Chapter 231: Blood in the Mud
The doors of the lift hummed as they sealed shut, carrying Xiao Li and Lieutenant Chen down into the safety of the medical ward.
On the access platform above, Song Yan wiped a mixture of mud and blood from his forehead, his breathing heavy as he watched the floor indicator numbers tick downward toward medical bay.
"They’re secured," Song Yan reported over the primary channel, unslung his assault rifle, and fell into step alongside Da Yong. "Dr. Zhou is already waiting with Zhou Ming."
"Good," Lin Qing’s voice cut through the earpiece, cold and steady. "Fall back to the main blast gate platform immediately. We have company coming down the pass."
Lin Qing and Su Yun were already moving at a fast, efficient pace along the stone catwalks connecting the outer ridges to the Research Center’s primary defense perimeter.
The violent roar of the fuel cell explosions and the metallic echo of the ridge battle had long since shattered the quiet of the valley, and the mountain was beginning to respond.
Distant, guttural snarls echoed out of the upper karst caves along the northern cliffs. The vibrations, paired with the iron scent of fresh blood spilling into the melting slush, were waking the dormant threats nesting in the dark.
Lin Qing and Su Yun reached the high observation ramp overlooking the main entrance. Han Zheng stood near the turret emplacements alongside Lu Feng and his unit.
The blast gates of the Research Center were completely sealed, their heavy hydraulic locking pins engaged, turning the facility into an impenetrable bunker.
"Status on the approach road?" Lin Qing asked, stepping up to the reinforced parapet beside her husband.
Han Zheng didn’t take his eyes off the valley road below. "Sun Hao’s sensors confirm six signatures advancing. They’ve abandoned stealth completely."
"They know we burned their vanguard," Su Yun said, leaning her rifle against the steel barrier as she adjusted her optics. "They’re moving in a heavy assault formation now."
Down on the main road, six Apex Hounds marched through the churning mud. At the center of their formation moved their heavy assault unit—a hulking figure carrying a reinforced ballistic tower shield and a heavy automatic cannon. The remaining five Hounds flanked him, their rifles raised, their goggles scanning the high walls of the Research Center for defensive positions.
"Target lock acquired," Lu Feng called out, his hand resting near the firing control of the twin kinetic turrets. "Commander, give the word and we’ll open up on the lead shield."
"Hold your fire," Han Zheng ordered calmly, raising a hand to stall the gunners.
Lu Feng frowned, glancing over. "Hold? They’re entering optimal kill range."
"Look at the ravines," Lin Qing interjected, pointing her rifle barrel toward the steep embankments bordering both sides of the approach road.
Screams tore through the cold mountain air—sharp, screeching, and unnatural.
From the dark mouths of the thawing caves higher up the slope, figures burst forth, slipping and scrambling down the decline. Red energy stones embedded in their sternums glowed with a fierce, unstable crimson light as the red-core infected rushed down toward the valley floor, drawn directly by the heat and noise of the marching Hounds.
Behind them, moving with frightening speed and fluid agility, came the yellow-cores. The bright, radiant yellow stones embedded in their chest areas pulsed with intense energy, casting an eerie amber glare across the slush. They leaped over the rock falls effortlessly, leading the pack straight toward the main road.
"They heard the explosion on the ridge," Su Yun noted quietly, her voice devoid of panic. "They don’t care about the base right now. They smell the energy signatures on the road."
"Let them work for us," Han Zheng said, his deep voice carrying absolute authority over the ramp. "Conserve our ammunition. Let the infected test their formation first."
On the approach road below, the lead Apex Hound raised his arm, bringing the six-man column to a sudden halt in the deep mud. The crimson sensor grids on their visors flickered rapidly as the screeching of the approaching horde echoed off the canyon walls.
"Infected! Multiple targets descending!" one of the flanking Hounds called out over their local comms, swinging his rifle toward the slope.
"Maintain formation! Clear the path!" the heavy assault Hound barked, his voice synthesized and harsh through his lower-face mask. He slammed the base of his massive ballistic tower shield into the mud, anchoring himself as the first wave of red-core runners slammed into their perimeter.
The red-cores hit the Apex line like a tidal wave of wild, unchecked violence. Their red chest stones flared as they lunged with clawed hands and snapping jaws.
The Hounds opened fire with lethal, mechanical precision. Controlled, three-round bursts tore through the air, hitting the red-cores dead center. The high-caliber rounds shattered flesh and bone, detonating the red core stones in small bursts of crimson light and spraying dark, tainted blood across the slush-covered road.
Three red-cores were cut down in seconds, their bodies collapsing into the mud, but more were already sliding down the wet embankments behind them.
"They’re too fast!" a Hound on the left flank grunted, driving the butt of his rifle into the chest of a red-core that had closed the distance, before stepping back to blow its head off at point-blank range.
"Focus fire! Don’t let them split the line!" the heavy unit commanded, raising his heavy cannon to track a larger shadow dropping from the upper rocks.
A yellow-core infected hit the ground with a wet, heavy thud thirty feet ahead of the Hounds. The radiant yellow stone in its sternum pulsed brightly, surging energy through its limbs as it moved with terrifying, unnatural speed—far faster than the red-cores.
It didn’t rush headlong into the gunfire; instead, it zig-zagged across the slippery terrain, using the bodies of the fallen red-cores as cover.
Before the lead Hound could adjust his aim, the yellow-core closed the gap, leaping straight at the heavy ballistic shield.
BOOM!
The yellow-core slammed its clawed hands against the metal frame, its yellow stone flaring with a violent burst of kinetic force. The sheer impact forced the massive heavy Hound back two full steps, his boots tearing deep grooves into the thick mud.
"Gah! It’s a yellow-core!" the heavy Hound growled, straining against the weight of the beast as it clawed viciously at the top edge of his shield. "Light it up!"
Two flanking Hounds turned their weapons on the yellow-core, unleashing a concentrated volley of special armor-piercing rounds directly into its torso. The yellow energy stone shattered under the intense gunfire, exploding in a bright amber flash that threw the dead mutant back into the slush.
Up on the observation ramp, Lin Qing watched the carnage unfold through her rifle optics, her finger resting lightly against the trigger frame.
"They’re wasting ammo and energy," Lin Qing analyzed, her eyes tracking every movement of the six Hounds below. "Their heavy unit is anchored. The two on the left flank are burning through their primary magazines, and their rear guard is completely focused on the slope."
𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"Their formation is starting to fracture," Su Yun added, her rifle scope fixed on the Hound holding the rear position. "They’re getting pinned down in the mud. The yellow-cores are forcing them to use their modified power bursts early."
Down in the valley, two more yellow-cores, flanked by a dozen red-cores, poured out of the western ravine. The noise of the continuous gunfire was attracting every infected within two miles, creating a chaotic, grinding buffer between the Apex strike force and the Research Center’s main blast gates.
"Look at their power-holder on the right flank," Lin Qing observed, her voice sharp as she pointed out a tall Hound channeling visible distortion waves around his arms. "He’s using localized pressure waves to clear the red-cores, but every blast drains his stamina visible in his posture. If he keeps that up, his energy reserves will be half-empty by the time they reach our outer perimeter."
"And their heavy shield isn’t as immovable as it looks," Su Yun joined in, tracking the stress fractures along the ballistic tower shield. "That yellow-core’s kinetic strike cracked the secondary frame. A concentrated turret burst on that exact spot will shear the shield in half."
Han Zheng stepped up between them, his posture commanding and rigid as he overlooked the chaotic clash below. The mud was turning dark red with infected blood and heavy black oil from the Hounds’ gear.
"They brought ten men expecting to breach a static bunker," Han Zheng said quietly. "Now they’re fighting a two-front war against the terrain, the mountain, and us."
"We let them bleed a little more," Lin Qing decided, her rifle steady as she tracked the lead Hound’s throat. "When the next cluster of yellow-cores hits their center line, that’s when we open the turrets."
Down in the valley, surrounded by screaming red-cores, thrashing yellow-cores, and deep, bloody slush, the remaining six Apex Hounds realized too late that they had marched directly into a grinding slaughterhouse.
"Heavy team, prepare to advance through the horde!" the Apex commander yelled over his squad radio, his voice strained as another red-core slammed into his armor. "Don’t get bogged down. Push toward the blast gates now!"
"Negative!" the heavy shield Hound roared back, slamming his shoulder against his cracked shield as a yellow-core landed on the metal surface. "We can’t move forward without exposing our flanks! Clear these freaks first!"
Up on the ramp, Han Zheng raised his hand toward Lu Feng. "Turret operators, prime kinetic rounds. Targets locked."
Lu Feng gripped the handles tightly, his thumb resting over the red trigger switch. "Turrets primed, Commander. Just waiting for your mark."
Lin Qing met Han Zheng’s eyes, a cold, unwavering smile touching her lips. "The mountain broke their line. Now we break their team."