BOOO!
Another shot was fired as the zombies coming in waves were immediately turned into ash and gore, leaving behind only a smoking crater on the highway.
BOOOOM!
BOOOOO!
With each pull of the trigger, entire waves of zombies were disintegrated, a clearing immediately appearing in front of the convoy.
Behind him, the soldiers unleashed rockets and grenades while assault rifles echoed like thunder, explosions rattling the ground as the zombie tide was mowed down.
After five relentless minutes, silence returned to the highway.
The highway was strewn with mangled remains of rotting corpses; an acrid stench filled the air around them.
Cyrus lowered his cannon, his expression still calm and unreadable as he scanned the devastation before him.
Some of the units must've been chased here,' he muttered. "Quite unlucky, huh!"
The road ahead was wide and clean, and there were already heaps of zombie corpses littered around.
It seems the other units had already returned to the Ark.
With engines roaring to life, the convoy moved forward.
"Look, what is that?!" someone shouted from within the bus.
In the distance loomed a colossal metallic bridge rising and stretching to the other side.
The survivors gasped in unison in shock.
"Holy shit, what… is that?
"When did such an enormous structure appear in Apex City?!"
"I've lived here for twenty years... I've never seen anything like this!"
As the convoy drew closer, their astonishment and shock deepened even more.
The bridge was really big; its metallic sheen shimmered like liquid silver under the sun's rays.
On the other side stood a colossal gate towering hundreds of meters tall, with glowing conduits of blue energy carved on it.
As their convoy rumbled across this majestic bridge, every survivor pressed eagerly against their windows to catch sight of this marvel.
The colossal gates groaned as they slowly opened wide on both sides as they entered.
---
When the survivors came back to their senses, what appeared in front of their eyes was a platform that extended endlessly before them.
A vast expanse of shuttle buses was visible in the distance, along with towering structures that glimmered faintly in the distance.
The Central Station Platform was already filled with thousands of rescued survivors, and the other units had all returned as the survivors poured out from the buses.
Their faces mixed with confusion, shock, fear, etc.
The soldiers barked orders, medics rushed to treat the injured, and the cries of children filled the air.
The scene was quite magnificent, at least in Cyrus's eyes.
As Cyrus's convoy came to a halt, soldiers snapped to attention in perfect unison.
"Commander!" they shouted, their voices resonating across the platform.
Cyrus leapt down from the bus roof, dusting off his uniform.
He waved dismissively at his troops. "Continue your duties."
"Yes, Commander!" they responded in unison.
Cyrus threw his electromagnetic cannon to one of the soldiers.
Nearby medics hurriedly carried Marybel out of the bus and placed her on her stretcher; she was still unconscious.
Cyrus's cold eyes lingered on her, especially her bulging stomach, for just a moment before instructing the medics.
"Take care of her, especially the baby."
"Yes, Commander!" The medics whisked her away as Cyrus turned his attention back to the crowd.
In front of him stood Professor Albert and Selene among the crowd, frozen in awe as they absorbed the enormity of their surroundings.
"Administrator, a total of 7,432 civilians have been rescued. 521 children, 412 researchers, 198 medical personnel, 247 technical personnel, etc."
Cyrus nodded silently while scanning the sea of faces around him; fear mingled with suspicion and confusion, but their eyes were still filled with awe and amazement.
Cyrus didn't care how they felt; right now, they were inside his Ark.
---
"Selene, this place is far too suspicious," Professor Albert whispered almost to Selene beside him.
Selene narrowed her icy blue eyes thoughtfully. "Yes, Professor. How could such a massive project be built in secret without anyone knowing?"
Before Albert could respond, a hoarse voice sounded behind them.
"…Albert? Is that you?"
Professor Albert froze in disbelief as he turned slowly toward the sound. "James?!"
Through the crowd emerged two figures: a stooped elderly man with thinning gray hair and, beside him, stood a girl about Selene's age.
"James!" Albert exclaimed joyfully as he rushed forward to embrace his old friend tightly; relief flooded both their eyes.
"I thought I'd never see you again!"
James smiled weakly but warmly replied, "So did I, old friend. You're lucky... truly lucky." His gaze shifted to Selene with surprise.
"Well now! I didn't think you'd survive this nightmare; you've got your grandfather's luck!" The girl next to James folded her arms and let out a sharp, derisive snort.
She was quite beautiful; her hair was dyed blue, cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall, with oversized goggles perched on her head, and a pair of long legs wrapped in torn jeans.
Her green eyes twinkled with mischief, but one disadvantage about her was her flat chest, more like a rolling board. Standing next to Selene's angelic beauty, she felt overshadowed.
"Rose," Selene muttered coldly, crossing her arms as if to shield herself from the very presence of the other girl. "I suppose Professor James saved your ass again?"
A smirk danced on Rose's lips, curling with disdain. "And I suppose your icy glare scared all the zombies away for you?"
Tension immediately crackled between them as sparks seemed to flicker in their eyes, their eyes locked on each other.
Meanwhile, Professor Albert and James exchanged helpless glances and shook their heads.
They knew better than to step into this fight.
Cyrus watched all of this unfold from a distance with an amused smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
They had barely had time to settle down, and two rebellious kids were already beginning to fight.
Cyrus didn't have any intention to intervene; in fact, he might support it and welcome it after all chaos can be just as captivating as harmony.
Thinking of the future excitement in this boring world,Cyrus wouldn't help but let out a smirk.