Chapter 102: The Western Front

The mobile base vehicles continued their advance.

During the journey, Ji Cheng continuously instilled various relevant knowledge into Luo Rao, and handed her the Black Rock pistol, teaching her how to use it step by step. If the situation in Nanshang Harbor were to deteriorate severely, combat would become inevitable.

Half an hour later, the three mobile base vehicles finally approached the Western Defense Line. Along the way, they encountered several stray mutated animals, but they were in a rush and did not stop to engage.

Within their field of vision, the massive silhouette of a city-defense military fortress appeared in the sea of sand. This was the hub of the Western Defense Line: the renowned Zephyr Barrier.

It was now dusk. Lead-gray stratus clouds hung low, beginning to sprinkle fine, uniform raindrops that soaked everything they touched. The sky was filled with the chaotic, clattering sound of metal sheets. In the distance, over thirty large transport helicopters could be seen taking off from the high-altitude helipads of the Zephyr Barrier, vanishing into the misty, rain-drenched air.

The entire Western Defense Line was a complex array of sentinel outposts, bristling with surface-to-surface grenade towers and main battle armored vehicles standing in strict formation. Searchlights atop the fortress swept the area, illuminating the landscape for kilometers. From Ji Cheng’s perspective, the light revealed a dense swarm of flea-like monsters, surging in waves into the ocean of night.

These were Wonder-Flea, one of the mutated animals that posed the greatest threat to humanity.

They were a type of insectoid creature of indeterminate rank, primarily inhabiting the ruins of old cities, resembling fleas. Possessing little intelligence, they were highly social, similar to ants, with their entire existence revolving around a giant female creature that produced eggs endlessly. The matriarch possessed the largest physique; she was eyeless, with dozens of ovipositors hanging from her chest and abdomen, remaining in the nest solely to lay and hatch eggs.

The male Wonder-Fleas possessed hard, deformed metallic shells—derived primarily from the steel reinforcement bars found in construction debris. Their antennae were thick and short, their piercing-sucking mouthparts were razor-sharp, their abdomens were broad and flattened, and their hind legs were highly developed and robust. Attacks on supply depots by these creatures were frequent. While they lacked a "King," they could spontaneously form massive swarms to launch attacks, sometimes even displaying traces of tactical coordination.

Among the swarm of mutated animals, there were many other miscellaneous creatures, all swept along as they charged toward the fortress.

*Rat-tat-tat-tat!*

A row of Vulcan machine guns on the fortress began to spew tongues of flame like sharp swords, pouring out lethality in coordination with several high-mounted heavy cannons.

"It’s practically a meat grinder..."

In the cockpit of the Zephyr-2 base vehicle, Yao Lun, Ji Cheng, Zhang Lingfei, and Zhang Jing'e were fully armed, silently watching the screen. Using released reconnaissance drones, they observed the panoramic view of the battlefield from a higher vantage point.

"But this meat grinder isn't very effective against these mutated animals," Ji Cheng said, shaking his head.

The autocannons were performing poorly; thermal weapons firing metal bullets were generally ineffective against mutated animals. Dealing with these creatures required targeted, specific methods. For instance, needle-like crystals formed by dissolving sulfur in toluene could cause significant damage to the Wonder-Fleas. However, this was the battlefield; such methods were impractical, and they could only rely on the simplest, most brutal attrition of bullets and artillery.

Despite the intersecting fire net of the Zephyr Barrier and the entire Western Defense Line, the Wonder-Fleas continued to charge forward, fearless of death. They would half-burrow into the hard, sandy soil, exposing only their hind limbs, and crawl forward rapidly until they reached the base of the fortifications, where they would begin to gnaw frantically.

The sky was stained red by the glow of fire, yet there were no deep piles of insect carcasses in front of the Zephyr Barrier.

*Bzzt—bzzt—*

The walkie-talkie lit up. Judging by the numbers on the screen, it was a communication from the Zephyr-3 vehicle, which carried Zhou Ze's team. The pilot looked back at the line of gifted individuals standing behind him and picked up the radio: "Go ahead, this is Zephyr-2."

...

After some communication, Ji Cheng and the others learned that the third vehicle had made contact with the Zephyr Barrier, but the situation inside Nanshang New City remained unknown; they, too, had been unable to reach Nanshang for some time. According to the Zephyr Barrier's intelligence, the northern end of the Western Defense Line was under much more intense attack, while the southern end was relatively easier, suggesting that the Northern Defense Line was under immense pressure. However, the Northern Defense Line was also unreachable.

"What does everyone think?" Ji Cheng stepped back and pressed his earpiece to ask.

At this question, the gifted individuals immediately began to argue. Huang Long wanted to stay and help the Western Defense Line hold off the offensive, as once the line was breached, there would be no more obstacles to the west of Nanshang New City, and the mutated animals could drive straight in. Zhou Ze, however, insisted on entering the city first, clearly deeply concerned about the situation within.

"I think we should return to the city first. The city is what matters most; if something happens to Nanshang, it will be too late for regrets," Ji Cheng stepped forward to support Zhou Ze. For him, prioritizing the safety of the city and its civilians was paramount. "Besides, I haven't seen any high-rank mutated animals yet. I believe the Zephyr Barrier will hold for now."

Given the current technological level of White Mountain Star, firearms and artillery generally only posed a threat to "Class" level mutated animals; it was difficult to inflict effective damage on the more formidable "Gate" level ones. This necessitated the intervention of Second-Tier gifted individuals to execute decapitation strikes. This was one of the reasons why the status of Councilors was so high—they could deal with Gate-level mutated animals that ordinary weapons could not.

Once Ji Cheng spoke, almost all the First-Tier gifted individuals sided with him. It was worth noting that these people were essentially equipped with Second-Tier primordial bodies, making them half-Councilors in their own right. Even though Yao Lun had not yet stated his position, the general course of action was set: enter the city.

"Let's go then," Huang Long agreed.

The three base vehicles bypassed the most densely swarmed areas of the Zephyr Barrier, releasing smoke canisters as they navigated through the first checkpoint of the Western Defense Line.

From the images transmitted back by the drones, it was clear that the main battle armored vehicles had begun to engage, and the surface-to-surface grenade towers were thundering, turning the vast wasteland into a scene of billowing smoke and flying debris. Yet, the casualties among the Wonder-Fleas and the other mixed mutated animals were not particularly heavy.

They were currently at Position 212, where the front lines were jagged and interlocked, and the humans were on the losing end. The sounds of armored vehicles being destroyed in explosions echoed constantly.

"The principle of fighting mutated animals is the same as human warfare: firepower must be concentrated on a single point, and a breach must be opened. Once the enemy's stability is shattered, the subsequent task is to crush them completely," Ji Cheng explained to those around him. These were contents from the appendices of the "Great Compendium."

The commander at Position 212 seemed to share Ji Cheng’s judgment, as the dense fire net formed by heavy machine guns quickly converged, firing suppressive rounds at the same point. Black smoke filled the surroundings, and several helicopters circled to provide strafing fire. Dense salvos of grenades shot into the sky, making it look like a flock of sparrows. The short, continuous explosions were deafening, and shrapnel whistled through the air, carrying the scent of death. The mutated animals were torn to shreds, and their offensive slowed.

The three base vehicles took a wide detour, avoiding this combat zone from a distance.

"Position 212 is going to fall," Ji Cheng said with certainty.

The field fortifications at the Western Defense Line were conventional, built on the ridgeline of the hillside platforms in accordance with standard practice. This allowed for a clear view of the enemy's movements and facilitated the use of firepower from a high vantage point—whether direct fire like machine guns or indirect fire like grenade towers and mortars.

However, such construction had a fatal flaw: a lack of strategic depth. Once the open ground beneath the slope was consumed by the mutated animals, the grenade towers and mortars would be forced to fire almost vertically, severely weakening their firepower, and the fortifications would be instantly overrun.

"Why? Didn't they just deal a heavy blow to the mutated animals?" Zhang Lingfei asked, surprised. Zhang Jing'e also blinked in confusion.

Ji Cheng didn't speak; he simply gestured for them to look back. In less than ten seconds, Position 212, which had momentarily held the advantage, was submerged by the tidal wave of monsters. The sound of ravenous chewing instantly drowned out the screams.

"..."

The volatility and cruelty of the battlefield left them speechless.

"Change direction up ahead; we're going to Highland 304," Ji Cheng suddenly ordered.