16: Countering the core, the new city blueprint

Chapter Sixteen: Countermeasure Core, Blueprint for a New City

The golden dawn completely dispelled the night, coating the silhouette of the Twin Towers in a layer of dazzling light. Debris from the sonic resonator was scattered across the top floor, and the Crow God's corpse had long since grown cold. Lin Zhou bent down to pick up the crumpled technical blueprint, his fingertips tracing the dense circuit symbols as an excited light flickered in his eyes.

Su Mei leaned against the window, looking down at the dispersing zombie crowd below. She lightly tapped her dagger against the windowsill. "The remaining forces of the Raven Society have scattered. Many believers surrendered voluntarily, saying they're willing to join the base. Wild Wolf is taking inventory of the supplies; we found quite a few spare parts for the sonic resonator. The Mechanic says they'll be useful."

Lin Zhou nodded and carefully tucked the blueprint away. "These parts are perfect for researching countermeasure equipment. Once the sonic countermeasure device is successful, it won't just make us immune to zombie control; it will also interfere with their nerves and cause them to kill each other. This thing will be more useful than a tank."

He walked to the command communicator and spoke into the walkie-talkie in a deep voice, "Wild Wolf, bring all the surrendered believers back to the base and place them under strict supervision in the logistics team. Scarface, lead the Machine Gunners to clear out the zombies within a five-kilometer radius of the Twin Towers and establish a temporary security zone. Old Zhou, bring the construction workers here to dismantle the usable metal components of the Twin Towers and transport them back to the base!"

"Copy that!" came a unified response over the walkie-talkie.

Lin Zhou turned to look at the system panel: metal points 5685.5, power 310. The attribute bonuses from Level 13 had pushed his constitution and strength to terrifying levels, and the hand gripping his axe was filled with explosive power. He took a deep breath and issued a command in his mind: "Consume 1000 metal points and 50 power to start the research of the sonic countermeasure device!"

[Research command received. sonic countermeasure device under research... Estimated time: 24 hours]

[Current remaining metal points: 4685.5, power: 260]

After finishing this, Lin Zhou and Su Mei got into a grizzly tank and drove toward the base. Along the streets, surviving residents poked their heads out from the ruins. Seeing the base's flag fluttering on the tank, they all broke into smiles of relief after surviving the disaster. Many people spontaneously followed the convoy, wanting to join this legendary steel fortress.

When the convoy entered the base, a long queue had already formed at the entrance. Scarface was leading his men to verify identities, Old Zhou was directing construction workers to repair and reinforce the walls, and doctors in the medical room were incredibly busy. Mutated crops in the farm had already borne heavy fruit, and the machines at the Water Purification Station roared incessantly—a scene of thriving prosperity.

"Boss! You're back!" Scarface greeted him, his face full of excitement. "Coming back this time, we can add at least five hundred survivors! And the metal components we dismantled from the Twin Towers are enough to expand the base's walls five times over!"

Lin Zhou jumped off the vehicle and patted his shoulder. "Good job. But don't be in a hurry to expand; let's research the sonic countermeasure device first. Also, have the Mechanic dismantle the elevator components from the Twin Towers. We need to build a command tower at the base to overlook the entire area."

Su Mei added, "Also, we found a lot of seeds and medical equipment in the Raven Society's warehouse, which is perfect for restocking the farm and medical room. Among those surrendered believers, there are a few agricultural experts who can help us improve the mutated crops."

Lin Zhou's eyes lit up. "Great! Arrange for them to be at the farm with excellent benefits. In the apocalypse, talent is more important than anything else."

Over the next day, the base entered a phase of rapid development. The conveyor belts at the Ore Refinery ran frantically, devouring metal components brought back from the Twin Towers. In the War Factory, new rhino tanks and armored personnel carriers rolled out continuously. In the Barracks, the scale of the Rocket Troopers and Police Dogs teams kept expanding. On the farm, agricultural experts led people to improve the soil, doubling the yield of mutated crops. In the medical room, new medicines and equipment greatly accelerated the recovery speed of the wounded.

As night fell, the lights in the command room remained on. Lin Zhou stood before a massive sand table, holding a charcoal pencil, sketching out the future blueprint for the base. On the sand table, the steel walls had expanded fivefold, the Main Base had been upgraded to Level 3, and next to it stood a command tower, a research building, a living area, and a training ground. On the periphery were anti-aircraft positions and a Radar station. The prototype of a new apocalyptic city was slowly taking shape under his pen.

"Research is complete!" Su Mei's voice carried a hint of excitement as she hurried into the command room, holding a palm-sized black device. "The Mechanic says this is the sonic countermeasure core! Once activated, it can cover a ten-kilometer radius!"

Lin Zhou put down the charcoal pencil and took the countermeasure core. The device's surface was cold and smooth, with an indicator light at the top flashing a faint blue. He pressed the start button, and a faint hum sounded. On the Radar screen, the originally cluttered red dots representing zombies instantly became chaotic, with many dots even beginning to collide with each other.

[Sonic countermeasure core successfully activated. Coverage: 10 kilometers. Zombie nerve interference rate: 80%]

[Prompt: You can consume metal points and power to build a Large Sonic Countermeasure Tower, expanding the coverage to 50 kilometers]

"Build it! Build it immediately!" Lin Zhou said without hesitation. "Consume 2000 metal points and 100 power to build a Large Sonic Countermeasure Tower on top of the command tower!"

[Construction command received. Large Sonic Countermeasure Tower under construction... Estimated time: 1 hour]

An hour later, a faint blue light enveloped the top of the command tower. A silver-white countermeasure tower slowly took shape. The sonic transmitter at the top rotated slowly, emitting invisible ripples that spread toward the distant city ruins. On the Radar screen, zombies within a ten-kilometer radius fell into complete chaos, roaring and biting each other, no longer able to form an effective horde.

"It worked!" A brilliant smile appeared on Su Mei's face. "With this, we'll never have to fear a zombie siege again!"

Lin Zhou nodded, his gaze fixed on the new city blueprint on the sand table, his eyes full of vision. "This is only the first step. Next, we will expand the base, contact more survivor camps, establish an alliance, and then... step by step, retake this city!"

Just then, the control console of the communications tower suddenly emitted a rapid alarm. Lin Zhou's expression changed, and he walked over quickly. On the screen, an unknown signal source was rapidly approaching, its signal strength far exceeding any survivor camp they had encountered before.

[Unknown signal source requesting connection. Accept?]

Lin Zhou and Su Mei exchanged a look, and he said in a deep voice, "Accept!"

The screen flickered with static, followed by the appearance of a weather-beaten face. The man wore a tattered military uniform with two bars and one star on his shoulders. Behind him was a brightly lit camp, and in the center of the camp stood a steel building similar to their own base.

"This is the Northern Military Region Survivor Camp. I am commander Zhao Weiguo." The man's voice was steady and powerful as it came through the screen. "We monitored your sonic countermeasure signal and wish to... establish a cooperative relationship with you."

Lin Zhou's pupils constricted suddenly. The Northern Military Region Survivor Camp! This was a regular military camp from before the apocalypse, with strength far exceeding their small base. He took a deep breath and gave a standard military salute to the screen. "This is the Red Alert Base, Commander Lin Zhou. Cooperation is welcome."

A trace of a smile appeared on Zhao Weiguo's face. "Commander Lin is so young, yet able to establish such a powerful base in the apocalypse; it is truly admirable. Our Northern Military Region has a large amount of weapons, equipment, and technical personnel, as well as... core intelligence regarding zombie mutations. I hope we can join forces to rebuild our home upon these ruins."

Lin Zhou was incredibly excited. Cooperating with the Northern Military Region meant the base's development would see a qualitative leap. He looked at Su Mei beside him and saw the same excitement in her eyes. He nodded solemnly. "I agree to cooperate. We can discuss the specific details in depth."

After the communication ended, a brief silence fell over the command room. Su Mei was the first to break the silence, a smile of disbelief on her face. "The Northern Military Region... we are no longer fighting alone!"

Lin Zhou walked to the window and looked at the countermeasure tower atop the command tower; its silver-white light was exceptionally dazzling in the night. The base's searchlights pierced the darkness, illuminating the sturdy steel walls. The roar of the War Factory, the sound of the Ore Refinery's conveyor belts, and the laughter of the survivors intertwined into a song of hope for the apocalypse.

He clenched his fist, a look of determination flashing in his eyes. The establishment of the sonic countermeasure tower, the cooperation with the Northern Military Region, and the sketching of the new city blueprint—all of this indicated that their future was full of infinite possibilities.

But Lin Zhou also knew that greater challenges lay ahead. Zombie mutations never stopped, and unknown threats were everywhere. But he was no longer afraid, because behind him was this indestructible steel fortress, a group of comrades who would face life and death together, and a shared dream of rebuilding their home.

As the night deepened, the lights of the base grew brighter, like a spark in the darkness that would never go out, illuminating the path to new life atop these ruins.