Cataclysm: Undead Dragons and Zero Empire

A muffled engine sound came from afar.

The security captain initially thought it was a gang based in the garbage dump area outside the city attacking. He looked in the direction of the sound, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

A convoy of off-road vehicles was speeding into the city's borders. The "Hands of the Flame" flag was planted beside the vehicles, standing out conspicuously in the dust kicked up by the wheels. Soldiers in black uniforms were leaning out of the back seat windows, holding large individual rocket launchers.

Without any prior warning, a plume of smoke shot out from the rocket launcher, and the rapidly flying rocket drew a smooth curve in the air before hitting the bunker in the water purification station. A firework burst forth with a deafening explosion, shattering bricks and stones flying everywhere, and the high firing point established by the security team was instantly destroyed.

"It's the Death Knights!" someone in the refugee group exclaimed. Everyone instinctively ran to a corner, then squatted down with their heads in their hands. The fear of war returning and the hope brought by the legend of the Death Knights saving the city were intertwined, making them peek out and observe the changing situation.

The security captain panicked, kicked the incapacitated old man aside, and roared in a forced attempt to remain calm, "What's the panic? Find cover and fight back!"

Even though he had gotten used to bullying people in the city these days, he hadn't lost his old skills as the former company's armed force. He was the first to rush back, grab the machine gun from the position, and lead his gang members to fire at the rapidly approaching convoy.

However, some of the newly recruited subordinates panicked completely, and even tried to fight back with their uncontrollable telekinesis, forgetting that firearms and shells belonging to human technology were right at their disposal. Their telekinesis was rudimentary, and in the face of absolute military deterrence, these rudimentary abilities were like children playing.

This infuriated the security captain, who roared, "Have you guys gone mad with rage?! Use the cannons!"

Several security guards rushed to support the artillery position, which was already firing at the off-road convoy. However, before they could even load shells into the cannons, the newcomers were hit by rockets fired by the Death Cavalry and exploded into a cloud of dust along with the exploding ammunition.

The Death Cavalry, with their battle-hardened veteran skills, showed the gangs in the city who only knew how to bully civilians with force what real combat was. They precisely targeted the enemy's firing positions, picked off security guards who tried to resist, and wiped out the gang that had been entrenched there for so long with lightning speed.

The off-road vehicle stopped in front of the water purification station, and the soldiers quickly disembarked in unison. The officer in charge shouted through a megaphone, "Hands on your heads and squat down! Anyone who resists will be killed on sight!"

The Death Cavalry took over the stronghold and regrouped. The refugees hesitated at first, then some tentatively raised their hands and walked toward the water station. When they saw the new soldiers distributing clean water in an orderly manner, more and more people joined the surrender line.

The old man who was nearly killed received surgery and bandaging. Holding the food the soldier handed him, tears mixed with the mud on his face slid down his cheeks, and he choked up, unable to speak.

Behind the parked convoy of off-road vehicles, tanks and armored vehicles entered the city together. The sound of the rotor blades of armed helicopters flying overhead made the refugees queuing up look up. They seemed to see the arrival of a new order and felt fear and confusion about their future.

The Death Cavalry's takeover of the city was exceptionally swift. They split into multiple groups and swept away the stubborn forces within the city one by one. Whether it was the gangs that occupied the warehouses from the pre-disaster era to hoard supplies, or the remnants of companies that tried to maintain the old order and intended to continue oppressing the people, they were all thoroughly dealt with.

Among these stubborn forces, there are occasionally those who awaken psychic abilities and attempt to resist with telekinesis. However, in the face of the Death Knights' firearms, their rudimentary telekinesis is as fragile as paper and cannot form an effective resistance.

Psychic energy is a newly emerging power in the hands of humankind. It is still as weak as a flame flickering in the wind. Before this flame evolves into a raging fire, classical physics is still more effective.

During the cleanup operation, the Death Cavalry would gather and register any awakened individuals found among the civilians, and establish order there without a doubt.

"Psionic power is a gift, not a tool for evil," the officer in charge told the Awakened, encouraging them to use this talent to rebuild civilization. Many Awakened chose to join the Death Knights under his guidance.

Under absolute force, order was established in the city in just a few days. The Death Cavalry were responsible for the distribution of supplies and the maintenance of security throughout the city, replacing all the old gangs. They then organized the people to clear the ruins and gradually rebuild the infrastructure.

However, these hasty conquests and restorations of order were merely serving the purpose of the impending disaster. Howard did not personally go to the front lines to participate in the sweeping advance of the Death Cavalry. Instead, he stood beneath another batch of steam towers that were nearing completion, gazing at the distant land gradually being covered by ice and snow, a hint of sorrow flashing in his eyes.

The global climate is deteriorating far faster than expected, and an unprecedented winter is sweeping across the entire planet. What started as occasional snowflakes has now turned into continuous snowfall, like an endless white torrent, slowly covering the plains and submerging the hills.

The temperature is not dropping very quickly, but there are signs that it is gradually accelerating. What was just a normal low temperature before the disaster has now become enough to freeze people to death at night, given the current shortage of food, clothing, and heating equipment.

The biting wind was like a sharp ice blade, bringing piercing pain as it scraped across the skin. In the towns under the jurisdiction of the Death Cavalry, the severe cold became a sword hanging over everyone's head, and the pressure of survival was like heavy mountains, making it hard for people to breathe.

People were wrapped in their few clothes, barely able to withstand the biting wind and snow, and everyone looked as if they had been sculpted from ice and snow.

On the street, pedestrians hurried along, hunching their necks to minimize the area of ​​their bodies exposed to the cold wind. They rarely spoke to each other, and even talking was difficult. Only the heavy breathing and footsteps were drowned out by the wind.

The need for survival forced people to work in the bitter cold, and coal mining became a top priority in town planning. Howard would personally supervise production in the mines and devote most of his energy to it. His orders were relayed throughout the continent, and everyone was fighting for heat.

Every piece of coal represents a glimmer of hope, a matter of life and death for everyone in the town. In the coal mining areas, countless miners work in shifts day and night, battling against the bitter cold and darkness.

"Hurry up! Load two more truckloads of coal, and our team can finish work today!" a foreman shouted in the dead of night. His voice was hoarse from the cold, and his breath quickly dissipated in front of him. His cheeks and nose were already red from the cold.

To survive, to protect the towns that had been painstakingly rebuilt and the families still alive, every miner was using their sweat to extract the "blood" that sustains human civilization from nature.

All this coal will be transported back to the towns by armed guards and sent into those towering buildings, the core facilities that Howard ordered to be built to withstand the harsh winter. One after another, huge steel furnaces stand in the center of each town, waiting for the moment when their hearts are ignited, ready to burst forth with intense energy.