Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 171 "But her voice is beautiful!"

The Qibaoshan mining area in Haiqu County once had an open-pit copper-gold mine, but after decades of mining, the mineral resources have been depleted.

However, later, geological workers discovered a polymetallic deposit in the area, mainly composed of lead and zinc, and lead-zinc deposits are often associated with silver deposits.

Before the cataclysm, the mining area wasn't very populated. There were a few villages nearby, but in the Taimon region, it was already considered a sparsely populated area.

After the cataclysm, the local survivors have moved to nearby base cities, which are relatively far from transportation lines and can be described as a barren land, completely outside the territory of civilization.

When the survivors were relocated, the zombies in the nearby villages were also cleared out. Currently, only a few scattered humanoid zombies can be seen wandering around, and the number of zombie beasts is not large either. Judging by the naked eye, this place looks very empty, which is actually the norm in most rural areas outside the current safe zone.

Open spaces do not equate to safety; rather, dangers lurk in hidden places. Inconspicuous plants on the ground, snakes, rats, insects and ants lurking in the bushes, and birds occasionally flying in the sky—any of them could launch a fatal attack when a living person passes by.

This place is truly fraught with danger; walking in such a wilderness, there is absolutely no sense of security.

However, soldiers from the Production and Construction Corps were also stationed in such places.

Haiqu had planned to retake the mine, but the presence of mutated dogs there thwarted their plans. After weighing their options, they left a platoon of soldiers stationed there while the main force returned to Haiqu.

After all, Haiqu still faces the threat of sea monsters, and the main task of the platoon left behind is actually to monitor the movements of the mutated dogs here.

There was more than one mutated dog gathered in this mine, led by a fourth-tier being.

Dogs tend to travel in packs, so if the mutated beasts here start to grow and move toward a safe zone, the people remaining here will immediately sound the alarm.

Of course, it could very well come at the cost of lives.

However, the soldiers did not take this matter to heart. The reason was not only due to their fearlessness, but also because the fourth-tier mutated dog had only gone out once since entering the mine, and had shown no tendency to go far away after that.

Even when the army later planned to retake the mine and engage in battle with them, the enemy simply remained on the defensive.

Those beings below the fourth rank are not capable of breaching this well-equipped and well-supplied stronghold.

Overall, the mission is actually not that dangerous.

Although the platoon leader was only at the second rank, he was specially selected and had extensive battlefield experience, having faced high-level mutated beasts directly in the secret realm.

At this moment, he stood in the courtyard of the stronghold, watching the assembled soldiers.

"Is everything packed?"

"Don't worry, platoon leader, I'm spotless!"

The group spent the whole morning cleaning the stronghold thoroughly, inside and out.

Someone asked Platoon Leader Chen Ming, "Is a fourth-rank commander really coming? Who is it?"

"I haven't said anything yet, it's still a secret for now. You'll find out when we get there. Everyone, tidy yourselves up. Xiao Wang, look at the hat you're wearing!"

After being reprimanded by Chen Ming, the soldier quickly straightened his hat, and Chen Ming stepped forward to tidy up his collar.

"That's a high-ranking official from Xinfu. You bunch of brats better not embarrass our Haiqu Division. Stand up straight from now on, and speak louder when the official asks you questions, understand?"

"Understood, Platoon Leader!"

The soldiers wore smiles and showed little tension. Most of the prominent fourth-tier superhumans in Xinfu had been to Haiqu or Haizhou, and the soldiers always talked about these people with great interest. They could recount each person's achievements and temperament with remarkable detail.

The people who might come here are generally quite nice-tempered.

"It is said that the division originally applied to have that dog squad leader from the research institute come, but the corps changed the person later, and no one knows who it was."

One soldier whispered, "It might be the commander-in-chief."

"How could that be? The commander-in-chief is so busy, why would he come here for something so trivial?"

"Hey, I know, just kidding. But speaking of which, I've never met the Commander-in-Chief." The soldier's eyes lit up, and he said to Chen Ming, "Platoon Leader, tell us about your meeting with the Commander-in-Chief! We all heard that he visited you personally when you were injured!"

"Yeah, platoon leader, tell me about it. I heard you went to Xinfu for special training. Was it the commander-in-chief who personally guided you?"

The soldiers were very curious about these things. Chen Ming coughed twice and said, "What's there to say about my little thing? I injured my leg back then. The commander-in-chief went to the hospital to see Instructor Yin and stopped by to see me as well."

"Here's something you might not know: when Instructor Yin came out of the secret realm, the first class he came into contact with was my class. Although he wasn't from Haiqu, he was practically from Haiqu."

"Instructor Yin is truly amazing." Chen Ming gave a thumbs up: "In Xinfu, we don't see the commander-in-chief often. Most of the time, Instructor Yin leads us. If we have any questions, we go to him, and he can explain things clearly in just a few words."

"The platoon leader is right!" one soldier agreed wholeheartedly. "When I listen to the broadcast, I also think Instructor Yin's broadcasts are the best!"

“But I still think Teacher Xiao’s lectures are good.” The person said, “Her voice is really nice, and I heard she’s pretty too.”

"You're being a bit... Don't you know that Teacher Xiao is notoriously long-winded on the show? She can read out all the characteristics of each stage, useful and useless, to you."

"But her voice is beautiful!"

"What's the use? Instructor Yin's strength is generally recognized as the strongest after the commander-in-chief."

"But Teacher Xiao has a nice voice."

"..."

Someone chuckled, and seeing that the group was starting to let loose, Chen Ming coughed again and raised his voice, "Alright, everyone, that's enough."

"They should be here soon, everyone stand in line! Don't keep chattering around while the commander arrives! Squad leaders, line up!"

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone became obedient and lined up neatly at the command of the three squad leaders. After a while, around the appointed time, the soldier on the rooftop lookout suddenly shouted down: "They're here! They're here! Several vehicles are coming!"

Chen Ming straightened his face: "Squad Leader!"

"To!"

The two of them jogged to the front gate, which was usually closed, but now it naturally had to be opened.

It's not that they shouldn't come out to greet us. There are still many ordinary soldiers in the platoon. If something happens after we leave the stronghold, no one can bear the responsibility. After the two opened the car door, they stood guard by the door and waited. After a while, several cars drove into the stronghold.

Chen Ming raised his hand in a military salute, and his eyes widened the moment he saw the person in the car.

(End of this chapter)