The Surge and Recession of the Beast Tide

Xiao Feng heard Rice's words and turned to him. "What's the matter?"

"Have you reached the point where you no longer need a telescope to discern the movements of the distant rat horde?" Rice asked in astonishment.

"Hm, is that so strange?" Xiao Feng replied.

Rice shook his head. "Visual ability evolution—I recall you didn't possess such powers before."

"Heh, don't be too surprised. There are plenty more things ahead that will astonish you. It seems the first wave of monster assaults poses no significant threat. The fleeing rat hordes should be easily handled by Uncle White and the others. We must now prepare to confront the second wave of beasts."

Rice nodded, and a guard nearby brought over a computer, placing it before Xiao Feng and Rice. Xiao Feng pulled up the image of the second wave of beasts approaching closest to Black Whale City. The screen revealed a vast pack of demonic hellhounds.

"A G-grade beast swarm. Looks like the Evil Dragon Cult has saved their trump card. Taming these beasts is no easy feat. They send the worthless monsters first to exhaust us. The beast levels escalate progressively; the deadliest group is held back for last. Had they unleashed their strongest force first, we might have been overwhelmed—or, perhaps, we could have prevailed, in which case the Evil Dragon Cult would have truly met its doom."

Rice agreed. "You're right. They intend to wear us down with lesser beasts, then annihilate us with the elite swarm. That's their strategy."

"Whether we can endure until the ninth wave arrives remains uncertain. The hellhound tide approaches from the southeast. Since they're hellhounds, let the Earth Dogs handle them..." Xiao Feng chuckled to himself.

"Which is fiercer—the hellhound or the Earth Dog?"

"Heh, definitely the Earth Dog..." With that, Xiao Feng strode toward Earth Dog, who was chatting casually with a dozen mech warriors. At this level of beast, their overwhelming firepower made the threat negligible, so they showed little concern.

Xiao Feng reached Earth Dog's side. "Southeast— a G-grade beast swarm rapidly advancing. I need you to take care of them."

Earth Dog nodded. "Alright, we're just idling anyway. We'll head out now."

"Much appreciated."

Earth Dog patted Xiao Feng's shoulder. "Boss Xiao Feng, no need for such formalities. Without you, Earth Dog would have perished long ago. Any help I can give is mine to offer. You gave me life, yet you speak so politely—too formal between us. Besides, my mission is to aid you."

"Heh, fair enough. No more formalities. Once this war ends, I'll properly thank you all."

"No need. It's our duty... We're off. Keep in contact."

"Got it. I'll have Brada support you, and you must finish swiftly. The F-grade beast tide follows closely; the challenge grows greater. Eliminate the front wave as quickly as possible to buy time against the next."

"Understood. Dealing with G-grade beasts is a breeze for us. Don't worry, Boss Xiao Feng—we'll dispatch them swiftly."

With that, Earth Dog led the mech warriors as they leapt from the defensive wall, charging southeast.

Xiao Feng ordered Rice to deploy a dozen armored infantry vehicles to follow, just in case.

...

Aivy's sniper battalion delivered a devastating blow to the rat tide. Fully equipped with heavy mechanical sniper rifles, Aivy herself wielded the crimson Bloodghost, standing at the forefront and unleashing a relentless barrage. Shielded by Old White's infantry division, the sniper unit operated without fear, their slender bullets piercing the swarm, barely needing precise aiming.

The heavy sniper fire echoed continuously two kilometers from Black Whale City. The onrushing mutant rats perished one by one, their unnatural lives extinguished.

Some swift mutant rats escaped the sniper's wrath, but the infantry division's heavy machine guns soon swept down upon them.

This massacre lasted nearly ten minutes. The tsunami-like rat tide was utterly crushed, leaving a vast field littered with carcasses. The scorching bullets seared their flesh, releasing a nauseating stench mingled with thick blood, transforming the wasteland into a veritable hell on earth.

Aivy's sniper battalion's barrels glowed red-hot. They lost count of the rounds fired, confident only in the ceaseless ammunition supply from Black Whale City's Brownm Company arsenal.

Within five minutes of the rat tide's defeat, Earth Dog spotted the next wave: hellhounds surging forward several kilometers away. Slower and fewer than mutant rats, their combat prowess was vastly superior.

G-grade beasts—no mere heavy sniper round could kill one with a single shot unless it was a perfect headshot. These grotesque demonic hellhounds possessed formidable fighting capabilities. Even with three legs shattered, they posed a serious threat to ordinary infantry.

Yet Earth Dog and his mech warriors awaited them. Though only a dozen strong, their firepower was immense. Their large-caliber automatic rifles fired rounds bigger than heavy sniper bullets. Earth Dog himself carried a tank-grade heavy machine gun, standing front and center, a long ammo belt feeding from a nearby box. As the demonic hellhounds entered range, he opened fire.

Equipped with an auto-aim system, Earth Dog's heavy machine gun fire rivaled sniper precision. His sweeping salvo felled rows of hellhounds, consistently striking dead-center on their foreheads, with mere centimeters of deviation.

To the massive hellhounds, those few centimeters meant little.

Though Earth Dog's marksmanship was flawless, he alone could not halt the entire hellhound tide.

At last, the enormous swarm entered the mech warriors' firing range.

The mech warriors stood shoulder to shoulder across the barren plains, spaced about ten meters apart, forming a long battle line unleashing a furious volley. Though less accurate than Earth Dog, their aim still impressed.

Wave after wave of demonic hellhounds collapsed. Even in death, their momentum rolled them several times before lifeless stillness.

Between each mech warrior stood an armored infantry vehicle. Beyond side-mounted machine guns, the vehicles boasted twin six-barrel Gatling heavy machine guns and two small surface-to-air missiles atop.

This armament made the armored vehicles far deadlier than the mech warriors, yet they lacked their agility and firing precision.

They remained on standby, ready to open fire if Earth Dog's squad failed to control the tide.

Together, the mech warriors and armored vehicles formed a devastatingly potent offensive force. Thus, the G-grade swarm was no longer a cause for concern.

Xiao Feng watched from the defensive wall, a smile curling his lips at Earth Dog's ferocious slaughter. "Technology truly is the measure of combat strength."

Rush nodded. "Now you see why Victoria Company commands a quarter of the Alliance. Without their backing, other firms would lose vitality, like Hilton Company—their most advanced mining machines rely on our tech. After breaking ties with us, they'll never see such advanced technology again."

"Indeed. Without technological support and Brownm Company's arms, Sam Group would collapse swiftly. Thankfully, we chose to stand united with Brownm."

"Heh, well, that's the advantage of our chairmen's close friendship."

At that moment, Rice approached carrying a laptop. "Enough chatter, both of you. Come see the third wave. We need to decide how to handle it."

"I don't need to see it. If I'm right, the third wave is the demon wolves—swift, heavily armored, and fiercely aggressive. They're the first real tough nut we have to crack," Xiao Feng said, frowning.

Rice smiled. "You're absolutely right. Although demon wolves are also G-grade beasts, they're far more challenging than hellhounds."

Xiao Feng stretched and said to Rush, "We shouldn't just watch. It's time for us to personally engage this demon wolf tide..."

Rush clenched his fists. "Agreed. I've been itching for action."