CHAPTER 401: CHAPTER 190: BEAST TIDE APPROACHES (PART 2)

The captain’s reasoning is correct.

Their upper limit is neutral, or perhaps even a step lower, "potential enemies."

Thinking of this, Lei Jie said:

"Then let’s execute according to your plan."

"In these two days, I will have Fu Xi synchronize the navigation system, setting the coordinates to Mountain City."

"We’ll be carrying a megaton nuclear bomb; no matter what’s in Mountain City, a single nuke should be able to completely destroy it."

"It’s just...thinking about it, it’s still quite a pity."

"If that really is a newly constructed city controlled by AI, fully equipped with industries... destroying it would be a major loss for us."

"People are always more important than things."

Chen Jian said firmly:

"Only things built brick by brick by ourselves are reliable, the idea of speculation is unacceptable."

"Alright, let’s settle it this way."

"I need to go to the front lines to take a look."

"The first line of defense needs to be reinforced... I need to think of a way to make this line as... strong as possible."

....

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Yu Qian was holding a shovel, sifting through a pile of rubble to select relatively large stones, placing them aside, and then having his fellow workers transport all the stones to the front of the completed fortress, forming a sloped stone ramp to thicken the fortress’s defensive layer.

To him, this was actually a rather familiar task.

After all, when he was still in Imperial City, many fortresses were built this way.

He even felt a strong sense of dissonance because of this.

So, in Jinling New City, in this place referred to as "Base 011" by the Huaxia Army, which is technologically advanced to the point he can hardly understand, they also use such "primitive" methods to strengthen defenses?

Or is it that the simplest method is actually the most reliable?

Taking advantage of the gap while his fellow workers transported stones, Yu Qian straightened up a bit, wiped the sweat off his forehead.

The weather was getting hotter.

March was about to pass, and fresh seedlings had already grown in those newly opened wastelands.

Yu Qian could recognize most of the crops, but what he couldn’t recognize were the metal equipments placed on the huge mounds between the first line of defense and Base 011.

He heard those were bombs?

The foreman named Jin Zan said those were mines.

He knew what mines were, but if they really were mines, why weren’t they buried in the ground but elevated high instead?

Unable to understand, he simply stopped thinking about it.

Yu Qian twisted his neck, causing his somewhat stiff muscles to produce a "crack" sound as they tugged at his spine.

He glanced at his fellow worker who also stood up straight, and asked:

"Did you finish on your side as well?"

"Finished!"

The fellow worker exhaled a long breath, took a deep gulp of water, and then said:

"Today’s labor credits are in the bag, it’s not even 4 pm yet, we should be able to head home early."

"You have to admit, the work’s been a lot easier these last couple of days."

"Apart from digging some dirt, it’s just helping transport ammunition."

"The pace is much slower than when we started building the fortress..."

"And that’s not a good thing?"

Yu Qian said with a hint of mockery:

"What’s wrong, you’re not satisfied with easily earning labor credits, you want to be more tired?"

"Not exactly..."

The fellow worker laughed and shook his head, but then his expression turned serious.

After pausing for a moment, he said:

"I just feel... something seems off about this situation."

"In the base, everyone always says the Beast Tide is coming soon, that we are going to war soon."

"Then I just can’t figure it out, if we are really going to war, shouldn’t we all be gathered and organized for training first?"

"The Huaxia Army has so many weapons, they should allocate some to us, right?"

"When the time comes, if a real fight happens, at least we’ll have the ability to protect ourselves."

"Right now... I honestly don’t feel confident."

"Didn’t they give us guns?"

Yu Qian looked puzzledly at the weapon crate piled up nearby, gesturing with his chin:

"Aren’t those?"

"Those guns are enough to handle small monsters, but what if it’s a big one?"

"With those guns, I guess we wouldn’t even be able to penetrate the monster’s skin, right?"

"....Seems like it."

Yu Qian couldn’t help but sigh, comforting him:

"Actually, that’s a good thing... if they really equipped us with weapons, then you’d have to wonder why they’re arming us, are they intending to have us throw our lives at it, right?"

"The current approach at least confirms that they believe they have the ability to protect us."

"Isn’t that a good thing?"

"Look, there are people training in the fortress every day, and the cannons are firing every day too."

"Relying on them to protect us is better than us going ourselves, right?"

"...That’s true."

The fellow worker’s face finally showed a hint of a smile.

"Anyway, I’m just complaining... if they really made me fight, I wouldn’t be willing either."

"Alright, the work is done, let’s take a break and wait for the vehicle to pick us up."

"Exactly, relax."

Yu Qian followed the steps of his fellow worker, climbing to the top of the already high stone pile, where the warm sunlight shone on him, giving him an unprecedented sense of relaxation.

Looking back, the connecting vehicle had already appeared in the distance at the end of the road.

In at most another ten minutes, he would be able to get on the vehicle to return.

He had saved up quite a lot of labor credits; this time going back, he could get another can of yellow peach for his two children.

Unfortunately, his deceased wife never got to taste the fruit can from Base 011.

Yu Qian’s thoughts drifted far away, and he couldn’t help sighing again, just at this moment, a loud shout suddenly came from the fortress behind him.

"All workers gather! March back towards the base!"

"Quick! Move it!"

The voice was full of tension, and Yu Qian instinctively stood up, shouting towards the fortress:

"What happened?"

"Monsters are coming! Move it!"

The warrior in the fortress briefly answered, and Yu Qian’s hair stood on end.

He scrambled down the stone pile, almost tripping when he landed.

His fellow worker was not doing much better, both of them staggered towards the base, fearing that a moment of delay would get them caught by a monster.

---- But the question is, where are the monsters?

The surroundings were clearly silent, let alone monsters, there weren’t even any ghostly shadows to be seen.

Is this the "evacuation drill" the Huaxia Army talked about?

Yu Qian frowned, looking up towards the sky, where an "Angel," or rather a "Mosquito Bomber," was speeding across the sky.

Under the wings of this aircraft hung three massive bombs, indicating it was carrying out a real attack mission!

But on who??

The connecting vehicle had already arrived at their front, and Yu Qian climbed on board gasping for breath, with the other gathered workers also crowding in one after another.

No one knew what was going on, everyone was asking around for information.

The mixed clamoring made Yu Qian’s head ache a bit, he craned his neck to look outside the car, and just as he turned his gaze towards the front of the fortress, a loud explosion suddenly came from the distance.

"Boom!"

The vibration was so strong that Yu Qian even felt his feet on the cabin floor go numb from the tremor.

Very close!

Possibly not far in front of the fortress!

He hadn’t even reacted when the second and third explosions followed in quick succession!

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

At that moment, everyone in the cabin fell silent simultaneously.

They looked in terror towards the distance, where a gigantic monster had already arisen upright several hundred meters ahead of the fortress.

Lightning flickered, Yu Qian noticed that a section of the monster’s body was already missing.

Decayed flesh fell off it piece by piece as it moved, like an Evil God in the process of dying.

Yu Qian shivered all over, and simultaneously, the truck’s radio speaker finally broadcasted the situation to them.

"The base has detected abnormal seismic signals, judging it to be a level-one monster approaching."

"Aerial reconnaissance shows a large number of monsters advancing towards the first line of defense."

"All residents please immediately return to the base for refuge, all combat personnel, please proceed immediately to your designated combat positions!"

"I repeat, all combat personnel, proceed immediately to your designated combat positions!"

As the announcement finished, explosions resounded once more.

This time, Yu Qian could clearly differentiate that it was the giant cannons of the fortress he helped build that were firing.

"Boom boom boom boom----"

A dozen or so giant cannons roared with heart-shaking might.

Yu Qian didn’t know what they were attacking.

But at this moment, a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

"The Beast Tide has truly arrived!"