Chapter 20: Arrival in Tianshan City

After escaping the danger, the armored vehicle began to slow down, and the convoy finally came to a halt five kilometers away from the Hell Tornado.

Even here, the terrifying hurricane could be felt; stones the size of washbasins were swept up and hurled toward the direction of the Hell Tornado.

However, this Hell Tornado appeared and disappeared just as quickly—within only three minutes, it dissipated visibly before their eyes.

Countless particles of earth and rock, swept into the air by the tornado, now fell like hailstones, relentlessly pounding down.

Though the convoy was already five kilometers away, it was still battered by these flying debris.

One armored vehicle was even struck by a massive boulder weighing over a hundred kilograms, causing Lin Xinghai to once again grasp the formidable power of nature.

Without the protection of the armored vehicle, even if not directly lifted by the tornado, such indiscriminate area attacks when the tornado dissipated would have been unbearable.

“Everyone, disembark and inspect the vehicles,” Roger ordered once the sand and rock assault ceased.

Lin Xinghai followed suit, noticing that others from the remaining vehicles had also dismounted—clearly, this was a standard procedure.

As for the armored vehicle itself, there was little to inspect. It was not mere sheet metal but constructed from high-strength alloy; ordinary stones, even those weighing over a hundred kilograms, could cause no real damage.

Even the two multifunctional off-road vehicles could withstand such attacks.

Thus, the primary focus was on two aspects.

First, the engine—after being pushed to the limit under such conditions, it required maintenance to avoid future malfunctions.

Second, the rocket thrusters. Lin Xinghai counted and found that the rear half of the armored vehicle housed as many as sixteen rocket thrusters.

No wonder this fifty-ton behemoth could accelerate within seconds to a speed that seemed ready to lift it off the ground.

Besides basic inspection, the most critical task was to replenish their energy supply.

These rocket thrusters did not use conventional fuel or nitrous oxide but relied on energy crystals.

Judging by the pained expression on Roger’s face, it was clear that these crystals were incredibly expensive.

“Is the energy crystal we’re looking for on this mission the same kind as these?” Lin Xinghai asked.

“Almost, but these are twice-compressed energy crystals, which are even more costly. Refilling the thrusters this time will cost about three thousand points,” Roger replied with a grimace.

Lin Xinghai was a bit taken aback. From what he knew, a typical first-class mercenary squad barely saved that many points after covering all expenses in a single mission.

After half an hour of maintenance, the convoy resumed its journey.

The rest of the trip passed without incident, and they soon entered the outskirts of Tianshan City.

What came into view were not dilapidated houses but vast stretches of ruins.

The great disaster had lasted twenty years; any surviving structures were a testament to their robust construction.

Meanwhile, the zombie detectors aboard the vehicles continued to sound alarms.

At first, only one or two zombies appeared on the sensors.

But as the convoy advanced, the number rapidly increased, soon surpassing ten, then twenty, and thirty.

Initially scattered, these zombies began to gather, attracted by the noise made by the convoy’s movement.

What shocked Lin Xinghai most was that nearly half of the red dots on the detector were dark red, indicating mid-level zombies.

This meant that the zombies here were an order of magnitude more dangerous than those outside.

Watching the ever-growing number of red dots on the detector, Lin Xinghai swallowed hard.

Deeper into the city, the situation could only worsen. Even the zombies currently detected were beyond what their first squad could handle.

Especially the mid-level ones; once they closed in, their lethality was formidable.

Fortunately, the Rift Sky Mercenary Group did not advance as before.

The two multifunctional off-road vehicles, which had been largely idle, now took the lead, driving side by side.

A mercenary had taken position atop one of the vehicles, manning a “heavy machine gun” that had been activated.

Saying the heavy machine gun was “activated” sounded odd, but it was true.

The barrels of the two heavy machine guns extended, and from the base upward, the entire weapon was bathed in a shimmering blue glow.

Whether illusion or not, Lin Xinghai felt electric sparks dancing at the muzzles.

The activated heavy machine guns looked far cooler and more imposing than before, almost unrecognizable as ordinary machine guns.

Of course, no one had claimed these were true heavy machine guns; it was simply Lin Xinghai’s first impression.

At that moment, Roger came over and began explaining the upcoming tactics.

“We’ll use the two electromagnetic railguns to form a crossfire. As long as we have enough energy and ammunition, even if a thousand zombies charge head-on, we can eliminate them swiftly.”

Lin Xinghai smiled bitterly to himself; clearly, his guess about the heavy machine guns was wishful thinking.

Roger was unaware of his thoughts and continued, “The second and third squads will provide support in the middle. Besides handling zombies on the flanks, they will also deal with any sudden threats.”

“Strictly speaking, it will be the Rift Sky and Frost Mech units handling that.”

As Roger spoke, two armored vehicles behind them overtook their position, settling into the middle of the convoy. Their rooftop hatches slowly opened.

Fang Tianhe and Shen Han—the two strongest fighters—had already entered their mech suits, standing by in a ready state, prepared to engage at a moment’s notice.

“So, our job is to cover the rear?” Lin Xinghai asked, watching as those who had been at the front now moved to the back. It felt a bit strange.

Adaptation aside, what frustrated him most was that with this tactic, they wouldn’t stop to gather energy crystals.

What about his Blood Qi power? He had planned to make a big score!

“Yeah, covering the rear is relatively easier. Consider it a chance to rest,” Roger said.

“Of course, you won’t really get to rest. With so many zombies as targets, this is an excellent shooting range. You need to seize the opportunity and improve your marksmanship as quickly as possible,” he added.