Apocalypse: the Most Ruthless Person

Chapter 339 - 288: Tank Stowaway

A group of people walked to what was called the command post. The name sounded grand, but it was just a dilapidated two-story building, with over fifty zombie corpses scattered around and human remains mixed in. The walls were riddled with bullet holes, and blood splattered, staining the white walls red. The most eye-catching sight was a partially collapsed section.

There were no signs of shelling, yet a section of the small building had collapsed into the rubble!

"No doubt, there should be a laboratory beneath this building, and it’s quite important!"

Zhang Su stood in front of the battered small building with a serious expression, pointing at the collapsed part, and said: "If I’m not mistaken, the only thing capable of tearing a house apart this way is probably 004!"

"004? Holy crap, is it that big locust from that day?"

Zhao Dezhu showed a look of amazement, recalling vividly the figure that slaughtered its way through the horde of corpses.

Many on Celestial Horse Island had seen 004 through telescopes and had some understanding of its capabilities, clicking their tongues at the sight of the collapsed building.

"I didn’t think the Edge Squad really managed to create 004, it’s incredible."

Xin Qi stepped forward, patting the collapsed wall as if he could feel the power of 004.

Zhang Su glanced around, sighing with relief: "Luckily, 004 was burned to death in that battle, otherwise it would’ve been a disaster."

was extraordinarily powerful, but in front of 004, it could probably hold out for only three to five rounds. But its greatest advantage was control; compared to 004, it was controllable!

No matter how powerful a weapon is, if it can’t be controlled and doesn’t distinguish friend from foe, it’s merely a deterrent and is hard to truly deploy.

"Damn, this building... it’s probably not safe!"

Zhang Su wanted to go inside, struggling to pry open the twisted iron door, only to hear a creaking sound from the wall, giving the sensation of impending collapse at any moment.

"Um... 004 charged out from here, there’s probably nobody left down below. Maybe we shouldn’t go in, it’s too dangerous!"

Zheng Xinyu suggested, frowning.

Zhang Su rubbed his head. There must be a laboratory below, and even if nobody’s hidden there, he still wanted to take away whatever was left. But he couldn’t ignore the danger before them; they were all flesh and blood, and no one could withstand being hit by steel and concrete.

Thinking things over, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said: "Let’s go find a tank first, we can just use a tank to flatten the building completely, wouldn’t that solve everything?"

Nobody knew how to operate a tank, but they all agreed with Zhang Su’s idea. In the face of a steel beast, such a derelict building was nothing to worry about.

Soon, the group reached the western wall of the barracks, the main battlefield area where the zombie horde attacked the city. The tragic scene made several people’s faces turn grim.

After zombies are burned, their remains cannot be left behind, but many zombie corpses that hadn’t caught fire lay beside the wall, along with some charred human corpses. Due to insufficient temperatures and other factors, human bodies couldn’t be completely incinerated, making it even worse, their ghastly appearance surpassing even that of hell...

"Let’s go."

Zhang Su called to the people standing still in shock and walked toward a tank nearby.

Two 99 Heavy Tanks lay a hundred meters apart, quietly resting amid piles of corpses like ferocious beasts lurking after a bloody battle.

"Haha, what loot!"

Seeing that the tanks, though dirty and covered with blood, had no obvious damage, Zhao Dezhu jumped up excitedly.

"99 Heavy Tank, weights fifty tons, crew of three, maximum highway speed of eighty kilometers per hour, maximum off-road speed sixty kilometers per hour, combat range six hundred kilometers, main armament is a 125mm smoothbore cannon, ammunition limit is forty rounds, equipped with coaxial machine gun..."

Zhang Su recited a string of data like a cherished family heirloom, detailing the big guy in front of them.

"I only saw the tank fire less than five shells that night; was it because of insufficient ammo reserves at the base?"

Zhao Dezhu picked up a corpse on the ground, tossed it aside, walked to the tank, and swiped his hand across the cold track, feeling very puzzled.

"Why don’t we just open it and see!"

Saying that, Zhang Su prepared to jump onto the tank, as he was the only one present with some theoretical knowledge.

Just as he climbed onto the driver’s compartment and was about to pull open the hatch, a clanging sound suddenly came from his ear, very close, right beneath his feet!

"Get out of the way, there’s someone alive in the tank!"

Zhang Su was startled and hurriedly shouted.

The people present were all frightened and quickly scattered to the sides. If it suddenly started running, forget firing a cannon; rolling over them would be enough to flatten them like gross pancakes!

While Zhang Su called for his companions to clear the tank’s path, he urgently pulled open the hatch above the driver’s compartment, raising his gun to look inside, only to find it empty...

Clang clang.

The sound came again from inside the compartment.

This time, Zhang Su heard it clearly; the noise was coming from the gunner’s compartment. He leapt up, landing directly atop the tank.

Bang bang.

This time, Zhang Su didn’t hastily open the hatch but instead pounded hard on the hatch cover.

Soon, a response came from inside; two clangs echoed, accompanied by a muffled voice: "Help, save me, the lock’s open, just pull..."

Zhang Su furrowed his brows, cautiously opening the hatch while staying behind it to avoid an enemy attack.

With a swoosh, the hatch opened. While no physical attack occurred, a wave of ammonia mixed with a metallic scent burst forth. This chemical assault was not to be underestimated; although the cold air numbed the sense of smell, the sudden acrid smell made Zhang Su’s nose tingle.

"Who’s there? Which squad are you from? I’m Pan Guoliang, can you save me?" The man inside the tank was unaware that the stench nearly knocked out those outside and continued calling for help.

"Throw out your weapon first!"

Zhang Su didn’t immediately move to rescue him; he was unsure about the situation inside.

"Huh? Who are you? I don’t recognize your voice. Damn, I’ve got nothing left to hide, here, take it!"

Pan Guoliang panted while talking, simultaneously passing out a trembling rifle through the hatch. The gun was covered in dried bloodstains.

Zhang Su took the rifle, tossed it down to his companions below, and leaned down to look into the gunner’s compartment. Inside the cramped space lay a middle-aged man half-soaked in blood, who was now looking up at him with a relieved smile.

"Hey hero, are the zombies gone outside? You seem quite relaxed,"

Pan Guoliang said, grateful to see a living person, even though the face was unfamiliar, he felt relief after surviving a calamity.

Zhang Su ignored Pan Guoliang, scanning the narrow gunner’s compartment for any other abnormality and finding none before turning to Xin Qi and the others: "You guys come here!"

Xin Qi and three others rushed to the tank.

"The guy inside is named Pan Guoliang, do you know him?"

"Yes, we know him, Pan Guoliang is the deputy leader of the Elite Squad Two!"

Xin Qi answered immediately.

"Hey, the guy speaking outside, you’re Xin Qi from Squad Three, right?"

Pan Guoliang, pressing a hand to the wound on his abdomen, felt a surge of hope at seeing live human beings and inhaling fresh air, making him less out of breath with speaking.

"Yes, Captain Pan, I’m Xin Qi, and the guy talking to you is Brother Zhang. He’s a good man!"

Xin Qi quickly responded, not forgetting to introduce Zhang Su.

Hearing Xin Qi’s introduction, Zhang Su rolled his eyes. This was quite the bizarre introduction.