Chapter 407 - 75: Are You Looking for Me?

"This Beast Tide is a bit on the large side."

"Tell me about it. I heard the temporary fortifications are taking heavy losses. They sent another legion over yesterday to reinforce them."

"Good thing we’re in the rear."

A towering, gray-black wall stood like a giant, stretching between the buffer zone and the city perimeter.

The interior of the wall, studded with firing ports and cannon muzzles, was a world unto itself. It was like a massive bunker and fortress, large enough to house tens of thousands of people on rotating shifts. From time to time, men could be heard discussing the recent Beast Tide, their voices laced with worry.

「At this very moment.」

Near the sluice gate area on a tributary of the Red River, a City Guard Army unit of over a hundred men guarded the area from within the high wall and its surrounding watchtowers.

The radar system was active around the clock. A dedicated operator stood guard, eyes glued to the detection readings on the monitor.

On the watchtower’s observation deck, someone gazed out beyond the high wall. They saw the buffer zone, a stretch of land dotted with concrete sheds, and in the far distance, a horizon cordoned off by barbed wire.

Tanks, armored vehicles, transport trucks...

Billowing clouds of dust and smoke rose from the area beyond the barbed wire—the location of the City Guard Army’s temporary fortifications.

Steel walls, driven deep into the bedrock, blocked the harsh winds and dust. The intermittent rumble of artillery fire would sound out, sending fiery shells streaking across the sky like meteors before slamming into the earth.

Beast Kings, possessing a degree of intelligence, knew how formidable Superpower-Level experts and human missiles were, so they rarely ventured near the city perimeter.

But that couldn’t stop the relentless Beast Tides. Groups of Mutant Beasts would constantly appear, instinctively drawn toward the city perimeter.

As a result, even the City Guard Army was feeling the strain.

Although the soldiers patrolling the watchtowers and the fortress wall were in a relatively safer position, spared from the dangers of the front lines, they still harbored private concerns.

"I wonder when this Beast Tide will finally end."

The nearly one hundred City Guard Army soldiers on duty had somber expressions. While remaining vigilant of the situation outside, they also kept a close watch on the river’s surface near the sluice gates.

The waves lapped gently. There was no sign of anything unusual.

Aquatic Mutant Beasts did appear from time to time, but they were quickly gunned down.

Seeing this, the Superpower Commander in charge, a bearded man in a camouflage uniform, nodded.

’Good.’

This assignment was far better than duty at the temporary fortifications.

The risk level was much lower, and the duty was more relaxed. He didn’t have to be on edge every single moment, worried about a surprise attack.

’That’s true. The main army is holding the front line, and they’ve set up a temporary fortress in the water as well.’

’There’s basically no way a Beast Tide could show up here...’

BOOM!!

Suddenly, a tremendous crash echoed from within the city perimeter.

The bearded Superpower Commander froze for a second, then turned to look.

He saw a figure near the port stomp the ground and launch into the air, crashing into the river like a meteor.

A huge SPLASH erupted, and a moment later, crimson surfaced, dyeing the river water red.

"What is..."

He wasn’t the only one to see this from a distance. Some of the City Guard Army soldiers in the watchtowers and the fortress wall also noticed something was wrong, their brows furrowing in concentration.

Gao Hu, Yang Heng, and the other Superpower Bureau members patrolling the port were also stunned for a moment. Then they saw the river churn and roil, before a gap several meters wide suddenly exploded into existence on its surface.

"It’s a Beast Tide!!"

BOOM!!

The brown Qi Flame solidified like armor, vaporizing the surrounding water.

Lu Chao charged to the front, obliterating several two-meter-long Tiger-Fish Mutant Beasts with his powerful punches.

Blood spattered across the river’s surface. Shattered scales and chunks of flesh flew meters into the air before plunging back into the water.

As the alarm cries echoed, Gao Hu, Yang Heng, and the others stared wide-eyed, snapping out of their shock. The nearby City Guard Army soldiers also began to react, their eyes filled with alarm as they finally realized what was happening.

"Damn it, it’s a Beast Tide!"

"Open fire!"

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!

As if by reflex, the men on both banks of the river quickly aimed at the water and opened fire.

At the same time, the bearded Superpower Commander inside the fortress wall also snapped back to reality. He had noticed something amiss on the choppy surface of the river.

Bubbles periodically rose to the surface, and dark shapes could be faintly seen moving along the riverbed.

"Damn it!"

He swore under his breath and looked at his men.

The fortress’s internal radar was still running, but it showed no anomalies whatsoever.

At this, he knew something was very wrong; he could smell danger in the air.

"Open fire!"

"Everyone, to your battle stations! Now!"

The bearded man roared. The men in the watchtowers and the fortress wall suppressed their shock and restrained their panic, pulling their triggers one after another and spraying fire across the river.

THWAP-THWAP-THWAP-THWAP.

Machine gun bullets pierced the water, striking at the aquatic Mutant Beasts below. In addition, torpedo tubes hidden near the sluice gates on the riverbed were activated, launching a barrage of torpedoes to bombard the area.

「At the same time.」

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Lu Chao became a human war machine on the water. Clad in his brown, rock-like Qi Flame armor, he stood on the river’s surface, unleashing a continuous flurry of punches and kicks.

Aquatic Mutant Beasts were annihilated one after another with single blows, exploding into nothing but gore.

He moved against the flow of the Beast Tide, heading toward the high wall, carving a wedge-shaped path through the horde like a sharp blade.

Mutant Beasts of all colors—blue, green, black, and gray—charged from beyond the wall. He could hear the explosions of the torpedoes, but even they weren’t enough to completely halt the spread of the Beast Tide.

A five-meter-long Horned-Croc Mutant Beast, on par with the Elite Level, appeared. Its scales were as tough as steel; even bullets couldn’t pierce its hide.

With a swing of its massive tail, the beast’s entire body accelerated through the water, charging forward like a black warship.

Halfway there, its cavernous maw opened wide, aiming to snap Lu Chao in two.

Bullets PINGED off its hide, creating sparks. Watching from the shore, Gao Hu and the others felt their hearts pound with a mix of shock and anxiety.

But in the next instant—

BAM!!

A muffled explosion erupted.

Scales mixed with blood shot out in all directions, hitting the water with a series of SPLATS and sending up splashes.