Chapter 288: Corpse Tide

At the same time, time zone: West 7 District, 9 a. m.

North American Theater, Keen Harbor Third Fleet.

Outside the city, the dense sound of artillery explosions was deafening.

The lookout operating the tank's machine gun looked desperate, frantically slapping the tank beneath him:

"Turn around! Hurry up and turn around!"

His face flushed, his whole body trembling as he stared at the endless black tide not far away.

The black tide stretched in a line, moving extremely fast, the dense black dots almost filling the entire field of view.

When the count exceeded ten thousand, it became boundless; what about when it neared a million?

As the ground armored corps gathered by the Third Fleet, they never imagined they would face the impact of a corpse tide numbering nearly a million.

The once‑proud tank army group was like a tiny boat in a vast sea.

The infantry‑tank cooperative soldiers following nearby had already fled.

In the black‑pressing corpse horde, six huge tank mutants shook the earth.

Sniper rounds striking the tank's head armor only sputtered useless sparks; under artillery bombardment, people could only despairingly watch the terrifyingly armored tank merely slow its steps, crouch slightly, then emerge from the smoke.

Shells rained down, piercing the sky with a shrill whistle as they landed in the corpse horde.

Each barrage easily blew apart tens of meters of zombies, creating a temporary void.

The shockwave generated by the explosions swept everything away; shrapnel cleared the impact zone like a mower.

However, within the near‑million‑strong corpse tide, the blasted‑clear areas were instantly refilled.

Four hundred machine guns fired, their roaring flames forming metallic dragons that shot toward the sprinting zombies.

Severed limbs flew; zombies hit by machine‑gun bullets had their arms and legs easily swept away, then trampled into pulp by the horde behind them.

The leading edge of the corpse tide fell in swaths, yet it did not impede the tide's advance.

"Too many…"

"We can't kill them all… we can't kill them all!"

The machine‑gunner kneeling on the armored vehicle sounded choked with tears; the surrounding soldiers, faces wild, desperately pulled the triggers, trying to vent their fear.

The gun‑muzzle glowed red, piles of spent casings nearly burying his ankles.

It was useless.

Before the fearless zombies, humanity's once‑proud firepower net was useless.

The zombies were too fast; tens of thousands fell, but were instantly replaced by those behind.

Under desperate fire, they could not aim for the heads at all.

Most heavy weapons had been shifted to block the mutants; relying solely on machine guns could not stop the corpse tide's advance.

They had tried incendiary shells, but under them, the zombies whose flesh was burning only turned into even more terrifying human torches.

The carrier‑based aircraft had been launched too many times; lacking fuel and ammunition resupply, they had no other means to stop the corpse tide.

"Roar!!"

Several successive howls of the Lickers rang out; the Lickers speedily prowling the battlefield's flanks swiftly dodged the falling shells.

Gleaming metallic claws waved, easily cleaving the nearest armored vehicle in two.

The combatants inside, along with the metal, were directly sliced apart.

After breaking the firepower line, the mutants swept in like tigers among sheep, wantonly harvesting human lives.

The artillery shells dudded; the heavy artillery emplacements had no time to retreat.

Shattered limbs flew—this time they came from humans.

Wailing, screaming.

Even soldiers with steadfast minds could not overcome the terror of facing the monsters.

When the slowest tank approached the position, the collapse began.

Hordes of soldiers clutched their rifles in panicked flight; some simply dropped their weapons to run faster.

Without the firepower net, the dense corpse horde quickly devoured everything.

At the rear of the position, Colonel Luoen and the Chief of Staff shouted at each other, hoarse from strain.

As the strongest Awakened One in the surrounding theater and a member of the military, Luoen had surpassed any historical efficiency record and successfully seized supreme command.

"Colonel Luoen! We must use the tactical nuclear bomb now!"

"If we delay any longer, the entire corps will be destroyed!"

"The radiation dose from a small tactical nuclear bomb is minimal; the withdrawn soldiers just need to take extra iodine tablets!"

The Chief of Staff tore at his throat, repeatedly pounding the sand table before him.

It was not as imagined.

Modern weapons always suffer an inexplicable weakening when attacking zombies and mutants, their power diminished compared to before.

Moreover, many weapons developed against humans are actually ineffective against zombies.

For example, thermobaric weapons, which burn air with intense heat to create a vacuum, are useless against zombies.

Zombies do not need to breathe, nor do they fear neutron radiation from neutron bombs.

As for incendiary shells, not to mention phosphorus rounds—they merely add a damage bonus to zombies and mutants.

On the contrary, the blast and shrapnel from conventional weapons still work fairly well.

Luoen's face looked grim.

The plan to assault the city was his initiative.

Three days earlier, the special‑operations squad tasked with gathering intelligence had discovered a third‑rank spirit node within the city.

During this period, with the military's help, he had successfully hunted down large numbers of mutants.

We only need a few more Second Level Mutants and to locate the position of the Shockers to finish the mission.

"We must never use tactical nuclear bombs!"

"Get closer! Let the carrier-based aircraft launch another air strike, then I will lead the Awakened Ones unit to deal with these monsters!"

Luo En's tone left no room for doubt.

"Damn Doomsday System!"

Awakened Ones who want to hunt mutants to level up must inflict damage, and if they use technological weapons in the kill, the damage they inflict must be over 50%.

Unless it's a technological weapon issued by the system, killing mutants killed by artillery fire is pointless.

Luo En thought it through clearly.

Although the mutants breaking through the line exceeded his expectations, it conveniently consumes their strength.

Anyway, the troops at the front aren't his, so if they die, they die.

As long as I personally slay this exhausted group of monsters, I can successfully promote to Second Level.

Originally he wouldn't be so ruthless, after all, under the upcoming artillery barrage, not a single soldier entangled with the mutants could survive.

But since the system announcement was released, he realized he must speed up his upgrade.

The title of number one worldwide, plus rewards!

"In the apocalypse, everything is fake! As long as I'm strong, even if my troops are wiped out, I can recruit again!"

As for the Chief of Staff's proposal to retreat, or to use a small-yield tactical nuclear bomb to directly blast the mutants?

"What a joke—if they're blown up outright, what do I have left to upgrade with?"

Luo En looked impatiently at the Chief of Staff before him, thinking this ordinary person was too annoying.

"Luo En Colonel! This campaign is a disaster caused by your recklessness! We should have investigated clearly before acting again!"

"You, in order to establish a Safe Zone first..."

"Bang!"

Heads exploded, Luo En expressionlessly crushed the Chief of Staff's skull, and looked around.

"Keep dragging on, and the rear position will drive those deserters back."

"Hasn't General Lei En Si recently recruited a batch of Awakened Ones? Let them go first..."

Actually, in Luo En's view, the best way to block the corpse tide is not to exterminate them but to give them enough flesh...

At the rear of the battlefield, the legion responsible for suppressing suddenly opened fire, driving back the soldiers who wanted to flee.

"Why?!"

"Why do we have to go to our deaths! I am..."

A black shadow descended from the sky, and its huge foot trampled the desperate non-commissioned officer into a pulp.