The promised fourth update has been completed. To express gratitude for everyone's monthly votes, recommendation tickets, rewards, clicks, and care, I'm unleashing one more chapter—this one is late as I haven't eaten dinner yet. My stomach is rumbling; I'll grab something to eat first, then get back to typing. …… Thud.

The bullet pierced the forehead of the zombie dog center mass. Its body listed sideways, collapsing dead. The corpse was immediately trampled and shredded by the monsters surging right behind it.

Two shots?

The Colonel, whose machine gun Ye Chen had just snatched, was utterly bewildered. A monster in the teens of levels usually required sustained machine-gun fire, riddling its body with holes to drastically reduce its speed before it could be killed.

Otherwise, even aiming squarely at its head, the bullet’s velocity meant the monster could easily evade it. Yet, Ye Chen had managed to blow the head apart with only two bullets.

What truly broke him was… it was pitch black outside.

"That actually killed it?"

The Battalion Commander-level man beside him stared blankly for a long moment after witnessing the incredible shot, snapping back to reality with sheer shock. He couldn't fathom that a bullet could be delivered in such a manner.

Though it appeared simple, the feat of making the second bullet strike the first was extraordinarily difficult. Pistol bullets travel at the same speed; having a second one catch up to the first for a sequential strike was nearly impossible. Yet, Ye Chen had achieved it using the 'arm retraction method': pulling his arm back when firing the first shot, then whipping it forward rapidly the instant he squeezed the trigger again.

A person of ordinary physique absolutely could not manage this. But with a physique like his, the speed of the arm was immense, allowing him to accelerate the second bullet in the 0.01 seconds it took to pull the trigger, making it catch up to the first one.

Even with this technique, ordinary people couldn't pull it off due to lacking the required physical conditioning. Furthermore, he had to ensure the second bullet wouldn't deflect the first upon impact.

"Move!" Ye Chen commanded coldly, retreating while running behind the large truck, killing the pursuing monsters. For every two bullets he fired, one level-teen monster would fall dead.

Many Generals were retreating while firing, killing the monsters. Once they were entangled, they had to flee quickly, lest they become utterly submerged and finally buried alive.

"Die!"

"Vile insects!"

Numerous Generals swung their great blades, plunging into the swarm of bugs and wreaking havoc. No matter how numerous the bugs, they were only level one or two. With the Generals' strength, a single punch or kick could shatter or flatten them.

The terror of the Beasts lay in their endless numbers. Once caught up, they would be enveloped, and when their strength to fight was depleted, they became food.

"Roar..."

From the dense, inky black swarm, several powerful canine monsters suddenly charged out, reaching level twenty-plus. Though all were dark-type canine creatures, their species varied greatly, much like hounds versus lapdogs—some possessed immense physical strength, while others were extremely weak.

A Major General, caught completely off guard and unable to retreat in time, was ripped apart by a claw. Half his skull was torn away. The canine monster leaned down and bit, swallowing his entire upper torso into its mouth, chewing ferociously. As the monster shook its head, the lower half of the Major General's body, including his exposed legs, swung uselessly in the air.

A living person one moment, swallowed by a monster the next.

"So powerful! Anyone below Lieutenant General, retreat quickly!" roared one General.

Before he could finish speaking, all the Battalion Commanders, Major Generals, and Lieutenant Generals were already pulling back, leaving the full Generals to deal with these formidable monsters.

"Damn it all, how did these monsters charge out?"

"They just burst out! Good thing I ran fast!"

Many Major Generals who narrowly escaped the mouths of these suddenly charging beasts were terrified out of their wits, drenched in cold sweat. Once they reached a safe zone, they erupted in curses.

Ye Chen, holding the machine gun, maintained a cold expression, focusing only on killing the level-teen monsters among the horde. He downed each with two precise shots, drawing startled glances from the surrounding Generals.

Ten minutes later—

"Retreat!"

"Everyone fall back, quickly!"

With the coordinated efforts of dozens of Generals, several Commanders, and numerous Battalion Commanders, they successfully held the Beasts back. Seeing the large trucks pull far ahead, they began to withdraw under the leadership of one of the Commanders.

Whoosh, whoosh.

Figures blurred like the wind, sprinting away rapidly, leaving the Beasts far behind.

Once they established a certain distance, these Beasts, having lost their targets, would charge off in other directions instead of pursuing relentlessly.

All the Generals and Battalion Commanders ran at top speed, quickly catching up to the departing vehicles along the highway. They jumped into their respective cars to rest. While the battle had been relatively easy for Ye Chen, for the other Generals and Commanders, it had been like shaking hands with death itself.

This night was destined to be restless. As the Beast engagement ended, they were immediately met by several groups of powerful monsters. Although their numbers were small, each monster was incredibly strong, resulting in the loss of several Generals and Battalion Commanders during the fierce fighting.

Dawn was slowly approaching.

The first light of the rising sun illuminated the horizon, chasing away the night mist that blanketed the land. A crimson sun slowly ascended in the distance, casting a soft, non-glaring light.

"Taicang City," Ye Chen muttered, spotting the highway sign. They had reached Taicang City. Beyond this city lay Shanghai, and the spatial connection point for the Atlantis Civilization ruins was located near Jiading District in Shanghai, specifically around the Shanghai International Circuit F1 Racetrack.

"Roar..."

Monsters occasionally charged from the surroundings, dispatched by the Battalion Commander-level men. Ye Chen only intervened when truly powerful monsters appeared.

Two hours later—

All the advancing trucks halted. The Battalion Commanders on each truck loudly ordered the soldiers off, signaling their arrival at the destination.

Ye Chen jumped down from the truck, standing by the highway and looking down. There were many buildings around, and a Zhengping Building was visible nearby. Not far below lay the Shanghai International F1 Racetrack—a vast, square area with winding tracks.

"The entrance to the ruins is here?"

"Why don't we see anything?"

Many soldiers looked around with curiosity.

The vicinity was strangely devoid of monsters; even the bugs were rare—a relatively safe area.

A Battalion Commander ran over from further up the road, acting as a messenger relaying orders from above. Upon spotting another Battalion Commander, he whispered a few brief instructions, quickly approaching Ye Chen’s position. He respectfully rendered a military salute to Ye Chen, then turned to the middle-aged Battalion Commander beside him, reporting, "The five High Commanders and several Chiefs of Staff from above have discussed it and finalized the most suitable operational plan. Each battalion will select three Regiments skilled in suppression fire. They will establish 10 rows of suppressive gunners 100 meters in front of the racetrack, with 3,000 men per row."

The Chiefs of Staff were experienced military veterans. Though their individual fighting strength might be low, their combat knowledge was profound, earning them their respected position.

"Furthermore, on the eastern and western highways, four Regiments skilled in sniping will be selected—two on each side. The remaining three Regiments will be held in reserve for emergency deployment."

The middle-aged man nodded.

The messenger quickly ran off to relay the same message to another Battalion Commander. There were 100 in total; he would have to repeat the exact same briefing 99 more times...

Ye Chen sat nearby, casually observing the racetrack. Several impressive-looking racing cars were still parked there, along with many dormant zombies. Now, they only needed to finish deployment before entering the spatial connection point. Intelligence suggested that the entrance was guarded by several formidable mechanical beasts.

Subsequently, orders were issued one after another, directing the Battalion Commanders to organize their soldiers into combat formations.

"Beneath this racetrack is a subway tunnel. Commanders are to assign one team each, led by three Generals and one Commander, to plant the brought nuclear weapons inside, ready for detonation at any moment."

"Plant the explosive charges at the ruin entrance, ready for detonation as well."

As these orders were disseminated, it wasn't long before the nuclear devices, long-range sniper teams, and suppression teams were all in position.

When everything was prepared, the command to open the ruins was given.

First, two volunteers were chosen from the army. Their mission was to enter the ruins to scout for danger—in essence, to serve as bait to draw out any lurking monsters.

Greed drives men to ruin; under the incentive of huge monetary rewards, two men ultimately accepted the task, approaching it like gamblers, clinging to the hope of beating the odds. If they survived, the immense bonuses would propel them instantly to high status and great power.

All the Generals gathered, awaiting the signal to attack. One Regiment was positioned around the perimeter as guards to prevent any sudden monster incursions that could catch them off guard.

Everyone watched.

The two volunteers, clutching pistols, cautiously approached the racetrack. If they hadn't had the two or three thousand suppressive gunners three hundred meters behind them for moral support, they would have been too terrified to take a step forward.

The pair tiptoed to the ruin entrance marked on the map, reaching out their hands. Then, they felt as if their palms had passed into another dimension; they couldn't see anything, but they could distinctly feel the presence of their hands.

The two swallowed hard and edged forward slowly, testing the way.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the figures of the two men gradually vanished, as if stepping into another reality. If they hadn't been psychologically prepared, many would have cried out in shock. Even so, they couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder.

This ruin was different from the runic ruins Ye Chen had found earlier. That one required a specific activation key—the eight materials—but this one demanded no such key.

A moment passed...

"Huh?" Everyone froze. Why had it taken so long for them not to return?

Just as the thought crossed their minds, a roar, echoing across the wilderness, suddenly erupted at the racetrack, sweeping over the entire area. The ground trembled slightly. The soldiers closest, just 100 meters away, felt their ears ring and stars swim before their eyes; those whose physiques hadn't been enhanced were instantly shaken unconscious.

Boom.

A massive, silver tail, thirty feet long, emerged from the spatial connection point within the ruin, planting itself firmly on the ground.