14: The Secrets of the Black Crows: The Rebuilding of the Defense Line

Chapter Fourteen: Secrets of the Black Crow, Rebuilding the Defense Line

The night was as dark as ink. The base's searchlights cut several pale beams through the curtain of rain, stretching the shadows of the temporary prison thin and long. Lin Zhou stood outside the cell door, his fingertips stroking that Black Crow badge. The coldness of the metal seeped through his skin and into his marrow. Under the lights, the skull on the badge gleamed with an eerie light.

The cell door was slowly pushed open, and damp air smelling of rust rushed toward him. Black Crow sat slumped in a corner, his broken leg bone crudely fixed with wooden boards. The resentment on his face was covered by a layer of unconcealable fear. Seeing Lin Zhou walk in, he instinctively shrank back, a low groan escaping his throat.

“Not talking?” Lin Zhou squatted down and placed the badge on the ground in front of Black Crow, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable pressure. “Three of your people have already been infected with the virus. Either confess now, or wait for me to throw you out to feed the zombies.”

Black Crow's body trembled violently. His eyes stared fixedly at the badge, his lips quivering. After struggling for a long time, he finally spoke: “This is... the symbol of the ‘Raven Society’. I'm just a peripheral hall master, responsible for rounding up refugees and seizing resources.”

“Raven Society?” Lin Zhou frowned slightly. “What's their background?”

“A very large organization, spread throughout the city ruins.” Black Crow's voice carried a hint of trembling. “The leader is called the ‘Crow God’. It's said he can control zombies. He has tens of thousands of followers under him, and... a Mutant legion.”

Control zombies? Lin Zhou's pupils suddenly contracted. This was even more troublesome than he had imagined; ordinary survivor organizations could never possess such an ability. He pressed further: “Where is your camp? And where is the Crow God's lair?”

“The camp is at the abandoned steel mill in the east of the city, with over five hundred people.” Black Crow didn't dare hide anything. “The Crow God's lair is in the Twin Towers in the city center. That is the core of the Raven Society, heavily guarded, with three second-tier Elite Type zombies stationed there.”

Lin Zhou stood up, his gaze cold: “I knew an organization like yours would be a scourge if left alone.”

He turned and walked out of the cell, saying in a deep voice to the Machine Gunner guarding the door: “Execute Black Crow and all the infected captives. As for the rest, those willing to submit will be incorporated into the logistics team. Those unwilling, throw them out of the base to fend for themselves.”

“Yes, Commander!”

After dealing with the captives, Lin Zhou walked quickly to the command room. Su Mei was standing in front of the Radar screen, her finger tracing the eastern area of the city, her brow furrowed. Seeing Lin Zhou enter, she immediately turned around: “Raven Society... I seem to have seen this name in the military files. It's a cult organization that existed before the apocalypse. I didn't expect them to still be stirring up trouble now.”

“A cult?” Lin Zhou understood. No wonder Black Crow mentioned controlling zombies; they probably used some despicable means. He looked at the system panel: metal points 3885.5, power 10. The priority was to upgrade the base's defensive capabilities.

“power is insufficient.” Lin Zhou said in a deep voice. “The operation of the Ore Refinery and the War Factory, as well as the energy consumption of the defense towers, all require a lot of power. We need to build a few more Power Generator Stations, preferably solar and wind-powered, to get rid of our dependence on diesel.”

Su Mei nodded: “I've already had the Mechanic search the warehouse for solar panels and wind turbine parts. We should be able to scrape together a few sets of equipment. Also, some of Wild Wolf's people know about radio. Maybe we can build a communication tower to contact more survivors.”

“Communication Tower?” Lin Zhou's eyes lit up. “That's a great idea! With a communication tower, we can grasp information over a larger range and get early warnings of zombie hordes and enemies.”

He immediately issued commands in his mind, prioritizing the consumption of metal points to convert to power, then starting the construction sequence for the new buildings.

【Consumed 500 metal points to convert to 500 power. Current metal points: 3385.5, power: 510】

【Constructing three Solar power Stations, two Wind power Stations, and one Communication Tower. Consumed 1200 metal, 200 power. Remaining metal: 2185.5, power: 310】

【Buildings under construction... Complete!】

Faint blue light lit up across the base. The panels of the three Solar power Stations slowly unfolded in the open space, the blades of the two wind turbines began to spin with a whirring sound, and the communication tower rose from the ground next to the Main Base, the signal receiver at the top flashing its lights continuously.

【Communication Tower construction complete! Coverage range expanded to ten kilometers. Signals from three survivor camps have been received.】

【Solar + Wind power Stations running stably. power +200/hour. Completely independent of diesel.】

Lin Zhou walked to the Communication Tower's control console. Three weak signal sources were pulsing on the screen, located in the north, south, and west of the city. He ordered into the walkie-talkie: “Wild Wolf, take the radio team to tune the equipment and try to establish contact with these three camps.”

“Copy that!”

Just then, a cluster of red dots suddenly lit up on the Radar screen, moving rapidly from the east of the city, aimed straight at the base. Lin Zhou's expression changed as he leaned in to look closer—there were over three hundred red dots, interspersed with a dozen Mutant red dots with strong energy fluctuations.

“It's Black Crow's remnants! They actually dare to come!” Su Mei's voice carried a hint of anger as her hand tightened around her dagger.

“Not remnants.” Lin Zhou's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's. “These red dots are moving very fast and their formation is orderly. They should be reinforcements sent by the Raven Society. Black Crow was just bait. They've been waiting for us to make a move so they could take the opportunity to attack the base.”

“Then what do we do?” Su Mei looked out the window. On the distant horizon, dark figures could already be seen, along with several massive Mutant zombies approaching with heavy steps.

“What's the panic?” A cold smile curled at the corner of Lin Zhou's mouth. “It's the perfect time to let them taste the power of our new defense line.”

He walked quickly to the command console and issued a series of orders into the walkie-talkie:

“Scarface, lead the Machine Gunners and Rocket Troopers to station the walls. Activate the electric fence and defense towers!”

“Old Zhou, organize the construction workers to reinforce the fortifications and plant anti-tank mines outside the walls!”

“Wild Wolf, take your men in the armored personnel carrier and circle around to ambush the enemy from the rear!”

“Su Mei, drive the rhino tank with me and meet the enemy head-on!”

“Yes!” everyone responded in unison, their voices powerful and firm.

The base instantly became a hive of activity. Machine Gunners and Rocket Troopers quickly climbed the walls; the barrels of the defense towers slowly rotated, aiming at the approaching enemies; the electric fence crackled with piercing electric arcs; Old Zhou led the construction workers, carrying sandbags and steel bars, to quickly plant mines outside the walls; Wild Wolf led the elite of the mercenary group onto the armored personnel carrier and drove toward the base's side gate.

Lin Zhou and Su Mei climbed into the rhino tank. The engine gave a low roar, and the treads slowly turned as it drove toward the base's main gate.

Ten minutes later, the Raven Society reinforcements arrived at the base's perimeter. Leading them was a man in a red robe, wearing a crow mask and holding a black scepter—a minor leader of the Raven Society. He looked at the solid steel walls, a disdainful smile curling on his lips: “You think these pathetic walls can stop us? Attack!”

Over three hundred followers roared and charged at the walls. A dozen Mutant zombies led the way, their claws as sharp as knives, scratching fiercely at the walls with an ear-piercing sound.

“Fire!” Lin Zhou's roar echoed through the broadcast.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Five defense towers opened fire simultaneously, shells whistling toward the Mutant zombies and instantly enveloping them in violent explosions. The Rocket Troopers' rockets fell like rain, blooming into flowers of blood among the crowd of followers. The electric fence crackled loudly, and the followers at the very front were hit by electric arcs, turning into charred remains instantly.

The anti-tank mines outside the walls were also triggered. Violent explosions sent over a dozen people flying, their mangled limbs scattered everywhere.

The Raven Society leader's face changed drastically. He hadn't expected the base's defenses to be so formidable. In the moment he was stunned, Wild Wolf's armored personnel carrier charged out from the side and rear. Machine guns fired frantically, catching the followers off guard as screams rose one after another.

“Not good! It's an ambush!” the leader roared, turning to flee.

“Want to run? Too late!”

Lin Zhou controlled the rhino tank and charged over, the treads crushing the corpses of the followers. The turret aimed at the leader, and he pressed the fire button without hesitation.

“Boom!”

A shell hit with precision. Before the leader could even scream, he was blown to pieces.

The followers, having lost their commander, completely collapsed. They dropped their weapons and turned to run, only to be trapped by the crossfire from the walls and the armored personnel carrier, with no way out.

The battle lasted only half an hour before ending in a total victory for the base. Lin Zhou jumped out of the tank, looking at the corpses and scattered weapons covering the ground, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

【Ding! Killed 320 Raven Society followers and 15 Mutant zombies. Gained 8000 experience points. Current Level 9 (26040/9000) → Level 11】

【Free Attribute Points +20, Constitution +10, Strength +10, Spirit +0】

【Devoured Mutant bones and metal weapons. metal points +1500. Current metal points: 3685.5】

【Prompt: Destroyed a Raven Society peripheral outpost. Obtained one piece of core intelligence on the Raven Society.】

Lin Zhou picked up the intelligence from the ground. It contained a detailed defense map of the Twin Towers and the secret of how the Crow God controlled zombies—a device that could emit a special sound wave.

He looked up toward the city center. The silhouette of the Twin Towers loomed in the night, like two crouching giant beasts.

“Crow God...” Lin Zhou whispered to himself, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. “You're next.”

The base's searchlights pierced the darkness, illuminating the solid steel walls. The barrels of the defense towers rotated slowly, the signal receiver of the communication tower flashed its lights, and the panels of the Solar power Stations glinted coldly under the moonlight.

A new storm was quietly brewing. And this steel fortress was already prepared to face all challenges.