Chapter 208: Lightning Bonus
Luna Dawson followed the sound and saw a mutated Third Rank bat, nearly a meter long, snatch an older woman who had just opened her window to peek outside. The woman didn’t even have a chance to struggle before the bat carried her dangling body high into the sky.
Even more terrifyingly, as soon as this bat ascended, dozens of surrounding bats swarmed her. Their sharp teeth instantly pierced the woman’s body.
The crowd could only watch helplessly as her body shriveled at a visible rate. Blood dripped from the bats’ mouths, hitting the ground with a *DRIP DROP*. In just over a dozen seconds, a vibrant, living person was reduced to a withered, ashen corpse.
Having apparently drunk their fill, the bats released their grip. The mummified corpse hit the ground with a loud *THUD*, shattering into pieces in a gruesome scene.
Similar horrific scenes played out simultaneously all over the camp.
One young survivor, unable to withstand the terror, secretly opened his car door to flee. He had barely taken two steps before three mutated bats locked onto him, instantly pinning him to the ground. He let out a heart-wrenching scream, but the sound was quickly cut short, leaving only the *GULP GULP* of the bats feasting on his blood.
The stench of blood rapidly permeated the air. Tasting fresh blood drove the bats into an even deeper frenzy. Their crimson eyes flashed with a burning hunger, like starving beasts finally spotting prey. They stopped circling and instead dove frantically toward the crowds below, descending like a torrential black rain.
Compared to ordinary humans, the blood of Superpower Users was a top-tier delicacy to them—something that could rapidly enhance their strength. In a single minute, dozens of mummified corpses were dropped by the bats, scattered everywhere.
Panic completely erupted across the camp. The survivors’ cries and screams tangled with the roars of soldiers and Superpower Users, turning everything into total chaos.
Some Superpower Users completely lost their heads, recklessly hurling their superpowers into the air. Fireballs, metal blades, and ice shards flew wildly but mostly hit nothing. Instead, many of these misguided attacks ended up injuring their own companions.
"Don’t shoot blindly! Aim before you fire!" a soldier with a metal-type superpower shouted at his panicked companions.
But the moment the words left his mouth, a diving bat clawed his shoulder, instantly drawing blood.
"Hold your ground! Anti-aircraft artillery unit! Suppressing fire!" In this critical moment, Major General Dalton’s roar echoed through the communicators across the entire camp. His voice was hoarse but carried an unquestionable authority.
"Copy that! Anti-aircraft artillery unit is ready!"
"Heavy machine gun unit in position!"
The squad leaders responded over the comms, their voices equally hoarse but exceptionally resolute.
A second later.
*BANG!*
*BANG, BANG, BANG!*
*RAT-A-TAT-TAT!*
The deafening roar of endless artillery fire exploded around the perimeter of the camp like thunder!
The anti-aircraft guns in the formation fired first. Blinding flashes erupted from their massive barrels as artillery shells, trailing long tails of fire, blasted toward the high-altitude bat swarm.
*BOOM! BOOM!*
The shells detonated amidst the swarm. The massive shockwaves instantly blasted away swathes of bats. Black blood mist, shattered wings, and scales scattered through the air, raining down like a grotesque black storm.
Immediately after, the heavy machine guns began their furious roar.
Rows of heavy machine gunners lay prone at the front line, their hands gripping the guns tightly. The muzzles spat dense tongues of flame, pouring bullets into the sky like a waterfall. The continuous *RAT-A-TAT-TAT* merged into a single, ear-piercing yet strangely reassuring roar. Countless bullets wove into dense nets of suppressive fire in the air, firmly blocking the diving bats.
The low-level fodder bats leading the charge were instantly riddled with holes. They plummeted, hitting the ground with a heavy *THUD THUD*, quickly piling up into a small mountain in front of the defensive line.
The regular soldiers also raised their assault rifles and pulled the triggers on the sky. Though their rifles lacked the raw power of the anti-aircraft artillery and heavy machine guns, they made up for it in sheer numbers. The dense hail of bullets filled the gaps in the suppressive fire, picking off any small bats that slipped through the net.
Hearing the gunfire, the Superpower Users who had been blindly throwing around their superpowers in panic finally snapped out of their daze, halting their useless attacks.
One of them slapped his forehead and shouted in frustration, "Damn it! I was so panicked I forgot we had guns!" He hoisted his assault rifle and mimicked the soldiers, aiming at the bats above.
The pile of bat corpses in front of the line grew higher and higher. The smell of scorched flesh mixed with the metallic tang of blood assaulted their noses. Yet, the dense black swarm in the sky continued to surge forward like headless flies, the cacophony of their flapping wings making everyone’s scalp go numb.
"Holy shit, this is never-ending, isn’t it!" Miles Dawson hoisted his assault rifle, cursing as he continuously pulled the trigger, the muzzle flashing without pause. "My arms are sore! How are we not out of these damn things yet!"
Aaron Palmer, standing beside him, wasn’t faring much better. He kept hurling his fire superpowers, his forehead drenched in sweat. "Stop complaining! Just hold the line! There are some slipping through on the left—Brother Forrest, cover it!"
Lynn Shelby didn’t even reply. His Ice Ability erupted instantly. With a sharp *SWISH*, a wall of ice rose up, freezing several charging bats in mid-air. With a flick of his wrist, a flurry of ice blades flew out, slicing the frozen bats into pieces.
"Done. Watch the right flank, a few high-level ones are breaking through."
Evan Olson moved in a blur, his Wind Ability wrapping around him to swiftly dodge the bats’ attacks while firing precise bursts from his rifle. "Sawyer, set up a shield for me."
Blake Blue nodded and channeled his Gold Element. Several metallic barriers materialized out of thin air, blocking the attacks from behind Evan Olson. "Done, fire at will."
Kevin Keane stood beside Luna Dawson, his entire body radiating intense lightning. The Thunder System in his palms crackled wildly. A second later, several thick, massive bolts of lightning tore through the clouds, striking down with apocalyptic force!
The lightning abruptly detonated in mid-air, transforming into a dense purple Thunder Net. It enveloped a massive area like an inescapable web. The bats caught within range were instantly struck, and the continuous *CRACKLE* of electricity filled the air as they plummeted in droves.
Seeing this, the Fourth Rank Thunder Frog crouching at his feet suddenly arched its back. A low hum emanated from its throat before it spat out a massive barrage of silver-white electrical arcs.
These arcs possessed incredible penetrating power. The moment they connected with Kevin Keane’s Thunder Net, they surged wildly like fire fueled by oil, instantly expanding the net to twice its original size and covering nearly a hundred square meters!
Purple-black and silver-white lightning intertwined and coiled together, multiplying the attack’s power exponentially. The bats caught in the net weren’t just charred black; their corpses were entirely pulverized by the electrical arcs. Crystal Cores cascaded down, mixed with the ash and debris.
"Holy crap! This power is insane!" Aaron Palmer froze in place with his gun raised, his eyes wide as saucers, completely forgetting to pull the trigger. "Did Brother Finn just unleash his ultimate move? And this little chubby pink guy—Fourth Rank is seriously ferocious!"
Evan Olson manipulated his Wind Ability to steady his stance, his eyes full of awe. "That teamwork is flawless. Kevin Keane’s lightning sets the foundation, and the Thunder Frog’s arcs amplify it. He’s practically a walking artillery battery!"