Chapter 156 - 110: Eliminating the Hidden Danger

Chapter 156: Chapter 110: Eliminating the Hidden Danger

Xu Mo immediately grabbed a high-intensity flashlight and peered through the observation port, carefully examining the area around Fortress C-07. He wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t looked, but the sight made him suck in a sharp breath.

Just in the vicinity of his fortress, over the course of half a day, six clearly evolved Level 1 mutated zombies had already gathered. Two of them were burly with mutated arms—Strength Types. The other four were relatively slender and moved with incredible speed, like phantoms gliding through the ruins—Agility Types.

’Six of them, and that’s just around my area...’ Xu Mo calculated quickly in his mind. ’If we assume an average of five to six Level 1 mutated creatures have spawned near each fortress, then in the area covered by all 144 fortresses, the number of new Level 1 mutated creatures could be over eight hundred, nearly nine hundred!’

This number was terrifying. Before this, the total number of mutated creatures that periodically appeared in the entire Red Star Industrial Zone was estimated to fluctuate around two or three hundred. And now, simply because of the minefield, the number of mutated creatures had multiplied several times over in a very short period.

According to the vaguely mentioned evolution ratios in the official data, although the specific probability of evolving from Level 1 to Level 2 was unclear, even if Xu Mo used a conservative 1000:1 ratio for his calculation, there was a theoretical possibility that a Level 2 zombie could emerge in this area.

’Good thing I discovered this early and reported it in time...’ Xu Mo felt a wave of fear in hindsight. If he had been just a few days later, after these newly spawned mutated creatures had gone through a few rounds of devouring one another, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Xu Mo carefully scanned every corner of his field of vision but found no signs of any suspected Level 2 zombies. On the walkie-talkie channel, the other Observers were also nervously reporting the number of mutated creatures in their respective zones, and none of them reported spotting any targets that were more threatening or beyond what they knew.

It seemed the requirements for a Level 2 zombie to emerge were indeed more stringent, or perhaps they required a longer "digestion" period.

Just then, the roar of the minesweeping vehicle grew closer, becoming clearly audible. Xu Mo saw a heavy vehicle with a rugged appearance, an extremely high chassis, and a massive roller-style mine plow mounted on the front. Like a steel behemoth, it slowly advanced toward Fortress C-07 along a relatively flat path through the ruins.

Its heavy rollers crushed the ground, continuously triggering the buried landmines and setting off a series of deafening explosions. Flashes of fire constantly erupted in front of the vehicle, yet its thick armor remained unscathed as it resolutely pushed forward.

Following behind the minesweeper was a squad of about ten people. They wore matching dark combat uniforms with special insignia and were well-equipped. Their movements exuded an air of competence and coordination.

’So this is a Superpower User squad?’ Xu Mo watched with rapt attention.

The immense noise and explosions created by the minesweeper acted like a magnet, drawing in all the surrounding zombies. Roars echoed from all directions as large numbers of common zombies and the six newly spawned Level 1 mutated creatures swarmed madly toward the source of the sound, like sharks that had caught the scent of blood.

Facing the onrushing zombie horde, the members of the Superpower User squad reacted with incredible speed and practiced coordination.

At the very front of the team, two burly members took a sudden step forward. A faint, grayish-white, rock-like sheen appeared on one man’s body, while the other glinted with a cold, metallic light. Like indestructible boulders, they directly met the charge of the two Strength Zombies at the head of the pack! Wielding specially-made heavy battle blades or great-axes, they began to brazenly hack away.

The clang of metal and the CRACK of shattering bone rang out almost simultaneously. The two Strength Zombies were stopped dead in their tracks, even forced to retreat under the furious assault.

On the flanks, several squad members armed with suppressor-equipped precision rifles calmly picked their targets. Their aim was impeccable, with nearly every shot resulting in a headshot, efficiently clearing out the common zombies mixed in the horde and the Agile Zombies trying to circle around.

What surprised Xu Mo even more was a squad member in the middle of the formation who was wielding a longbow. It was archaic in design, yet crimson patterns seemed to flow across its surface.

He drew the bow and nocked an arrow, which spontaneously ignited with scorching flames. With a SWOOSH, the flaming arrow shot from the bowstring and precisely struck an Agile Zombie that had just darted out from the side. It instantly engulfed the creature in a fireball, which let out a blood-curdling shriek.

But he didn’t stop there. He fired more flaming arrows at the corpses of zombies killed by the minesweeper or his teammates. Raging flames immediately erupted, quickly incinerating the bodies and completely eliminating any chance of them being devoured by other zombies.

Xu Mo also saw another Superpower User press his hands toward the ground, and the earth in an area ahead seemed to turn into a muddy quagmire, greatly slowing the zombies’ charge.

This Superpower User squad’s combat discipline was calm and efficient, possessing an almost indescribable rhythm.

Common zombies were like chaff before them, cut down with ease. While the few new Level 1 mutated creatures caused some trouble, they were quickly dispatched and incinerated one by one thanks to the squad’s seamless teamwork and formidable individual strength. During the whole process, a few zombies even had the misfortune of triggering uncleared landmines on their way, getting blown to smithereens.

Just as the battle was winding down and the squad members began clearing out the last few scattered zombies, the archer with the flaming longbow seemed to sense something. He suddenly looked up, his gaze locking precisely onto the observation port of Fortress C-07, where Xu Mo was.

Despite the great distance, Xu Mo clearly felt as if the man’s gaze had pierced through all obstacles to meet his own.

A faint, friendly expression seemed to cross the squad member’s face, and he gave a slight nod in the direction of the fortress.

Xu Mo’s heart stirred, and he subconsciously nodded in return.

The minesweeper continued its roaring advance, triggering and clearing the landmines around Fortress C-07 one by one. After thoroughly clearing the area of zombies and incinerating all the corpses, the Superpower User squad didn’t linger, nor did they attempt to communicate with Xu Mo inside the fortress.

Xu Mo vaguely saw someone who looked like the leader take out a tablet-like device and record something on it. He seemed to make a checkmark before waving his hand. The squad quickly regrouped and followed the minesweeper, moving swiftly toward the next designated cleanup area.

From their arrival to completing the mine clearance and cleanup, the entire process took less than an hour. Their efficiency was astounding.

Xu Mo silently assessed the power displayed by the Superpower Users he had just witnessed. Those members whose bodies took on a rock-like or metallic sheen were clearly Enhancement System Superpower Users; their strength and defense were vastly improved. ’But they have guns, so why did they engage in melee with the Strength Zombies? They obviously could have used large-caliber firearms to take them out from a distance.’ This was something Xu Mo didn’t quite understand.

’So these are Superpower Users...’ Xu Mo mused. The diverse abilities and skilled teamwork they displayed truly far surpassed that of ordinary combatants and most survivors. They were a true elite force.

Of course, while there were some aspects of their combat style that Xu Mo didn’t quite understand, he chose to respect their methods.

At this thought, Xu Mo recalled the heavily injured Superpower User squad he had seen return earlier. His gaze once again turned toward the deep, mysterious ruins in the distance—a place that even Jiang City found difficult to handle.

’If even a Superpower User squad like that could be so heavily wounded in there, what kind of horrors are hiding in the depths of those ruins?’

The walkie-talkie crackled with the excited reports of other fortress Observers, saying that the Superpower User squad had quickly cleared the hidden dangers around them and were heading to the next area.

Hearing this, Xu Mo also picked up his walkie-talkie to report that the problems in his area had also been completely cleared by the Superpower User squad.

A relaxed atmosphere returned to the walkie-talkie channel. It was clear that everyone was very impressed with Jiang City’s rapid response and the strength of the Superpower Users.