Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 258 Lingnan Storm
Lingnan Corps.

After the cataclysm, even ordinary plants began to grow wildly, and the vast land outside the high walls of the safe zone was soon covered by dense forests.

The area is characterized by dense hills and rolling hills, and it is in this environment that a small team is traversing rapidly.

"I heard that the Yangtze River was covered with a thin layer of ice a while ago, but it's still so hot here."

"The weather is already very good. Those tropical allies to the south are no longer habitable. This place is actually the most suitable."

"That's still not as good as Taodu. Sigh, I really want to go and see Taodu."

The middle-aged man at the head of the group coughed and said, "Alright, why bother with all this useless talk? Be careful, we can talk more once we get to the camp."

"What's there to be afraid of? We've traveled this route countless times."

Some soldiers didn't take it seriously, but they didn't say anything more; basic discipline was still necessary.

"Hey, Captain, look here."

A burly man shouted, and the captain he was referring to was the leader. His name was Sun Long, and he used to be the captain of an ocean-going fishing boat. After the cataclysm, he became a militiaman. The burly man under his command was his former chief engineer and the only crew member to survive the cataclysm. He was still working for him.

However, in terms of extraordinary strength, the other party is actually a bit stronger than him. If it weren't for their somewhat reckless and impulsive personalities, it would be hard to say who would be the captain.

Sun Long approached, his eyes narrowing. There were broken branches and fallen bushes in the dense forest, indicating that a huge creature had passed through.

Everyone immediately went on alert, intently looking around, their jet rifles glowing.

The dense forest was eerily quiet, as it had been since the Great Cataclysm. The trees grew thickly, yet the forest was deathly still. The team members had grown accustomed to it, but now they felt that a fierce gaze was lurking in the shadows cast by the branches.

"Achang, what do you mean?"

Sun Long called out to one of the soldiers in the team, the very same one who had just said he wasn't afraid of anything.

In fact, this person was the team's darling. Before the cataclysm, he was a member of a minority group living in the local mountains. His family were hunters, and he learned to trek through the mountains and identify various tracks from a young age. Sun Long, a captain who used to make a living at sea, had the confidence to venture into the mountains because of his presence.

"It's a snake, and it looks like a very big snake."

Achang had lost his composure. He surveyed everything before him, the subtle traces revealing information about the other party.

"Its size is at least ten meters, and it's very fast. It feels like it's at least at the third rank, and it's heading east."

"The time... should have been just half an hour ago."

Sun Long and his chief engineer exchanged a glance, as if they had thought of something.

"Oh no, the camp!"

"Quickly, speed up!"

The group continued along the mountain path, but abruptly stopped after crossing a ridge.

On another hilltop in the distance, the camp's walls had collapsed, and the high sentry posts were deserted. Looking through the gap in the walls, the camp was a desolate ruin.

The hands of several team members gripping their rifles were already cracking. Sun Long took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Communicator! Report to superiors! Old Chen, Achang! Be on alert! Prepare to evacuate at any time!"

…………

"Is this the third time this month?"

Xue Hui put down the documents in his hand and rubbed his temples.

Before coming, he thought the situation in Lingnan would be tricky, but he didn't expect it to be this tricky.

In the towering mountains, snakes and insects abound, and ferocious beasts roam the waterways. Forget about building a powerful cross-sea combat force; even the smaller safe zones here struggle to defend themselves.

But Su Xun sent him here so that he could settle down and develop his strength. Obviously, the difficulties in the local area could not be ignored.

The principle of "pacifying the interior before resisting external aggression" is certainly true in the context of coastal defense. Taodu was able to project its power precisely because it had a safe and stable rear. In the midst of a great catastrophe, crises lurk everywhere. Without a safe and reliable environment, there would obviously be no opportunity for development.

"It was actually a bit better before."

Wei Xin's expression was somewhat somber: "Thanks to the technology that Xinfu sent over before, we dealt with several large insect swarms, which can be considered a deterrent to the surrounding area to some extent."

"But recently, some mutated beasts have become more active, and it seems that a high-level being is organizing them behind the scenes."

She once represented Lingnan at the Extraordinary Summit in Xinfu and fought against Xue Hui in the Grand Competition. Now she has been assigned here to assist Xue Hui.

Actually, she wasn't the strongest person in the area; there were stronger beings there. She was just responsible for keeping the mutated beasts and zombies at bay.

However, she is considered a representative figure who can stand in the first echelon and has a certain amount of real power in the local area. The fact that the Lingnan Corps sent her here is enough to show their support for Xue Hui's work.

"They're waging guerrilla warfare against us."

Looking back at the situation map hanging on the wall, Xue Hui felt a bit of an itch.

He was originally from the army, but after awakening his water-based superpowers, he began to take on tasks related to coastal defense. Under the new military system, his lack of professionalism was naturally compensated by a large staff team.

But now, watching the other person's series of actions, he felt that his major seemed to be a perfect match.

They sabotaged transportation lines, raided supply depots, and then disappeared into the woods after the attack...

Aren't these all my tricks?

"It's not like we can't talk, is it really that big of a deal?"

Not to mention the peaceful environment of Taodu when we left, even the mutated beasts around Xinfu weren't this ferocious.

Upon arriving here, Xue Hui became increasingly aware of the strength of the Taimon Legion and how much of a role top-tier superhumans like Su Xun could play in the battle.

“They may have some bigger scheme.” Wei Xin shook his head: “The mutated beasts have intelligence but no wisdom. They are obviously greedy for more spoils of war, but we cannot yet determine their target. The General Staff initially suspects that they are preparing to attack a large safe zone in the vicinity.”

She sighed, "Commander Xue... could we possibly... go to Taodu again...?"

Xue Hui remained silent for a long time. He understood what the other party meant, but Taodu was under considerable pressure.

"Comrade Wei Xin, I understand your feelings, but we can't just ask the commander-in-chief for help every time we encounter difficulties."

"The situation in Yanshan is not optimistic either. It will be difficult for Taodu's main force to cross such a long distance to get here. The commander-in-chief may focus his attention on Bohai."

"Taodu's resources are limited. If we help this side, we can't help that side. We should try our best to solve things ourselves."

He truly meant what he said. Taodu wasn't even finished yet, and he and Han Zhong were sent out without even having a chance to see the houses assigned to them.

They claimed to be preparing for an attack on Izumo, but the support they received clearly indicated a desire to aid the local area.

And they are clearly not the last batch.

Wei Xin nodded: "I know, I just..."

Xue Hui reassured him, "Don't worry, the reinforcements have already arrived. I'll help you figure out a solution."

"Before leaving, the commander-in-chief brought us a lot of good things."

(End of this chapter)