018 The Fog Dissipates and The Rain Falls

As expected by Anirudh, the soldiers stationed beyond the blockade line ultimately failed to contain the Tyrant.

 Even in its severely weakened state, the Tyrant was not something ordinary weapons could handle. The dense fog further impaired the accuracy of heavy weaponry like handheld rocket launchers. As a result, the creature broke through the blockade after killing over a dozen soldiers and vanished into the mist.

 "They should've planted landmines outside the blockade…"

 Upon hearing the outcome, Chandan fell silent for a moment before gritting his teeth and exclaiming, "So many lives lost, and we still let it escape… Damn it!"

 "It all boils down to the fact that the Tyrant's strength exceeded everyone's expectations," Anirudh said with a sigh. "Who would have thought that so many well-trained, heavily armed soldiers couldn't stop this thing? And this cursed fog isn't helping either…"

 In such dense mist, the soldiers were at a severe disadvantage. Even thermal imaging devices were rendered ineffective because the zombies' body temperatures were too low to detect. Without these tools, the soldiers were like blind men stumbling in the dark.

 Otherwise, even if the Tyrant were twice as strong, it wouldn't have escaped the encirclement.

 ---

 Just as Chandan was about to say something else, his phone buzzed with a new message. After reading it, his face turned noticeably grim.

 "What happened?" Anirudh asked, frowning at Chandan's sudden change in demeanor. "Is it because of the account issue with your dad?"

 Even though Anirudh wasn't part of the military system, he knew that using someone else's account to access classified information without authorization was a serious offense.

 "It's nothing. At most, my dad will yell at me, and I need to talk to him anyway," Chandan replied, typing a response. "I told him about the Licker you saw, so he'd be careful. By the way, can I also tell him about the possibility of other monsters appearing?"

 The information Anirudh had provided was too critical to keep to himself. If his father could take it seriously and prepare in advance, it might prevent chaos in the event of future outbreaks.

 "Of course, you can tell him. After all, I got the info from a post on the forum. I'll send you the link so you can check it out," Anirudh replied.

 "But don't blame me if your dad doesn't believe it. Honestly, if I hadn't seen the Licker myself, I wouldn't have believed it either."

 Thanks to the forum post, Anirudh had a perfect cover and wasn't worried about drawing suspicion. Besides, he didn't want to see a disaster wreak havoc on countless lives, so he readily agreed to Chandan's request.

 "Got it!" Chandan nodded and resumed exchanging messages with his father.

 The news about the new type of mutated zombie and the prediction of more to come finally caught Chandan's father's attention. Shortly after, Chandan received a few more messages and shared the updates with Anirudh.

 "My dad said they're working on tracking the Tyrant and searching for the Licker. The military is also tightening control over the city, aiming to eliminate the zombies and stabilize order in C City as quickly as possible," Chandan explained.

 "As for that forum post…" He hesitated and sighed. "My dad thinks it's nonsense and told me not to believe everything I read online."

 "Well, whether he believes it or not doesn't matter. I just hope it turns out to be fake," Anirudh said with a shrug. "But just in case, I'll continue collecting information."

 Glancing at his computer clock, Anirudh realized it was already past 10 p.m., leaving him with just over a day until the system was set to awaken. The thought made him feel even more pressed for time.

 "Will you help me with this?" he asked Chandan.

 "Of course, I will! If that post turns out to be true, this information might be crucial," Chandan agreed readily, eager to be of assistance.

 ---

 Meanwhile, the military forces from New Delhi, despite their setbacks with the Tyrant, pressed forward with their operations. The city entered a full military lockdown, with curfews and roadblocks strictly enforced. Soldiers and police guarded every neighborhood and street, ensuring no one could leave their homes. The army also took over the distribution of essential supplies to prevent disorder.

 Under armored vehicle and tank cover, the troops systematically cleared the streets of zombies. Gunfire echoed throughout the city as countless undead were eliminated, their bodies collected for incineration.

 Things seemed to be improving.

 If this continued, the military might clear out the zombies within a day or two. Once they contained the critically ill patients who could turn, the crisis in C City could potentially be brought under control.

 But would it really be that simple?

 ---

 "My eyes are killing me…" Chandan groaned after finishing their data compilation. Rubbing his tired eyes, he complained, "I've barely had six hours of sleep in the past two days, and my dad chewed me out earlier. I'm on the verge of collapsing. I need to get some rest soon."

 He glanced at Anirudh, who seemed energetic despite the late hour, and asked curiously, "How are you still so full of energy? Have you even slept at all? Are you a monster or something?"

 "Stop whining and finish up the last bit of data," Anirudh said with a smirk.

 Thanks to the intermediate stage of the Ancient Body Tempering Technique, his physical and mental endurance far surpassed that of an ordinary person. Although he had been working non-stop for two days, he felt only slightly tired.

 Besides…

He glanced at the clock again. Only a few minutes remained until midnight—when the system was set to awaken and, potentially, when the real apocalypse would begin.

 How could he think of resting now?

 "Don't stress too much," Chandan said, sipping coffee to keep himself awake. "The military is doing a good job clearing out the zombies. My dad said the main reinforcements from New Delhi should arrive tomorrow noon. Even if a few more Tyrants or Lickers show up, it won't change the situation."

 "That fog, though… It's such a pain," Chandan grumbled. "If it weren't for that, we would've found and taken care of those two monsters by now."

 "Let's hope the reinforcements expand the search and take them down," Anirudh replied. "By the way, what about that recognition software you mentioned earlier? Is it ready?"

 Chandan perked up. "Oh, right! I almost forgot." He quickly transferred the program to Anirudh. "My friend finished it. You can install it on your computer, tablet, or phone. Just input the data, and it'll use the camera to identify anything similar."

 "It even has a fuzzy recognition feature, so it can identify targets with slight differences from the data we input," he added proudly.

 "Sounds handy," Anirudh said, installing the software and uploading their compiled information.

 As they worked, the clock struck midnight.

 Beep! Beep! Beep!

 Anirudh's alarm blared, and at that exact moment, a dazzling flash of lightning illuminated the night sky, piercing through the dense fog.

Thunder roared, shaking the city, and a torrential downpour followed.

 With the rain, the fog that had shrouded C City for days finally began to dissipate.