18: Fourth-order distortion, bloody battle siege

Chapter 18: Rank 4 Aberration, Bloody Battle of the Siege

The first light of dawn had just pierced through the cloud layer when the base's alarm tore through the brief silence. In the command room, the Radar screen flickered frantically. Deep red light points densely covered the northwestern area. The red dot at the very center had energy fluctuations several times more intense than a Rank 3 Berserker Type; it was like a beating heart in the dark night, carrying a heart-palpitating sense of oppression.

[Warning! Warning! Rank 4 Aberration Elite Type zombie detected! Accompanied by a high-resistance Mutated Zombie legion, quantity 5,000+, immune to sonic countermeasures, possesses group buffing abilities! Estimated arrival at the base walls in five minutes!]

Lin Zhou's pupils suddenly contracted, and the veins on his hand gripping the Fire Axe bulged. A Rank 4 Aberration! And it had group buffing abilities, which meant that every single zombie in the legion behind it would have its combat power increased several times over. He turned his head to look at Su Mei beside him. Her shoulder was still wrapped in bandages and her face remained pale, yet she had already tightened her grip on her dagger, her gaze as sharp as an eagle's.

"All personnel, enter maximum alert!" Lin Zhou roared into the walkie-talkie, his voice hoarse from extreme tension. "Scarface, lead all Machine Gunners to retreat to the inner wall and activate the power grid! Wild Wolf, take the mercenary group and drive the remaining eight grizzly tanks to form a mobile interception line! Old Zhou, have the construction workers move all the explosives to the outer wall; detonate them as soon as the zombies get close! Su Mei, follow me to pilot the only intact apocalypse tank and hold the main gate to the death!"

A series of hurried responses came over the walkie-talkie. The base instantly fell into a chaotic mess, yet it was permeated by a sense of determination to find life in a dead-end situation. Lin Zhou and Su Mei quickly rushed into the cockpit of the apocalypse tank. The cold metal touch cleared his mind slightly. On the system panel: metal points 7185.5, power 50. The Aberrant Scales just refined from the Rank 3 Berserker Type's corpse hadn't even been used to upgrade equipment yet.

"Main cannon loaded, secondary cannon preheating complete." Su Mei's voice was frighteningly calm. She stared at the Radar screen, her fingertips dancing rapidly across the control console. "They're here!"

On the horizon, the dark mass of the zombie tide rolled toward the base like a moving storm cloud. The leading Rank 4 Aberration was a full size larger than a Rank 3 Berserker Type. Its entire body was covered in scales of an eerie dark gold color. Its head was split into three lobes, each filled with serrated fangs. On its six thick limbs were bone spurs like barbs. Under the shroud of the faint purple light emitted from its body, the speed and defense of the zombie legion behind it surged significantly; even an ordinary zombie's claws could now easily tear through steel plates.

"Outer wall explosives, detonate!" Lin Zhou growled.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Violent explosions rang out one after another as the outer wall was instantly engulfed in flames, with rubble and flesh flying everywhere. Several hundred zombies at the very front were blown to bits on the spot, splashing dark green pus everywhere. But this brief obstruction was merely a drop in the bucket for over five thousand zombies. The remaining zombies roared, treading over their comrades' corpses as they charged toward the inner wall.

"power grid, activate!" Scarface's roar came through.

The power grid on the inner wall instantly lit up with dazzling electric arcs. The zombies at the very front were instantly charred, emitting a burnt smell. However, the high-resistance Mutated Zombies actually pushed through the arcs. Bone spurs slammed into the power grid with a piercing sizzling sound, and the glow of the grid dimmed at a visible rate.

"grizzly tanks, fire!" Wild Wolf's voice carried a hint of madness.

Eight grizzly tanks fired simultaneously, shells exploding amidst the zombie swarm and kicking up waves of blood. But the zombies buffed by the Rank 4 Aberration possessed resilience far beyond imagination; even if their limbs were blown off, they continued to crawl forward with their mangled bodies. Soon, the treads of one grizzly tank were bitten through by Mutated Zombies. The vehicle lost control and crashed into the wall, where it was instantly submerged by zombies.

"apocalypse tank, advance!" Lin Zhou ordered through gritted teeth.

The treads of the apocalypse tank slowly turned. Its twin 150mm main cannons let out earth-shaking roars, shells landing precisely in front of the Rank 4 Aberration and blasting two massive craters. However, the dark gold scales were frighteningly hard; even the apocalypse tank's main shells could only leave a few shallow scratches on them.

The Rank 4 Aberration let out a sharp screech. Its six limbs exerted force simultaneously as it pounced toward the apocalypse tank. Its speed was incredibly fast; Lin Zhou didn't even have time to react before he heard a loud "Clang!" The tank's armor was violently pierced by bone spurs, and a bone-chilling cold instantly spread through the cabin.

"Aim the main cannon at its head! Fast!" Su Mei shouted, controlling the secondary cannon to fire frantically at the Aberration's eyes.

Enduring the sharp pain in his wrist, Lin Zhou manipulated the main cannon to turn slowly. The Rank 4 Aberration's head was split into three lobes, and the eye in the middle flickered with an eerie red light—that was its weakness. But the Aberration clearly sensed the danger; its six limbs pounded the tank frantically, causing the vehicle to shake violently and the main cannon's crosshairs to drift constantly.

"I'll stabilize it!" Su Mei suddenly flipped open the hatch and jumped down. Her dagger flashed with a cold light, precisely stabbing into the joint of one of the Aberration's limbs, causing dark green pus to gush out. The Aberration roared in pain, its attention instantly drawn to Su Mei as its massive body swung toward her.

"Su Mei!" Lin Zhou's eyes nearly split from rage. Taking advantage of this opening, he slammed the fire button.

"Boom!"

The shell precisely hit the eye in the center of the Aberration's head. The violent explosion instantly blew away half of its head. The pale purple buffing light abruptly vanished, and the zombie legion behind it instantly fell into chaos, their speed and defense plummeting.

But the Rank 4 Aberration was still not dead. Its head writhed frantically, actually beginning to slowly regenerate. Its six limbs flailed wildly; Su Mei couldn't dodge in time and was struck hard in the abdomen. Blood instantly stained her clothes, and her body flew back like a kite with a broken string.

"No!" Lin Zhou's eyes turned bloodshot. He threw open the hatch and, gripping the Fire Axe that had been fused with bone blade fragments, he leaped down. His constitution had been reinforced multiple times, allowing him to land steadily and absorb the impact. The Fire Axe, carrying an armor-piercing effect, hacked down toward the Aberration's regenerating head.

"Die!"

Lin Zhou used all his strength to drive the Fire Axe deep into the Aberration's head, twisting his wrist frantically. The Aberration let out a shrill screech, its six limbs twitching violently. Its massive body swayed and then crashed to the ground.

[Ding! Killed Rank 4 Aberration Elite Type zombie ×1, obtained 100,000 experience points. Current Level 17 (196,040/17,000) → Level 21]

[Free Attribute Points +40, Constitution +20, Strength +20, Spirit +0]

[Devoured Rank 4 Aberration Dark Gold Scales, metal points +10,000. Current metal points: 17,185.5]

[Hint: Rank 4 Aberrations possess regenerative abilities. Subsequent zombies will exhibit more special abilities. Base defenses urgently need upgrading.]

Lin Zhou didn't have time to check the system prompts; he turned and rushed toward Su Mei. She lay on the ground, her face as pale as paper. The wound on her abdomen was still bleeding, and her breathing was faint. "Su Mei! Hang in there! Medic! Call a medic!" Lin Zhou's voice trembled as he carefully picked her up and sprinted toward the medical room.

The battle at the base continued. The zombie legion, having lost its buff, was routed under the counterattack of the base's combat units. Rocket Troopers' missiles, Machine Gunners' strafing, and the remaining grizzly tanks' fire swept through the zombie swarm like a storm. However, the base's losses were equally heavy. The inner wall had been torn open in five places, only three grizzly tanks remained, casualties among the Machine Gunners and Rocket Troopers exceeded seventy percent, and the construction workers and logistics personnel had also suffered heavy losses.

An hour later, the battle finally subsided completely. The base was in a state of ruin, with flames reaching the sky and thick smoke billowing. Lin Zhou stood outside the medical room, looking at the closed door, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white from the pressure.

After an unknown amount of time, the medical room door was pushed open. The doctor wiped the sweat from his forehead and said tiredly, "Commander Lin, Captain Su... has been saved. But she has lost too much blood and needs to rest for a while."

Lin Zhou's heart finally settled, and an indescribable sense of exhaustion washed over him. He leaned against the wall and slowly slid down to sit on the ground. Looking at the devastated walls in the distance, a flash of lingering fear crossed his eyes. This battle was far more dangerous than the last; the base had almost completely fallen.

"Repair the walls, reinforce the defenses, develop stronger weapons..." Lin Zhou whispered to himself, his voice hoarse but firm. "We cannot lose."

As the sun set, the golden afterglow spilled over the ruins of the base, coating the cold steel in a layer of warm light. The light in the medical room remained on, like a star in the darkness, guarding the hard-won spark of life.

Lin Zhou knew this was only a brief respite. The appearance of the Rank 4 Aberration meant that the evolution of the zombies was endless. Future battles would only become more cruel. But he would not back down, because this was his home—the place he and his comrades guarded with their blood and lives.

As night fell, the base's searchlights lit up again, weak but steady. New defensive works were quietly being built, and stronger weapons were under development. A new storm was waiting for them in the near future.