the fortifications were handed over to the newly arrived reinforcements.

The outpost wasn't very big to begin with. After a quick meal, they sat on the ground downstairs in the small building, and someone turned on the car radio and switched channels.

Suddenly, a clear and bright voice came from the radio.

"Next, please enjoy the performance by the Haiqu Central Primary School Student Choir, a children's chorus singing 'Jade Plate—'"

"Hey, listen to this!" Sun Qi was changing and disinfecting the wound on his face when he heard this and shouted to the man. A group of soldiers also turned their eyes to that direction. Most of them were from Haiqu, so they naturally paid special attention.

After a short intro, the melodious singing begins, with the child's voice clear and penetrating, accompanied by powerful drumbeats, full of captivating power.

"Jade plate, jade plate, why do you hang on the roof—"

"Jade plate, jade plate, why do you offer up your silvery light for nothing—"

"Jade plate, jade plate, why do you sometimes flaunt yourself and sometimes hide yourself?"

"Sometimes I'm thin, sometimes I'm fat..."

A blood-tinged night wind blew by, and the red flag fluttered in the wind. In the small outpost, the lights and moonlight together dispelled the darkness. A group of soldiers were immersed in the song and could not extricate themselves from it for a long time.

"Zombies! The zombies are coming up again!"

A piercing whistle rang in my ears, followed by the sentry's shouts.

The moon shines over the wilderness, cannons roar, bones pile up like mountains, and blood flows like crimson and purple.

Sun Qi took a deep breath, stood up abruptly amidst the singing, and looked eastward again, feeling even more calm and determined.

(End of this chapter)