Chapter 196 – Battle Line
The Sankar Arsenal covered a vast area, and it took the group of fifty people half an hour just to reach the south gate. During that time, Tu Ran quickly went over the information Xie Xu had sent her, gaining a rough understanding of the southern area of the Sankar Arsenal.
The Sankar Arsenal was divided into four zones, each responsible for different projects with varying production equipment, and therefore, the corresponding attack strategies also differed.
The southern zone, which Tu Ran was responsible for, primarily produced large armored vehicles, mechas, and fighter jets.
These machines were large, offering good concealment, making them ideal for hiding.
The eastern zone, overseen by Xie Hong, mainly produced various types of bombs. The production lines were filled with flammable and explosive materials. The initial explosion, which resulted in significant casualties, had occurred in the eastern zone.
The team responsible for the eastern zone had to be extremely cautious to avoid triggering a secondary explosion.
Xie Hong possessed the [Ice Freeze] ability, which allowed him to freeze anything he wished. This was likely one reason why he was assigned to the eastern zone.
The danger level in the eastern zone was very high.
In contrast, the southern zone was much safer.
When the group arrived at the large metal gate of the southern zone of the Sankar Arsenal, Tu Ran instructed the pioneers and guards following her, “Everyone, be mindful of the monsters’ sonic attacks. If you feel any discomfort, retreat immediately and only return once you’ve recovered.”
The group nodded in agreement.
“The research institute reported that the monsters use their throats to launch sonic attacks. If you can’t kill them outright, try to destroy their throats first to stop the sound waves from spreading.”
“Understood!”
Tu Ran nodded, having no further instructions for the moment.
In her earpiece, Xie Hong’s voice came through, “Are the three of you ready?”
“Ready,” Li Wenchuan responded first.
“Ready.” Tu Ran gripped her weapon tightly, turned around, and faced the gray-black metal gate, ready for battle.
“Mm.” Xie Xu’s voice was calm.
“Alright, get ready! Three, two, one, charge!”
Tu Ran kicked open the metal gate in front of her and charged in, leading the way.
The guards and pioneers behind her followed closely.
At the same time, the other three gates of the Sankar Arsenal were also thrown open.
Armed humans silently rushed in, dispersing methodically in search of the genetic monsters.
The genetic monsters slumbering inside the Sankar Arsenal were completely unaware.
“Bang! Bang, bang, bang!!”
Gunfire erupted one after another.
Genetic monsters, hidden in various corners, were startled awake and began to crawl out with a rustling sound.
They weren’t very large, about the height of an average adult human.
Their facial features hadn’t changed much either; they still resembled humans. The difference was that from their abdomens sprouted eight long, dark legs, similar to those of arthropods, replacing human limbs. They moved quickly on these eight legs, resembling human-faced spiders, only larger and more human-like.
Tu Ran hid inside the metal frame of a half-finished armored vehicle, aiming at the genetic monsters crawling out from the corners and firing at them.
After more than two hours of breeding, the number of these creatures had completely overwhelmed the humans who had entered the Sankar Arsenal.
They surged out from every corner like a tide, advancing towards the humans. As they moved forward, a layer of dark green moss-like plants rapidly grew across the ground, the metal floor emitting a “sizzling” sound.
The muzzle of Tu Ran’s machine gun sparked as she single-handedly held the tide of monsters at bay, keeping them ten meters away from the armored vehicle.
Behind her, the pioneers and guards popped up, quickly searching for higher ground to mount their weapons, delivering powerful firepower.
Gradually, a curved battle line, a hundred meters long, formed around Tu Ran as its center.
The genetic monsters were kept at a distance of seven or eight meters from the line, unable to take a single step closer.
The moss beneath their feet also ceased to spread forward, as if an invisible fire was scorching them, preventing any further advance. Faint black smoke began to rise from the ground.
The monsters’ defenses were not particularly strong; a single bullet could easily pierce them. If a critical point was hit, they would immediately collapse, covered by moss and quickly corroded into a puddle of black, sticky liquid.
The sound of gunfire echoed continuously throughout the Sankar Arsenal.
Layer after layer of monsters fell, only to be replaced by new waves, as if there was no end to them.
The sonic attacks emitted from their throats, concealed beneath the sound of gunfire, rapidly spread throughout the entire factory.
On the front lines, the pioneers and guards had already rotated through several shifts.
Following Tu Ran’s instructions, anyone who felt their consciousness slipping would immediately retreat, allowing the next person to take their place.
Outside the factory, they would recover for about ten minutes until their minds cleared, then return to replace someone else.
This cycle repeated itself dozens of times, with everything proceeding in an orderly fashion.
From start to finish, Tu Ran had never left her position.
She was completely unaffected by the sonic attacks.
Her seemingly insignificant superpower [Insensitive to Oil and Salt] now revealed its true value.
Clinging to the vehicle’s frame, she remained utterly focused, with her gaze fixed solely on the genetic monsters. Not a single bullet was wasted.
Like a perpetual motion machine, while others struggled with nausea and were forced to retreat from the front line, they would see her still calmly and steadily holding her position, and a sense of admiration would arise within them.
Thanks to everyone’s coordinated efforts, the defensive line remained unbroken.
Finally, nearly two hours later, more than half of the relentless waves of genetic monsters had been eliminated. The remaining ones, realizing that continuing to charge forward would lead to their demise, began to scatter, seeking cover to hide.
Soon, there wasn’t a single genetic monster left within the defensive line. All that remained was a thick layer of black, sticky liquid on the ground.
With no targets left in sight, Tu Ran snapped out of her intense focus.
“Cease fire,” she commanded.
Her voice transmitted through the earpieces of all the pioneers and guards in the southern zone.
The gunfire stopped immediately.
At that moment, the sound of gunfire from the distance became particularly clear, indicating that the battles in the other three zones were still ongoing.
Tu Ran jumped down from the top of the mecha, grabbing a wrench from the assembly line’s control station as she passed. She walked over to the pool of black liquid and casually tossed the wrench into it.
The wrench sank halfway and lay quietly without any noticeable changes.
She then cautiously extended her leg and stepped into the liquid.
Her combat boots pressed into the substance, which had a thick, viscous feel, as if she were stepping into two centimeters of engine oil.
The boots showed no signs of deterioration, and she felt no discomfort.
“It’s safe, you can proceed,” Tu Ran confirmed.
She took a few steps forward, both feet now fully submerged in the liquid.
The ground was somewhat slippery.
“Be careful of slipping. Split up, conduct a thorough search, and make sure not to miss a single one,” she ordered.
The group followed, stepping through the pool of liquid and beginning to spread out to search the area.
This slippery substance was the residue left after the genetic monsters’ bodies had been melted by the corrosive moss they produced. It was only present near the curved battle line; once they moved about ten meters away, the ground became clean again.
