Foreseeing the global catastrophe, I sealed off the entire city in advance.

Chapter 12: A Bloody Battle Through the Night, United We Stand

The thick darkness of night permeated the entire wasteland. The flames from the explosion in the northwest had not yet completely dissipated. The massive carcass of the Earth-Splitter Bear lay between the broken walls, its charred fur mixed with thick black blood, emitting a nauseating stench of decay and carrion.

The fall of a second-tier ferocious beast did not deter the mutated race lurking in the shadows; instead, it was like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, completely igniting the madness hidden in the darkness.

From all directions, a dense cacophony of beastly roars surged forth, layer upon layer, a cacophony of deep growls, sharp hisses, and fierce barks intertwining and swirling, rushing wildly toward the alloy barrier with the howling night wind.

The city wall defenses, which had just caught a brief respite, were instantly enveloped once again by boundless killing intent.

Lin Chen casually tossed the empty rocket launcher to a logistics team member waiting nearby, wiped the beast blood splattered on his cheek with his fingertips, and scanned the entire section of the city wall with his cold eyes.

There are only three rockets left, and one was used to kill the Earth-Splitting Bear. This kind of wide-range weapon must be kept as a trump card and should not be used lightly unless absolutely necessary.

"Order the entire front to conserve heavy firepower, with machine guns operating in shifts for suppressing enemy fire, crossbow squads focusing on key targets, and melee fighters holding the crenellations to prevent any mutated beasts from scaling the walls!"

Calm and composed instructions were transmitted to every defensive position via radio. The city defense team members, who had just experienced a bloody battle, had long since shed their initial panic and cowardice.

Having witnessed Lin Chen's decisiveness in slaying the ferocious beast and seen the solidity of the defensive line, everyone was filled with the belief of fighting to the death.

Behind them lay their peaceful homes, the elderly and children, and fellow human beings struggling to survive. They had nowhere to retreat but to fight to the death.

"roar--!"

A piercing roar suddenly erupted, and swarms of Tier 1 mutated wildcats burst forth from the gaps between the ruins.

These wildcats have doubled in size, their claws gleaming coldly. They move with ghostly speed, are adept at climbing and leaping, and are the most troublesome attackers to the city wall defenses. Taking advantage of the cover of the ruins and the darkness of night, they lightly leap across the walls and frantically rush towards the top of the city wall.

"Attention, left wing! A large number of mutated wildcats have launched a surprise attack!" the duty officer shouted a stern warning.

Countless dark shadows darted swiftly along the wall, their sharp claws scraping against the alloy steel plates, the ear-piercing screeching sound sending chills down one's spine. Several wildcats, with lightning-fast reflexes, leaped into the air, using the momentum to pounce directly at the crenellations of the city wall.

A young team member's face tightened, and he subconsciously raised his gun and opened fire. A dense barrage of bullets swept out, turning the wildcat in mid-air into bloody fragments.

But more and more mutated beasts kept rushing in, one after another, fearless of death.

"Don't fire blindly! You're wasting ammunition!" Zhao Lei, wielding an alloy longsword, cleaved a wildcat that had forced its way onto the city walls in two, its foul-smelling blood splattering all over him. His expression was stern as he roared, "Any beasts that get close, finish them off in melee! Use knives, bayonets, and shields! Hold the line!"

A fierce close-quarters battle erupted instantly atop the city walls.

The city defense team members worked in pairs, with the gunners suppressing the distant beasts from a distance, while the melee fighters held their ground with melee weapons, using shields to block claws and bites, and blades to slash at the beasts' necks. They cooperated seamlessly, advancing and retreating in an orderly manner.

This is all the result of Lin Chen's months of training in advance.

Before the apocalypse, he foresaw the catastrophe, gathered manpower, formulated a training plan, discarded superficial techniques, and retained only the bloodiest and most efficient fighting skills. Now, in the long, bloody night, all the hard training he had undergone had transformed into the confidence to survive.

Lin Chen strode along the main road of the city wall, his black outfit stained with mottled bloodstains, the alloy battle blade in his hand gleaming coldly, each swing precise and ruthless.

A mutated wild dog, its body covered in festering sores, charged up the city wall amidst the chaos, its foul-smelling mouth dripping with saliva, and lunged at a wounded team member. The team member, whose arm had been scratched by the hyena, was slowed and had no time to dodge; despair instantly filled his eyes.

At the critical moment, a dark figure suddenly appeared.

A flash of cold light, and the alloy battle blade slashed out horizontally, instantly severing the hard beast's neck. The huge dog's head rolled to the ground, and warm black blood gushed out.

"Watch your step, keep a close eye on your surroundings, and don't give the ferocious beast a chance to get close." Lin Chen's tone was calm and unwavering, as if killing the ferocious beast was just a casual act.

He bent down, kicked aside the remaining beast carcass, and glanced at the wounded team members' injuries: "Step back, go to the medical station for treatment, the next group of substitutes will take over."

"Thank you, Brother Chen!" The team member gritted his teeth and bowed, enduring the excruciating pain as he retreated step by step from the battlefield.

Inside the fortified area, the medical team was already on high alert.

The makeshift emergency tents were brightly lit, with disinfectant, hemostatic bandages, and anti-infective drugs neatly arranged. Medical staff moved back and forth, quickly treating the wounded, suturing wounds, and bandaging to stop bleeding, all in an orderly and efficient manner.

There were no cries of anguish, no panic or disarray; everyone was doing their utmost to protect the rear for the soldiers on the front lines.

This is the order that Lin Chen created.

In chaotic times, rules are the backbone, unity is the lifeblood, everyone performs their duties, and everyone is of one mind, only then can we survive in desperate situations.

The beast tide outside the city continues to intensify.

A pack of mutated hyenas charged forward, scaly behemoths rampaged, bizarre crawling mutants slithered along the ground, and even several flying mutant vultures circled in the air, constantly swooping down to harass the defenders on the city walls.

The crisis is compounded by attacks from land, sea, and air.

The thick alloy city wall was constantly being hit, with continuous booming sounds. The wall trembled slightly, and its surface was covered with dense claw marks and teeth marks, a shocking sight.

The ground outside the city was already soaked in blood, and the corpses of mutated beasts piled up like small mountains. Broken limbs, severed fangs, and rotting fur pieced together an extremely tragic apocalyptic scene.

The stench of blood, decay, gunpowder, and burnt flesh mingled together, permeating the night air.

"Brother Chen, the pressure on the western defense line is too great! A large number of armored hounds are ramming the city wall in droves. Ordinary bullets are completely ineffective, and the armor-piercing crossbow bolts are being used up too quickly. We can't hold on much longer!" A hurried cry for help came through the radio, filled with exhaustion.

After a night of fierce fighting, the team members were physically exhausted and mentally stressed. The prolonged high-intensity combat had already pushed them to their limits.

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed, and he immediately changed direction, striding towards the west city wall.

The night wind howled as he moved through the flames of war, his feet stepping over the blood-soaked ground, and a chilling killing intent suddenly emanated from him.

Upon reaching the western defense line, the scene before them was far more dangerous than they had imagined.

A dozen or so armored hounds lined up and took turns charging and ramming into the city wall. Each collision caused a violent tremor, and the alloy steel plates on the wall had already begun to dent slightly. Several team members held onto cover and fired, firing armor-piercing arrows continuously, but they could only barely suppress them and could not quickly eliminate them.

If this continues, the city walls will inevitably be breached. Once the defenses are broken, a massive horde of beasts will flood in, and the consequences will be unimaginable.

"Everyone retreat three meters to avoid a frontal assault." Lin Chen raised his hand to signal, then his gaze locked onto the largest, scaled dog at the front.

This leader beast is twice as large as an ordinary scaled dog, with thick, hard scales that gleam with a dark iron color. Its defensive capabilities far surpass those of its kind, making it the key to breaking through the western defense line.

Lin Chen gripped the shield tightly with his left hand and the alloy battle blade firmly with his right. He took a deep breath, gathering all the power in his body.

The fighting instincts honed through countless life-and-death battles during the apocalypse of his previous life are now on full display.

Taking advantage of the moment when a scaly hound was charging back after crashing into the city wall, he suddenly leaped up, using the protruding steel frame of the wall as leverage to soar into the air. He was like a whirlwind, instantly leaping to the middle of the city wall in mid-air.

The leader of the scaled hounds below instantly sensed the threat, raised its head fiercely, its scarlet beast eyes locked onto Lin Chen, and suddenly leaped forward to attack, its sharp front claws carrying a strong wind, aiming straight for his chest.

Just as the claws were about to touch his body, Lin Chen suddenly twisted his waist, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow. He raised the alloy battle blade above his head, gathered all his strength, and slashed down fiercely!

"Clang!"

A deafening clang of metal clashing exploded, and a cold light slashed fiercely at the soft flesh gap where the scaled dog's head was joined—a fatal weak point that the scales couldn't cover.

The tough flesh was instantly torn apart by the sharp blade, the cold edge penetrating deep into the bone, and black blood gushed into the sky.

The leader, the Scaled Hound, let out a mournful howl, its massive body crashing heavily to the ground. Its limbs twitched violently a few times before it lost all life.

One move and the leader is dead!

The pupils of all the team members on the city wall instantly contracted, and the shock in their hearts was indescribable.

They only knew that Lin Chen was powerful, but they had never seen such overwhelming and domineering combat power.

"The Scaled Hounds' weaknesses are the gaps in their necks and the soft flesh of their bellies. Concentrate your firepower on their weaknesses and don't try to fight them head-on." Lin Chen landed steadily back on the city wall, his breathing calm, as if the earth-shattering attack just now was effortless. "Concentrate your firepower and quickly clear out the remaining beasts to reduce the pressure on our defense."

With precise guidance, the team members quickly found their rhythm.

Instead of blindly attacking the hard scales, they aimed their guns at the abdomen, locked crossbow bolts at the neck, and launched surprise attacks with close-range blades. The pressure on the previously difficult stalemate on the western defensive line was instantly reduced.

One after another, the scaled dogs fell to the ground, their howls gradually fading away.

But the crisis never ended.

From the depths of darkness in the distance, a muffled tremor resounded once more, unlike the heavy rumble of the Earth-Splitting Bear, but carrying a dense, oppressive sense of swarming activity.

Lin Chen looked up and gazed into the distance. In his night vision, he saw a dense, crawling, distorted tide slowly approaching the barrier.

Those are gregarious mutant woodlice, numbering in the hundreds or thousands. Individually, they are weak, but their sheer numbers are terrifying. They are extremely voracious, capable of gnawing on steel, flesh, and bricks. If they are allowed to approach the city wall, it won't be long before the wall's foundation is completely hollowed out.

A wave of unrest, a wave of up again.

In the endless darkness, it seemed as if an endless stream of mutated monsters were lurking, taking turns to wear down the defenders' strength and ammunition.

Zhao Lei walked to Lin Chen's side, covered in blood, breathing heavily, his eyes bloodshot: "Brother Chen, we've used more than half our ammunition, and there are over twenty wounded. Everyone's almost at their limit. Should we temporarily tighten our defenses and take turns resting?"

Lin Chen looked at the scattered lights within the fortified city, a safe haven for thousands of innocent survivors. The elderly huddled in their homes, children slept peacefully, and ordinary people went about their daily lives, each fulfilling their duties.

This peace and security was bought with their own flesh and blood, which they used to keep people outside the wall.

If the defenses are breached, giving the beast tide a chance to breathe, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"We can't rest." Lin Chen slowly shook his head, his gaze as firm as iron. "The night is the home ground of the mutated beasts. Once we relax, the beast tide will launch a fierce counterattack. If we retreat, we will never be able to hold on."

He raised his hand to look at the night sky, where a faint, pale light was beginning to appear at the edge of the dark sky.

"Hold on for another two hours. When it's broad daylight, the sunlight will suppress the movement of the mutated creatures, and the beast tide will naturally recede by more than half."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Chen raised his voice, which resounded throughout the entire city wall through the loudspeaker:

"Brothers, let's hold on for one more night!"

"Outside the city lurks endless ferocious beasts, inside the city are our families and compatriots!"

"In this apocalyptic world, there is no divine justice; only the strong protect the common people. Today, we build a wall with our flesh and blood and defend ourselves with our weapons!"

"Hold this wall, and there will be a way to survive at dawn; hold this city, and there will be hope for the rest of our lives!"

The powerful words pierced through the flames of war and the roars of battle, striking the hearts of every team member.

Exhaustion was replaced by fervor, fear was overshadowed by determination, and all the defenders gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes rekindling with an unyielding fighting spirit.

"Defend the walls to the death! Live or die with the fortress!"

The unified roars echoed across the land, breaking through the roars of beasts and reverberating through the deathly silence of the apocalyptic night.

Machine guns roared again, crossbow bolts pierced the air, and longswords flashed with a cold light. The united defense line, like an iron Great Wall rooted in the ruins, remained unmoved despite the frenzied attack of the beast horde.

Lin Chen stood in the center of the city wall, his battle blade stained with blood, his gaze sweeping across all directions.

The night is long, and the bloody battle continues.

The distortions are endless, and the killing intent is boundless.

But as long as he lives, this barrier will remain unbroken.

A blood-red dawn is slowly brewing; the long night's battle, a matter of life and death, continues...