24: Tianqi arrives to provide assistance; mineral veins begin to appear.

Chapter Twenty-Four: apocalypse tanks Reinforce, Mineral Vein Appears

Amidst the ruins of the eastern wasteland, Scarface led his remaining seven soldiers in a mad dash. The roars of five Fourth-Tier Zombies behind them sounded like death knells, their dark golden scales gleaming coldly in the morning light. Every pounce nearly tore the last soldier to shreds.

"Boss! If backup doesn't arrive soon, we're done for here!" Scarface roared into the walkie-talkie, his voice filled with anxiety. His machete was already blunted, and the blood seeping from the wound on his arm stained half his sleeve red. The strength provided by the Reinforcement Serum was rapidly fading.

Just then, a deafening roar came from the distant horizon. The figures of three apocalypse tanks rolled over the gravel road, their heavy treads kicking up dust. The muzzles of their two 150mm Main Cannons flashed with cold light—these were Special Munitions Lin Zhou had specifically ordered, temporarily charged using the last bit of Mutated Mineral Powder.

"The reinforcements are here!" a soldier cried out, a spark of hope igniting in his desperate eyes.

The three apocalypse tanks deployed in a wedge formation, their main cannons roaring simultaneously. The charged shells, trailing faint purple exhaust, landed precisely on the leading Fourth-Tier Zombie. Unlike the explosion of ordinary shells, the faint purple light instantly enveloped the zombie's body. The dark golden scales melted at a visible rate, and dark green pus sizzled, emitting a pungent odor.

"What the hell kind of shells are those! They're insane!" Scarface watched, dumbfounded, then immediately reacted. "Brothers, charge back!"

The seven soldiers, rejuvenated, turned and charged toward the zombie horde. The strength of the Reinforcement Serum surged through their bodies again. Machetes and rifles struck simultaneously, focusing their attacks on the zombies' joints and eye sockets. The treads of the apocalypse tanks slowly advanced, their secondary cannons firing wildly, tearing the rushing ordinary zombies into shreds.

The five Fourth-Tier Zombies had clearly never encountered a weapon of this power. They let out terrified shrieks and turned to flee. But the speed of the apocalypse tanks far exceeded their expectations, and they were quickly overtaken. The main cannons roared again, and the faint purple shells hit consecutively. Three Fourth-Tier Zombies were instantly blown into pieces, and the remaining two, in their panic, crashed into a nearby Abandoned Mine Shaft.

"Don't chase them!" Lin Zhou's voice came through the walkie-talkie. "That mine shaft might be a concentration zone for Mutated Minerals. Watch out for ambushes!"

Scarface immediately stopped, leaning against the tank armor, breathing heavily. He looked at the pitch-black entrance of the mine shaft, where a faint purple mist permeated the air—the characteristic radiation signature of Mutated Minerals.

"Boss, this mine shaft..."

"Guard the entrance first, and we'll explore once the main force arrives," Lin Zhou said solemnly. "Also, have the men check the zombie corpses for fragments of Mutated Minerals."

The soldiers immediately got to work, searching through the remains of the Fourth-Tier Zombies. Sure enough, inside one zombie's chest cavity, they found a fist-sized piece of purple ore, its surface glowing softly—it was Mutated Mineral.

Scarface carefully put the ore away and said into the walkie-talkie, "Boss, we found a piece, and the purity is quite good!"

"Very good." Lin Zhou's voice held a hint of relief. "Just now, I had Old Zhou take the Engineering Corps and repair equipment via a shortcut to the eastern Nuclear Power Plant. You guys rest up. Zhao Weiguo is arriving shortly with Radiation Protection Gear and support troops. Remember, the purple mist in the mine shaft is radioactive, don't go near it carelessly."

Half an hour later, Zhao Weiguo arrived with the Engineering Corps. They wore heavy Radiation Protection Suits, holding Detectors, and cautiously approached the mine shaft entrance. The detector beeped, and the values on the screen soared continuously.

"The radiation intensity is three times over the limit! There must be a massive amount of Mutated Minerals inside!" an Engineering Corps member shouted excitedly.

Zhao Weiguo walked up to Scarface and patted his shoulder. "You've earned a huge merit! If this mine shaft can be exploited, the base's production capacity can be restored!"

Scarface grinned, just about to speak, when a low roar suddenly echoed from inside the mine shaft. Immediately after, countless zombies covered in purple scales rushed out. Their eyes flashed with strange red light, and their speed was more than double that of ordinary zombies. These were Radiation Mutated Zombies.

"Oh no! They're Radiation Mutated Zombies!" Zhao Weiguo's expression changed drastically. "Quickly retreat! apocalypse tanks, open fire!"

The three apocalypse tanks immediately turned their cannons, their main guns roaring as they fired the faint purple shells. Although the scales of the Radiation Mutated Zombies were tough, they were fragile against the charged shells and were instantly blown to pieces. However, the zombies pouring out of the mine shaft were endless, seemingly inexhaustible.

"Boss! The mine shaft is full of Radiation Mutated Zombies, and there are too many of them!" Scarface shouted into the walkie-talkie.

Lin Zhou's voice quickly returned: "Abandon the frontal assault. Use Booby Traps and Flamethrowers to seal the entrance! Have the Engineering Corps build temporary defenses around it. Once the Nuclear Power Plant's power is restored, we can bring the Acoustic Countermeasure Devices to suppress them!"

Scarface and Zhao Weiguo immediately sprang into action. The soldiers set up the remaining grenades and oil drums as Booby Traps, while the Engineering Corps used steel plates and rebar to build simple barricades. The Flamethrowers spewed fierce flames, burning the rushing zombies into charcoal, and the mine shaft entrance was soon enveloped in fire and thick smoke.

Just as everyone was catching their breath and resting, Old Zhou's excited shout suddenly came over the walkie-talkie: "Boss! The Nuclear Power Plant's generator units have been successfully repaired! power reserves are rapidly recovering, and the production capacity of the War Factory and Barracks has been restored to 30%!"

A smile instantly appeared on Lin Zhou's lips. This news was like a shot in the arm, invigorating everyone in the command room.

Scarface heard the voice from the walkie-talkie and fiercely pounded the tank armor. "Good! Finally, there's hope!"

Zhao Weiguo gazed at the burning mine shaft entrance, his eyes gleaming. "We have power, and we've found the mineral vein. It won't be long before we can restart mass troop production and assemble an Iron Legion!"

Lin Zhou held the walkie-talkie, his gaze fixed on the direction of the base outside the window, his voice ringing with power: "That's right. Next, it's time for our counterattack!"