65: The final solution unleashes the ferocious beast; a desperate counterattack slays the enemy chieftain.

Chapter 67: Releasing the Beast in the Final Plan, Striking Back from Despair to Slay the Enemy Chief

The fires of war still raged across the hills and plains, but the alarms deep within Valley Base were piercingly sharp.

On the third basement floor, cultivation pod doors were sliding open one after another. Dark green liquid flowed down the pod walls, pooling into foul-smelling puddles on the floor. Mature-Phase Mutants slowly stepped out of the pods—they were several times larger than the Evolved Forms on the hill battlefield, their scales shimmering with a metallic cold light, bone spikes protruding like sharp swords, and their crimson pupils filled with nothing but pure bloodlust.

Leading them was a Level Four Scaled Wing Overlord, standing eight meters tall; when its tattered fleshy wings unfurled, they nearly obscured half of the underground space. Inside its cranial cavity, a pale purple crystal core pulsed slightly, having been matured using that third-level crystal core snatched from Lin Zhou's hands.

"Release them." Standing before the console, the Golden-Masked Doctor's voice was cold, devoid of any warmth. "Let them raze Dawn City to the ground."

The researcher tremblingly pressed the final button, and the rock wall at the back of the base thundered open, revealing a passage leading directly to the hills. The Level Four Scaled Wing Overlord was the first to let out a deafening roar, leading hundreds of Mature-Phase Mutants as they surged toward Dawn City like a black tide.

Looking at the dense red dots on the screen, a twisted smile curled the Doctor's lips. "Lin Zhou, this is the price for obstructing me."

Meanwhile, on the hill battlefield, Lin Zhou was leading his soldiers to clear out the remaining Mutant larvae. Suddenly, Lin Yan's anxious voice came through the communicator: "Brother! This is bad! Radar shows a massive energy fluctuation coming from the valley—it's... it's a Level Four Mutant! And hundreds of Mature-Phase ones!"

Lin Zhou's pupils constricted sharply, and his heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand. A Level Four Mutant was an existence even more terrifying than a Scale-Winged Commander!

"Everyone, contract the defensive line immediately!" Lin Zhou roared his orders. "Wang Hu, take the wounded back to Dawn City and hold the walls! Chen Hao, take the Reconnaissance Squad and plant Sonic Traps along the way! Lin Yan, have the tank units retreat to the plain pass—we cannot let the Mutants break through!"

No sooner had the orders been given than the roar of the Level Four Scaled Wing Overlord echoed from the distant horizon. The sound was like rolling thunder, making the ground tremble slightly. The soldiers looked up to see a dark mass of Mutants rushing out of the valley passage at an incredible speed.

"What is that..." a soldier murmured in shock, nearly dropping his Sonic Rifle.

Fear spread through the ranks like a plague.

Gritting his teeth, Lin Zhou raised his hand and fired a shot into the sky. The sharp, piercing crack of the gun instantly cut through everyone's panic. "What are you panicking for! We are warriors of Dawn City! Behind us is our home, our families! There is no retreat!"

His voice, carrying a sense of resolute power, gradually calmed the frantic soldiers.

"The Commander is right! There is no retreat!"

"Let's give them everything we've got!"

The soldiers gripped their weapons once more, the fire of a fight to the death ignited in their eyes.

Just then, the Level Four Scaled Wing Overlord suddenly accelerated, flapping its fleshy wings as it dived toward Dawn City. Its target wasn't the soldiers on the front line, but the city walls in the rear!

"Not good! It's going for the rear!" Chen Hao shouted, immediately leading the Reconnaissance Squad in pursuit.

Several Sonic Traps were triggered, and high-intensity sound waves swept toward the Scaled Wing Overlord. However, when those sound waves hit its scales, it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, only causing its speed to falter for a moment.

The Scaled Wing Overlord looked down and unleashed a sonic roar toward the Reconnaissance Squad. The piercing sound waves exploded instantly, sending several scouts flying back as they spat out blood.

"Dammit!" Chen Hao's eyes were nearly bursting, but he could only watch helplessly as the Scaled Wing Overlord bypassed the defensive line and flew toward Dawn City.

On the city wall, Wang Hu stood ready with the wounded and the militia. Seeing the diving Scaled Wing Overlord, Wang Hu roared, "Fire! All firepower, aim at it!"

Heavy machine guns, Sonic Cannons, and grenade launchers all fired at once, the flames lighting up half the night sky. But those attacks only produced small sparks when they hit the Scaled Wing Overlord.

Its scales were terrifyingly hard.

The Scaled Wing Overlord's sharp claws slammed into the wall. The hardened alloy wall was instantly torn open with a massive gash; rubble flew everywhere, and screams rose one after another.

"Hold! Hold the line!" Clutching his injured shoulder, Wang Hu raised his Bone-Spike Long Saber and slashed at the Scaled Wing Overlord's claws.

The blade collided with the scales with a crisp crack; the impact split the webbing of Wang Hu's thumb, and the long saber nearly flew from his hand.

The Scaled Wing Overlord looked down, its crimson eyes fixed on Wang Hu with a hint of mockery. It suddenly raised a claw and swiped at him.

If this blow landed, Wang Hu would surely die!

At this critical moment, a purple light suddenly flared from beneath the wall.

It was a makeshift Energy Launcher, loaded with 0.3% third-level crystal core energy extracted from Mutant remains. The Research Team Leader and several researchers had risked their lives to push the launcher to the base of the wall.

"Commander! Hang on!" the Research Team Leader roared as he pressed the launch button.

A slender but incredibly concentrated purple beam of light instantly shot toward the Scaled Wing Overlord's cranial cavity.

The Level Four Scaled Wing Overlord's movements suddenly froze.

The energy in that beam shared the same source as the crystal core in its skull but carried a powerful suppressive force. The crystal core in its cranial cavity began to tremble violently, and the previously stable energy instantly became chaotic.

"Roar—!"

The Scaled Wing Overlord let out a cry of agony, its massive body losing balance and crashing heavily below the wall, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Now's the time!" Lin Zhou's voice boomed like thunder.

He arrived from the hills with the main force, the muzzle of his energy submachine pistol gleaming with a cold light.

"Aim for the crystal core! Fire!"

Countless bullets, shells, and sound waves fell like rain on the Scaled Wing Overlord's cranial cavity. The once-indestructible scales finally began to crack under the influence of the chaotic energy.

Lin Zhou leaped up, stepping on the remains of Mutants as he rushed toward the Scaled Wing Overlord's head. He turned the power of his energy submachine pistol to its maximum and pulled the trigger at the crack.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three Energy Bullets were precisely fired into the crack, exploding inside the cranial cavity.

The Level Four Scaled Wing Overlord's body convulsed violently a few times before its crimson pupils quickly dimmed. The pale purple crystal core rolled out from the crack and hit the ground with a crisp sound.

The crystal core shattered, and energy spilled out.

The surrounding Mature-Phase Mutants seemed to lose their commander and instantly fell into chaos.

"Brothers! Victory is right before us!" Lin Zhou picked up the shattered crystal core and held it high above his head. "Kill!"

The soldiers' morale reached its peak instantly. Like tigers descending from a mountain, they charged at the chaotic swarm of Mutants. The roar of sonic guns, the clashing of blades, and the wails of Mutants intertwined into a triumphant hymn.

Meanwhile, at the console of Valley Base, the Golden-Masked Doctor's face turned as pale as paper as he watched the red dot of the Scaled Wing Overlord disappear from the screen.

"Impossible... This is impossible..." he muttered to himself, suddenly smashing the console screen.

Just then, the base doors were slammed open.

Lin Zhou appeared at the entrance with several elite soldiers. Sunlight poured through the open doors onto Lin Zhou, making his figure appear exceptionally tall and upright.

"Doctor, the game is over." Lin Zhou's voice was calm but carried an unquestionable authority.

The Doctor looked up sharply, a flash of madness in his eyes. He raised his hand and pressed a button hidden in his sleeve—the base's Self-Destruct Switch.

"I'll make you all be buried with me!"

Lin Zhou's gaze sharpened, and he raised his hand to pull the trigger.

An Energy Bullet precisely hit the Doctor's wrist.

"Ah—!" The Doctor screamed in pain as the self-destruct button fell to the floor.

The soldiers swarmed forward, pinning the Doctor firmly to the ground and removing the golden mask from his face.

Beneath the mask was a face covered in scars, his eyes filled with spite and resentment.

"You won't win..." The Doctor coughed up blood and sneered, "The Serpent Skeleton Research Institute has more than just this one base... You all will eventually be consumed by the Mutants..."

Lin Zhou ignored his mad ravings and waved to the soldiers. "Take him away."

The base's alarms gradually subsided.

Sunlight filled the valley, dispelling the gloom of the past.

Lin Zhou walked to the top floor of the base and looked toward Dawn City. There, smoke from cooking fires rose into the air, and the cheers of the survivors could be heard faintly.

He knew that this battle was won, but the crisis of the apocalypse was far from over.

The Serpent Skeleton Research Institute had other bases, the Mutants were still evolving, and the road ahead was still long.

But Lin Zhou's heart was filled with hope.

Because he knew that as long as Dawn City remained, as long as human unity endured, there would come a day when the darkness would be dispelled and the true dawn would arrive.

In the distant sky, a faint black shadow quietly glided past.

It was an Escape Craft from the Serpent Skeleton Research Institute, carrying top-secret data about the red alert system.