8: Purple Giant Bull

Watching the Conscripts and tanks slaughter the soldiers he had brought like autumn leaves swept away by the wind, the cries of despair intertwined with the roar of gunfire and cannons, echoing through the valley for a long time. Charlie's eyes widened, filled with disbelief and rage. Those steel behemoths, like monsters from another dimension, were heartlessly harvesting lives. "What are these square iron boxes? How can such strange things exist?" Charlie was utterly infuriated; he howled, his voice filled with desperation and resentment.

Fury clouded Charlie's mind. He recklessly deactivated his magic shield and concentrated all of his magical power. "Great God of Fire, please lend me your divine power to ignite the flame that tears through the darkness—Fire Ignition!" He raised his hands high, chanting under his breath as crimson magical elements converged frantically. A massive crimson Magic Array slowly manifested before him, its dazzling light illuminating the entire battlefield. With a loud shout, a pillar of angry fire erupted, carrying a world-destroying momentum as it whistled toward the tank cluster.

The grizzly tanks leading the charge bore the brunt of it, instantly engulfed by the pillar of fire. The high temperature of the fire magic was terrifying; the grizzly tanks' armor rapidly melted under the searing power, emitting the twisted sounds of metal under unbearable strain. Immediately after, with a loud bang, a tank exploded, sending shards flying everywhere. The second and third tanks behind it were also struck in succession, wrapped in raging flames. The Conscripts taking cover around the tanks were also caught in the blaze, their bodies catching fire. They screamed in terror, scattering and fleeing in an attempt to escape the burning, but the searing flames seemed alive, clinging to them relentlessly.

Wei He was shocked to see this harrowing scene. He knew very well that his current assets were hard-won and could not afford to lose too many at this critical moment. Thus, he immediately ordered: "All units aim at Charlie, open fire!" Following the command, the remaining grizzly tanks and rhino tanks adjusted their muzzles, and several shells flew toward Charlie like shooting stars. For a time, explosions rang out one after another, and flames soared into the sky. After a flash of explosive light, that terrifying pillar of fire finally vanished. Charlie collapsed in a pool of blood, surrounded by a mess; however, surprisingly, he had not been blown to pieces like the others.

Using the red alert god-view, Wei He stared closely at Charlie and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "The shells were so close to Charlie and yet failed to kill him. How is this possible?" At this moment, after a brief moment of dizziness, Charlie struggled to stand up. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, endured the intense pain in his body, and immediately channeled his magic. The magical power flowed through his body, barely allowing him to move; otherwise, in his current state, he wouldn't even be able to budge under normal circumstances. "If the Magic Array didn't also have defensive properties, I would have been blown to death long ago. The power of these iron boxes is actually this terrifying," Charlie muttered to himself with lingering fear as he dragged his injured body and ran quickly toward Sentry Bridge.

A rain of bullets flew toward Charlie's direction. Relying on his stubborn will and magical power, Charlie barely managed to dodge them. Leading dozens of his confidants, he desperately broke through the hail of bullets and finally escaped the battlefield. The remaining soldiers were not so lucky; before they could react, they were riddled with submachine gun bullets like honeycombs and then crushed into bloody pulp by the merciless tank tracks. The once-mighty army of several thousand soldiers thus met their end. On the battlefield, corpses were strewn everywhere, a scene of absolute misery.

Tom stood to the side, watching the tragic battlefield and those powerful steel chariots, shocked into silence. It took a long while before he lamented, "These iron things are so powerful they can even defeat an Intermediate Magician. Lord Wei, you are truly a god-like man!" Hearing Tom's flattery, Wei He's heart was also full of emotion. He knew well that if not for the red alert system, he probably would have died in prison right after transmigrating, let alone achieving what he had today.

At this point, Wei He no longer wanted to worry about Charlie. He understood the principle of "not pursuing a cornered foe." The most urgent task now was to quickly develop the red alert system. Only by possessing sufficiently strong power could he gain a firm foothold in this strange world and protect himself and those around him. Thinking this, Wei He was filled with anticipation, eager to go see his Red Alert Base. He left over a hundred men to defend the mountain stronghold against the enemy forces from Riquan City, then took Brad and rode in a grizzly tank, racing toward the Red Alert Base with the speed of lightning.

Along the way, the wind whistled past his ears, and the roadside scenery receded quickly. As he got closer to the base, Wei He's excitement grew. Finally, a brand-new base appeared before his eyes. That massive steel structure stood towering and majestic; a person standing before it was as small as an ant. Wei He had seen similar scenes countless times on game screens, but witnessing the real base with his own eyes now, the shock was beyond words. He was incredibly excited; in his original world, he had loved playing this game. Although he was just a novice, he knew some basic knowledge. Now that he could see the real thing, he was ecstatic.

Wei He walked straight toward the five-meter-high gate, his heart full of curiosity and anticipation. Entering the base, there was a large screen inside, like those in a movie theater. Looking at the operation interface, Wei He found it both familiar and strange. It was familiar because the interface was almost identical to the game interface on Earth; it was strange because the screen did not show a game map, but a map of the Apocalypse God Continent. On the map, other regions were completely dark, and only the map of the Southern Province was lit up. These lit areas were places where he and the Red Alert Troops had previously visited.

Looking at the mouse and keyboard on the table, Wei He was filled with doubt. Just then, as if the system knew his thoughts, a mechanical voice spoke at the right time: "This is to suit your operating habits. Of course, you can also speak to me directly to issue commands." Wei He suddenly understood, and his admiration for this miraculous system grew even more.

After several days of development, the base's economic situation gradually improved. Under Wei He's careful management, a War Factory was finally constructed. Using the produced anti-air tracked vehicles, he quickly launched explorations into all areas south of the Riquan River, including Ancient Tree Mountain, Harsh Forest, and Demon Forging Valley.

As a light armored vehicle of the Soviet Army, the anti-air tracked vehicle had unique performance and roles. It cost 500, with a speed of 8. Although its armor was heavy, its durability was only 180. It was equipped with an anti-aircraft gun with an air range of 10 and a lethality of 35, while its ground range was 5, and it could easily crush infantry. The main body was rectangular, made of heavy armor materials, and its appearance was full of mechanical feel. The front had a pair of smaller wheels, while the rear featured a track design, giving it good mobility and allowing it to travel quickly over various complex terrains. The top of the hull carried a single-barrel anti-aircraft gun that could rotate 360 degrees and tilt up and down, primarily used for anti-air combat. The rear of the hull featured an openable hatch that could accommodate 5 infantrymen, facilitating troop transport and deployment. The overall design was relatively compact, with military green as the primary color. In actual combat, it was often used to transport Engineers to occupy buildings or carry Terrorists for building demolition. Its advantage of high speed allowed it to be quickly deployed to locations needing anti-air or support. However, it also had obvious drawbacks: its armor was relatively thin, its effectiveness against medium-to-heavy armored units and buildings during ground attacks was poor, and after reaching level three, its anti-air range would shorten to 8.

As his army slowly grew, Wei He's mood became increasingly better. One day, he rode in a rhino tank, preparing to wander around the Harsh Forest. Driving through the forest and watching those strange animals scatter in fear at their arrival, Wei He suddenly felt the urge to hunt. In this world, there was no concept of animal protection; here, he was the master, and everything was up to him.

Just then, Wei He discovered his first target: a Purple Giant Bull. Aside from being much taller than a water buffalo on Earth, this giant bull's color was a rare purple; in other respects, it was quite similar to an Earthly water buffalo. Wei He was delighted and immediately stopped the rhino tank. He knew the rhino tank made too much noise and could easily scare the giant bull away. Therefore, he commanded the Conscripts to slowly surround the Purple Giant Bull using an optimized distribution. The Conscripts approached cautiously, trying not to make a sound. Finally, the Purple Giant Bull entered the range of the submachine guns. Wei He did not hesitate and immediately ordered all Conscripts to start firing!

In an instant, dozens of tongues of fire spat from the submachine guns, striking fiercely toward the Purple Giant Bull. The Purple Giant Bull had an incredibly violent temperament; as soon as it was attacked, it let out an angry roar. That deafening sound was filled with rage, which even Wei He, sitting inside the tank, could clearly feel. However, no matter how angry the Purple Giant Bull was now, it was to no avail; the attacks from all sides left it disoriented, not knowing where to flee for a moment.

As dense bullets continuously struck its body, the Purple Giant Bull was covered in blood and began to bolt frantically, struggling in the throes of death. Watching this scene, Wei He chuckled wickedly, his heart full of pride: no matter how strong your power is, don't even dream of using flesh and blood to withstand modern firearms! Sure enough, in less than a minute, this massive Purple Giant Bull lost its life under the attack of dozens of tongues of fire and collapsed heavily to the ground.

Wei He ordered the soldiers to tie up the giant bull with sturdy ropes, with the other end of the ropes firmly attached to the tank. Relying on the tank's power, they dragged the massive Purple Giant Bull back to the base. Such a huge bull would have taken an immense amount of effort to bring back if they had relied on human strength. After returning to the base, Wei He had one of the soldiers use a sharp military knife to butcher the Purple Giant Bull. The soldier skillfully broke down all the beef. Looking at the harvest before him, Wei He was full of a sense of achievement and began to calculate what benefits this beef could bring to the base, as well as what other adventures and challenges awaited him in this world full of unknowns.