Ice Age Apocalypse: I've Stockpiled Billions of Resources

"Eat your fill, then get to work."

Lin Luo put down the empty bowl in her hand, took out a tissue and wiped her mouth.

Everyone quickly composed themselves, the brief feeling of warmth vanishing as the instinct for survival in the apocalypse once again took over.

Chen Shuang quickly cleaned the table, while Zhang Min and Natasha returned to their respective combat posts immediately to check the remaining weapons and ammunition.

The amphibious vehicle was currently parked on a high ground, and through the huge bulletproof observation window, a strange landscape could be clearly seen in front of it.

It was a vast expanse of purple grassland.

Unlike the vibrant green of Earth, the grass here has a bewitching deep purple color. Each blade of grass is like a sharp dagger, with a metallic sheen on its edges, making it look particularly eerie in the dim Martian light.

"This place... feels off."

Karina stared at the external images on the screen, her brow furrowed. "Although there are no obvious signs of monster activity, this even more purple grassland feels more dangerous to me than that wasteland full of demons we just saw."

“It is indeed very dangerous.” Lin Luo nodded. “The radiation level in the air rises sharply here, and the trace spores emitted by this purple grass have a strong paralyzing effect. If an ordinary person walks in, they will die from respiratory failure within ten minutes.”

“The most troublesome thing is,” Lin Luo paused, pointing to the purple ocean on the screen, “that we don’t have specific coordinates.”

Mars is too big, and the ruins they are looking for, or the so-called "key point," are like finding a needle in a haystack on this strange grassland.

“Without coordinates, we’re just running around like headless flies.” Karina sighed, leaning back in her chair with a hint of helplessness. “If only we could see the exact location, even just a vague direction.”

“Yes, this is too difficult.” Natasha agreed while wiping the barrel of her gun. “In this kind of terrain, if you get lost or stuck in a swamp, the tank can get out, but the energy consumption is a big problem.”

Lin Luo shook his head and took out a rusty metal disc from the strange space. It was a Martian relic that he had found in some ruins before.

"I was hoping that the electronic devices left behind by these Martians might be of some use, but this thing is completely broken." Lin Luo casually tossed the metal disc aside with a crisp sound. "Tens of thousands of years is enough time to turn any delicate electronic component into scrap metal. The data inside can't be retrieved, and a navigation system is out of the question."

"Then what do we do?" Chen Shuang asked. "Should we force our way in?"

“Forcing our way in could easily lead to trouble.” Lin Luo pondered for a moment, his gaze fixed intently on the distance. “This patch of purple grass is too tall, over two meters high. The chariot’s visibility will be limited if it goes in. We need to take a good look and find a relatively safe entry point, or look for signs of human activity.”

"That's the only way," Karina agreed. "Better safe than sorry."

"No rush." ​​Lin Luo waved his hand, signaling everyone to relax. "Now that we've shaken off those pursuers, we have plenty of time. Let's use drones for low-altitude reconnaissance and map out the surrounding terrain. Sharpening our axe before chopping wood is never too late."

"Understood, I'll release the drone right away." Karina immediately took over the operation.

A brief silence fell over the carriage again, broken only by the soft hum of the instruments.

Everyone awaited the investigation results. The atmosphere was tense, but not chaotic. After all, under Lin Luo's leadership, they had become accustomed to this methodical, step-by-step approach.

However, this calm lasted for less than five minutes.

"Didi di di di!!!"

The piercing alarm suddenly blared inside the carriage without warning, and the red warning lights flashed wildly, instantly shattering all peace.

"What's going on?!" Lin Luo's eyes sharpened, and he instantly sat up straight.

"Something's coming!" Chen Shuang's voice suddenly rose, her fingers flying across the radar screen. "Extremely fast! It's coming from the direction we're heading... no, it's flanking us!"

"How can it be?!"

Lin Luo's expression changed. "We've been speeding for three hours at 120 km/h, and we even changed lanes several times. How could those demons who only rely on brute force possibly catch up? I've already shaken off all the monkey demons!"

This doesn't make sense.

Even if those demons have the most sensitive sense of smell, it's impossible for them to pinpoint their location so accurately across hundreds of kilometers of desert without any visual contact, and at such a high speed!

"It's not the main force!" Chen Shuang stared intently at the red dot on the screen and quickly reported, "There's only one!"

"One?" Lin Luo frowned even more.

"Switch the camera over here!"

The large screen flashed suddenly, and a high-magnification camera in the distance captured the fast-moving dark figure.

On the edge of that purple grassland, a creature that wasn't particularly large was on all fours, moving like a black lightning bolt through the rocks and grass.

Its movements are extremely agile, and each leap can cover a distance of more than ten meters. Moreover, it knows how to use the terrain to cover itself, always sneaking along low-lying areas or in the shadows of rocks.

The moment the camera finally locked onto it, everyone in the car gasped.

That was indeed a "monkey demon".

But it is completely different from the previous group of cannon fodder who only knew how to charge blindly.

This demon was covered by a strange bony exoskeleton, a dull grayish-white, like a suit of bio-armor. Its eyes weren't a murky red, but rather emitted a ghostly green light, filled with cunning and cold intelligence.

The most terrifying thing is that there were two broken metal tubes stuck in its back, like remnants of some failed experiment.

"Damn it, has this thing become sentient?" Zhang Min cursed.

The demon seemed to sense being watched, abruptly stopping in its tracks, raising its head, its eerie green eyes fixed on the direction of the chariot, its mouth splitting open to reveal a mouthful of fangs as sharp as daggers, and letting out a provocative growl.

"squeak!"

Even though the sound was several kilometers away and was transmitted back through the radio equipment, it still sent chills down one's spine.

“It’s marking us.” Lin Luo’s voice was as cold as ice. “This isn’t an ordinary beast; it’s a scout.”

"What the hell is this thing?" Natasha gripped her gun tighter. "How could there be something like this on Mars?"

“These monkey demons…” Lin Luo stared at the monster on the screen that wasn’t in a hurry to attack, but instead wandered around and observed, a chill rising in his heart. “It might not be a product of natural evolution at all, but a biological weapon developed by the Martians back then.”

Only this explanation can account for why they possess such formidable physical strength, as well as such outrageous tracking abilities and tactical proficiency.

“It’s extremely troublesome.” Chen Shuang looked at the radar data. “Its movement trajectory is very erratic, as if it’s testing our perception range. Moreover… the radar shows that it has an extremely strong ability to regulate its body temperature. If you don’t look closely, you might even mistake it for a rock.”

Lin Luo took a deep breath, his eyes revealing a murderous intent.

"Now that you've caught up, you're not getting away."

He jerked the control lever, and the tank's turret creaked as it turned, its dark muzzle pointing directly at the eerie monkey demon.

"Whether it's a Martian watchdog or some kind of experimental subject, since it dares to show its face, I'll blast it to smithereens!"

"Prepare for battle! We must win this battle swiftly!"

Lin Luo adjusted the angle slightly and fired directly.