Chapter 529: Chapter 326: Beetle Kingdom
Wearing heavy protective gear, the two of them held a large net, tied with a safety rope, as they paddled towards the deep pit.
The stench, ten times stronger than on land, surged immediately, but both wore filtering masks.
Qi Zhenbang used his ability to repeatedly scan for any potential dangers, trudging with difficulty through the pit filled with floating corpses.
Working together, they used the net to scoop up large pieces of corpses, dragging them to the side for inspection, and people on the shore would use hooks to pull them up. Although troublesome, the efficiency was already considered quite good under circumstances of limited engineering equipment.
Construction is always harder than creation.
Once most of the floating corpses in the deep pit were cleared, everyone felt significantly relieved.
While working, they chatted about the latest happenings on the train.
Whether it was a bulletproof Tier Three Zombie or the enigmatic train conductor, these were all topics of great interest to everyone.
After finishing the big topics, they would inquire about salaries and finally chat about women, often saying, "She’s really beautiful," and this topic could go on indefinitely, making the foul work environment seem sweet.
Although Qi Zhenbang was the youngest of the three brothers, he was already over forty. If it weren’t for this damned apocalypse, he would have had both a son and a daughter, so he naturally wasn’t interested in the young people’s topics, just listening quietly on the side.
Suddenly, he felt something was amiss, using his relatively clean shoulder to adjust the view of his mask.
He noticed that the blood and grime around his waist had dropped about thirty centimeters.
’Could it be because there are fewer corpses?’
Qi Zhenbang felt puzzled. Even if there were fewer corpses, it shouldn’t have dropped so much.
Before he could voice a warning, a series of bubbles suddenly emerged one meter to his right, raising his alertness to the highest level. He pressed the net directly to the bottom to support himself and prevent being sucked in.
More and more bubbles appeared, quickly forming a small whirlpool there, with the filth in the pit rapidly sinking visibly.
It was either a natural cavity or an underground well.
Both were dangerous by any name, and the squad leader also noticed this situation, hastily responding.
One person rushed to report, while the remaining people stood on the shore, guarding with guns, while Qi Zhenbang and his partner warily watched the center of the whirlpool.
As the whirlpool expanded, the stuff at the bottom was exposed. Although extremely terrifying, it wasn’t much for the two to handle. What truly made them feel threatened was the hole beneath the whirlpool, which emitted a sound like a dying person gasping.
"It seems something is about to crawl out!"
The gun-armed teammate on the shore shouted nervously.
"Stay calm, don’t shoot yet. Let me and Old Qi get ashore first!"
Qi Zhenbang nodded, staring at the hole as he slowly retreated, seeing a creature covered in grime emerging from the hole, about the size of a basin, oval-shaped, with a smooth and hairless body, likely a type of beetle.
It turned left and right, then crawled towards the two in the big pit.
The squad leader didn’t hesitate any longer and sternly commanded, "Open fire!"
Instantly, muffled sounds appeared on the beetle’s back, some visible bullets ricocheting off, with the rest viciously drilled into the beetle, making it stall in place as if it running out of power.
The two breathed a sigh of relief, turning and quickly running towards the shore.
Qi Zhenbang hesitated a moment, using the net in his hand to scoop the close-at-hand beetle corpse, then retreating to the pit’s edge.
From perception, it seemed to be a non-Tier Evolution Beast, but its defense was exceptionally strong, withstanding dozens of 7.62 rifle rounds before dying. It definitely had research potential.
"More are coming out! Open fire! Open fire!"
The team member on the shore shouted.
The squad leader who had just climbed ashore saw Old Qi still hadn’t come up and urgently shouted, "Drop it, come up first!"
But it was already too late, as one by one, basin-sized beetles crawled out of the pit, rushing towards Qi Zhenbang in the big pit.
Qi Zhenbang didn’t dare look back, struggling to free his feet from the mire, his mask fogged by his breath, blocking what little vision he had, but he sensed a team rushing towards them, likely the nearby patrol combat group.
If he held on a bit longer, he could be rescued!
The pit was almost occupied by scarlet beetles, the foremost one standing on a corpse, leaping at him.
The hard beetle carapace deflected bullets, aiming straight for Qi Zhenbang’s back.
With his strength of less than a Tier One "Collector," being pounced on meant grave danger.
At the critical moment, a heavy steel figure flew into the mud pit, raising its left hand, a faint red Pan Energy shield deploying instantly, forming a large shield two meters high and one point eight meters wide, blocking the pouncing beetle.
At the same time, the right hand lifted, two 12.7mm gun barrels trembling slightly, announcing death upon the beetle swarm.
The beetle swarm that could withstand rifle bullets was blasted apart by the bullet chain in mid-air. Instantly, the pit was once again littered with corpses, as a [Guardian] Power Armor blocked the entrance with a solid hold.
Heavy footsteps sounded, five or six Power Armors coming to support.
...
Upon receiving the news, Su Huan was at the high-voltage hub substation on the edge of Zhijin, the backbone network of the entire Zhijin’s power supply.
Normally, high-voltage electricity originates from the power station, passing through the hub substation, then undergoing several voltage reductions, entering the urban underground cables or overhead lines. For the reconstruction of base cities, these infrastructures can be slightly adjusted for immediate use.
Professor Ma said, "As long as electricity is injected here, turning this hub into a generation end, it can power the entire Weinan District..."
