Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 157 Fall
On the train, Su Xun frowned slightly.

The zombies before us, except for a few powerful high-level individuals, all exhibited obvious abnormalities. Their flesh was rotting and they were extremely frenzied. Although they possessed extraordinary strength, they did not have corresponding enhancements in their instincts.

Clearly, these are not normal zombies, but rather the product of low-level zombies consuming high-level crystals and being forcibly catalyzed. Their physical bodies are insufficient to support such powerful energy. If they hadn't been too close to the convoy and launched the attack, they would have collapsed and perished on their own if left unattended.

While such direct measures have caused some chaos and localized losses, they do not pose a real threat to the overall battlefront; they are merely minor ailments.

So, could this be the target of that zombie king?
Of course not. This is merely a means to achieve its goal, a process. Its true purpose remains hidden underwater.

The closer he got to the decisive battle, the closer he got to the front lines, the more pronounced that strange feeling in his heart became—

It's going too smoothly. Even now, it seems like there's still a considerable number of zombies left to deal with, but in reality, once the nuclear bomb lands, this battle can basically be considered to be coming to an end.

Judging by the standards of a large zombie horde that has given birth to a zombie king, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the other side offered no resistance, which is certainly not right.

With the enemy's motives unknown, the command was prepared for the worst. The withdrawal of the Haiqu Division from the front lines to the Hailing Logistics Center was also part of this consideration. In case the enemy launched an attack on the rear through some means, they would have more forces available nearby.

Upon hearing of the unusual activity in the occupied area, Su Xun boarded an armed train and headed straight for the front lines.

Seeing that Yin Danyi had dealt with several mutated zombies and returned to the car, Su Xun calmed down. As the commander-in-chief, he had to maintain a calm and composed attitude no matter what situation he faced, which was a responsibility he had to bear.

He even praised Yin Danyi.

"Your use of superpowers is quite good. Although you are all at the third tier, your opponents were clearly zombies that were close to the fourth tier. The fact that you were able to deal with them so easily proves that your efforts over this period of time have not been in vain."

"That's because of the principal's excellent teaching." Yin Danyi immediately started flattering him, only to be glared at by Su Xun.

"Alright, go find the communications soldier and give Chief of Staff Liu a detailed report on the situation here, and tell them to raise their guard even higher."

"clear."

Su Xun was not in the command carriage; he stood there simply so that the soldiers along the route could see him, and clearly, this was effective.

After Yin Danyi left, Su Xun fell into thought again.

Did the other side intend to hinder the Haiqu Masters' return journey by placing these zombies on their route? If so, then we certainly need to be more vigilant.

The armored train was moving at a fast pace and was not delayed by the road. In civilized times, trains on the battlefield often carried armored tanks between battlefields, while light tanks solved problems encountered on the road. But now, they have replaced these tanks with superhumans, which means that the train can stay in this situation without stopping.

After all, these extraordinary individuals are also the steel warriors of their motherland; they can not only jump down on their own, but they can also climb back up on their own.

In the blink of an eye, they had reached the position. The crimson halo that the soldiers had previously observed was now much closer to the forward outpost. At such a great distance, it seemed slow but was actually fast, like a tsunami surging in with overwhelming force.

Just as I got out of the car, I saw Jiang Yi coming over with a document.

"Commander-in-Chief, rear command reports that large-scale zombie hordes originating from the occupied areas have been observed in the Haiqu, Langya, and Sheyang directions, with a significant increase in the proportion of high-level zombies!"

Su Xun pondered for a moment. The large-scale zombie horde left the occupied area and rushed in all directions. In addition to attacking the front line in the opposite direction, Su Xun had reason to suspect that this was also a way to disperse the zombie horde to some extent.

Their plan to use weapons of mass destruction was something even the rank-and-file soldiers could guess; there was no reason why the zombie king on the other side, who possessed the ability to parasitize, wouldn't know. "How's the missile launch site setup going?"

"A total of seven positions have been set up, and two others have been damaged by zombies and are being repaired as quickly as possible."

After a brief deliberation, Su Xun made a decision: "Seven it is. We can't delay any longer. We need to synchronize intelligence with the headquarters of Yanshan, Taimeng, and Jianghuai Corps as soon as possible and authorize the nuclear weapons launch!"

"understand!"

Even today, nuclear missiles, the top-tier strategic weapons from before the cataclysm, are subject to strict launch restrictions. From leaving the warehouse to arriving at the battlefield, they must undergo layers of approval. The final launch requires authorization at least at the corps level, and must be simultaneously granted to Secretary-General Feng Zhengze and Commander-in-Chief Su Xun, who are both located in Yanshan.

Over the course of these two months, this weapon was not only used in Taimeng, but also in Xingling, Loulan, Yunmeng, and Bashu. The opponents were all different, including zombies, mutated plants, and mutated insect swarms. Each use was documented in detail and reviewed by superiors, while other legions of the same level also studied it carefully.

The reason for such a rigorous process, besides its power, is also due to its scarcity and preciousness.

Within a certain timeframe, this is a non-renewable resource that diminishes with each use.

Even so, in the face of the Haizhou crisis, after much discussion, nine nuclear bombs were prepared and mobilized from multiple directions by the Tai-Meng and Jiang-Huai Corps.

After all, the power of nuclear weapons is both great and small. Their main purpose is to destroy important enemy facilities. In the dense concrete buildings of cities, their ability to directly kill people is not particularly ideal, and it is even less effective when facing zombies who are basically immune to radiation.

In modern nuclear war planning, the use of nuclear weapons is aimed at the enemy's key industries, military, and economy, rather than directly using nuclear weapons to wipe out the enemy's population. This is unrealistic and wishful thinking. If a similar goal is to be achieved, it is more likely to be achieved by using secondary damage caused by attacking dams, water sources, and other areas.

Therefore, in order to achieve the goal of large-scale elimination of the zombie horde, the two legions have pulled out all the stops. Of course, each missile only carries one warhead, and the deployment of multiple warheads depends on the maneuvering process outside the atmosphere. Now, the engineers have already put in a lot of effort just to be able to launch these missiles.

To meet the requirements of this mission, the engineers at the base worked tirelessly, and thanks to their efforts, these massive missiles can now barely guarantee hitting their targets within a 50-kilometer range.

Yes, it's not even as good as the extended-range shells of a howitzer, but it's enough to deal with hordes of zombies.

Su Xun had already started the countdown, while the wind-elemental superhumans, acting as messengers, relayed the latest news to the battlefield.

"Comrades, five minutes left! Redistribute firepower! Use all your ammunition! Clear a safe space and prepare for the assault!!"

"Yes!!!"

Gunfire erupted, and the firepower instantly reached new heights, with zombies falling in droves like wheat being harvested.

The armed helicopters in the sky also unleashed all their remaining ammunition at the distant horde of zombies before landing on the ground one by one.

In Su Xun's eyes, he could even see those steel beams crashing into the distance like waves, colliding violently with the blood-red zombie horde and halting its momentum.

Five minutes passed in a flash. The zombies that had been blocking the stronghold for a considerable distance were quickly cleared out in this round of relentless attacks. Suddenly, a point of light appeared on the flank of the battlefield, leaving a white trail as it flew toward the city.

"Everyone lie down!!!"

(End of this chapter)