Chapter 238: The Real Enemy Has Always Been the Apocalypse Itself

Chapter 238 – The true enemy has always been the apocalypse itself.

When Shen Yue said, “This is a rocket that has been taken apart and stored,” it was not quite accurate.

To be precise, these are two DF‑26 missiles, disassembled and stripped of their nuclear warheads.

The rocket engine, the airframe and its shell, the navigation and radar systems, the warhead—

every component that could be taken apart has been scattered, each sealed away in its own individual container.

The parts remain in remarkably good condition; Shen Yue even mused that, should they be reassembled, the Huaxia troops could instantly lay claim to the two most advanced, most formidable weapons on the wasteland.

The only regret is that there are only these two.

Not enough—far from enough.

———

Yet it is clear that the Huaxia forces can no longer demand much more.

“Take them away.”

Shen Yue swept his hand aside and issued another order:

“First clear the road, then drive the truck in.”

“It’s a blessing the thing was disassembled; had it been kept whole, we might not have been able to move it at all.”

“Commander, is this… powerful?”

Huang Qiao, squad leader of the second company, asked from beside Shen Yue.

Powerful?

Shen Yue was at a loss for how to convey the magnitude of the equipment, and after a moment’s thought he replied:

“If we can reassemble it and it functions normally, we could say we now possess, to a great extent, the capability to breach the Mountain City.”

“Whatever lies within, it could not withstand two nuclear missiles.”

“Unless they can pull out a mid‑course anti‑missile system.”

“But clearly, what we lacked before the Great Cataclysm, they could not possibly have now.”

“Enter the Mountain City?”

Huang Qiao froze on the spot.

He had heard countless legends of the Mountain City; to him it was a place as perilous as Hell itself.

No one had ever entered, and no one had ever been able to harm that city.

Yet now his commander spoke of it so casually, as if it were a trivial matter.

Does that mean,

that the Huaxia army now has no rivals in this world?

He looked at Shen Yue with excitement and asked:

“Commander, does this mean we are now the strongest force on the earth? That we can defeat every enemy?”

“This is the apocalypse.”

Shen Yue turned to Huang Qiao, his expression solemn, each word deliberate:

“In this world, our enemies are never the mechanical cults, the Sanctum of Holy Blood, the Mountain City, or the monsters.”

“Our foes are every negative factor that hinders the rebirth of civilization.”

“Food shortages, lack of education, low productivity, harsh living conditions.

All of these are our enemies.”

“Do not arrogantly assume we are invincible; we merely possess a comparatively strong force.”

“In truth, we are still far from being able to stand firm on this land.”

.Understood.

Huang Qiao nodded slowly.

He could not fully grasp Shen Yue’s meaning.

If even monsters and the mightiest Mountain City are no longer obstacles, isn’t survival a given?

Here there are abundant resources, plentiful food.

As long as we purge those beasts, even hunting alone could sustain us. ——

Wait.

A flash of insight suddenly lit Huang Qiao’s mind.

He realized he had been thinking the wrong way.

The “civilization” spoken of by the commander does not refer merely to the current few hundred Huaxia soldiers.

What if one day the Huaxia ranks swell to thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands?

Then what shall we rely on to survive?

It seemed an obvious question, yet for some reason Huang Qiao only now understood it.

From that moment, a greater ambition stirred within him.

The shift from “survive” to “let more people survive” unfolded silently, without fanfare.

As Shen Yue left the underground works, his eyes no longer stared fixedly at the commander’s every move.

He moved nimbly, scanning all around, his gaze alive with an indescribable vigor.

Even while clearing the road later, his swings of the machete were far more vigorous than anyone else’s.

“Take it easy, don’t push yourself into rhabdomyolysis.”

Watching Huang Qiao drenched in sweat, Shen Yue teased:

“What’s the matter, in a hurry to go back?”

“No.”

Huang Qiao straightened, gave a shy smile, and answered:

“Commander, I just suddenly understood what I’m actually doing.”

As his words fell, Shen Yue blinked in surprise.

Enlightened?

What the hell?

It seemed I had done nothing, said nothing at all.

Isn’t it that the political commissar’s job is that hard?

The result is right, yet the experience is impossible to distill.

Shen Yue scratched his head instinctively, wanted to probe further, but ultimately gave up.

Who cares.

Take it slow.

After a few hours of toil, the group carved out a barely passable road for the trucks.

Several trucks, piloted by Fuxi, rolled into the underground works, and the others loaded the needed gear one by one.

Besides seizing two rocket components, Shen Yue also took four modular nuclear warheads.

These devices are compatible with the DF‑26 missile system; should we later restore the rockets to full operational status, our trump card would be boundlessly powerful.

When everything was ready, Shen Yue raised his hand in a signal, indicating that everyone should prepare to withdraw.

The expedition to Huangshan had been far from smooth; the emergence of two monsters had thrown the schedule into chaos, yet the final outcome was surprisingly satisfying.

The convoy set off northward, and Shen Yue, seated inside, sorted through the equipment data.

According to the plan, they would be back at Base 011 within at most two days.

Shen Yue felt an impatient urge to return and take a hot shower.

What was that saying again?

From luxury to thrift is hard!

——

Yet just as he was immersed in the relaxed mood of the return journey, a voice crackled through his headset—Fuxi's voice.

"Commander, drones 40 kilometers east have detected activity from two monsters, preliminarily classified as level four, near Qiandao Lake Town."

"There is a small human settlement there, roughly three hundred souls."

"The monsters are already closing in on the residential area; they are expected to arrive within two hours."

"Shall we proceed with a rescue? Awaiting your orders."

Rescue?

Two months ago, Shen Yue wouldn't have given such a proposal a second thought.

But now,

the situation has changed.

The beast tide is about to erupt, and every human settlement on the wasteland is under threat.

In times like these, "proactive rescue" becomes a necessary choice.

Moreover, our own squad truly possesses the capability to save.

Then let's go.

With that thought, Shen Yue decisively issued his orders:

"Fuxi, keep the trucks returning."

"Everyone else, follow me eastward to rescue Qiandao Lake Town!"

"Prepare, move swiftly, strike and withdraw!"

Meanwhile, inside Qiandao Lake Town.

The water‑bound town, strikingly reminiscent of Huangshi, had descended into utter chaos.

Everyone busily packed whatever luggage they could, trying to haul away as much survival supplies as possible.

Grain, sickles, axes, fishing nets, fire‑steel.

Some even hoisted their makeshift fishing boats onto wooden carts, then looped hemp rope around shoulder and waist, straining with all their might to pull the carts.

But it was evident that all this was in vain.

The cargo's weight had sunk the cart wheels deep into the mire; no matter how hard the men pulled, not a speck could be shifted.

A crimson hue flushed his face, and a hoarse roar escaped his throat.

He was spent.

When his strength peaked, his muscles instantly slackened.

And the wheels, which had seemed on the verge of escaping the mire, slipped back down once more.

——

Yet at that very instant, a surge of force erupted from behind the cart.

Immediately, the wooden cart lunged forward, surging onto level ground.

The man suddenly released his grip; turning his head, he saw a pony‑tailed girl sprinting past him.

"Uncle Li! Unload the fishing boat quickly!"

"You won’t get far! No one’s helping you pull the cart!"

Having said that, before the man could answer, the girl kept running ahead.

She deftly leapt onto the pier’s boarding plank and rushed into a fishing boat moored at the shore.

When she emerged again from the boat, she cradled two toddlers, two or three years old, in each hand. "Abandon the fishing boats altogether!"

"Those monsters are after people; what good are your boats to them!"

"Leave everything you can’t carry; as long as we live, that’s enough!"

The girl shouted orders, her voice carrying far across the town like an irresistible command.

Just as the cart‑pulling man had, most people, upon hearing her, set down their burdens.

Yet there were always a few who could not see reality in such moments.

The girl set the children down and, without pausing, dashed toward another wooden house on the side.

The owner of that house, meanwhile, sat at the doorway with his two four‑ or five‑year‑old children, showing no hint of wanting to retreat.

"What are you still standing around for?!"

"Move! The monsters are close; they’re coming straight at us!"

"Leave? Where could we possibly go?"

The man looked up at the girl and said:

"If the monsters are after us, there’s nowhere we can run that will spare us."

"If they’re not after us, what are we even running from?"

"Don’t bother, Little Fish."

"Do you really think you alone can save everyone?"

"Even if we flee, the monsters will still catch us."

"Better to stay here; the elders of the Mechanical Cult may already be on their way and will slay all the monsters."

"Mechanical Cult?? The Mechanical Cult, seriously!"

The girl called Little Fish furrowed her brow and shouted:

“Haven’t you heard about what happened in Jurong?! That city has almost been razed by monsters!”

“Where is the Mechanical Cult?! When their people arrived, the folk of Jurong Town were on the brink of being wiped out!”

“Are you chanting sutras to the point of hallucination? If you don’t leave now, do you still expect them to actually come to your rescue?!”

“No one can save us; we must rely on ourselves!”

“Leave quickly!”

While saying that, Xiaoyu reached out toward the two children before her.

Yet in that very instant a man sprang to his feet and stood between her and the exit.

“I told you I won’t go!”

“If I go, my home will be destroyed!”

“I can’t leave this place, I can’t—”

“Bang!”

The man’s words were cut off by a sudden, deafening blast.

Without a single superfluous word, Xiaoyu dropped the shattered earthen jar in her hand and, in a low voice, declared:

“Lift your father and come with me!”

“Join the main force! Get out of the town first!”

“Ignore his nonsense; no one will ever come to save us!”

“We can only count on ourselves, understand?!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the two children nodded hurriedly.

When Xiaoyu turned to leave, they were already hauling the fainted man together with their mother, hurrying toward the edge of town where the others were fleeing.

Xiaoyu exhaled a sigh of relief, climbed onto the tallest wooden house at the southern tip of the town, used the roof for leverage, and in a few steps scaled the modest cliff beside it.

From that perch she could see the monsters’ movements in the distance with crystal clarity.

Yet even she, who had kept her composure all along, felt her heart pound wildly at the sight.

They were close.

When she first sounded the warning, the monsters were still at least ten‑something kilometers away.

Now, after more than an hour, they were less than three kilometers from Qiandao Lake Town!

In at most ten minutes they would reach the outskirts of the settlement.

They would not spare the town, they would not spare the people here!

Xiaoyu felt every muscle in her body tighten as she shouted a warning to the crowd moving like ants in a hurried exodus.

What steadied her a little was that the overwhelming majority of the residents had already evacuated.

The few who remained, she could no longer worry about.

There was no time left.

It was their own refusal to leave that doomed them!

They still clung to fantasies.

Fantasies that the monsters would not come, that the Mechanical Cult would swoop in to save the day.

But how could that be possible?!

Drawing a deep breath, Xiaoyu leapt from the roof and, without looking back, sprinted toward the direction of the main convoy.

She wanted to protect everyone in the familiar town, yet she knew there were some damned souls she could not save!

The wind roared past her ears; as she passed each house and each fishing boat she shouted warnings.

“Run! Run!”

“The monsters are almost upon us!”

Whether anyone heard her or not, the only thing that mattered to her now was to preserve herself.

Heading west, the retreating column was already in sight.

But at that moment a heavy, guttural roar echoed from behind her.

“Roo—”

The gale howled, and Xiaoyu staggered, collapsing onto the ground.

When she turned back, the beast that had been three kilometers away now loomed at the town’s edge!

Her hair stood on end; ignoring the bruised arms and legs from her fall, she scrambled up and broke into a frantic sprint.

Yet another raging storm surged forward.

Towering waves rose from the lake, and the fragile wooden house was blown away outright.

She bent low and struggled onward, while ahead a mother and child were also hurled by the gale into the river, unable to free themselves.

In that instant Xiaoyu’s instinct urged her to rush forward and rescue them.

But when the terrifying pressure of the monster behind her bore down, fear halted her.

A moment’s hesitation could mean her death.

Watching the mother and child thrash in the water, Xiaoyu’s mind raced.

Pull them up, then leave them!

Lose two seconds and keep running, it would still be enough!

She lunged toward the pair, using a riverside branch to brace herself, about to reach out, when in that very heartbeat the massive creature vaulted into the water.

“Bang!”

A gigantic surge instantly engulfed the three of them.

In that moment Xiaoyu deeply regretted not staying away from the lake’s edge.

There was no escape.

Instinctively she clutched the unconscious child, battered by the wave, while kicking furiously, trying to find solid ground.

Above her, the beast had already gaped its enormous maw.

A massive gulp of air was drawn in.

Its next onslaught was about to be unleashed.

Yet Xiaoyu never even glanced at it.

She was solely focused on breaking free; everything else had been automatically eclipsed.

In truth, she had already prepared herself to die there.

She still wanted to struggle one last time.

——

Yet perhaps she need not struggle.

At the very moment she finally set foot on the lake's bottom, a tremendous explosion rang out.

“Boom!”

Flames erupted from the monster's maw, and immediately a dazzling firework blossomed, shooting forth from the creature's crown.

A bright, lemon‑yellow light bathed Xiaoyu's face, and she watched, eyes wide, as the haughty beast crashed thunderously into the water.

Soon after, somewhere north of Qiandao Lake town, the same deafening blast sounded again.

In an instant, the city fell back into silence.

Xiaoyu, stunned, rose from the water and clambered toward the shore.

And as she wiped the droplets from her eyes, her vision clearing once more, she beheld a strange iron bird soaring in the sky

— a peculiar metallic avian.

That iron bird could speak.

It said:

“Across the lake, we shall not go any farther.”

“The vicinity has become unsafe.”

“If you seek a new place to settle, look to Jinling.”

(End of Chapter)