Chapter 7: The Great Reckoning Arrives

During this time, although monsters will continue to appear on the surface, their density and frequency will noticeably decrease.

As long as one makes good use of this downtime, a lot can be accomplished—at the very least, improving the farmland should be no problem.

According to Lin Cheng's original plan, he intended to expand upward once the underground shelter was sufficiently developed.

Only when the surface defenses were fully established would the shelter be considered complete.

Right now, they were still in the phase of covert development and couldn't afford to expose themselves too early!

Lin Cheng understood the old saying: "The tree that stands out in the forest is the first to be cut."

He patted the Glock 18 at his waist. Besides guarding against the monsters, it was even more important to guard against people's intentions!

In the era of the Great Reckoning, everyone was doing their utmost to survive.

Even if it meant sacrificing those close to them, it was a price many were willing to pay!

Lin Cheng had seen countless examples of this before.

After surviving the first wave of monster onslaughts, Lin Cheng not only had to figure out how to cultivate the land but also needed to go out and gather resources, especially iron materials.

Only by using the system to convert external iron resources into refined iron could he continuously improve the shelter's defense capabilities and combat strength.

For example, drones and the RPK machine gun were both crucial to the early stages of the shelter's development.

Once he had more refined iron in his possession, he planned to equip his parents with some weapons for self-defense as well.

...

Lin Cheng and his parents were sitting in the central area of the shelter, a hall that Lin had designed where almost all the shelter's facilities were located.

The sofa, coffee table, and television were all in place, and the three of them sat on the sofa watching the news on TV.

From the broadcasted images, it was clear that the streets, which should have been filled with pedestrians and vehicles, were now deserted.

The military had completely taken control of the city's security, and the roar of helicopters overhead reverberated through the TV speakers.

In the distance, the slow-moving tanks caught the attention of many, and curious onlookers even took out their phones to capture the sight.

For ordinary people, seeing a tank was a rare occurrence.

"As of now, shelters around the world have been fully opened. Citizens who have not yet gone to a shelter, please make haste!"

"Shelters not only ensure the safety of citizens but also provide stable living quarters!"

"Before this global catastrophe passes, every citizen can receive the military's protection in the shelters, unconditionally!"

The military's weapons and defensive measures indeed provided a sense of security.

But to survive the Great Reckoning...

Relying solely on these measures was far from enough.

Lin Cheng keenly noticed that the birds in the sky had long disappeared, and even various animals had gone into hiding.

Compared to humans, animals had a stronger sense of impending danger.

At that moment, there were less than thirty minutes until the Great Reckoning would arrive.

Lin Cheng's father suggested setting up some traps and snares outside.

That way, while on patrol, they might get lucky and catch some fresh prey.

Lin Cheng wholeheartedly agreed. He had refrained from storing meat earlier due to concerns about spoilage and storage time.

If there were alternative ways to get food, that would be ideal.

Before working as an electrician, Lin Cheng's father had spent some time as a hunter with his grandfather back in their hometown.

As his grandfather used to say, Lin Cheng's father was a hunter held back by his career as an electrician.

While setting up the traps, Lin Cheng kept a close eye on the time. The Great Reckoning would allow no room for hesitation.

When the clock struck 6 p.m., this global catastrophe would begin!

At that moment, the sun would be setting, and visibility outside would be low. Lingering outside the shelter for too long would be extremely dangerous!

Lin Cheng had made the entrance to the shelter very discreet, so much so that even without proper lighting, he might not be able to find it 100% of the time.

Every second spent searching for the entrance would increase the risk for both Lin Cheng and his father.

Fortunately, with just three minutes left until the Great Reckoning, the two of them finished installing all the traps. Without hesitation, Lin Cheng led his father back into the shelter.

As the iron door of the shelter closed, the ground suddenly began to shake violently, so much so that Lin Cheng and his parents were almost knocked over!

"What's going on? What happened?!"

His parents were both in shock, but Lin Cheng's face showed no change, as if he had anticipated this.

Holding his breath, Lin Cheng tried to turn on the TV to see what was happening outside through the live broadcast.

To calm the public, each city had teams stationed near the sinkholes, broadcasting live footage.

However, when Lin Cheng turned on the TV, all the channels had switched to a "no signal" screen.

It seemed the Great Reckoning had arrived!

Since the live broadcast was out, he decided to check the recorded footage online. Even a few seconds would be enough to reveal what had happened.

He opened his pre-prepared laptop, and luckily, the internet was still up and running.

Lin Cheng easily found the official live-streaming site.

Sparse comments popped up on the stream, with people asking what had happened.

"What the heck? What's going on?!"

"Everything was fine just a moment ago, and suddenly all the live signals cut off. Is the apocalypse really happening?"

"Does anyone know what's happening at the edge of the sinkholes?"

Lin Cheng ignored the comments and found the recorded footage. These recordings had been uploaded in real-time during the broadcast.

With the broadcast down, the uploads had naturally stopped.

The last update was at 18:00:13.

This meant that just 13 seconds after the Great Reckoning began, all signals were cut!

With a heavy heart, Lin Cheng watched the footage from after 6 p.m. The first few seconds seemed uneventful.

But at the 9-second mark, faint pairs of eyes could be seen in the darkness, flickering in and out of view.

In the final two seconds, the eyes became clearer, and countless dark shadows emerged from the sinkholes. The horrifying screams in the video were unmistakable!

In those few seconds, the military defenses around the sinkholes were completely overrun!