Knowing that the Experimentals were capable of using simple explosives, it was extremely frightening to find a bomb in the tunnel.
During this period, the Zhou Consortium had deployed special instruments to check on the decibel levels in the vicinity of the stronghold walls, because they were afraid they could not detect the sound of the Experimentals digging tunnels underneath the stronghold.
But looking at this underground tunnel in front of them, the Experimentals must have dug it a long time ago. How else could they have avoided detection by the Zhou Consortium troops?
The soldier who discovered the bomb was panicking as he tried to run back frantically. But before he could get out of the pit, the bomb behind him suddenly exploded.
The ground around the stronghold walls looked like it had suddenly been plowed as large clods of earth started breaking apart. Like the water surface, a dirt “wave” swept across the ground.
The people surrounding the pit were immediately blown into the air, and their organs were ruptured. In the blink of an eye, they died from excessive internal bleeding.
But this was only the beginning. Similar explosions like this went off at three other places.
The loud explosions left the entire stronghold in shock. The residents all stopped whatever they were doing and stared dumbfoundedly at the stronghold walls on the west side that were starting to crumble.
With the loss of the foundation, cracks started to spread from the bottom of the wall to the top from the power of the blast. Finally, three huge gaps appeared!
These three fracture points eventually caused part of the wall to collapse, bringing the garrison troops who were still standing on it to the ground. Any heavy machine guns and artillery they had also became useless. With a breach created in the walls, the Experimentals waiting outside would be getting restless to attack.
When Old Li and Qin Sheng heard the explosions, they immediately rushed off towards the stronghold walls at high speed. But before they could get there, they could already see the stronghold walls collapsing.
It was a sight they had never witnessed with their own eyes. It was as though human civilization were collapsing right before them.
The structure that human beings had relied upon to protect themselves for hundreds of years had crumbled in front of them.
The huge circular stronghold was just like a cake, and a part of it had been cut with a knife by the Experimentals.
This sight also sent a clear message to the humans that their strongholds were not as sturdy as they had thought. All they were good for was defending against wild animals.
Immediately after, a dense pack of Experimentals climbed over the ruins of the fallen wall. Old Li stared blankly at the gray Experimentals crawling towards them like a cluster of spiders.
This proved the negotiation and seven-day deadline mentioned by the Experimentals were a lie. The Experimentals were only trying to make the humans in the stronghold let their guard down and focus on searching for the so-called Experimental 001.
The Experimentals had already planned to launch an attack to destroy the stronghold the day after the negotiations.
The Experimentals wanted the humans in the stronghold for the sake of expanding their race!
Old Li remembered the attitude of the Experimentals’ “king.” Actually, that monster was already prepared to turn the entire Central Plains into its own territory. The other party probably never had any intention of turning back into a normal person ever again.
“Let’s go,” Old Li said in a startled manner.
Qin Sheng said anxiously, “Are we leaving just like that?”
Old Li glanced at Qin Sheng and said in seriousness, “You and I have no obligation to sacrifice ourselves to save Stronghold 74. We should preserve our strength and rescue as many people as we can from this place. Stronghold 74 has already fallen!”
It was not that Old Li did not want to defend the stronghold, but that most of the garrison troops on the stronghold walls had already been killed. War was cruel to begin with, and the Zhou Consortium troops were no longer capable of resisting the Experimentals!
Old Li looked back at Qin Sheng. “Only the east gate has not been sealed off yet. Lead the escapees over there!”
“You want me to lead them?” Qin Sheng was taken aback. “Then what about you, Teacher?”
“I’m gonna hold the Experimentals back for a while. Pray that I can hold on for a bit longer. Those Experimentals won’t be able to outrun me, so don’t worry,” Old Li said.
What Old Li did not say was that if no one went to stop the Experimentals, probably nobody would make it out of here. Since the escapees could not outrun the Experimentals, a lot of escapees would eventually be devoured.
But at this moment, a group of soldiers rushed over from the streets at the rear. Zhou Xingwen was sitting in the car and looked calmly at Old Li and Qin Sheng. “You two, take the residents and flee east. I’ve already told the garrison to open the east gate. The Zhou Consortium will defend the stronghold by ourselves. There’s no reason for you two to die together with us.”
As he spoke, Zhou Xingwen was exuding a certain kind of gallantry that showed he was not afraid of death. Before the explosions happened, he was deploying troops from the command center. But after hearing the explosions, he immediately rushed over.
He knew full well this stronghold no longer had a chance of surviving as he got surrounded by screaming and despairing residents. As the highest-ranking officer in the stronghold, he should not be escaping first. He needed to do one last thing: kill as many Experimentals as he could.
Zhou Xingwen also knew that if he ran away in cowardice, he could never escape from the massive feelings of guilt and remorse.
While they were talking, a reddish-gray mushroom cloud suddenly rose up in the middle of a dense group of Experimentals. And under that mushroom cloud, a transparent shockwave started spreading outwards. The Experimentals that were caught in the explosion’s range were involuntarily swept up and disintegrated.
The mushroom cloud had a radius of 100 meters, and the Experimentals within that range were vaporized. The power of the explosion was really terrifying.
The Experimentals crawling in from the brach in the stronghold never expected a bomb to suddenly go off around them.
As the mushroom cloud dissipated, several other explosions went off in the vicinity. But they did not sound as intense as the first explosion.
Ren Xiaosu was extremely excited as he ran off after throwing the Explosive Poker cards.
The Experimentals that had just swarmed into the stronghold were dazed by the explosions he set off. This time, approximately a quarter of the Experimentals’ strength had been lost after he threw out the bombs in batches.
The mushroom cloud from earlier was made by Ren Xiaosu’s four “sevens” he had just gotten. To be honest, even Ren Xiaosu himself was shocked by the power of the four “sevens”!
At the rear, the Experimentals that had not entered the stronghold yet were also stunned. They hesitated outside the stronghold and did not dare to advance. It wasn’t until they received a new command that they started storming the stronghold again.
Old Li looked at the mushroom cloud dumbfoundedly. “Was that bomb dropped by your Zhou Consortium?”
“No.” Zhou Xingwen shook his head in denial. Then he ordered the Zhou Consortium’s troops to carry on marching. Although someone had helped them clear out some of the Experimentals, there were still more of them up ahead.
Qin Sheng gulped. “Teacher, could a superhuman have caused those explosions? Could it be that superhuman wearing the white mask?”
“I don’t know.” Old Li shook his head. “Let’s go!”
At this moment, Ren Xiaosu was making a mad dash for the hotel. When he got to the hotel’s entrance, he shouted at Zhou Yingxue, “Let’s go, come on! It’ll be too late if we don’t leave now!”
Zhou Yingxue had heard the explosions. When she saw Ren Xiaosu, she followed right behind him without hesitation. Ren Xiaosu looked back at Li Ran and the others and said, “The Experimentals are already here. Follow me if you want to live. Those who can’t keep up, I won’t turn around to save you.”
