Chapter 1 The Raging Tide of Mutated Beasts

The hordes of mutated beasts ran with a clear purpose, heading straight for the transport vehicle. Not because the vehicle was their original target, but because it was on a relatively flat road, flanked by towering mountains. In their extreme terror, they could only rely on instinct to choose the flattest path with the fewest obstacles.

"Huff! Huff!"

Yuan Wen heard the increasingly rapid breathing of the new recruit. In the quiet carriage, the sound of everyone's heartbeats was clearly audible.

She had refused the black-faced veteran's suggestion to hide in the rear storage compartment. The reason was simple: she didn't want to be seen as a weakling who always needed protection, to be given special treatment. Whether it was out of kindness or malice, she couldn't accept it.

Besides, if a beast king was following this horde, even hiding in the storage compartment wouldn't help. Beast kings didn't rely solely on their sense of smell to track prey. In that case, hiding was impossible.

The small horde grew closer and closer. The people on the vehicle could almost see the mutated beasts' bloodshot eyes.

Everyone gripped their guns tightly, their only source of security.

The front windshield of the military transport vehicle was detachable. The black-faced veteran had pried it open seconds ago, and the dark muzzle of his gun protruded from the driver's compartment.

The windshield wasn't bulletproof. If it was shattered by a mutated beast and fell into the driver's compartment, it could injure everyone.

The cold wind, carrying a fishy stench, poured into the carriage, instantly tightening everyone's nerves to the breaking point.

"Ready, fire!"

With a roar, the four gun muzzles protruding from the carriage instantly spat out blinding flashes of light. Bullets rained down on the horde of beasts about fifty meters ahead.

Fifty meters was a dangerous distance. With the mutated beasts running at such high speed, they could reach the transport vehicle in just three seconds.

But they had no choice.

Yuan Wen's light assault rifle had an effective range of about 300-400 meters, but in reality, accuracy decreased significantly beyond fifty meters. Firing too early wouldn't effectively damage the monsters and would waste their already limited ammunition.

"Awoo!"

Most of the smaller horde consisted of larger creatures like antelopes and wild oxen. At this distance, there was no need to aim; almost every bullet hit its mark!

Quickly, the foremost mutated beasts were torn apart by the bullets, their bones shattered, collapsing to the ground with mournful cries.

The horde behind them didn't slow down, trampling over the fallen beasts, instantly grinding them into paste…

"Are these monsters not afraid?" the new recruit roared, his voice filled with fear.

The earlier volley hadn't caused the mutated beasts to veer away from the transport vehicle. Instead, it seemed to have enraged them, driving them forward with ferocious strides.

Boom!

The black-faced veteran threw two fragmentation grenades into the horde. Black smoke billowed as countless sharp fragments pierced the mutated beasts' bodies.

Buzzing!

At the same time, the new recruit stopped shooting, shifted into reverse, and stomped on the accelerator, trying to increase the distance between the transport vehicle and the horde.

Da-da-da!

Bullets sprayed, the gun barrel growing hotter and hotter. Under the suppressing fire, the horde slowed down.

Yuan Wen felt the vibrations of the gun and the approaching horde. Her vision became incredibly sharp. She fired a burst, blowing the head off the foremost antelope, and then shouted, "Don't move the vehicle! We can't outrun them! Suppress them with gunfire! Don't let them get close!"

"I was thinking, maybe we shouldn't have fired first? Maybe these monsters wouldn't have attacked us at all! If we stop firing, maybe they'll just go around us!" the new recruit yelled.

"Idiot! Are you willing to bet your life on that?" the black-faced veteran cursed. He quickly changed magazines, gritting his teeth. "Stop thinking about useless things! Pick up your gun!"

Although the mutated beasts might not actively attack the transport vehicle, no one dared to take the risk. If they allowed the mutated beasts to get within three meters, a sudden attack would leave the people on board no time to react before being slaughtered.

Eliminating all threats in the cradle was the most basic rule of survival.

Amidst the hail of bullets, a mutated beast leaped high, pouncing straight towards them.

It was a lynx. Its sharp claws pierced the metal of the transport vehicle's hood, embedding itself firmly on the vehicle. Its ferocious head and one paw reached into the carriage, its jaws snapping at Yuan Wen.

Click!

Yuan Wen directly raised her gun, using the gun body as a metal bar to jam between the mutated beast's teeth.

Da-da-da!

Three shots rang out. The mutated beast's cervical spine was shattered, and its body fell limply off the hood. The black-faced veteran shook his still-smoking gun and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks!" Yuan Wen looked down and saw that her bulletproof vest had been torn open by the mutated beast, but fortunately, she hadn't been injured.

These monsters' strength and speed were too great. If she hadn't been protected by the bulletproof vest, the monster's casual swipe could have torn open Yuan Wen's chest.

"We can't hold them back! There are too many of these damn things!" the black-faced veteran said through gritted teeth. "With ordinary beasts, one shot would be enough to disable them, but these monsters need four or five shots! We don't have enough bullets!"

After one or two volleys, everyone was running low on ammunition. Less than half of the horde had been eliminated, and as the shooting slowed down, the nearly collapsing horde launched another charge.

Boom!

The heavy transport vehicle shuddered. It was the impact of an incredibly large wild ox ramming into the front of the vehicle. The heavy transport vehicle's front crash beam instantly deformed, deeply caving in. The radiator burst, and billowing steam rose from the front of the vehicle.

Then, the horde charged forward, ignoring the increasingly sparse gunfire. Some mutated beasts brushed past the transport vehicle, continuing to run, while others began to attack the transport vehicle frantically.

Bang!

The heavy transport vehicle shook violently as its two front tires were blown out. Then came the piercing sound of tearing metal. The doors and panels were being frantically torn apart by the mutated beasts. This type of transport vehicle was primarily used for hauling cargo. Adding high-strength steel plate protection to the doors and surrounding areas would definitely affect the load capacity, so its level of protection was not high, only slightly better than an ordinary truck.

Under the frenzied mutated beast attack, the outer layer of the transport vehicle was quickly being torn apart like cardboard!