Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 213 How will history books record our generation?

There is no distinction between day and night on the battlefield; the sound of artillery fire continues even at dawn.

Wang Peng is leading his squad on a battlefield reconnaissance mission. Their main objective is to confirm the situation of the numerous alien species on the battlefield and report back to the rear in real time.

This is Wang Peng's old profession. Back when the zombie outbreak occurred in Licheng, he was stationed at the city's observation post. It was his observation post that first discovered the unusual movement of the zombie horde. Later, he and his comrades determined the location of the zombie lord, for which he was awarded a third-class merit.

After that, he was transferred to the reconnaissance squad composed of superhumans as squad leader—although his position was not promoted, his rank was raised considerably.

"It's freezing! This awful weather!"

The soldiers around him shrank back, trembling all over.

"Just hang in there a little longer, and it will be fine by dawn."

The warrior was only at the first level, but several purplish-red chilblains had already appeared on his face and the back of his hands that were occasionally exposed. Wang Peng felt a little sorry for him, but there was nothing he could do.

He thought to himself, "If only I were a fire-type superhuman, at least I could help my comrades warm themselves up."

After thinking it over, he called out into the distance, "Is there any movement in the direction of the secret realm?"

"no!"

There were two clumps of snow on the small hill. One of them made a sound, shook itself, and revealed the figure of a soldier holding binoculars.

"Can the two of you hold on?"

"No problem, squad leader!"

Another clump of snow also transformed into a warrior, indicating that it was alright.

At this moment, their squad was located at the foot of a sheltered earthen slope, where they had set up tents. They would send people up the hillside in shifts to keep an eye on the situation ahead. In reality, it was quite tedious. The alien species that came out of the secret realm might not necessarily rush in their direction, and their small squad did not need to have any direct confrontation with the alien species. They only needed to pass on information.

Whether fighting zombies or alien species, units like theirs have it much easier than before the cataclysm, and can do things that would have been considered serious violations of discipline in the past—such as setting up a fire on the battlefield at night.

He ordered his soldiers to find dry branches and firewood, and then cleared out a relatively open area.

As a reconnaissance team active on the battlefield and capable of moving at any time, they did not carry a large amount of fuel. They found these fuels in the woods, and the early morning hours were the most difficult to endure, which was exactly when they needed them.

"Hey, let me do it!"

The one who spoke was the squad leader, another second-tier member of the team besides Wang Peng. As a second-tier superhuman, he was more resistant to the cold than ordinary soldiers, but being resistant to the cold did not mean he was not cold.

He piled up the dry branches, stretched out both hands, and gestured towards the firewood as if channeling his inner energy.

"Go!"

The deputy squad leader, with a solemn expression, gave a soft shout, and a ball of flame appeared between his hands, growing larger and larger until it was the size of a fist.

He pushed with both hands, and the ball of fire wobbled and fell onto the woodpile.

There was a loud ripping sound!

The snowflakes that had stuck to the firewood were burned away, but the firewood was only slightly blackened by the smoke, and basically nothing happened.

Seeing that the squad leader was about to repeat the operation, Wang Peng sighed: "Why are you going to all that trouble?"

After saying that, he took out a windproof lighter from his pocket and lit it without any problem.

"...I just wanted to practice this new move I learned."

"Go practice by yourself."

After reaching the second tier, even ordinary superhumans without special abilities can learn some basic spells. For them, the Wind Sound Spell is still somewhat difficult, but spells such as Fire-Starting, Water-Taking, and Earth-Listening, which are now listed as essential subjects for field reconnaissance, are already easy to master.

It's easy to get the hang of, but as for the results...

Wang Peng put away the lighter and then used a small iron basin to fill it with some cleaner snow from the snow-covered ground, intending to melt it and boil some water later.

Sometimes, certain wilderness skills are more direct and effective than superpowers. And then again, who says a lighter isn't a superpower?

Seeing the fire start up, several teammates who had free time gathered around to warm themselves by the fire. Wang Peng took off his coat and wrapped it around a soldier suffering from frostbite.

"Squad leader, this..."

"Just wear it." Wang Peng patted his helmet. "Your squad leader is already a Level 2 soldier, you don't need to worry about him!"

After saying that, he turned to the deputy squad leader and said, "Let's grill for a while, have some water when it boils, and then we'll go and replace the two above us."

"Yes."

The squad leader gave a brief reply, and silence returned to the fireside.

The weather is unusually nice tonight; the wind is light, and you can even see the stars in the sky. The moon is partially obscured by clouds. Sitting in this inconspicuous corner of the battlefield, the sounds of gunfire seem to have faded into the distance.

"The artillerymen are working so hard," the squad leader suddenly sighed.

"Yes, those shells are probably colder than ice right now."

The flickering campfire was reflected in the soldiers' pupils, and the ice and snow in the iron basin slowly melted.

The young soldier wearing the overcoat was silent for a moment before speaking: "Squad leader, you said, after fighting zombies, we fight aliens, and after fighting aliens, we have to fight sea monsters. The war seems to have no end. When will we finally stop fighting?"

“Fight…” Wang Peng paused, looked up at the stars in the sky, and recalled the battles he had participated in or had not participated in over the past six months. He was slightly lost in thought.

For the warriors, the past six months of battles have indeed been too many. Many times, if they were not superhumans, they simply wouldn't have been able to keep up physically.

When he came to his senses, his expression calmed down, and he said with a smile, "Of course, we will fight until the world is at peace, until the four seas are prosperous and tranquil, until nothing on this planet can threaten our motherland anymore."

"..." The soldier rubbed his hands together: "Will that day ever come?"

Wang Peng turned his head and glanced at the expression on the soldier's face, then reached out and patted him on the shoulder: "There will be some, what's there to be afraid of? We've almost wiped out all the zombies by now, haven't we?"

"Every hurdle is difficult, but you'll get through it eventually. Are you scared? That doesn't seem right."

"No." The soldier smiled. "I just... well, anyway, no. I'm definitely not afraid of death. Squad leader, you know me. My mom is still in the safe zone. Even if it's just to protect her, I have to hold on."

"Yeah, well done." Wang Peng nodded: "You scared the hell out of me. I thought you were going to run away."

The soldiers burst into laughter. After a while, the squad leader said again, "Death isn't so scary. I was just thinking, who knows how long a superhuman can live? If they live a long time, they might die in an accident in the end. If I had to choose a way to die, I feel that dying on the battlefield is the most valuable thing!"

"What nonsense about dying? It's bad luck," Wang Peng cursed, adding a piece of firewood to the fire.

"What do soldiers have to fear about bad luck?" The squad leader's eyes gleamed in the firelight. "What do you think future history books will say about our generation?"

The sounds around the campfire fell silent, leaving only the crackling of firewood in the flames. Some looked bewildered, while others looked hopeful.

Just then, a voice drifted from afar.

"I think it's best for us to tell our own story."

"who!"

Wang Peng stood up reflexively, cocked his gun in a second, and pointed it in that direction.

However, he realized the next moment that there was no need to be so wary of humans who approached their side on the battlefield between these two alien species.

It's probably some friendly superhuman squad, right?

Several figures approached from a distance, and Wang Peng froze on the spot when he saw the leader.

"Commander-in-chief?"

(End of this chapter)