Chapter 12: The Night Before the Tide and the Gaze from the Shadows

The corpse of the Shadow Demon Wolf slowly dissipated on the warehouse floor, leaving only a more energy‑dense Inferior Demon Core and some minion material that shimmered with dark‑purple light. The task of clearing the nest was completed successfully, and the whole process went smoother than expected, entirely thanks to Su Yu's bug‑level weakness‑sensing ability.

The two accompanying soldiers' gazes toward Chen Mo and Su Yu turned into outright awe, especially after Su Yu precisely reported the Shadow Demon Wolf's old wounds and the interval of its energy stagnation. They knew clearly that without these two, relying only on the shelter's existing forces, clearing the nest would inevitably have cost a heavy price.

On the way back to Shelter No. 7, the team's atmosphere relaxed considerably. The string of victories and the rise in strength gave Zhang Yang, Wang Hu and the others, who were once ordinary people, a faint glimpse of elite warrior potential. Han Qing silently wiped the blood off the steel pipe, his eyes taking on a more contemplative tone, as if reassessing the temporary squad's potential.

After passing the strict inspection again to enter the shelter, the staff officer who had received them earlier was already waiting at the entrance, his face showing an unmasked surprise and a hint of respect.

"Team Leader Chen, Miss Su, thank you for your hard work! Director Zhang has received the report and is very pleased with your performance," the staff officer led them, this time not to the Isolation Zone but to a relatively independent barracks area with considerably better conditions. "This is the temporary base specially approved by the director, with private rooms and basic supplies. The intelligence sharing promised earlier has already been placed in the conference room."

The power play's first step has been taken. Strength is the hardest currency for gaining a voice in this apocalypse.

Chen Mo did not decline; after settling the slightly exhausted Su Yu and the other teammates for rest, he went alone to the conference room temporarily allocated to their squad.

On the table indeed lay a stack of documents. At the top was a map of City C and its surrounding areas held by the shelter, marked with different colored pens to indicate known monster gathering zones, danger levels, and presumed elite unit locations. A few areas highlighted in scarlet even made Chen Mo frown slightly; they were forbidden zones he hadn't dared to venture into even in his previous life.

Below were detailed analysis reports on various encountered monsters, covering habits, attack methods, inferred weaknesses and counter‑measures. Though not as direct as Su Yu's perception, the reports were comprehensive and highly valuable for a regular awakened team.

At the end were some preliminary analysis reports on the Epoch System and the Purple Corrosion phenomenon; they were noticeably thinner, and the content was largely based on observational speculation, appearing shallow and one‑sided compared with the information Chen Mo obtained from the research institute. The report's conclusion mentioned that senior military officials seemed to possess more secrets, but had not fully disclosed them to frontline units like Shelter No. 7.

"It seems Zhang Zhen also knows of the Cleaner's existence, and may even have confronted them, but his knowledge of the core secrets of Primordial Blood and the Observer Project is probably limited," Chen Mo thought. That was normal; the higher the level of secrecy, the fewer who should know.

He committed the map and monster data to memory; they were the most useful information at hand.

After completing all this, Chen Mo did not rest; instead he sought out the staff officer sent by Zhang Zhen and made a new request: "We need weapons—real weapons. Firefighter axes and steel pipes are too cumbersome against elite units. Also, I need a list of all registered awakened individuals in the shelter who are at least LV4, along with their general abilities."

The staff officer hesitated briefly, then nodded, "I'll report to the director. The armory should still have a batch of standard cold weapons that can be allocated to you first. As for the awakened list… it involves personal privacy, so I need to seek approval."

Chen Mo knew he couldn't rush it and nodded.

At dusk, several soldiers delivered a few military‑grade machetes, multi‑function tactical axes, and several reinforced blast‑proof shields. Though still cold weapons, their material, craftsmanship, and practicality far surpassed the previous firefighter axes and steel pipes. Chen Mo selected a tactical axe of moderate weight with a blood‑groove on the blade, swapping it for the already dulled firefighter axe, and the feel instantly upgraded a notch.

Regarding the awakened list, Zhang Zhen ultimately agreed only to provide a simple table that omitted specific talent abilities, listing about forty names of LV4 and above along with their squads. Chen Mo skimmed it, spotting a few individuals who had some reputation in his past‑life memories, but found no particularly noteworthy strong ones. Clearly, the truly top‑tier awakened either conceal their strength or have yet to emerge.

He set the list aside; the immediate priority was to boost his squad's strength.

Night fell, and blood‑colored moonlight streamed through the shelter's ventilation light guides, casting mottled, eerie patches on the ground. The countdown of the Monster Tide hung over everyone like Damocles' Sword, and the atmosphere inside the shelter grew oppressive and tense.

Chen Mo gathered the squad members in the conference room. After resting, Su Yu's spirit had recovered considerably, her eyes now brighter. Han Qing, Zhang Yang and the others also stood ready.

"The tide has less than twenty hours left," Chen Mo said bluntly, spreading the marked map on the table. "We can't wait. According to intelligence, two kilometers west of the shelter lies an abandoned freight station, occupied by a group of LV3‑LV4 Stone‑skinned Goblins, about thirty in number, with an LV5 Goblin Thrower as their leader. Their skin offers decent resistance to physical attacks, but they move slowly; fire and acid deal extra damage."

He looked at everyone: "This is our next objective. There are three goals: first, to hone the new weapons and formations; second, to gain experience and aim to level up before the tide; third, to test Su Yu's perception when dealing with monsters that have elemental resistances."

No one objected. After the crises at the research institute and with the Cleaner, ordinary monster nests no longer frightened them; instead they felt more like a "hunt" to boost their strength.

At the darkest moment before dawn the next day, the squad set out again. Equipped with the new weapons and blast shields, the team's spirit was revitalized. Han Qing led with his shield at the front, Zhang Yang and Li Siwen took the left and right flanks, Wang Hu and Zhao Lei covered the center, Chen Mo served as the core attacker, while Su Yu and Liu Qian provided rear support.

The battle at the abandoned freight station was even fiercer than at the warehouse. Though the Stone‑skinned Goblins were clumsy and thick‑skinned, ordinary slashes struggled to be lethal. Yet under Su Yu's command, the combat rhythm remained firmly under control.

"Third one on the left, knee joint!"

"The big one ahead on the right (the Goblin Thrower), it's about to throw explosives—aim for its throwing arm!"

"Watch your footing; they've buried crude traps underground!"

Su Yu's voice was clear and calm, like a commander observing from afar. Under her guidance, Han Qing's shield consistently blocked incoming stones and explosives in time, while Chen Mo's tactical axe and Energy Shot precisely struck the goblins' joints, eyes and other weak points, or disrupted the Goblin Thrower's pre‑cast motion.

【Success: Killed LV. 4 Stone‑skinned Goblin, gained 55 experience points!】

【Success: Killed LV. 5 Goblin Thrower (Elite), gained 150 experience points!】

【Death Echo triggered! Successfully replicated skill: Throwing Mastery (LV. 1 passive)!】

【Throwing Mastery (LV. 1): Passive skill. Slightly increases accuracy and damage of throwing weapons.】

When the last goblin fell, the sunrise had just broken, bathing the land in blood‑colored light. Chen Mo's level rose to LV7, and Han Qing, Zhang Yang and the others each advanced to LV5, their power leaping once more.

Two consecutive clean, decisive victories—especially the targeted clearing at the freight station—spread the reputation of "Chen Mo Squad" throughout Shelter No. 7. As they returned with the spoils, the survivors and soldiers they met along the way gave them looks of recognition and anticipation.

Director Zhang waited in the garrison himself, and when he saw them return, a rare smile appeared on his face: "Well done! With those two recent threat points cleared, the pressure on our defenses has eased considerably." He patted Chen Mo's shoulder. "The Monster Tide will erupt in twelve hours; Command Headquarters has drafted an initial defense plan and needs you to take charge of defending the western B‑7 Zone, which is expected to face heavy pressure."

"It's an obligation I can't refuse," Chen Mo replied calmly.

Just as Zhang finished detailing the specific defense deployment and was about to leave, Chen Mo asked casually, "Director Zhang, is there a lone awakened individual in the shelter who likes wearing a gray cloak and rarely interacts with others?"

Zhang Zhen halted his steps, a barely perceptible glint flashing in his eyes, and after a moment's pause said slowly, "There is indeed such a person. The registered name is 'Shadow', LV5, talent unknown, rarely takes missions, movements mysterious. Why do you ask about him?"

"Nothing, I just thought I caught a glimpse on the way back, got curious," Chen Mo said evenly.

Zhang Zhen gave Chen Mo a deep look, said no more, and turned to leave.

Chen Mo stood still, his gaze slightly narrowed. His question wasn't baseless. On the way back from clearing the freight station, his upgraded Keen Smell and Tactical Scope passive abilities faintly picked up an extremely subtle, ice‑cold aura similar to that of the Cleaner, seemingly emanating from a gray‑cloaked figure hidden in the shadows.

"Shadow"… the Cleaner? Or something else?

The Monster Tide approaches, yet the gaze from the darkness has not vanished. This battle for survival is far more complex than he anticipated.

He looked up at the shelter's reinforced dome, as if it could pierce the thick rock layers, and saw outside the increasingly scarlet Blood Moon.

The storm is about to arrive.