The blood-red light, like a giant dome, enveloped the entire wasteland, staining everything with an ominous hue. The low roar from the distant hills seemed to trigger a chain reaction, as dense, frenzied howls echoed from all directions.
These weren't ordinary zombies or mutated dogs. The sounds were filled with power and ferocity, as if a massive army was sweeping towards their small warehouse.
The Guide's translucent figure materialized beside Chen Shouzhou. His eternally calm expression was now incredibly grave.
He pointed to the distance and analyzed in a completely emotionless tone: "Based on energy fluctuations and sound wave frequency analysis, the targets are suspected to be a high-level mutated beast pack, attracted by the 'Ethicore' energy. Preliminary estimates put their numbers at over fifty, with an average danger level of C+. System recommendation: Abandon the safe house. Evacuate immediately."
"Evacuate?" Chen Shouzhou wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, but a near-maniacal grin spread across his face. "Run? Where can we run to? This warehouse, this farm, this is our home! If we run, we'll have nothing left!"
He took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with resolute determination.
"Tonight, we're not running! We're staying right here, and we're going to make some headlines for these bastards!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it was like an anchor, instantly steadying the panicked hearts of Su Wan'er, Lin Mo, and A'Jie.
"Everyone, on my command!" Chen Shouzhou activated his [Basic Team Command] skill. His voice seemed to carry a strange magic, making everyone's mind exceptionally clear, the tactical intentions instantly understood.
"A'Jie, you and Old Lin are on the trap chain! I want all our stock—booby traps, bear traps, caltrops—laid out at the key chokepoints outside the fence! Remember, they need to be linked for a chain reaction, one triggering the next!"
"Dr. Su, you're on logistics and medical! Get all the medicine, bandages, and antidotes ready! Also, find all our acidic and alkaline chemicals. I have a big use for them!"
"Understood!"
"Roger!"
The three of them sprang into action, and the entire safe house began to operate like a precision war machine.
Chen Shouzhou himself rushed to the scrap heap. He activated his [Advanced Resource Appraisal] skill, rapidly scanning everything around him.
[One barrel of discarded industrial sulfuric acid. Condition: Concentration has decreased, but still highly corrosive. Utility Value: Very High. Remark: Use with caution. Spilling this on yourself would not be fun.]
[Several un-detonated old-era military grenades. Condition: Fuses are aged, stability is unknown. Utility Value: Very High. Remark: Whether it's a pleasant surprise or a nasty shock all depends on your luck.]
He quickly sorted through all the usable explosives and acidic liquids, setting up a dozen detonation points in the core area outside the warehouse, which he would control personally. He then directed A'Jie to set up several simple catapults, designed by Lin Mo and operated by a lever system, on the watchtower and the warehouse roof.
"Chen-ge," Su Wan'er came over, writing quickly on her notepad, "we can use the chemicals to create a toxic smoke screen. Even if it doesn't kill them, it will slow them down and disrupt their sense of smell!"
"Great idea!" Chen Shouzhou's eyes lit up. "Dr. Su, I'll leave that to you and Old Lin! You're the experts!"
With a clear division of labor, the four of them worked in perfect concert, and in just half an hour, they had transformed the safe house into a deadly fortress filled with traps.
The sky grew darker, and the howls in the distance grew closer. The ground began to tremble slightly, as if some giant beast was stampeding.
Finally, under the light of the blood-red moon, the first wave of mutated beasts appeared on the horizon.
There were mutated hyenas the size of bulls, covered in bony spikes, and mutated wolves that moved like the wind, their claws glinting coldly. Their eyes were blood-red, drool dripping from their mouths. They formed a terrifying legion of death and launched their first charge at the warehouse.
Chen Shouzhou stood on the watchtower, calmly watching the tide of beasts surge forward until they entered the outermost ring of traps.
"First wave, I'll send you on your way!"
He calmly pressed the remote detonator in his hand.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Several pre-set detonation points outside the warehouse exploded instantly! The mixture of fire oil and industrial sulfuric acid created a corrosive belt of black, sizzling flames.
The dozen or so mutated beasts at the front were instantly engulfed by the death zone. They shrieked in agony as their tough hides were rapidly corroded and burned, and after a few struggles, they melted into putrid flesh.
The momentum of the beast pack's charge was forcefully halted.
But their numbers were simply too great! A portion of the fearless beasts bypassed or charged directly through the fire belt, roaring as they lunged at the warehouse fence.
At this critical moment, Chen Shouzhou pulled out the vial of "Ethicore" solution from his pocket—the one he had snatched from the secret basement, still glowing with an eerie blue light.
"Dammit, fortune or disaster, I'm betting it all on this!"
He uncorked the vial. He didn't drink it, nor did he throw it. Instead, with all his might, he splashed the contents onto the ground in front of him.
Hiss—!
The blue liquid didn't spread like a normal liquid upon hitting the ground. It instantly evaporated, rising as a thick, purple mist with a strange, sweet aroma.
The mist rapidly spread outwards. All the mutated beasts that inhaled the purple mist seemed to have been hit by a slow-motion button. Their movements became sluggish and stiff, the madness in their eyes turning to confusion. Several even collapsed to the ground, convulsing.
The "Ethicore" primary solution was a potent neuro-paralyzer!
"A'Jie! Now!" Chen Shouzhou roared.
A'Jie, already in position on the roof, seized the golden opportunity! His slingshot and catapults became the scythe of the Grim Reaper, continuously launching poison-tipped javelins and sharp metal fragments, accurately hitting the slowed beasts in their vital spots like their eyes and throats.
Su Wan'er was not idle either. She frantically sprayed the anesthetic and toxic smoke concocted by Lin Mo at the gaps in the fence, creating a deadly barrier that, in coordination with Chen Shouzhou, finished off the last wave of enemies.
The Guide's figure quietly appeared. He looked at the brutal battlefield and commented in his usual placid tone: "Tactical execution: excellent. Team coordination: seamless. Crisis response rating: S+. Recommended experience bonus: +50."
As his voice faded, Chen Shouzhou's system interface updated.
[Ding! Current Safe House level progress: Lv.2 → Lv.3 (30%)]
The battle was finally over.
Outside the warehouse, the ground was littered with corpses, the stench overwhelming. Chen Shouzhou, A'Jie, and Lin Mo, utterly exhausted, collapsed onto the steps at the warehouse entrance, unwilling to move even a finger.
Su Wan'er silently handed them water and clean towels. She looked at the man before her—always joking, yet capable of carrying everything on his shoulders in a crisis. The wall of ice that had long encased her heart finally melted completely.
She walked to his side, opened her mouth as if to say something, but then hesitated. Finally, she took a deep breath and, in a voice that was a bit rusty but exceptionally clear and gentle, she spoke her first complete sentence:
"Thank you... Shouzhou."
Chen Shouzhou's head snapped up. He stared at her, hardly able to believe his ears.
A'Jie also looked at him with sincere gratitude and said in a low voice, "Chen-ge, I... I'm willing to follow you, always."
Chen Shouzhou looked at them, then at the blood-soaked sky in the distance. A sense of unprecedented pride filled his heart. He grinned, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.
"This is just the beginning," he said. "We still have a long way to go."