Living in the Doomsday and Becoming an Immortal Alone
Chapter 133 - 88: The Fall

Chapter 133: Chapter 88: The Fall

Command communication channel.

"What?"

The Half-human Mecha Deep Sea felt he must have heard wrong.

"Fortress 76’s subterranean levels are likely harboring a new nest being constructed by Blade Beasts? Impossible! That would mean there is a new chthonian variant of the Blade Beasts that allows them to move in strata below two thousand meters and counter the immense crustal pressure! Could such underground channels exist? Moreover, if such a new variant exists, why aren’t they supporting the Young King Worm? They just need to burrow deeper and disrupt our pathways; we cannot pursue them!"

Dongfang Zhenghong spoke quickly, "I don’t want to believe this conclusion either, but the ones who pointed out this possibility are Wang Zheng and Wu Man."

Outside the command vehicle.

Dozens of medium- and large-sized multi-rotor aircraft had taken off, towing the emergency mobile forces’ mecha and armored vehicles beneath, swiftly moving toward the fortress.

Fortunately, the siege of the Young King Worm went smoothly; the emergency mobile troops at three locations weren’t needed, and two tactical nuclear bombs were enough to deal with an immature King-level Blade Beast.

And now, these emergency forces could fly back to the fortress rapidly, requiring only two hours and twenty-five minutes to travel, then...

Dongfang Zhenghong spoke in a grave tone, "Report the damage status of your three mechanical arms."

"Lingtong’s mechanical arm suffered an electromagnetic shock, the two of us are wrapped in external mecha, so our cores are still in good condition. She’ll need maintenance."

Deep Sea spoke quickly,

"Please direct our supply convoy to move towards the fortress; we will catch up from behind.

"Maintenance will take at least half an hour at a minimum. Lingtong will switch to her backup mechanical arm, and we two will head there first.

"Now we can only hope that, if... there really is a new nest being built beneath Fortress 76 by the Young King Worm, the fortress’s own defensive barriers can hold out for two hours."

Dongfang Zhenghong said, "I’m already in contact with the Governor. Once Blade Beasts are detected, we will immediately activate the fortress’s independent protection systems on each level. Fortress 76 plays an essential foundational role for the Middle Ages Basin Battle Zone, for the D5 Combined Combat Zone; I will apply for support from both levels of the command center immediately!"

Deep Sea did not respond.

Dongfang Zhenghong took a deep breath to stay calm, although his fingers were trembling slightly.

He looked to the side.

Zhou Zhengde was sitting at a technician’s station, with a projection screen in front of him.

The screen showed the interior of a flying device.

Wang Jixuan was sticking a nanomask on his face, with the black combat helmet placed to the side.

Wu Man and the accompanying technicians were adjusting a makeshift signal amplifier; although not very powerful and with a limited coverage area, the advantage was that it could be carried along.

These devices were all very complex.

Dongfang Zhenghong continued to ponder.

In the fortress, there were two Level B Spiritual Ability Users, more than a dozen Level C Spiritual Ability Users, and over twenty Level D/E Spiritual Ability Users.

If a Blade Beast disaster were to break out, they should also be able to play some role.

It was now uncertain when the Blade Beast disaster would occur. The Young King Worm’s nest would hold a large number of larvae with still-soft exoskeletons. If they could delay until the mobile troops returned...

"Commander! Blade Beast activity detected! Blade Beast reaction detected 300 meters below the bottom of Fortress 76!"

Dongfang Zhenghong sprang up, almost bellowing, "The map! A 3D map!"

Whoosh!

A holographic sand table appeared before him, showing a 3D model of the fortress in the central position, with a cross-section of the fortress beside it.

The fortress was shaped like a standard cylinder, embedded in the shallow crust, housing a total of forty-nine stratified floors of varying heights, color-coded in blue, green, and yellow to denote Upper, Middle, and Lower Cities, respectively.

Around the fortress were seven or eight marked ’thin layers,’ representing the fortress’s exterior wall, outer composite wall, multi-layer armor wall, self-defensive infinitely-thickening wall, and so on.

Surrounding these walls, there was a dark-colored region with a thickness of about three hundred meters. That was a triggered minefield, filled with a large number of mechanical summoning thunder devices, which would detonate upon contact with the chthonian creatures.

This kind of defensive layer, in theory...

A blinking red point appeared at the bottom of the fortress’s three-dimensional projection.

Dongfang Zhenghong held his breath, staring intensely.

One red point neared the bottommost minefield, paused slightly, moved up a small grid, and then rapidly fell.

A second red point appeared, rose a small grid again, rapidly dropped and moved forward, then climbed two small grids before slanting downward.

The minefield was breached.

Two ’chthonian worm’ Blade Beasts casualties.

A third red point entered the detection range, climbed rapidly, passed through the gap in the minefield, and reached the outer wall of the composite defense layer.

’It can hold, this layer can definitely hold, it must hold!’

Dongfang Zhenghong nearly squeezed the blood out of his palm.

The red point suddenly shot upward significantly!

The fortress’s holographic projection instantly turned red!

A swarm of dense red points emerged below, rushing up that pathway!

"Defense has been breached!"

"The fortress is under attack by a Blade Beast Group!"

"Blade Beasts have appeared on the lowest level of Lower City! A large number of Blade Beasts! Confirmed numbers... four thousand! And rising!"

Dongfang Zhenghong cursed loudly, all he wanted to know now was why the bottom layer of defense didn’t have any effect!

"Activate the independent defense systems for each layer! Send the Spiritual Ability Users down! Where are the Clean-up troops?!"

"Engaged in combat!"

"Make them hold their ground even if it costs their lives! Fucking hell! Why has the bottom defense layer failed?!"

"Professor Zhuang and Kong Nu’s secret laboratory, in order to avoid routine inspections, was dug too deep. And they set up a camouflage layer, there had never been a breach at the bottom before..." Zhou Zhengde’s Adam’s apple trembled, "Probably."

In front of Zhou Zhengde’s screen.

Having learned about the situation of the fortress via communication, Wang Jixuan leaned back in the chair.

"Isn’t there a faster way to get back?" Wang Jixuan asked quietly.

Zhou Zhengde frowned, thinking.

Wu Man said in a low voice, "There’s a way, I’ve seen it in the Battle Girl’s rule-breaking manual, there was once a Battle Girl who used this method to rush to the battlefield. However, it requires the use of a missile and a body capable of withstanding extreme acceleration."

Wang Jixuan paused, then immediately nodded.

It’s better than being unable to do anything.

...

Five minutes earlier.

Fortress 76, 49th Floor, previously the domain of the Black Fire Gang, Clean-up Troops quartered here.

Clean-up Force Commander Wang Lei leaned against an armored vehicle, his wrist screen continuously flashing with frontline combat reports.

This was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a sturdy build and a square face. He had worked in the Fortress Clean-up Troops for twenty years and was a notable figure in the Fortress 76 garrison, the kind who could directly request to see the Governor.

"Captain, how did it go? Is the Young King Worm dead?"

Asked a curious teammate nearby.

"Taken care of," Wang Lei laughed, "Three Battle Girls took action at the same time, joined by a Spiritual Ability User from the frontlines, and they even used two tactical nuclear bombs."

Seizing the opportunity, a member of the armored vehicle crew suggested, "Then Captain, how about we go celebrate for them? Have a few drinks!"

"Drinking is not allowed during work hours."

Wang Lei clicked his tongue:

"Once this garrison task is over, I’ll apply for leave for you guys. Then I’ll treat you all to a big desert barbecue feast!"

Several people laughed raucously.

Wang Lei’s command wristwatch on his arm suddenly vibrated at a high frequency, displaying a red frame.

An order from Commander Dongfang Zhenghong at the frontline headquarters.

[The Fortress might be under attack by a Blade Beast Group, with the most probable direction of attack being directly below. Please prepare for battle immediately.]

Wang Lei was dumbfounded for a second, then thinking of something, he dashed back to the armored vehicle and slapped the red button in front of him.

"All units, listen up! Enter combat state immediately! Issue a Blade Beast disaster warning! Position all heavy weaponry at high points! Quick, full-area illumination! Issue a Blade Beast disaster warning! Everyone try to hide in small spaces like refrigerators or sewers!"

The Clean-up troop’s garrison, which had been in a semi-relaxed state, suddenly became a bit chaotic.

But they all had good training and often maintained emergency drills, so the dozens of armored vehicles on site had already started their engines and quickly assembled under Wang Lei’s coordination.

Rumble rumble—

Suddenly, a muffled explosion came from deep within the earth.

The ground was trembling slightly.

Those makeshift buildings shed a tiny bit of dust.

The explosions paused momentarily, but after only about twenty seconds, more explosions were heard, each closer and closer, and the ground vibration became more and more pronounced.

Suddenly!

Woo—

Several huge red lights lit up on the 49th floor’s ceiling, and a piercing alarm sounded throughout the Fortress’s levels.

Thud!

The ground shook, and several low buildings at the northwest corner of the Black Fire Gang suddenly sank downward!

"Over there! Shine the lights!"

Wang Lei circled red dots on the map, and immediately several searchlights swung in that direction.

The collapsed hole slanted downwards in an irregular oval shape, seeming to contain nothing that had burst out, as the buildings had blocked the opening.

The air was filled with a suffocating fluctuation!

The biological detector suddenly turned red!

Wang Lei looked at the dense red dots on the instrument, his face pale and his breathing rapid, yet his gaze unwavering.

"A large number of Blade Beasts incoming, pay attention! A large number of Blade Beasts incoming! The first to emerge should be chthonian; don’t immediately concentrate firepower. The chthonian Blade Beasts have hard skulls and exoskeletons, and our firepower can’t penetrate their armor..."

A shadow surged out of the inclined hole!

A gigantic Blade Beast, over thirty meters long, with fully atrophied limbs and a mouthpart evolved enough to break through diamonds, charged straight out of the hole!

The rubbish that had clogged the opening was mostly swallowed by the creature, and with momentum, its massive body completely left the hole, collapsing the adjacent low buildings.

Immediately after, a low-level Basic Blade Beast crawled out of the hole, its mouthparts opened wide, emitting a shrill scream.

"First team, fire!"

Wang Lei yelled.

From the hands of the soldiers, guns and cannons designed for human use unleashed their firepower all at once.

The Blade Beast’s terrifying mouth oozed green blood, its limbs shattered by armor-piercing rounds from the autocannons, limbs and blood scattering everywhere.

Everyone held their breath, the soldiers gripping their weapons tightly.

Scraping sounds echoed densely from within the hole.

That was the sound of limbs scraping against the rock walls.

Wang Lei watched the growing number of red dots on the biological radar... getting closer and more numerous...

The inclined hole was like a full water pipe, suddenly gushing outwards!

The Blade Beast Group was spilling out!

In just two seconds, over a hundred Blade Beasts leaped out of the hole!

They rushed towards the armored vehicles, towards the crowd; the Clean-up troops’ firepower, more than enough to suppress any human gang, seemed so incapable and frail before them!

The armored vehicles were overturned one after another.

Gun-wielding soldiers fell back, firing, but were easily pierced through the chest by the limbs of Blade Beasts that quickly reached them; their Bullet-Proof Vests were utterly ineffective.

Quick-assault Blade Beasts rolled into the crowd, and several soldiers screamed as their torsos were cleanly cut through.

"Fire! Cover with fire!"

"Ah!"

"We don’t have enough firepower! Not enough firepower!"

"Grenades! Throw grenades!"

"Fire the Pulse Cannons! Dammit! I’m going down fighting!"

The voices in the headphones rapidly dwindled, screams grew more prevalent, and on the screen in front of them, the several-hundred-strong force quickly dwindled to a hundred.

Wang Lei pressed the button in front of him:

"Requesting command, the 49th floor has fallen, my unit has been completely wiped out, I suggest, seal off the Lower City."

After speaking, he dropped his rifle and dashed out of the now empty armored vehicle.

Several team members propped up their guns on either side of the armored vehicle, firing frantically. Wang Lei crouched and ran to an overturned armored vehicle nearby, picking up a multi-barrel machine gun that had fallen to the ground.

His command vehicle had been flipped by several Blade Beasts, leaving only the last two screams of his team members.

Wang Lei grabbed the multi-barrel machine gun and aimed as best as he could at a Blade Beast’s mouth, his forehead veins bulging, his ferocious face lit by gunfire.

"Fuck your ancestors!"

A Blade Beast’s mouth was rapidly shattered.

A shadow swept past behind Wang Lei; the upper half of his body, still holding the gun, slid backward.

The gunfire ceased.