DipNovel Chapter 7: Training Begins, First Encounter with the Beast Tide
Chapter 7: Training Begins, First Encounter with the Beast Tide
Chapter Seven: Training Begins, First Encounter with the Beast Tide
At five o'clock in the morning, Cangnan City was still shrouded in a gray fog, but the sound of orderly footsteps could already be heard on the training ground.
Lin Chen stood on the high platform, looking at the eleven team members lined up below with sharp eyes.
"Starting today, we will train for twelve hours every day, divided into four categories: physical fitness, combat, shooting, and wilderness survival."
"Three months from now, you will not be facing a drill, but man-eating mutant beasts and murderous thugs."
"Those who can't hold on can quit now, no one will blame you. But those who stay must do one thing—survive and protect those around you."
The audience was completely silent; no one took a single step back.
Most of these people are veterans or hard-working people who have struggled at the bottom of society. The chaos and signs of impending change have worn away their sense of complacency, leaving them with only a desperate determination to burn their bridges.
"Very good." Lin Chen nodded and looked at Zhao Lei. "You will lead the basic training, and I will be in charge of the practical training."
Zhao Lei stepped forward in response, and with a command, the training officially began.
Five-kilometer cross-country run with a load, hand-to-hand combat, firearms disassembly and shooting, tactical coordination...
The once lazy team members were now all on edge, their clothes soaked with sweat and their palms blistered, but no one called for a stop.
Lin Chen would occasionally step in to provide guidance, using his five years of practical experience from his previous life to correct their movements and teach them how to fight against mutated creatures in confined spaces and how to maximize the lethality of limited weapons.
High-intensity training is the foundation for survival.
Meanwhile, Lao Wang and several members of the machinery team were carrying out a second reinforcement of the city wall.
"Brother Chen, look! We've installed anti-climb spikes on the outside of the city wall, and left firing ports on the inside. We've also installed solar-powered searchlights and alarms on the wall, so we can give an immediate warning if anything gets close." Old Wang patted the newly welded steel plate, his tone excited. "And the electric fence you mentioned, I've found the materials and started working on it. Once it's powered on, ordinary mutated beasts won't be able to get close at all!"
"Very good. The power grid should be installed first in the west of the city, where the distortion is the most severe," Lin Chen instructed. "Also, how's the progress on the weapon modifications you mentioned earlier?"
"I'm modifying them!" Old Wang's eyes lit up. "I've modified a few old rifles and shotguns left over from the old military factory into models that can fire armor-piercing rounds. They're especially effective against tough-skinned mutant beasts. The only problem is that there aren't many bullets, so we'll have to use them sparingly to get enough for the initial battles."
Lin Chen nodded. The weapon issue could only be resolved when they went out to explore later.
Meanwhile, Dr. Li's medical team was also busy.
She and two nurses were organizing medicines, setting up a temporary medical area, and analyzing the mutant cat samples that Lin Chen had brought back.
"Mr. Lin, an unknown mutation factor has indeed been detected in this cat's body. It's completely different from ordinary poisoning or infection. Its gene sequence has begun to mutate, its cell activity is extremely strong, and there are even signs of regeneration." Dr. Li frowned, his tone grave. "If this mutation continues to spread, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"I know," Lin Chen said. "You should focus on studying its blood and tissues to see if there's any possibility of inhibiting mutations. Also, vaccine development should be put on the agenda."
Medical areas, training areas, fortifications, logistics warehouses—every part of the fortified city was operating at high speed, and everyone was on edge, preparing for the impending catastrophe.
The days passed by in the midst of intense training and construction, and in the blink of an eye, ten days had passed since the chemical plant accident.
The weather is becoming increasingly strange, with temperatures fluctuating wildly. Strong winds sweep across the city every now and then, and the pungent smell in the air has never dissipated. More and more citizens are starting to experience symptoms such as coughing and dizziness, and hospitals are overflowing with people, causing widespread panic.
Late that night, Lin Chen was patrolling the city wall when suddenly, the alarm from the west side of the city blared out!
"Beep—beep—beep—"
Red warning lights flashed wildly in the night, and sirens pierced the silent night sky.
"Situation alert!" The team members on duty immediately sounded the city-wide alarm. "Unidentified creatures have been detected approaching the western defense line! In large numbers!"
Lin Chen's eyes narrowed, and he rushed to the west city wall.
The searchlights instantly turned on, their blinding white light sweeping across the ruins outside the city.
A dark mass of figures was seen moving rapidly toward the city wall. They were on all fours, a size larger than ordinary stray dogs, with missing fur, festering skin, bloodshot eyes, and howling barks. They were a pack of mutated stray dogs!
At a glance, there are at least thirty or forty of them!
"It's a mutated beast tide!" Zhao Lei rushed over, his face grave. "I didn't expect it to arrive so quickly!"
Lin Chen's gaze swept over the beast horde, and he quickly judged: "They are all early-stage mutated wild dogs. They are highly aggressive but weak in defense. They can be dealt with with rifles and crossbows."
"Everyone, to your combat positions!"
At a command, the team members on the city wall immediately took their positions, their rifles, crossbows, and modified hunting rifles all aimed at the beast horde below.
The pack of mutated wild dogs had already reached the city wall, frantically ramming against the steel plates, scratching at the wall with their claws, making a piercing scraping sound, and their stench could be smelled even through the high wall.
"Fire!" Lin Chen gave the order.
Gunshots rang out instantly, crossbow bolts pierced the air, and one after another, the mutated wild dogs fell to the ground, their dark red blood splattering onto the city wall, making a sizzling, corrosive sound.
But the pack of deformed wild dogs did not back down at all, and continued to charge frantically at the city wall. Some even climbed up the corpses of their companions, trying to climb over the anti-climb spikes.
"Power grid activated!" Lin Chen shouted.
Old Wang immediately pressed the switch, and the high-voltage power grid on the city wall was instantly energized, with blue electric arcs flashing.
Several deformed stray dogs climbing the wall were instantly struck by electric current, convulsed, fell down, and never moved again.
The battle lasted for more than half an hour, until the last mutated wild dog was shot dead, and the gunfire on the city wall finally stopped.
Outside the city, the corpses of mutated wild dogs lay scattered on the ruins, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.
Many of the team members on the city wall were experiencing such a scene for the first time; their faces were pale and their hands were still trembling slightly.
"Take a headcount of casualties and check the city walls for any damage," Lin Chen calmly instructed.
The team members immediately sprang into action and soon reported back: "Brother Chen, there were no casualties, and the city wall is intact!"
Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief, but when he looked at the corpses outside the city, there was no sign of relief in his eyes.
This was just a small beast tide, merely a harbinger of anomaly.
The truly terrifying part is yet to come.
Once the cataclysm officially breaks out, large-scale mutated beasts, high-level aberrations, and even zombie hordes will follow.
"Dispose of the bodies. Tomorrow morning, Lao Wang will take some men to examine them and see how they differ from the previous mutated cats," Lin Chen instructed. "Everyone will take turns on duty tonight to increase vigilance; there might be another wave."
"yes!"
The team members began clearing the battlefield, and order was restored on the city wall.
Lin Chen stood under the searchlight, looking at the dark night in the distance. The wind was still howling, and the clouds were getting lower and lower, as if they would collapse at any moment.
He knew that this battle was just the beginning.
Aberrant beast hordes, zombie viruses, extreme natural disasters, and the chaos of human nature...
The road ahead will only get harder.
But he will not back down.
The high walls have been erected, the fortifications have been built, the hearts of the people have been united, and the sharp blades are in hand.
This time, he will protect this city, protect those around him, and build an immortal fortress on the ruins of the apocalypse.