Chapter 23: Uninvited Guest

Hangcheng Third Prison Shelter, underground Command Center.

The silent atmosphere at this moment made everyone present feel an overwhelming sense of oppression.

On the huge display screen, that giant beast over a hundred meters in length, together with the 'city' on its back and its master, was gradually moving out of the reconnaissance plane's view.

This is practically a moving fortress!

A middle-aged man seated at the side of the command table, wearing a black suit and with a sinister gaze, slowly uttered a few words.

He was the shelter's deputy director, Li Wei, in charge of logistics and internal security.

"Commander Zhang, did you see that?"

Li Wei's voice carried a hint of uncontrollable excitement,

"This is a movable shelter; the most important thing is that, given the terror of that giant beast, we need not worry about attacks from mutant beasts!"

"We must obtain it!"

He sprang to his feet and declared firmly,

"As long as we can control it, let alone a mere beast tide, we could even retake all of Hangcheng and establish a new order!"

"Deputy Director Li, please stay calm!"

Zhang Zhen Guo let out a low shout, a flicker of dissatisfaction flashing in his eyes,

"The situation is unclear; we know nothing of the other party's intentions or capabilities! Rash contact, once it triggers conflict, would lead to unimaginable consequences!"

"Consequences?"

Li Wei let out a cold laugh and retorted,

"The greatest consequence now is that we stand by and watch this heaven-sent opportunity slip away! You should know, such a good opportunity is fleeting!"

He looked around,

"Everyone, think about it! With this mobile fortress, we can take the offensive, wipe out those beast nests, and reclaim our homeland! We can reclaim farmland so food is no longer rationed! We can let our children live free of fear! This is the true responsibility to the hundred thousand survivors!"

Yeah, who would want to be trapped behind cold walls for a lifetime? Who doesn't long to rebuild their homeland?

Doctor Chen stood up and protested excitedly:

"But there are people up there! They can control the giant beast; they might become our friends!" Doctor Chen continued to argue his point.

"Friends?"

Li Wei snorted with laughter, as if hearing a huge joke,

"Doctor Chen, you are truly a naive scholar. In the apocalypse, the only truth is power! Whoever has strength dictates the rules! Those two people who can control this giant beast are the greatest destabilizing factor! Only by firmly grasping this power in the shelter—by keeping it in our own hands—is it truly safe!"

"You... you are engaging in banditry!"

"I am doing this to take responsibility for the future of the shelter's hundred thousand people!"

Li Wei spoke righteously and sternly.

"Enough!"

Zhang Zhen Guo slammed his hand on the table, ending the argument.

His heart was undergoing a clash between reason and desire.

Reason told him Doctor Chen was right, but as the supreme commander of a hundred thousand people, he found himself leaning toward Li Wei's cold yet realistic logic.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of struggle crossing his gaze.

"Order!"

Zhang Zhen Guo stood up, his voice icy and devoid of emotion.

"Night Blade Special Forces, assemble!"

"Target, Zone C-7, moving biological entity."

"Mission..."

He paused, then spoke each word clearly,

"Control the target personnel, seize control of the biological entity."

"Spare no... expense!"

As his order was issued, the red alarm lights in the underground Command Center began to spin silently.

Deep within the shelter, a heavy alloy gate slowly rose.

More than a dozen elite warriors clad in black exoskeleton armor and wielding the most advanced electromagnetic weapons stepped out of the shadows.

Each wore the latest model "Ghost" exoskeleton armor, its sleek black alloy hugging the body, with hydraulic joints emitting a faint hum.

They are the Night Blade, the shelter's supreme fighting force.

The team's leader, callsign "Gui Ying", is a tall, silent man.

Through his tactical goggles, he watched the final image fed from the Command Center, his voice cold as ice shards.

"Target confirmed. All units, move out."

No nonsense.

More than a dozen Night Blade members quickly boarded a specially modified armored vehicle with a silent engine and sped toward Lin Yue's location.

Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was oppressively tense.

On the screen, the massive form of Black Tortoise was replayed repeatedly, every detail magnified.

"Captain... is this thing... real or fake?"

A young team member with the callsign "Cai Niao" couldn't help but swallow, his throat a little dry,

"This size... is about to match an aircraft carrier. And we only have a dozen or so people..."

"Shut up."

Gui Ying didn't even turn his head, coldly uttering two words,

"Your job is to obey orders, not question them."

The rookie fell silent at once, but the shock and disbelief in his eyes could not be hidden.

Not only him; nearly every team member in the carriage felt the same thought welling up inside.

They are elites, warriors who have faced beast tides many times their own number and never retreated.

But the beast before them had utterly surpassed anything they could comprehend.

That isn't a creature—it's a legend!

Gui Ying's inner turmoil rose and fell as well, but his steady mind quickly suppressed those emotions.

No wonder he can be captain—his state of mind is something ordinary people can't match.

Gui Ying repeatedly analyzed the intelligence coming from the Command Center, his mind racing.

"Two targets, one young, one old, unarmed."

"The creature's back bears a makeshift structure, crude, likely of earth and stone."

"Thermal imaging shows the creature's energy response is extremely high, yet the two on its back have vital signs no different from ordinary people."

His finger traced the screen and finally settled on Lin Yue and Wang Gongtou.

"The breakthrough point lies with them."

Gui Ying silently judged.

No matter how strong the beast, it is still controlled by humans.

As long as they move fast enough to control those two before the beast reacts, the mission is half successful.

"All units, listen up."

Gui Ying's voice broke the silence,

"We'll reach the target area in five minutes. 'Hummingbird' and 'Gecko', you two use grappling hooks to infiltrate; your target is the elderly man."

"The rest of you, follow me in a feigned frontal assault to draw the youth and the beast's attention. Remember, the goal is to 'control', not to 'kill'! The move must be swift, fierce, and unexpected!"

"Yes!"

A uniform echo rang out through the carriage.

Meanwhile, on Black Tortoise's back,

Lin Yue and Wang Gongtou stood at the edge of the freshly seeded field, their faces alight with anticipation.

"Little Lin, when do you think our batch of potatoes will sprout?"

Wang Gongtou rubbed his hands, grinning ear to ear,

"Once we harvest them, I'll make you my specialty vinegar‑shredded potatoes!"

"That sounds great."

Lin Yue laughed in reply,

"But, Old Wang, just the two of us—this over‑500‑square‑meter plot will probably be too much for us to handle."

"Hey, people will show up."

Wang Gongtou gazed at the lifeless distant city, his eyes shining,

"As long as our mobile fortress is strong enough, this land can grow food—why worry about no one coming? Once the population grows, the city will truly come alive. But by then we must keep our eyes open and carefully vet everyone; we must never let those with ill intentions slip in."

As they chatted, Lin Yue's smile suddenly froze.

He felt a faint, elusive gaze from far away.

"At almost the same moment, Black Tortoise beneath him let out a deep, rumbling growl like distant thunder."

"Roar……"

"What's wrong?"

Wang Gongtou immediately sensed something amiss.

Lin Yue didn't answer; he whipped around and looked to the southeast.

He saw nothing.

But he knew Black Tortoise's perception could not be wrong.

Something is approaching.

And it comes with ill intent.

"Because Black Tortoise sensed a strong malice in the aura they emitted."