13: Base backstabbing, iron-blooded suppression of rebellion

Chapter Thirteen: Base Backstab, Iron-Blooded Suppression

The soaring flames from the armory hadn't yet dissipated when Scarface's roar, accompanied by gunfire, came through the walkie-talkie. The sharp alarm pierced Lin Zhou's eardrums via the radio waves, causing his pupils to contract suddenly.

"A hole was blown in the back wall! The enemy has heavy weapons, looks like modified grenade launchers! The brothers can't hold on much longer!"

Su Mei's face turned icy cold instantly, the veins on her hand gripping the dagger bulging. "It's those people who were spying on us! They're playing dirty while our main force is out!"

Lin Zhou slammed a fist onto the tank's control console, the metal shell emitting a dull thud. Killing intent surged in his eyes. "Ye Lang, take your men and the armored personnel carrier to retreat first. Get the equipment from the armory back to the base! Su Mei, follow me in the grizzly tank to take a shortcut for defense!"

"Yes!" the two responded in unison, their voices carrying a chilling killing intent.

Five of the ten grizzly tanks immediately split off, following the armored personnel carrier to retreat slowly toward the base. The remaining five, under Lin Zhou's command, turned their turrets and sped toward the base. The tracks ground over ruins, kicking up gravel and dust. The smoothbore barrels on the turrets glinted coldly in the sunlight, and the roar of the engines sounded like the growl of an enraged beast.

On the Radar screen, the red dots at the base's back gate were dense, numbering at least a hundred. Their movement patterns were chaotic yet fierce, clearly aimed at the base's supplies and red alert buildings. Lin Zhou gritted his teeth; these people had clearly planned this, timing it perfectly for when they were attacking the armory.

"Speed up! Faster!" Lin Zhou growled, maneuvering the tank to charge across a broken overpass. The vehicle jolted violently, but its speed didn't decrease in the slightest.

Twenty minutes later, the silhouette of the base appeared in sight. From a distance, a two-meter-wide gap had been blown into the steel wall of the back gate. Flames soared, and gunfire was dense. Raiders in black combat uniforms were pouring in continuously. Scarface, leading the remaining Machine Gunners and Police Dogs unit, was resisting desperately at the gap, the ground already covered in corpses.

"Fire!" Lin Zhou's eyes nearly split from rage. He aimed the turret at the raiders at the gap and pressed the fire button without hesitation.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three shells whistled out, landing precisely among the crowd of raiders. The violent explosion instantly sent over a dozen people flying, their mangled limbs scattered everywhere. The remaining raiders were stunned by this sudden artillery fire. Wails of pain rose from all sides, and their offensive ground to a halt.

"Lin Zhou is back! Our reinforcements are here!" Scarface's roar was filled with ecstasy as he brandished a modified machete, hacking wildly at the raiders.

Su Mei opened the tank hatch and flipped down. Her dagger flashed coldly as she charged into the crowd like a phantom. Her movements were already agile, and with the enhancement of her constitution and strength, every swing of her blade brought a spray of blood. The raiders couldn't resist at all and fell one after another with screams.

Lin Zhou maneuvered the tank forward slowly, its tracks grinding over the corpses of the raiders with the ear-piercing sound of shattering bones. The turret rotated continuously, firing shells one after another to destroy the raiders' firing points. Those modified grenade launchers were blown into scrap metal before they could fire again.

"Surrender and you will live!" Lin Zhou roared into the walkie-talkie. His voice broadcasted through the base's PA system, reaching across the entire battlefield.

The raiders' morale collapsed completely. Looking at the grizzly tank that resembled a steel beast, and then at the god-of-war-like Lin Zhou and Su Mei, they dropped their weapons and knelt to beg for mercy. Only a few leaders continued to resist fruitlessly, only to be tackled by the charging Police Dogs and bitten until they were mangled.

In less than ten minutes, the raid was completely suppressed. Lin Zhou jumped out of the tank and walked to the gap. Seeing the corpses strewn about and the kneeling captives, his face was so dark it could drip ink. Scarface, clutching a wound on his arm, walked over quickly, his face full of guilt. "Boss, I'm sorry. I failed to hold the back gate..."

"It's not your fault." Lin Zhou patted his shoulder, his gaze falling on the captives. "Where did these people come from?"

Scarface spat on the ground. "The leader is a guy named 'Black Crow,' the head of a nearby bandit camp. He's been eyeing our base for a long time. I just interrogated a captive, and they said he wanted our farm and Water Purification Station to take as his own territory."

"Black Crow?" A cold light flashed in Lin Zhou's eyes. "Where is he?"

"I broke his legs and tied him up." Scarface pointed to a captive nearby. The man, wearing a black trench coat with broken leg bones, was lying on the ground groaning in pain. He was the same man who had been spying on the base from the ruins last night.

Lin Zhou walked slowly to Black Crow and looked down at him. Black Crow looked up, his eyes filled with resentment. "Lin Zhou, don't get cocky! I have many more men. Sooner or later, we'll trample your base!"

Lin Zhou sneered, crouched down, and patted his cheek. "In the apocalypse, the most foolish thing is to provoke someone you shouldn't. You think that with your meager strength, you're worthy of eyeing my base?"

He stood up and said deeply to the nearby Machine Gunner, "Take all these captives away and lock them in the temporary cells. Black Crow... keep him separate. I'll interrogate him personally."

"Yes!"

After dealing with the captives, Lin Zhou immediately began to tally the losses. The gap in the wall needed repair, three machine gun nests were destroyed, and over a dozen remaining survivors were injured. Fortunately, the Main Base, Ore Refinery, and War Factory were all intact, and the farm and Water Purification Station hadn't been damaged.

Just then, Ye Lang returned with the armored personnel carrier. Seeing the mess in the base, he immediately jumped out with his men. "Boss, we're here to help repair the wall!"

Lin Zhou nodded and looked at the system panel. He had 4685.5 metal points and 30 power, enough to repair the wall and even build a few more defense towers.

"Old Zhou, take the construction workers to repair the wall and build five more defense towers!" Lin Zhou said firmly. "Also, turn the power grid to maximum and plant mines around the base!"

[Consumed 800 metal, 20 power. Remaining: 3885.5 metal, 10 power.]

[Wall repairing... defense towers under construction... power grid upgrading... Mines being planted...]

A faint blue light lit up in the base. The damaged wall was quickly repaired, and five brand-new defense towers rose from the ground, their barrels aimed at the surroundings. The power grid flashed with blinding electric arcs, and mines were quietly buried underground, forming an airtight line of defense.

By the time he finished all this, the sky had gradually darkened. Lin Zhou walked to the temporary cell and looked at Black Crow, who was tied to a pillar, his eyes cold.

"Tell me, where is your camp? How many people do you have left?"

Black Crow snorted and turned his head away, refusing to speak. Lin Zhou wasn't angry, only saying calmly, "It doesn't matter if you don't talk. Tomorrow, I'll take the tanks and level your camp. I'm sure your subordinates will be more than happy to tell me everything they know."

Black Crow's body jolted, and a flash of fear appeared in his eyes. He knew Lin Zhou was a man of his word.

Just then, Su Mei's voice came over the walkie-talkie. "Lin Zhou, the doctor in the medical room says several captives are infected with the zombie virus and need to be dealt with immediately. Also, we found some strange badges on the captives."

Lin Zhou's heart stirred, and he walked quickly toward the medical room. He saw that several captives had a black badge on their arms. The badge was engraved with a ferocious crow, its claws stepping on a red skull.

"This badge..." Su Mei frowned. "It doesn't look like a typical bandit insignia."

Lin Zhou picked up a badge and examined it closely. The material was special, like some kind of alloy, and the pattern on it exuded an eerie aura. He had a faint feeling that this Black Crow Camp was probably more than just a simple bandit den.

The night outside grew thicker, and the base's searchlights pierced the darkness, illuminating the solid steel walls. The barrels of the defense towers rotated slowly, and the conveyor belts of the Ore Refinery were still running, making a rhythmic sound.

Lin Zhou stood by the window, looking at the darkness in the distance, his mind filled with thoughts. Behind the Black Crow Camp, there seemed to be a larger secret hidden. And this secret might bring an unprecedented crisis to their base.

He clenched his fist, a flash of determination in his eyes. No matter how many dangers lay ahead, he would protect this base and everyone in it.

Because this was their only home in the apocalypse.