Chapter 52

The cold diesel engine emitted a low rumble as two heavily modified military armored vehicles left tracks in the dead silent ruins.

One vehicle for the Night Blade and Black Feather squads, and another for Han Ya and his team.

Inside this vehicle's cabin, Han Ya and his team no longer felt the earlier excitement; instead, they were filled with tension and fear of the unknown.

After all, they were ordinary people before the apocalypse, unlike Gui Ying and his team who were soldiers; even though they held thermal weapons, they still involuntarily felt tension and fear when facing the mutant beasts.

"Don't... don't be nervous! With Black Tortoise here, what's there to fear!"

A Qiang took a deep breath, trying to say something to calm himself, but his hands gripping the 95-type rifle slipped a little from nervousness and sweat.

However, his words considerably eased the tension among those inside the cabin.

Especially when they saw Black Tortoise's massive silhouette through the narrow observation window at the rear of the vehicle, the effect was even stronger.

Although they had never personally witnessed Black Tortoise in action, its huge size alone was enough.

Moreover, they were rescued from the rotting corpse spider nest by Black Tortoise; if it weren't strong enough, how could it have saved them?!

"Check the communication channels and report your status."

At that moment, Han Ya's clear, cold voice came through the tactical earpieces inside their helmets, reaching everyone's ears clearly.

"Position one, normal."

"Position two, normal."

"Position three... I... I kind of need to pee..."

A voice with a hint of tears sounded, drawing a round of low laughter, and the tense atmosphere instantly dissipated.

Han Ya did not blame him, merely saying lightly:

"Hold it in. After the battle ends, I'll grant you half a day off so you can pee your fill."

Upon hearing that, everyone burst out laughing, and Han Ya couldn't help laughing either.

That person could only blush and look at the others.

The convoy continued forward.

The massive, silent outline of the western city granary grew clearer on the horizon.

It was a huge complex built of gray concrete, with scattered abandoned vehicles reduced to skeletons and some long-dried, blackened human remains on the surrounding open ground.

The air was filled with the moldy stench of rotting grain, mixed with a faint, foul odor that made one want to vomit.

"Everyone, pay attention—we have entered the target area."

Han Ya's voice sounded again, this time with a hint of solemnity.

"From now on, work in pairs, alternate covering each other, and watch every corner around you!"

"Yes!"

Inside the cabin, a uniform echo rang out along with the "click" of bolts being pulled.

At the same time, Night Blade squad leader Gui Ying and Black Feather squad leader Wu Ya were sharing, via the tactical tablets in their respective vehicles, the real-time footage from high-altitude drones and the vital-signs monitoring of all members of Han Ya's team.

"A bunch of greenhorns, their heart rates all spiked past 120."

Wu Ya stared at the fluctuating heart‑rate curves on the screen, the corner of his mouth curling in a disdainful sneer, his voice hoarse as metal scraping.

Gui Ying said nothing, merely staring silently at the screen.

But his gaze lingered more on Han Ya's heart‑rate line, which was steady to an almost abnormal degree.

This woman... is not simple.

"Squeak—"

A piercing screech of brakes sounded, and the convoy came to a halt about two hundred meters from the granary gate.

"Dismount, establish a preliminary line! Recon team, advance and scout!"

Han Ya was the first to jump out of the cabin, calmly issuing orders.

Twenty team members quickly dispersed, relying on the three armored vehicles to form a standard circular defensive formation.

The two most agile members crouched low, moving like two civet cats, silently slipping toward the granary.

Everything proceeded in an orderly, well‑organized manner.

Wu Ya watched this scene, the contempt in his eyes easing slightly, replaced by a hint of surprise.

"Heh, I didn't expect these rookies to have such decent tactical skill. That female commander is a talent."

However, his words had just fallen.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Several black shadows shot out without warning from an inconspicuous drainage pipe on the side of the granary, lunging straight at the two members who were advancing to scout.

They were iron‑toothed giant rats!

Their bodies were not large, only the size of a house cat, but their speed was astonishing, leaving multiple afterimages in the air!

"Watch out!"

Someone on the rear position cried out in surprise and instinctively raised his gun to fire.

But the reaction of those two scouts was faster than he imagined!

One of them suddenly dove sideways, rolling to evade the attack while swinging his rifle around and firing an extremely precise three‑round burst!

"Rat‑tat‑tat!"

The muzzle spat flames; three bullets almost simultaneously struck the heads of those iron‑toothed giant rats with pinpoint accuracy!

"Pfft!"

Blood blossomed; the few attacking monsters didn't even get a chance to scream before they slammed to the ground, twitched twice, and lay still.

The whole process was smooth and clean, neat and efficient.

"Well done!"

Behind the position, a suppressed cheer burst out.

On Han Ya's face, a hint of approval also appeared.

However, before she could even feel happy, a strong sense of danger suddenly welled up from her heart.

"Wrong!"

She jerked her head up, staring at the pitch-black granary doors.

Almost at the same moment, the two massive steel-plate gates actually slid slowly open to either side with a grating "creak" that made one's teeth ache.

Countless pairs of scarlet-glowing eyes lit up in that darkness!

"Shhhhh..."

The next instant, a scalp‑tingling dense scraping sound rose, and the owners of those pairs of flashing scarlet eyes surged out from inside the door like a tide!

"All units, attention! Prepare to meet the enemy!"

Han Ya's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints; those monsters were precisely iron‑toothed giant rats.

"Open fire!!!"

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat——!!!"

Twenty 95-type automatic rifles simultaneously spat angry tongues of fire; the dense hail of bullets turned the iron‑toothed giant rats at the front into a honeycomb.

Green blood and shredded flesh sprayed everywhere, yet this gruesome sight not only failed to check the rat tide in the slightest, it utterly ignited their innate ferocity! The iron‑toothed giant rats behind, unafraid of death, trampled on their companions' sticky corpses and kept coming forward in waves, their scarlet eyes burning with the most primal craving for flesh.

"Boom!"

"Boom—rumble!"

On the left and right flanks, the vehicle‑mounted heavy machine guns and grenade launchers of the Night Blade and Black Feather squads also opened fire simultaneously.

Each blast could clear a large gap in the rat tide, but in the blink of an eye that gap would be filled by yet more iron‑toothed giant rats from behind, as if endless.