Chapter 284: Melting

Chapter 284: Melting

The name “Shanxiao” was utterly foreign to Yu Qian, yet the terror trembling in the voice of the one who uttered it rang crystal clear to his ears.

In an instant, the defensive line formed by the militia reserve crumbled without warning.

After all, they were not professionally trained soldiers; when the tide favored their side, they could at least manage to play their part.

After all, pulling the trigger at a target that could neither threaten nor resist—who among us would not do the same?

But once the situation turned against them, fear‑dominated bodies grew feeble, and minds clogged with chaos dulled into numbness.

In that moment, a single thought eclipsed every mind.

Run.

Anywhere you go, the faster the better!

Yu Qian fled with the crowd, his heart pounding, and at the closest point the monster’s minions were less than two meters behind him.

Had it not been for the high‑ground artillery that kept the beast at bay, he would have become a corpse long ago.

Yu Qian dared not glance back, yet he could hear intermittent screams drifting behind him.

Someone had already fallen.

And more might tumble down in the moments to come!

The attacking monsters were not limited to this single creature.

His eyes flicked across the square ahead, searching for any shelter that could shield him from the beast.

Alas, there was nothing there.

The factory.

Only the factory could offer refuge!

Molten iron still roared in its channels, and the automated steel‑making plant churned on.

Its walls were thick enough, surely they could hold back the monster!

Yu Qian spun sharply and sprinted toward the ironworks.

Stumbling over an unseen obstacle, he fell unawares, and his rifle slipped from his grasp.

He scrambled to his feet, reaching for the gun, only to see the monster behind him spring skyward.

It was over.

Yu Qian shut his eyes in despair, and in that instant a flash of light streaked from afar.

An explosion cracked on the monster’s flank.

Boom!

The creature was hurled sideways, and for a heartbeat Yu Qian thought the battle had ended.

It was an explosion, after all!

The monster was not huge; how could it possibly survive such a blast?

Yet reality shattered his final hope.

The beast dubbed “Shanxiao” merely rolled on the ground, then vaulted back up with startling speed.

Its movement was unscathed; Yu Qian even doubted that the shell’s impact

could have been any more negligible than a stumble on flat ground.

—

Nevertheless, the projectile had diverted the monster’s attention.

It turned toward the source of the attack, where a tank, invincible and kicking up clouds of dust, thundered forward

— a tank!

Boom!

The tank’s long barrel belched flame, its shell whizzed past, detonating a plume of smoke on the ground before the beast.

When the smoke cleared, the creature had vanished without a trace.

Yu Qian noted the tank’s turret spinning aimlessly, as if still searching for a target.

Even it could not locate the monster??

Fear deepened within Yu Qian’s heart.

He knew nothing of fire‑control radars or situational‑awareness systems, yet he understood that, in most cases, nothing evades the eyes of the Chinese forces.

If something did slip through, it meant the monster had grown powerful enough to breach the limits of the Chinese army.

Run, quickly.

You must survive.

Yu Qian barreled toward the factory, slamming into its iron door and then heaving it shut with all his might.

At the very moment the door sealed, cries of terror erupted from outside.

Open the door! Open the door!

Let us in! Let us in!

Yu Qian recognized the voice; it was Liu Qi, whom he had met only moments before, pleading at the door.

He, too, had finally found the factory’s shelter.

For a fleeting instant, Yu Qian wanted to brace the door shut forever.

He dared not take that risk.

He did not know whether, if he opened it again, the door could ever be closed.

Such a consequence was beyond what he could bear.

But if he left it shut,

Liu Qi might truly die outside!

After a second’s hesitation, Yu Qian finally pulled the door open.

Bloodied Liu Qi surged inside, a grievously wounded comrade slung over his back.

Close the door! Close it!

Liu Qi set the comrade down and rushed to shut the door, but as Yu Qian had foreseen, once opened it would not close again.

Relentless waves of reservists seeking shelter poured toward the factory; turning them away now was impossible.

Yu Qian could only retreat deeper into the factory with Liu Qi, bearing the wounded.

He tried to hide behind the converter, only to find the searing heat there could roast him alive.

Helpless, he scrambled for anything that could shield him.

Yet he knew deep down it was merely self‑consolation.

If that monster

can

rush

into

here,

then

not

will

find

any

hiding

in

inside

the

people.

The only thing I could hope for was that the tank might block it.

But that seemed unrealistic.

Yu Qian could see that the monster was no match for the tank.

It couldn't even breach the tank's armor!

Yet even with the most advanced equipment, the tank could not track it.

It was a complete deadlock.

Outside the factory, the sounds of gunfire, explosions, and artillery rang on; those noises gave Yu Qian no comfort, only drove his already frayed nerves to the brink of collapse.

“We’re doomed, we’re doomed.”

Liu Qi muttered, collapsing to the ground and curling into a ball as if his soul had fled.

The coworker whose belly had been torn open by the monster’s claws was already motionless, his entrails spilling out, the bluish‑gray hue looking especially eerie in the glow of the molten iron.

“Quiet!”

Yu Qian pressed his hand onto Liu Qi’s shoulder.

In that moment, he seemed to calm a little.

“Do you want those monsters to find us?”

“Speak softer!”

Liu Qi immediately shut his mouth, his survival instinct forcing his teeth to clamp shut, and he made no further sound.

Yet even so, their last hiding place was exposed.

The newcomers attracted the monsters, and the instant a monster slipped into the factory, a scream rang out.

“Fire! Fire!”

“Bang bang bang bang—”

The chaotic yet dense gunfire echoed through the factory, and Yu Qian heard something collapse heavily.

He peered over and saw a monster leaping over the corpses of its own kind, charging toward the half‑open gate.

The creature was already very close to the people inside the gate.

The two men holding guns had already emptied their magazines.

In that instant, Yu Qian didn’t know what he was thinking.

His mind had stopped working, yet his body moved as if beyond his control.

He seized the Type‑75 rifle that Liu Qi had dropped at his feet and gripped it.

Then he rose, exposing himself from behind the cover.

He was too close.

His instinct told him that firing here would be futile.

So he took a few steps forward, steadied himself, and braced the rifle stock.

The next second.

“Bang bang bang bang bang—”

Bullets poured out.

In less than twenty metres from the monster, each of his shots struck with near perfect accuracy.

Flesh and blood sprayed as the monster’s corpse crashed to the ground.

Yu Qian had expected a surge of excitement from the successful kill, but when the monster fell, his heartbeat suddenly slowed.

His emotions felt doused with a bucket of ice, shifting from an uncontrollable, searing boil to an almost frozen calm.

Reload.

A second voice seemed to echo inside Yu Qian’s mind.

He calmly reached for his waist, only to find his magazine gone; he then rummaged the fallen body at his feet, quickly pressed fresh rounds into the chamber, and re‑inserted the remaining magazines back into his belt.

“The three of us together.”

Yu Qian said,

“We’ll stand in a line; if another monster comes, I’ll fire first, you don’t shoot.”

“After I’m done, if the monster’s still alive, you fire.”

“Alright.”

“Got it.”

The two still‑armed men remained surprisingly composed; the three gathered every weapon and magazine nearby and, assuming the posture from emergency drills, half‑kneelled before the gate.

Yu Qian’s hand was steady, his breathing even steadier.

When he saw a black hawk—clearly not one of their own—flash across the doorway, he didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

“Bang bang bang bang!”

The bullets tore through; he didn’t even waste a round from the empty chamber before the monster collapsed.

“We can hold it!”

“We still have enough ammo!”

Yu Qian encouraged his companions, and the other two offered their own words of support.

“It’s not that scary!”

“Just that one special monster is a bit stronger!”

“It’s now tangled with the tank; it can’t bother with us!”

“All we have to do is wipe out the weaker monsters wandering outside!”

“The turret’s still up, the machines are still running!”

“If they focus on that one monster, it won’t stand a chance!”

“Exactly.”

As soon as the words faded, another monster charged toward the factory’s gate.

Yu Qian squeezed the trigger, sending another volley of bullets.

“Bang bang bang bang!”

But this time the monster didn’t fall immediately.

So his comrade beside him quickly reloaded.

After another burst of fire, the monster finally collapsed.

It was larger than any monster they had seen before, its form even more terrifying.

Yet even such a creature now lay dead at the end of their guns.

How hard is it to stay alive?

I doubt it's any easier for me to see!

Yu Qian shoved another round into the magazine, and in that very instant a black silhouette surged forward.

He didn't have time to fire.

He didn't even have time to raise his gun.

It was that mountain macaque!

"Prone!"

Yu Qian shouted as he dropped to the ground, fear striking again, but this time he was no longer as panicked as minutes before.

He didn't know whether he could evade the creature, only that lying low was the most sensible choice.

"Bang!"

The monster that barreled into the factory smashed the heap of scrap steel inside, the collapsing metal clanged harshly, while the beast rose swiftly, its ape‑like head scanning the surroundings.

Yu Qian finally saw its true visage clearly.

It was not a monster.

Its body was sheathed in an unknown material, and certain patches of that shell glittered with a kaleidoscope of light.

What on earth was this thing?

Yu Qian lifted his gun; the creature noticed his movement, and in an instant its eyes flared red.

It's coming.

There's no escaping.

Yu Qian calmly pulled the trigger.

He knew he was about to die.

Yet in that moment, fear seemed to abandon him entirely.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

Bullets rained out, striking the monster and spraying a cascade of sparks; its motion was slightly hindered, but it still leapt forward.

Its long claws unfurled, and Yu Qian saw that the beast's talons glimmered with a faint metallic sheen.

He finally closed his eyes.

But the next instant—

"Bang!"

"Boom!"

The gunshots and explosions roared almost simultaneously.

Shrapnel sliced Yu Qian's face; after a cold numbness came a searing pain.

The creature was slammed aside by the blast; Yu Qian braced with his foot and retreated quickly, while pulling the trigger at the monster, emptying the last round from his barrel.

"Bang bang bang bang——"

The monster writhed on the ground, and when Yu Qian's gaze drifted briefly, he saw a fully armored warrior standing at the doorway.

The commander had arrived!

Yu Qian scrambled to his feet, then heard a steady command.

"Step back!"

Immediately, the explosive rifle cracked.

"Bang bang bang bang bang—"

One bullet after another struck the monster before it could even rise, pinning it hard to the floor.

At the same time, every weapon on the armored commander erupted in fire.

Bullets fell like rain; Yu Qian dragged his fellow workers backward across the floor.

He understood what the commander intended.

He would use a rocket launcher to finish the creature once and for all.

Yu Qian's only task was to stay as far away as possible, lest the blast reach him.

He fell back to the edge of the factory and caught his breath.

Yet now he saw the monster, despite the commander's fire, laboriously rise again.

As if in the next heartbeat it would spring away once more.

He needed a weapon.

Yu Qian's eyes scanned the factory in a frantic sweep, but he found nothing useful.

The only thing he could use was the Type‑75 rifle at his side.

Load a round and fire.

Almost simultaneously, the commander's rocket launcher erupted in flame.

"Boom!"

A blinding stream of iron pierced the creature's body, then the fireworks‑like spray of metal arced into the sky and fell like rain.

The tremendous impact hurled the monster several meters, yet it still struggled.

In that instant, Yu Qian felt a sudden clarity.

He rushed to the manual control panel and slammed a button hard.

Molten iron surged down.

Black smoke billowed upward.

The monster staggered a few steps outward, but the scorching heat melted it completely.

"Puff."

With a soft thud, the beast collapsed onto the ground.

Chen Jian, who had just reloaded his explosive rifle, stared at Yu Qian in astonishment; Yu Qian stood there, dazed, and heard him speak:

"Well done."

"The battle inside the base is almost over."

"If you can still run, come with me for the final strike!"

Yu Qian trembled all over.

Then, without hesitation, he seized the gun on the floor and answered:

"Yes, commander!"

(End of chapter)