With the death of that Licker and the ongoing clearing operation within the campus, the Biomass value on Lin Xuan's system panel pulsed like a heartbeat, finally reaching 85 points. Without any hesitation, his fingertip traced a cruel arc in the air as he issued a new summoning command.
[Ding! Consumed 85 Biomass.][Summoning: Black Watch Tactical Squad.][Commander: Xu Chuan (White Trait Protection Type); Soldiers: Black Watch Soldier * 7.]
A tooth-aching vibration rippled through the air. In the shadows of the Gymnasium's second floor, several figures slowly emerged as if peeling away from the darkness. The leader wore an extremely conspicuous white specialized protective suit; the material emitted a cold, deathly light in the dim corridor, forming a sharp contrast with the soldiers around him dressed in pure black tactical gear. Most striking was his tactical helmet; unlike the iconic blue dual-lens night vision goggles of the ordinary Black Watch, Xu Chuan's lenses were a bright yellow.
Just then, Chu Wenhai led a squad of the Marine Corps back into the Gymnasium with long strides. When he saw this newly appeared team, his originally mechanical and cold movements paused slightly.
The two Black Watch members sized each other up in the middle of the corridor. Xu Chuan was the first to raise his right hand, performing a standard military salute. Chu Wenhai remained silent for half a second before also raising his hand to return the salute.
"You're with Captain Cross?" Xu Chuan's voice came through the amplifier, carrying a texture like grinding metal. Though it was a question, his tone held a sense of recognition between kindred spirits.
Chu Wenhai nodded. The blue light in the electronic eyes of his night vision goggles flickered once, serving as an affirmative response.
Upon hearing this confirmation, the seven Black Watch Soldiers behind Xu Chuan, who had been standing as still as statues, actually stirred slightly. They straightened their spines in unison and returned a military salute to Chu Wenhai. The look in their eyes was not simple obedience from a subordinate to a superior, but a near-religious piety and awe.
Lin Xuan stood to the side, watching this eerie and solemn scene, a hint of confusion rising in his heart. In Lin Xuan's understanding, the Black Watch should be the coldest, most heartless killing machines; why would they have such a strong reaction to a single name?
[System Explanation: captain Robert Cross is a legendary Commander of the Black Watch. In the original history of the blacklight virus outbreak, he was the final and sturdiest insurance for the entire human camp. The squad he led consisted of the most elite, most crazed, and most loyal soldiers in the Black Watch. Cross himself possesses an extraordinary combat record; he is the only human who, in a direct confrontation with the Prototype Alex Mercer, not only heavily wounded the opponent but also managed to escape unscathed. Following Cross is the supreme honor for all Black Watch Soldiers.]
Listening to the system's explanation, Lin Xuan's gaze fell upon Chu Wenhai once more. No wonder this guy displayed efficiency and cruelty in battle that far exceeded normal people; it turned out he came from the command of that "Legend."
"Cross..." Lin Xuan whispered the name, his fingers unconsciously scrolling through the system's summoning list. When he flipped to that page, the long string of zeros made his eyelids twitch wildly—[Robert Cross: 5000 Biomass].
"Five thousand points." Lin Xuan laughed self-mockingly. Currently, he hadn't even gathered enough for the spare change of this massive sum. But looking at the elite squad before him—which, though few in number, exuded an aura capable of suppressing a hundred-man Marine unit—Lin Xuan's anticipation for that "Final Insurance" was pushed to the limit.
Xu Chuan turned around, his bright yellow lenses flickering in the dark: "Commander Xu Chuan reporting. My squad is ready and can clear any 'unclean' threats for you at any time. Whether it's those rotting walking dead or those mobsters with ulterior motives, with just one word from you, they will all become history."
Lin Xuan: "Very good. I'm giving you a special mission now. I need you to gather information outside the school." Lin Xuan needed to understand exactly what the situation was like in the outside world.
Xu Chuan: "Mission guaranteed, Sir."
As Xu Chuan led that murderous Black Watch tactical squad into the shadows at the end of the corridor, the atmosphere inside the Gymnasium became even more eerie and orderly. Lin Xuan stood on the second-floor balcony, his fingertips lightly stroking the "virus detector" he had just exchanged from the system mall.
This machine was crafted entirely from dark gray composite metal, with an induction sphere pulsing with an eerie green light embedded at its core. He placed it at the entrance of the Gymnasium hall. With a soft "hum," a high-frequency pulse nearly invisible to the naked eye centered on the Gymnasium and rapidly spread outward, covering a five-hundred-meter radius.
[Ding! Virus Detection Array activated.][Coverage: 500 meters.][Function: Automatically marks infected entities within range; performs deep biochemical scanning on survivors passing through the checkpoint.]
Lin Xuan was not a madman who enjoyed indiscriminate killing. Now that he had this machine, the soldiers could more accurately screen "survivors" from "infected."
"Zhou Jianguo!" Lin Xuan shouted to the floor below.
Zhou Jianguo, who was sweating profusely while registering names, gave a start. He scrambled to the base of the stairs and looked up at Lin Xuan with fear and trepidation: "Commander, what... what are your orders?"
"Have all survivors line up and walk through that machine one by one." Lin Xuan pointed at the detector emitting blue light, his tone flat but brook no argument. "Green light passes. Red light... hand them directly to the Marines nearby. Tell them this is for their safety; if they don't want to die, they'd better cooperate."
"Un... understood! I'll get right on it!" Zhou Jianguo felt as if he had been granted a grand pardon. He turned and roared at the trembling students and teachers, as if venting all the fright he had received in front of Lin Xuan onto these weaker people.
Soon, a long line formed inside the Gymnasium. People walked through the blue light curtain with hearts full of fear and apprehension.
"Beep—Green light." "Beep—Green light."
Every time the green light lit up, the survivor would heave a massive sigh of relief as if granted a new life. However, when a filthy boy with shifting eyes stepped onto the platform, the detector suddenly emitted a sharp yellow warning tone.
"Beep—!!! Warning: Trace virus activity detected. Infection progress: 12%."
The boy's face instantly turned ashen, and he screamed, trying to run: "No! I was just scratched! I haven't mutated! Help!"
The two Marines standing guard nearby didn't even give him a second look. They stepped forward coldly and smashed him to the ground with their rifle butts. One of them skillfully drew a tactical pistol and pressed it against the back of his head.
"Bang!"
Blood splattered onto the blue detector, and the corpse was casually dragged toward the incineration pile in the back. The survivors in line erupted into a fit of suppressed weeping and screaming, but under the dark muzzles of the Marines' guns, they quickly returned to a dead silence.
After a long while, Xu Chuan's report came back over the radio: "Commander, Red Light Squad reporting. My unit has reached the commercial street on the north side of the school. The infection here is more severe than inside the campus; we've discovered some Mature Phase Zombies. Additionally... we intercepted a distress signal originating from a police station two kilometers away. The other party claims to possess 'important documents.'"}, exploration.
[Ding! Triggered Hidden Quest: "Secrets of the World".]