Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 150 Now, what I need is this.
Fire lotus flowers bloom everywhere!
The thunderous roar continued, and the assault team, which had already penetrated deep into the city, could hear the increasingly loud artillery fire on the front lines, like heavy hammers constantly striking the ground, creating a dense drumbeat.

In their perception, the zombies throughout the city seemed to be stirring, with more and more small groups of zombies gathering in various parts of the city, and then, led by the zombie lord, rushing towards the battlefield in the opposite direction from them.

However, perhaps because this place was never very safe to begin with, this change wasn't too bad for them. Moreover, the outbreak of war on the front lines had drawn away a large number of zombies, making this area behind enemy lines even more vulnerable.

After all, this was part of the plan. The team's communication equipment could keep them in touch with the rear. As long as they avoided the zombie hordes migrating through the city, the danger here wouldn't be much higher than in other cities outside.

Of course, it sounds simple, but how easy is it to achieve in just a few words?
Just like now, the assault team was confronted by a sizable horde of zombies. After killing several high-level zombies, they were now temporarily trapped in a high-rise residential building.

The squad leader's surname was Xue, and his given name was Hui. At this moment, he was carefully observing the situation in the distance with binoculars.

"The coordinates have been reported, and artillery support will arrive soon."

The soldier in charge of communications turned off and packed up the equipment, reported to Xue Hui, and then the room fell into a long silence.

As superhumans, physical strength is not a concern, but the mental pressure should not be underestimated.

Many of the teammates from Haizhou became increasingly quiet after entering the city, which was now deserted and overrun by zombies—their former home.

The building they chose to settle in was once the home of one of their teammates. They moved into the shelter before the cataclysm, and it had been covered in dust for over a month. But when they arrived, their teammate still skillfully took the key from the shoe cabinet by the door.

Xue Hui put down his binoculars and said in a deep voice:
"The group that came out from here encountered that team near the site of the old shelter No. 27, at the farmers' market. We are not far from this place, but... we haven't found our target yet."

Deputy Captain He Wei said, "This is normal. Given the current situation, they won't stay in one place forever. To avoid greater losses, these people may even break up into smaller groups and hide in the ruins."

"The shelling has destroyed most of the traces. We may need to reduce our reliance on artillery support and be careful in directing the fire, otherwise we may accidentally injure potential survivors hiding nearby."

As they spoke, artillery fire from outside the city had already traveled dozens of kilometers and landed on the heads of the zombies in front of them. It was obvious that this bombardment used more shells with new explosive charges than before. The veterans could easily hear the difference in the sound of the explosions and could also clearly see that the explosive effect was much better than before.

"Alright, stop sitting there daydreaming, Xiaolin. Are you familiar with this area? Think about where those people might be staying?"

The person called out was the original owner of the room. He seemed to have just woken from a reverie, and said blankly, "I... I'm not very familiar with it, and I don't know the situation either..."

"I think we can go check out the area near the Experimental Primary School. There's a housing development there that's been abandoned. After the students moved into the shelter, there won't be a large population around, so the number of zombies should be lower."

"Moreover, there are no shelters nearby, and it may be outside the zombie king's line of sight."

It was another local who spoke up. Everyone looked at him, and after a moment of silence, he lowered his head and added, "My family bought a house over there. I've been to see it a few times."

Even in the apocalypse, many teammates still looked at the abandoned buildings with pity. However, these empty and deserted buildings were indeed more suitable for a team of survivors to temporarily settle down than normal communities that were full of people and now filled with zombies.

"Okay, let's go take a look over there."

Xue Hui made the decision and prepared to head out. In the absence of any trace of their target, they needed to try their luck.

The zombies on the ground had not been completely cleared, but the team members were all superhumans, and they could handle minor dangers on their own.

Before setting off, he patted the soldier surnamed Lin on the shoulder and asked, "Is there anything you want to take?"

"Ah, no more."

"I'm already very content to be able to come back and see you once. It's really time to let go."

The other person stood up and replied, "Now, what I need is this."

He gripped the fully magazineed rifle, and with the weapon in his hand, the soldier's expression shifted from a daze to determination. "Alright, let's go!"

A group of people left the room. The soldier took one last look at the home where he had lived for many years before slamming the door shut.

The crowd wandered through the city, the deserted streets and alleys serving as their green curtains, and the abandoned high-rises as their vast mountain ranges.

Suddenly, Xue Hui stopped in his tracks.

“There’s gunfire!”

Everyone's faces lit up with joy; traces of the survivors had appeared! This at least proved that the news itself was partially correct; the rest was to see if these survivors were alright.

But then, a sense of unease rose in the team members' hearts. Gunfire meant battle. What had these survivors encountered? In this environment, what they should be doing is better concealing themselves.

In an instant, Xue Hui made his decision.

"He Wei, lead your men to seize the high ground!"

"Yes!"

"Kobayashi, we've gone ahead to investigate!"

"Roger that!"

The two rushed out of the alley and could see the unfinished building in the distance. The gunshots coming from inside the building proved that their judgment was correct. The survivors were indeed here, and their opponents were also clear at a glance.

It's zombies! A large number of zombies have surrounded this place, and the problem that the command had worried about before they set off has come to pass. Small-scale operations are fine, but once a large group of survivors appears in the city, it will inevitably attract zombie attacks.

"Look at the sky!"

"A mutated bird? No, it's a zombie bird!"

Xue Hui was startled. Looking at the several dark figures circling around, he could clearly see the details of the birds with the eyesight of a superhuman.

Animals can turn into zombies, but in most cases they are not very powerful. In terms of size, most animals are much smaller than humans.

Humans are the largest animals in the world, and zombies transformed from humans are the most dangerous group today. But when it comes to extraordinary individuals, things are obviously a different story.

The zombie birds swooped down with agile movements. When they first became zombies, they probably couldn't fly, but now they have clearly regained their instincts deep in their genes.

It is obvious that these birds are also likely to be third-order beings. They are huge and have undergone complete mutation, but the shadow of seagulls can still be seen on them.

If they were on the ground, their fighting ability might be far inferior to that of humans, but now, thanks to their innate advantages, they have clearly become an extremely troublesome problem.

This is one of the culprits that prevents fighter jets from taking off!

The low-altitude aircraft that humans have made in the past seem too clumsy and sluggish in the face of these extraordinary individuals who can fly. Not to mention that the originally complex fly-by-wire flight control system has now been destroyed. Those that can actually take off are nothing more than antiques in the civilized era. They often need the cover of ground troops and can only advance together with the main force.

Facing a double threat from above and below, it was clear that these survivors were struggling to hold on. Those who were shooting were extremely accurate, and it was obvious that the gunmen were also extraordinary beings. But one fist can't fight against four hands, not to mention that these extraordinary beings also had so many ordinary people to protect!
"How to do?"

The soldier surnamed Lin turned to Xue Hui and asked him a question.

(End of this chapter)