Published: February 11, 2025
“Can it be blocked?” Zhan Pingkang asked one of his subordinates, who was sweating profusely. His voice was hoarse, and every word felt like a knife cutting through his throat.
In just one day, Zhan Pingkang experienced unprecedented hardships.
Before, when Lu Yi was around, he only needed to manage his part and take care of the evolvers in the merchant team.
In the apocalypse, while people were unruly, they were not difficult to manage since the strong were respected. Zhan Pingkang, being a six-star evolver, was a leader apart from the core members, and his status commanded respect and obedience.
Moreover, Cloud Summit Villa was a unique existence in this apocalypse, with strong camaraderie among its members, akin to family, which further reduced management difficulties.
Zhan Pingkang sometimes pondered that if he were a core member, he could achieve the same things.
But this time, when Lu Yi, who usually handled the coordination, fell into a coma due to severe injuries, he, as the first deputy, had to shoulder all the responsibilities.
The pressure came crashing down.
Only then did Zhan Pingkang realize that being a decision-maker for an independent combat team was not that simple; it required not only strong and mature coordination skills but also ample energy and rich experience.
Currently, the entire Cloud Summit First Merchant Team was holding its ground, surrounded by modified heavy trucks arranged in a semicircle, relying on several abandoned rural houses for defense.
However, after facing multiple assaults from monsters that day, many of these heavy trucks had been destroyed, and the defensive perimeter was shrinking. Some trucks were on the verge of being pierced and were nearing the point of being scrapped. Once that happened, the defense line would immediately collapse.
“We can only use stones, but…” the subordinate who was asked had blood all over his hands. Before the apocalypse, he was an auto mechanic, and later, he obtained a profession related to repairs, making him one of the few support-type evolvers.
Such individuals had no status in other factions due to their weak combat abilities, which condemned them to be exploited and forced into labor. This subordinate had lived months in a situation where such people were treated worse than dogs.
But everything changed after arriving at Cloud Summit. Here, there was a strong emphasis on talents in support roles. His skills could be put to good use, and he enjoyed high treatment, with a status that subtly surpassed that of ordinary evolvers at his level.
Due to the unique nature of the merchant team, there was a high demand for vehicle stability and safety, so this subordinate was assigned here.
But who would have thought that they would encounter this situation now?
He was merely a repair-focused profession, not omnipotent. After being attacked by these monsters, the heavy trucks kept having problems. These issues weren't mechanical failures but damage to the vehicle bodies, which was not his area of expertise.
His profession skills gave him very weak repair capabilities against such 'hard' damage.
At this moment, he couldn't say anything, only continuing to work. The blood on his hands wasn't from cuts but rather a side effect of overexerting his professional skills.
However, everything has its limits. Even if this subordinate pushed beyond his limits, he ultimately couldn't hold on any longer. The large hole torn into this heavy truck couldn't be repaired with conventional methods and could only be temporarily patched with stones. Yet, only the houses behind could provide those. If they were demolished, the defense behind would face problems.
Zhan Pingkang helplessly tugged at his hair, and his subordinate’s answer drove him a bit crazy.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of monsters running approached again, signaling the start of another attack.
Zhan Pingkang jumped onto the heavy truck and surveyed the area, discovering that hundreds of monsters were charging from all directions once more.