Chapter 38: Action

Dawn cast a pallid white over this death‑silent city.

Inside Xuanwu City, however, the scene was bustling with activity.

"Everyone, perk up! Xiao Hui, take stock of our supplies—especially food and water—and make a detailed record! And you, A Qiang, quickly sort these collected metal plates!"

Wang Gongtou was now buzzing with energy, shouting his commands in a loud voice.

The hardships of the apocalypse hadn't broken him, and on this moving city he had rediscovered the feeling of being human.

A Qiang and Xiao Hui had gone sleepless all night, yet showed no fatigue; instead they brimmed with the exhilaration of having survived, working swiftly as if they had endless energy.

To be alive, to have enough to eat, to have a safe place… in the apocalypse, this feeling is priceless.

Han Ya stood on the watchtower; although Black Tortoise's presence deterred mutant beasts within a few hundred meters, she still vigilantly scanned the surroundings.

Since Lin Yue appointed her as Public Security Officer, protecting this city has become her mission.

This was not only to repay Lin Yue's kindness in taking her in, but also to protect her only relative—Han Yu.

Not far away, the shelter's female medic had just finished changing Han Yu's bandages.

She approached Lin Yue and reported respectfully:

"Mr. Lin, the child's condition has stabilized; all vital signs are recovering. As long as nutrition keeps up, he should be up and about in no more than three days."

"Thanks, Doctor Xiao Xie."

Lin Yue nodded and shouted toward the watchtower:

"Han Ya, come down!"

Hearing the call, Han Ya immediately came down from the tower.

She first nodded and smiled gratefully at the female medic, then turned to Lin Yue and said respectfully:

"Mr. Lin!"

Lin Yue didn't beat around the bush, directly telling her Han Yu's condition.

"Mr. Lin, I…"

Upon learning that Han Yu's illness was already improving, Han Ya was so excited she didn't know what to say.

Lin Yue pointed to the female medic beside him and laughed:

"You should be thanking Doctor Xiao Xie instead!"

"No… no need! This is what I ought to do!"

The female medic blushed and hastily waved her hands.

Just then, Gui Ying arrived with his Night Blade Squad.

"Mr. Lin, we're ready and can set out at any moment."

Hearing this, everyone immediately composed themselves.

The smile on Lin Yue's face faded, and he spoke solemnly:

"Alright, let's move out."

At his command, the Night Blade Squad left the city and boarded their vehicles, while the whole of Xuanwu City began to move.

"Boom—rumble—rumble—"

Inside the Night Blade Special Forces' modified Humvee, the violent jolt tossed everyone sideways.

They clung desperately to the interior handholds, their faces showing uncontrollable shock.

"Good heavens…"

"Cai Niao" stared blankly out the window through the thick bullet‑proof glass.

Each step of Black Tortoise made the earth within a radius of several hundred meters tremble.

Along the way, the abandoned skyscrapers before it were as fragile as mud paste, easily crushed to powder.

"That we managed to survive before… was nothing short of a miracle."

Beside Gui Ying, the information analyst codenamed "Xue Zhe" muttered to himself.

He pushed up his tactical goggles, which had slipped from the jolt, and a flash of lingering fear crossed his eyes.

No one could answer his question.

These elite members of the Night Blade Squad, who had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, were now struck speechless by the colossal looming before them.

Their proud combat skills and tactical expertise seemed utterly insignificant and laughable in the face of such absolute power.

Gui Ying stared fixedly at Black Tortoise, suddenly understanding Commander Zhang's decision.

To oppose such an entity would be utter folly.

Only by cooperating at any cost is the wise course.

He drew a deep breath and issued an order to those inside the vehicle:

"Everyone! Heighten vigilance! Although we're assisting Mr. Lin in clearing out the spider nest this time, we must not lose face for the Night Blade!"

"Yes!"

Despite the shock, the Night Blade squad members were all elite and quickly adjusted their mindset.

The road to the New World Shopping Center cut across much of the district, and it was far from smooth sailing.

The tremendous noise and movement generated by Black Tortoise's motion roused countless mutant creatures lurking in the ruins.

"Report, Captain! Six high‑speed targets spotted at three o'clock! They're mutant hounds!"

Cai Niao's voice came over the comms.

In the distance, amid the ruins, six mutant hounds as big as lions, drool dripping from their jaws, charged at breakneck speed toward the convoy!

Their limbs were powerful; each push‑off left a deep claw mark in the cracked concrete, their speed nearly matching that of a fast‑driving car!

"All hands, prepare for battle! Target: mutant hounds! Open fire!"

Gui Ying issued the order calmly.

The firing ports on both sides of the convoy instantly opened, and the muzzles of electromagnetic rifles flashing with azure electric light protruded one after another.

However, at the very moment they were about to pull the trigger.

"Roar——"

A low growl issued from the mouth of the Black Tortoise ahead.

Immediately afterward, a scene that left everyone stunned occurred.

"Boom—"

Between the Humvee convoy and the hounds, the ground exploded without any warning.

A wall of earth several meters thick and over ten meters high, as if jerked out of the ground by an invisible giant hand, shot up from the earth.

Those mutant hounds charging at full speed had no time to react and slammed straight into it.

No, that was not a "collision".

At the moment the earth wall rose, it actually swung forward with a violent slap, defying common sense.

"Splurt—"

When the earth wall vanished, the ground was left with six puddles of bloody mud mixed with shattered bones and viscera.

The whole process flowed smoothly, reaching the utmost speed.

The Black Tortoise's advance didn't even have the slightest pause.

Inside the Humvee, a deathly silence prevailed.

All members of the Night Blade team kept their guns raised and aimed, frozen in place.

Their fingers rested on the triggers, yet they couldn't press them down.

"Captain… Captain… should we… still fire?"

The bitter voice of the "Rookie" sounded inside the vehicle.

Gui Ying slowly lowered the electromagnetic rifle in his hand.

His eyes, hidden behind his tactical goggles, stared fixedly at the Black Tortoise ahead.

Fire?

Fire what?

Aim at whom?

In that situation just now, they could hardly lock onto a target effectively, yet the Black Tortoise, while moving, effortlessly slaughtered the attacking enemies in an instant.

This style of combat has completely surpassed their understanding.

What is a "scavenger"?

This is what a scavenger is!

From now on, any mutant creature that dares to approach—whether speed-type hounds, thick-skinned mutant boars, or flying monsters with a wingspan over five meters swooping down from the shadows of high-rises—will meet only one end: death!

And the Black Tortoise, from start to finish, kept a steady pace, as if merely taking a leisurely post-meal stroll, swatting away a few annoying flies along the way.

The members of the Night Blade Special Forces Team went from initial tension and alertness, through mid-phase shock and horror, to finally becoming completely numb.

They silently put away their weapons, each like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, gazing blankly through the vehicle window at the colossal creature ahead.

"Captain, I feel… perhaps our mission this time isn't to fight."

Over the comms channel, the Scholar's self-mocking voice sounded.

"Then what are we here for?"

The Rookie asked instinctively.

"To be spectators,"

The Scholar sighed,

"To sightsee, to… refresh our worldview."

These words resonated with all the team members.

They felt like a group of soldiers shouldering rifles onto a battlefield, only to arrive and discover that the enemy wasn't just using cruise missiles, but also automatic targeting and precision guidance.

How are we supposed to play this?

Gui Ying listened to the team's discussion; under normal circumstances he would certainly have stopped them, but this time he did not.

Because he knew this was a process they had to go through—only by completely shattering their original cognition could they survive better in this apocalypse.

In Gui Ying's mind, a sudden absurd feeling arose.

Perhaps, in Lin Yue's eyes, their so‑called shelter's strongest combat force is no different in essence from those mutant hounds casually swatted to death.

That thought left him feeling a sense of suffocation.