Ice Age Apocalypse: I've Stockpiled Billions of Resources

"Regardless of whether there are problems or not, it's better to strike first."

Before he could finish speaking, the modified rifle in Lin Luo's hand jolted violently.

"boom!"

A crisp gunshot rang out in the deathly silent street.

Fifty meters away, the crystal that had just begun to flash red light shattered instantly, turning into a shower of red dust.

Immediately afterwards, a sickeningly loud electrical overload sound came from underground, followed by a sound of dominoes falling and then going out.

The streetlights that had been dimly lit on both sides of the street were now completely dark.

"Well done." Zhang Min looked at the detector. "The energy fluctuations have completely disappeared. This identification system is probably connected to the energy core of the entire block. Your shot directly short-circuited its old wiring."

"After all, these are ancient relics from hundreds of years ago, so we can't be too particular about finesse now." Lin Luo put away his gun and waved for the team to continue advancing. "It's good that the battery is dead, so we won't get focused on by the automatic turrets."

As the team ventured deeper, they soon discovered an even stranger phenomenon.

The streets were lined with parked vehicles.

These vehicles have a rounded shape, like flattened beetles, and are very small, just big enough to accommodate the short Martians.

But the strangest thing was that every car was parked neatly, with the doors tightly closed, and the inside was empty when you looked through the dusty windows.

There were no remains, no signs of struggle, and very few personal belongings.

“Something’s not right.” Karina held her gun, looking around warily. “In those cities before, even the ruins were littered with corpses. People panic and run away when disaster strikes; cars should be crashed together. This place… is too clean.”

“That’s the problem.” Natasha walked over to a car and wiped the dust off the window with her gloved fingers. “It seems the residents of this ‘happy city’ haven’t suffered any sudden disaster.”

"You mean they ran away ahead of time?" Chen Shuang asked.

“It’s obvious.” Natasha looked around. “As the ruling class of Mars, the true pure-blooded Martians possess core technologies and intelligence. They knew long ago that Mars was about to be destroyed, or that some irreversible disaster was about to strike. So, they evacuated in an orderly manner.”

Lin Luo nodded, his gaze deep: "This is class. The scene we saw in that mixed-race city was completely different. Many of the Titans, the Apes, and the hybrids there died on the job, or on their way to escape. They had no idea that the apocalypse was coming, and they were still working for tomorrow's food."

“How ironic.” Zhang Min sneered. “The so-called ‘Happy City’ is built on deception and sacrifice of others. The purebloods took their tickets and left, while the remaining races became unsuspecting casualties.”

“Even within the same race there are differences in wealth and poverty, let alone in a cross-species civilization like this.” Lin Luo was not surprised by this; he had seen many such things in the apocalypse. “But it’s good that they’re gone; what they left behind is now ownerless.”

“There must be something good here.” Karina’s eyes lit up. “Since they evacuated in such a calm manner, large pieces of equipment and some resources that they couldn’t take with them must still be here.”

The group quickened their pace.

Although the threat of the identification system is gone, the small city still feels oppressive.

Lin Luo had to constantly bend over to avoid the low billboards hanging in the air.

After walking for about twenty minutes, they arrived at the city's core area.

There is a relatively "grand" building here.

Of course, this is relative to the matchboxes around it.

It is about five stories high, which is about three stories in terms of human building standards.

The building's exterior walls are made of an unidentified silver-white metal, and even after so many years, there is still no trace of rust.

Above the gate, a line of large characters is clearly engraved.

Lin Luo looked up and recognized the words: "Mars Life Science Research Institute".

“A research institute?” Natasha’s eyes narrowed. “These kinds of places are usually where the most valuable technologies are kept.”

"The security level at the entrance looks very high." Lin Luo pointed to the defensive turrets on both sides of the gate, which had long since lost their power. "The fact that these pure-blooded Martians can create those genetically mutated black tigers shows that they have a very high level of expertise in biotechnology."

"You mean..." Chen Shuang swallowed, a greedy glint in her eyes, "Could there be... an elixir of immortality in this?"

"An elixir of immortality?" Everyone was taken aback.

“Very likely,” Lin Luo said in a deep voice. “The Martian environment is harsh. Since they were able to evolve the intelligence to rule the planet, they must have worked hard to extend their lifespan and strengthen their genes. The inscription on the stone tablet, ‘Only those with Martian blood can enjoy ultimate bliss,’ might refer to immortality or some kind of ultimate evolution.”

In this apocalypse, nothing is more important than "living," and "living longer and stronger" is everyone's ultimate dream.

However, Lin Luo was not blinded by greed.

He looked at the tightly closed silver-white door and reached out to stop Chen Shuang, who was about to step forward.

"Don't worry."

"What's wrong?" Chen Shuang asked, puzzled.

"It's too quiet." Lin Luo squinted. "Although the identification system was destroyed, this research institute not only has its own power supply, but it may also have its own biological defense system. If there are experimental subjects more terrifying than Black Tiger sealed inside, or some kind of virus that spreads as soon as the door is opened, we will all die here."

"What should I do?"

"Don't advance yet," Lin Luo decisively ordered. "Today's exploration ends here. Let's clear the outer perimeter first and ensure an escape route."

He turned to look at the amphibious assault vehicle behind him, which was now following the column like a loyal behemoth.

"Karina, drive the car to that intersection and block the main road of the city." Lin Luo pointed to the direction they came in. "Now that you're in, close the door."

"Close the door?" Karina was taken aback.

"Although the smell of blood outside has dissipated, there's no guarantee that other wasteland creatures won't come attracted by the scent," Lin Luo said coldly. "This city is our territory now, and I don't want to be ambushed by a bunch of monsters while we're looting our spoils."

"understand!"

Karina quickly climbed into the vehicle and maneuvered the massive steel behemoth to turn around.

"Squeak."

With the help of the tank's hydraulic arm, the heavy metal gate at the city entrance, which was originally half-closed, was slowly pushed open.

Although somewhat rusty, it still emitted a heavy roar under the force of mechanical violence.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the two doors slammed shut.

Lin Luo then instructed Karina to place the chariot across the back of the door, acting as a second bolt.

"Alright." Lin Luo dusted off his hands, looked at the closed-off dead city, and smiled. "Now, this is our private garden. We'll rest in the car tonight, and tomorrow morning, we'll come back and properly pry open this research institute's turtle shell."