Chapter 538: Caliber Lighthouse

Dong! Dong!

I don't know why, but the heavy thud of Sui Yang's feet landing was exceptionally clear in this area.

All personnel, including that man and woman, noticed and heard the commotion coming from the low building.

Ri———Stop!!

At that moment, a plasma bolt emitting a brilliant blue light shot from that low building, arcing across the sky and striking a snake-dog that had just leapt up, trying to pounce on a transport vehicle…

Pff!!!

The snake-dog hadn't even achieved its goal before being directly 'vaporized' by the plasma bolt.

The plasma bolt's force didn't diminish, and it also vaporized another snake-dog running on the ground, one of the particularly unlucky ones.

Immediately after, the plasma bolt that had contacted the ground exploded violently, spewing plasma at over a hundred million degrees within a six-meter radius, inflicting severe splash damage on the snake-dog pack.

Dong, dong!

At this moment, the figure that had jumped down from the low building's roof began sprinting toward the defensive line formed by soldiers and porters, as well as the convoy.

Swish! Swish!

Right after that came the loud, distinctive report of the burst-arrow gun.

Pff! Pff!

Snake-dogs exploded one after another, with no time to react or take emergency measures.

And the running 'giant,' namely Sui Yang, used reaction speed and precision beyond mortal comprehension to pick off the snake-dogs that posed the greatest threat to his comrades.

As for Sui Yue, who remained atop the low building, he provided cover, bombarding the angles Sui Yang couldn't immediately attend to.

In just the span of three breaths, Sui Yang had emptied his first magazine and then charged into the defensive line of his surviving compatriots.

But after swapping in a fresh magazine and reclaiming the empty one, he didn't repeat the equivalent of turning his aim-assist all the way up to 100%; instead, he continued aiming and picking off the surrounding snake-dogs.

Sui Yang first attached his burst-arrow rifle to the magnetic mount on his right leg armor (even the simple armor had magnetic mounts), then he swung his arms out to the sides…

Clang! Clang!

The double-edged wrist blades strapped to his forearms instantly unfurled, flashing with a cold light, their surfaces pristine white, each about a meter long.

!!

Suddenly!

A snake-dog that had miraculously survived the burst-arrow barrage immediately leapt into the air, thrusting its snake head forward, opening its massive maw, and lunging at Sui Yang's position.

But…

Pff! Hiss! Hiss!

The next second, that snake-dog was already sliced into several segments, like pieces of live sushi scattered across the sand, some parts still twitching.

As for Sui Yang, the creator of this 'dish,' he didn't even glance back, charging like a gale into the final mass of snake-dogs…

Pff! Pff!

Blood spattered.

Body parts flew sideways.

In just a few seconds, the last cluster of snake-dogs endured a bloody 'meat' rain, with not a single one left intact on the ground.

And the instigator, Sui Yang, stood in the center of the corpse pile, again swinging his arms to shake off the blood on the blades, which then regained a faint cold gleam before he nonchalantly retracted them.

…

At this moment.

The man and woman who had been facing life-or-death, along with the soldiers and porters in the position, involuntarily froze on the spot, their mouths slightly agape and eyes wide open.

Just now…

What on earth just happened?!!

The attacking snake-dogs couldn't be said to number in the hundreds, but there were still over a hundred of them; even using thirty heavy exoskeletons (heavy mechanical exoskeletons) couldn't easily dispose of them, let alone complete a mop-up operation within a minute.

Yet the three-meter-tall giant before them managed to do just that…

Could he be a mutant? Not human?

Some officers, upon thinking this, immediately sobered their surprise, switched ammunition for their weapons, and stayed on guard.

Holy shit…! That's insanely awesome!

Hahaha! I survived! I survived!

But the porters, who lacked much military training, after reacting, cheered for their survival and lavished praise on the giant's combat prowess.

Dong! Dong!

At this moment, another round of heavy footsteps came from the direction of the low building, drawing the attention of almost everyone.

It was another giant responsible for long-range bombardment, and likewise, after just a few breaths, he passed by the position and convoy, joining up with the giant who had 'torn apart' snake-dogs.

Alright, everybody shut up!

Hurry up and move the supplies onto the vehicles! Stop dawdling! If the snake-dogs revive, you'll regret it!

And the few officers who had fully recovered and remained vigilant immediately shouted at the porters.

?

Upon hearing that reprimand, the exceptionally hearing-sensitive Astate Sui Yang and Sui Yue instantly furrowed their brows, but soon returned to normal.

Although the soldiers' attitude was 'stern,' it's understandable.

After all, though they appear tall and mighty with extraordinary knowledge and intuition, they are still just eighteen-year-old new recruits who have just come of age.

Therefore, before becoming compatible with the G-gland, they had played and watched apocalypse-themed games and comics.

The fact that these soldiers of the survivors are organized and disciplined, and do not deliberately scold or yell at the porters, is already quite good.

Mind your attitude.

At that very moment, the man who stood at least 1.9 meters tall and equally sturdy, along with the woman with silver short hair, came up to the convoy and admonished the officers who had been shouting at the porters:

Dust civilians are people too; we all fought together, comrades who have undergone life and death. Moreover, these snake dogs' bodies are severely damaged and will not heal quickly in a short time, but do not relax your vigilance too much.

Yes! Captain Mark!

Whether soldiers or so-called dust civilian porters, they all showed extra respect to the captain named Mark.

At the same time, hearing such advice, Sui Yang and Sui Yue not far away gained a bit of respect for Captain Mark.

Just looking at the surface, the other's personal charm is not bad; he is indeed a qualified captain.

As for the snake dogs being able to heal and regenerate…

The twin brothers Sui Yang and Sui Yue did not exchange much talk, and turned their attention to the surrounding snake dog corpses.

After merely glancing a few times, the brothers discovered spindle-shaped crystals flashing a faint blue light hidden among the corpses.

Before they could act, Captain Mark led the silver-haired woman and several subordinates who looked like high-ranking officers to a point not far in front of them.

Wow… so tall… so majestic…

A female officer with pink short hair, relatively small in stature and build, looked up at Sui Yang and Sui Yue and couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Shh…!

Another veteran with a back‑combed hairstyle and a rugged beard was terrified, quickly patted the pink‑haired woman on the back, and whispered a reprimand:

Keep it down—do you want to provoke them?!

Eh…

But the pink‑haired woman didn't mind, stuck out her tongue at the veteran, made a face, as if her female intuition told her the situation wasn't that dire.

Thank you for your help.

As for Mark, he didn't overreact to the Astate's terrifying height, calmly extended his right hand to show gratitude, glanced at the pink‑haired woman and the veteran behind him, and said:

I am the captain of the Wasteland Hunter Squad, Mark. Please excuse their rude behavior, but your height, skills, and weapons far exceed what we can comprehend; I don't know if you can understand my words, and also, what are you……?

Sui Yang.

Sui Yang also extended his right hand to shake Mark's, released his grip, and glanced at his brother beside him.

He is Sui Yue, and we are brothers, as well as preparatory reserve recruits of the Human Empire's Assault Legion; as for the earlier assistance, it was purely help offered as fellow countrymen, no thanks needed.

Seeing that both sides could communicate normally, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

However…

What are the Human Empire and the Assault Legion?

The silver‑haired woman, the pink‑haired woman, the veteran, and the high‑ranking officers gathered here all stared blankly, obviously unable to understand the two Astate's words.

As captain, Mark remained as calm as ever, but his eyes revealed a hint of confusion.

Seeing this.

Sui Yang didn't continue explaining, turned his head to look at the nearest crystal, and said in a low voice: "Everyone, now is not the time for idle chat; the danger has not been eliminated."

Saying that, Sui Yang walked over to that crystal, then lifted his right foot and stepped on it without hesitation.

Crack!! a clear sound.

The crystal exposed outside the snake dog's body, emitting a faint blue light, was crushed by Sui Yang into powder.

Sizzle…

Moreover, the snake dog's body corresponding to the crystal began to rapidly rot and decay from its original state, emitting a sound like strong acid corrosion and oozing foul-smelling liquid.

Within seconds, this snake dog, sliced into 'sushi' by Sui Yang and then having its core crushed by his stomp, turned into a puddle of foul-smelling liquid and white skeletal remains.

During this time, Sui Yue was not idle, stepping on each glowing crystal suspected to be the snake dog's life core one by one.

As for the snake dogs that were hit by the plasma cannon regiment upon arrival and had already been 'vaporized' in previous battles, they were without exception completely dead.

Not even a trace remained; what could they use to heal and regenerate??

You should know that among the many principles the Astate believe in, there is one: "When your opponent claims to be immortal, it means your weapon's caliber is not large enough."

75 cal won't do?

Then switch to 1.0 cal, 100 mm, 400 mm, 1200 mm—no upper limit.

Anyway, there will always be a suitable one for those who claim to be immortal.

If that still doesn't work, they still have their father and the plague doctor.

Of course, now Sui Yang and Sui Yue, limited by weapon types and ammunition, cannot fire at will and must observe details to deal with those so‑called immortals.

Whoa? Can snake dogs be killed?

Seeing the snake dogs completely killed under the operation of the two Astate, the veteran couldn't help but raise a hand to his head and exclaim.

Their weapons have large calibers, capable of blasting the snake dogs into mush, whereas our weapons cannot.

At this moment, a female sniper wearing a mask and with purple short hair gave an explanation in a cold tone.

Put simply… we just couldn't blast the snake dogs to pieces, huh. said the pink‑haired woman.

Hmm. the purple‑haired woman nodded lightly.

Time to work. Mark drew his exclusive pistol from his holster, walked toward a crystal while ordering: "Destroy these crystals, then take a sample back for Dr. Kari to study."

Yes! Captain!

All the Wasteland Hunters immediately launched destruction operations on the remaining crystals, while the meticulous purple‑haired woman took a sealed container from an off‑road vehicle and was responsible for collecting the fragments of those crystal chunks.

Soon.

The surrounding snake dogs were completely wiped out by Sui Yang, Sui Yue, Mark and the other Wasteland Hunters; even those that had begun to regenerate, after experiencing another beating by the Astate, found their cores equally unable to survive.

After the immediate danger was resolved.

Mark invited Sui Yang and Sui Yue to follow them back to base; the brothers naturally had no objection.

After the convoy left the colonist ship wreck, gradually moved away from the town, and drove into a flat desert, those riding in the trucks and off‑road vehicles were finally able to relax their guard somewhat and enjoy the afternoon sun and breeze.

Some porters with poorer psychological resilience hugged each other and cried loudly, while some Wasteland Hunter soldiers, holding weapons that weren't theirs, felt a quiet sorrow.

There was joy and sorrow.

Even after securing a victory unprecedented since the founding of the Hunt Wastelanders, it was unavoidable that nearly one-fifth of the members died or were sacrificed.

However, Sui Yang and Sui Yue, who shared a truck with Mark and the others, did not show excessive emotion; instead, they asked Mark and the others what had happened to this Earth, how humanity currently stood, and to which faction the Hunt Wastelanders Squad belonged.

Actually, Mark also wanted to know information about Sui Yang, Sui Yue, as well as the Human Empire and the Assault Breakers Legion.

However, considering that these two giants were benefactors who had extended aid, Mark chose to first provide clarification.

Next.

Through Mark's account, Sui Yang and Sui Yue came to understand that, if calculated according to the old societal calendar, the present time should be some year after 2100.

The reason it cannot be determined is that around 2048 was a turning point.

Before 2048, humans were still engaged in their "old trade"—that is, large-scale mutual slaughter, which escalated into a state of war.

A civil war lasting over ten years rapidly deteriorated the surface environment, but the most lethal factor was that the terrestrial anomaly persisted for decades, longer than the war itself.

In 2048, the base to which Mark and the Hunt Wastelanders Squad belonged, formerly an experimental airborne prison, was renamed the Lighthouse.

Thereafter, no specific descriptions of years in the 20xx format were given; Mark and the others only knew that at some point after 2048, the Lighthouse discarded the old societal calendar and adopted the "Lighthouse Year One".

Starting from year one, the Lighthouse gradually took in surface-dwelling human survivors.

In Lighthouse Year Five, massive numbers of Devouring Extreme Beasts emerged from underground, that is, abnormal creatures like snake-dogs.

This caused humanity's living space on the surface to rapidly compress and shrink until it disappeared.

In Lighthouse Year Eleven, the last human stronghold on the surface fell, and the Lighthouse determined that no area of the surface remained suitable for human habitation.

Until now…

Lighthouse Year Fifty-One.

"…"

After hearing Mark's account, Sui Yang and Sui Yue fell into silence.

Airborne Prison.

Lighthouse.

Devouring Extreme Beast.

Based on this information, the two brothers were still insufficient to analyze the full picture of this Earth.

"Look! The Lighthouse!"

"Hahaha, we're finally home!"

At that very moment, the previously silent convoy began to grow noisy.

(End of Chapter)