69: A falcon soars through the sky, startling its enemies; unusual movements in the deep sea reveal clues.

Chapter Seventy-One: Falcons Pierce the Sky, Striking Fear into the Enemy; Deep Sea Movements Reveal Early Signs

The test flight field of Shuguang New City was crowded with soldiers and research personnel holding their breath.

At the end of the runway, three silver-gray fighter jets lay dormant. Their streamlined fuselages were smooth and sharp, with small sonic missiles mounted under the wings, and reconnaissance radars on the nose rotating slowly, exuding a cold sense of technology. These were the Falcon Attack Aircrafts, built by the Research Team over a month by analyzing technology from the Skeleton Serpent aircraft wreckage and combining it with the basic military industry of the red alert system.

Lin Zhou stood in the center of the viewing platform, his gaze falling on the fighter jets, his eyes filled with anticipation. The birth of the Falcon Attack Aircrafts meant that Dawn City finally possessed true aerial power and would no longer be forced into passive defense.

“Commander, all parameters have been adjusted. Requesting takeoff!” The pilot's voice came through the radio, carrying a hint of irrepressible excitement.

“Takeoff approved!” Lin Zhou ordered.

The engines of the three Falcon Attack Aircrafts roared instantly, their tail flames spitting pale blue fire as they accelerated rapidly down the runway. In just a few seconds, the jets shot into the clouds like arrows released from a bow.

The roar exploded across the sky as the Falcon Attack Aircrafts completed a series of high-difficulty maneuvers—diving, climbing, and circling. The sonic missiles under the wings accurately hit ground targets; explosions rang out, and the simulated Mutant models in the target area were instantly shattered by the vibrations.

Thunderous cheers erupted from the viewing platform.

“Fantastic! The Falcon Attack Aircrafts are a success!” Wang Hu waved his fist excitedly. “With these things, let's see if those Skeleton Serpent aircraft still dare to come and act wild!”

Chen Hao also showed a look of joy: “Aerial reconnaissance, fire support, and rapid mobility—the Falcon Attack Aircraft is practically all-purpose. Our efficiency in clearing out Mutants can double from now on!”

Lin Zhou watched the jets soaring in the sky, a weight lifting from his heart. He turned to the Research Team Leader beside him: “Can the mass production speed be increased?”

“No problem!” The Research Team Leader patted his chest. “The production line is already set up, and materials are sufficient. We can mass-produce ten a month! We are also developing a carrier-based model to equip patrol vessels in the future, which will provide a deterrent against targets in the far sea!”

The deployment of the Falcon Attack Aircrafts was like a shot of adrenaline, causing the morale of the three cities to soar to unprecedented heights.

Over the next half month, the pace of Dawn City's expansion suddenly accelerated. The Falcon Attack Aircraft formations were frequently dispatched to conduct carpet-style reconnaissance within a hundred-kilometer radius, marking Mutant nests and air-dropping supplies to scattered survivor settlements. Wang Hu's armored regiment, taking advantage of the aerial support, cleared three medium-sized Mutant nests and reclaimed large areas of land, bringing the survivor population past thirty thousand.

The farmland of Qiming City saw its first harvest, with golden wheat ears weighing down the stalks. The pigs and sheep in the livestock farms were fat and healthy, greatly easing the pressure on logistics. Simple roads were built between the three cities, with transport trucks shuttling back and forth, forming a stable supply line.

Everything was moving in a positive direction. Dawn City was like a rising star, radiating the light of hope upon the ruins of the apocalypse.

But beneath the calm, undercurrents were already surging.

The coastal patrol vessels had recently been sending back frequent reports of anomalies. The color of the near-shore seawater was growing darker, faintly showing the dark green characteristic of the Skeleton Serpent base. Most of the fish and shrimp caught in nets were eerily deformed, and some even had bone spikes. More unsettlingly, fishermen claimed to have seen massive black shadows flashing past beneath the sea at night—shadows whose silhouettes were definitely not those of ordinary marine creatures.

On this day, an encrypted urgent report was delivered to Lin Zhou's command desk.

“Commander, a patrol boat from the coastal Reconnaissance Squad was attacked by an unknown creature in an area fifty nautical miles off the coast!” Chen Hao's face was grim as he pushed a photograph toward Lin Zhou. “A large hole was torn in the bottom of the patrol boat, three crew members are missing, and this is a scale recovered from the scene.”

The photo showed a palm-sized scale, hard as iron with sharp barbs on its edges. The patterns on the scale's surface were identical to the land Mutants bred by the Skeleton Serpent.

Lin Zhou's pupils constricted suddenly.

“It's a Marine-type Mutant,” he said in a low voice. “The Skeleton Serpent finally couldn't resist making a move.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of urgent distress calls came through the radio: “Dawn City! Dawn City! This is the Qiming City Coastal Outpost! A large number of unknown creatures are approaching the coastline! They... they're crawling onto land!”

Lin Zhou stood up abruptly and grabbed the Walkie-Talkie on the table, his voice cold as ice: “Falcon Attack Aircraft formations, take off immediately and reinforce the Qiming City coast! Wang Hu, take the First Armored Regiment and move out within five minutes! Chen Hao, your Reconnaissance Special Ops Regiment, follow me!”

“Received!”

“Understood!”

Alarms rang out once again through the three cities.

The engines of the Falcon Attack Aircrafts roared as they tore through the sky, and the tracks of the armored convoys ground over the road, kicking up billowing clouds of dust. Lin Zhou stood on the command vehicle, looking at the dark green where the sea met the sky in the distance, his expression growing more solemn.

He knew that this attack from the deep sea was only a probe by the Skeleton Serpent. The true storm was still to come.

Meanwhile, on a far-sea platform thousands of miles away, the Man in the Suit was watching the surveillance footage on the screen, a cruel smile curling his lips. On the screen, hideously shaped Marine-type Mutants were dragging their wet bodies onto the coastline of Qiming City, their crimson eyes filled with bloodthirsty desire.

“Let them have some fun.” The man picked up a glass of red wine from the table and swirled it gently. “When they are exhausted, it will be time for our ‘harvest’.”

On the large screen behind him, the coordinates of Dawn City, Shuguang New City, and Qiming City were firmly locked within three red circles.