Free Web NovelChapter 425: Chapter 423: Counterattack
Staring at the ten Tier Three "Death Claws" before them—each one comparable to the Divine Demon Realm—everyone felt nothing but despair.
This offensive from the Abyssal Plane had shattered their expectations time and time again.
However, everyone present had joined the Abyssal Guard fully prepared to one day die in battle. So even now, facing such a desperate situation, the unit’s morale did not collapse.
All eyes turned to Zheng Yangxu, waiting for his command.
Under the intense gaze of his troops, Zheng Yangxu took a deep breath and ordered, "All regular soldiers, retreat immediately! Transfer control of all defensive facilities to the AI system! The Mecha Brigade stays with me! We defend to the death!"
Against so many Mutated Zombies, especially the Tier Two and Tier Three variants, ordinary soldiers were utterly useless. They had to be evacuated.
But the mecha pilots had to stay. They had to hold this wave of Mutated Zombies back, at the very least.
If the Tier Two and Tier Three Mutated Zombies were allowed to rampage freely, any teams from the mid-sized Shelters that encountered them would face certain annihilation.
Of course, if they couldn’t hold them back, they would just have to take them all down together. After guarding the Abyssal Passage for so many years, how could the Military Department possibly be unprepared?
A ten-megaton hydrogen bomb was buried beneath this very cavern. If detonated, it wouldn’t just kill ten Tier Three Mutated Zombies—it would annihilate them all, even if you added a zero to that number.
Of course, so would they.
That was why Zheng Yangxu wouldn’t play this trump card until the very last moment.
Yet, just as they had all steeled themselves for death, events took another unexpected turn.
The space within the Abyssal Passage wavered, and this time, a group of exceedingly rare "Blood Demons" emerged.
In truth, many weren’t sure if these "Blood Demons," formed entirely from coalesced blood, even counted as Mutated Zombies.
But regardless, knowing they were creatures from the Abyssal Plane that had to be killed was all that mattered.
But after emerging, these Blood Demons didn’t attack. They showed no intention of even facing them. Some turned and fled back the way they came, others scattered to the sides, and still others burrowed directly into the ground.
Their liquid-like bodies allowed them to easily burrow into the earth and rock, pushing it aside to rapidly form tunnels.
In the blink of an eye, over a dozen new tunnels riddled the cavern.
The rest of the Mutated Zombies quickly followed the Blood Demons, using the tunnels to leave the area.
Even seven of the ten Tier Three "Death Claws" headed for the tunnels.
"Damn it, they’re escaping! Attack! Stop them!" Zheng Yangxu’s face changed as he immediately led the Mecha Legion in a charge.
The three Tier Three Death Claws that had remained behind saw this and charged forward without hesitation to intercept them.
The other Mutated Zombies also sprang into action. Creatures like the "Giant Arms" and "Armored Corpses" were, of course, among the first, charging right in.
The ranged-type Mutated Zombies were not idle either.
"Spitters" spewed mouthfuls of venom. They weren’t attacking, but instead using the venom to send the other Mutated Zombies into a berserk state, boosting their side’s combat strength.
In addition, the few "Spray Zombies" that had emerged began to spew massive clouds of green toxic fog from their mouths.
While this green fog couldn’t damage the Mechas, it severely obstructed vision. In an instant, the area around the Abyssal Passage was shrouded in a thick, green mist.
"Blood Worms" immediately spat out dense swarms of Blood-colored Beetles. Paired with the green fog, they became phantom-like threats that made even the pilots of ordinary Mechas extremely wary.
As for the "Hunters," their forms became even more wraith-like under the cover of the green fog, their threat level instantly rising by another tier.
Combined with the endless stream of Mutated Zombies still pouring from the Abyssal Passage, even with over a thousand Mechas, Zheng Yangxu’s forces couldn’t find an effective way to deal with the enemy.
Moreover, it wasn’t just Mutated Zombies emerging—Abyssal Corpse Ghosts and Petrifying Spiders were also pouring out in a ceaseless tide.
Empowered by both the venom and the green fog, the combat effectiveness of these cannon-fodder species became a force to be reckoned with. A swarm of a few dozen could potentially destroy a Mecha if its pilot wasn’t careful.
Facing this situation, Zheng Yangxu knew he couldn’t lose his composure. He ordered the Mechas to maintain formation and advance slowly.
However, they had more than just Mechas. The automated artillery from the camp was relentlessly unleashing a barrage of firepower, picking off Abyssal Corpse Ghosts and Petrifying Spiders.
At this point, Combat Robots and Attack Drones also entered the fray, quickly re-establishing a suppressive fire advantage over the Mutated Zombies.
However, as more and more Mutated Zombies poured out of the Abyssal Passage, that advantage quickly began to crumble.
Once the number of Mutated Zombies reached 500, the Mecha Legion felt the tide turning, as if they were on the verge of being overwhelmed themselves.
This was especially true because every so often, a Tier Two entity would emerge from the Abyssal Passage.
A Mutated Zombie of this caliber, comparable to a Body Shaping Realm expert, required at least a ten-person Mecha Squad to contain it once it entered a berserk state.
But just then, reinforcements from East Sea Base finally arrived. A massive Sky Fortress hovered less than 100 meters above the ground.
One by one, Mechas that were already on standby leaped from opened armor plates on its underside, dropping directly into the massive pit below.
This wave of reinforcements was not large—only 100 units—but it included 85 Rare Level Mechas and 15 Legendary Level Mechas.
Simultaneously, missile silos on the underside of the Sky Fortress opened.
Small missiles launched from within, streaking toward the huge, dark pit below.
Under the AI’s precise control, the small missiles adjusted their trajectories several times before accurately striking the heart of the Mutated Zombie swarm.
In addition, countless Falcon Fighters launched from the Sky Fortress. These fighters were all equipped with high-powered Zombie Detectors, capable of locking onto Mutated Zombies even deep underground.
Once a target was locked, they would immediately fire Drilling Bombs to strike the subterranean Mutated Zombies directly.
It was best if the bombs could kill them outright. But even if they couldn’t, the goal was to force them to the surface to be dealt with by the Mecha Squads arriving later.
With East Sea Base launching a full-scale counteroffensive, the tide of battle swiftly turned.
Yet no one felt a moment of relief. The sheer number of Mutated Zombies emerging from the Abyssal Passage was overwhelming; over 500 remained to guard its entrance alone.
And as for those that had already escaped through the tunnels carved out by the Blood Demons, their number was a staggering 1,000.
Eliminating all the Mutated Zombies that had already escaped would be an immense challenge.
Even if they ignored the Tier One Mutated Zombies to focus all their efforts on the Tier Two and Tier Three variants, it would still be no easy task.
